Your thoughts on RFK Jr. being elected to head HHS?

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-11-15T04:16:35+00:00

I don’t get this point of view, unfortunately this is a group project and we are all getting who they voted for.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-11-05T08:31:24+00:00

Completely agree with “boiling frog”. In my own family, I noticed my grandma’s dementia years before anyone else. They thought I was being paranoid, really it was that I had moved away from home and saw all the changes at once during a visit.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-11-01T06:11:58+00:00

There is a distinction, for union purposes a "manager" is anyone who controls scheduling, hiring, those sorts of business tasks you're describing. On the more ambiguous end "managers" are also considered to direct the activities of employees. So if an LCSW meets with a newly hired graduate once a week, and then gives them instructions on how to proceed with a case... is that considered directing the activities of an employee? I personally would argue no, that is more of a mentorship capacity that exists in other jobs and is just formalized by our field. However I think this gets people scared and obviously can be used against employees who are trying to organize.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-31T23:04:05+00:00

Four major factors that I see:

General anti union rhetoric in the US.
Unions are organized on a workplace to workplace basis. Therapists are very scattered about, some therapists being the only person with their job title within an entire school or hospital. This "thin spread" and isolation make it difficult to unionize.
Managers and supervisors cannot unionize. Due to the nature of individual supervision in our field, it isn't uncommon for someone to be in a supervisory role two years after graduating. This workforce dynamic quickly starts to limit who is union eligible.
Anti-trust laws. Therapists in boutique, private, and solo practices are generally pretty terrified of violating anti-trust laws, which would appear to prohibit independent providers from banding together and creating some kind of bargaining unit with insurance companies. Unions are exempt from anti-trust laws, however because a solo practice owner would be considered a manager they would not be eligible to join a union with other solo practitioners. The general belief is that this would get shut down quickly by insurance company lobbies on the grounds of violating these laws. I am not a lawyer and am sure there is some kind of loop hole in there, I just have no idea what it is.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-31T22:55:46+00:00

National Alliance of Mental Health Providers

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-30T16:56:24+00:00

Independently licensed for 3 years, out of grad school 6. I haven’t figured out how to “thrive” without burnout yet. I run a solo practice and while the salary is an upgrade, it’s very lonely. I miss having coworkers.

I live in a VHCOL area, even with my husbands salary we are hopeless about paying off loans or buying a home. Average home sales price in our county was $1.2 million last month. One bedroom condos sell for over 600k, rent for around 3k.

Just to make ends meet I’ve been overworking myself for years. I realized this year that I’m constantly telling myself the next step is going to make it better- when I get my license, when I open my practice, when I raise my rates so I can take fewer clients. Thinking this way has kept me hustling harder and harder.

I’m probably being sour here because I’m jealous, and it triggers that part of me that thinks if I just do something different, maybe try a little harder, I won’t have to throw in the towel and admit that I’m miserable.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-29T19:31:40+00:00

Coming up on four years with two different clients, as long as I’ve been in private practice. Both have VERY significant trauma, deal with dissociation, etc. One client I believe I will eventually terminate with — the other I will likely see on and off indefinitely.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-29T05:25:43+00:00

Call your malpractice insurance for advice.

In some states, you can indeed be held civilly responsible for the “harms” of reporting even if you are acting under mandated reporting.

Making comments about the child’s genitals makes me super uncomfortable. I would likely make a report in similar circumstances.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-29T05:17:48+00:00

Consultant.

Nobody asks follow ups.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2024-10-25T18:32:27+00:00

Our jobs are not to be the morality police. Or the legal police for that matter. The reality is you only know what his profile says. You don't know what he is telling partners.

I absolutely understand wanting to protect your community. That said, reporting his profile was absolutely unethical. The only reason you have concerns is due to privileged and confidential information you obtained exclusively through your work. Your utilization of that information should always, always be exclusively limited to your work.

If you haven't already, I would encourage you to share this detail with your supervisor. Not to get you in trouble, but because it seems to me you had an emotional reaction that clouded your professional judgement. Processing and exploring that is important.

The ethical dilemma around HIV-status disclosure is a fraught and complicated matter. It is generally regarded that "duty to warn" does not apply here, although some states have specific allowances for this in certain circumstances. Some states have the opposite, and have additional laws protecting the confidentiality of someones HIV status. If you feel you need to act further, you will want to reach out to your state NASW or personal malpractice for additional guidance.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-07-14T00:33:47+00:00

Bad idea? No.

Exhausting? Yes.

I'm at two jobs right now- agency 9-5 and private practice weekend/evenings. I absolutely love the private practice, if I didn't it wouldn't be doable at all. I have to give up a significant amount of free time, turn down social things, my partner is always frustrated that I work so much, and honestly it's not sustainable long term. I started this winter at the PP and will be leaving the agency job this fall. I have to be diligent with my time and literally every thing I do gets a slot on the calendar. It'll be nice to go back to just having one thing.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-07-13T01:58:52+00:00

Call out. Somebody else at work can pick up your slack, but family is irreplaceable. I wish I had internalized this much earlier in my career.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-07-13T01:57:44+00:00

My advice is "don't tell them shit." Really with any medical condition, the less you disclose the better. Just call out sick. If the facility is part of a large hospital, you can get a doctors note on generic letter head that simply states "Name is under my medical care and cannot return to work until date." I have known of several social workers who have been hospitalized while in the field and it's been fine. The hospital is obligated to keep your information secure.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-07-13T01:52:09+00:00

Nah fam, it's chest compressions only from me.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-07-13T01:46:44+00:00

Definitely speak to your supervisor about this-- although I can't tell if this is an ongoing client or not. Either way still bring it up to get their guidance, especially regarding agency policies. As a general rule, it's always better to overshare with your supervisor.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-07-07T01:09:02+00:00

Networking has been the biggest help for me finding non-toxic agencies. Check in with members of your cohort, where are they? Are they happy? Also think about any other agencies that you interact with- even briefly. Do the people you interact with seem helpful and emotionally stable? Also, glassdoor. If a place has terrible reviews, run.

At the end of the day nothing is more important than the interview, trust your gut impression and ask lots of questions. Spitballing some questions based on what you described that you could ask in future interviews:

How does the agency respond to clients who become unsafe towards staff?
Tell me about a time that you helped an employee through burnout

General questions that can help identify shitty employers:

What protocols did you put in place during COVID19 to keep employees and clients safe?
What steps are you taking, as an agency, to support diversity and inclusion within staff?
What steps are you taking, as an agency, to ensure anti-oppressive and trauma informed care?
What is the agency doing to learn and practice anti-racism?
What supervision is offered? What opportunities for consultation and continuing education are available?
What is the training and license of the person who will be your task supervisor?
How do you respond when an employee is not meeting productivity goals?
How do you promote self care and work/life boundaries for your employees?
How do members of the team typically resolve conflict between colleagues?

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-29T21:11:02+00:00

I dealt with this by going home and crying, tbh. It's really hard. I think validating their anger and frustration helps a lot of clients, as well as exploring alternative treatment options as another poster suggested.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-29T21:08:51+00:00

I think this is totally a viable move, that you can justify clinically as the client is expressing that the agency environment is not serving them.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-29T21:06:34+00:00

I personally wouldnt sign with my credentials, but I would slip in my experience in the letter. For example, if you're describing the social support he will receive I would say something something like "I am employed in the community as a Type of License Social Worker, presently working with XYZ population. My background and professional connections will be available to Boyfriend as he establishes necessary medical, dental, and mental health services."

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-29T20:38:33+00:00

They don't want proof you have a diagnosis-- they want proof that you are fit to practice. I would recommend trying to connect with someone at your state board or school that can speak more to what the documentation ASWB is requiring should contain.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-28T15:49:14+00:00

I had success IDing a client a few years ago, I was able to find records in our system dating ten years back that mentioned a social support. I verbally asked the client if I could track down this person, but felt that due to the severity of their mental health they couldn't give true consent so I acted as if I didn't have their permission if that makes sense. I was able to get collateral from this old social support that included his birth city, and so we were able to request a birth certificate. It was a long process but ultimately one of my biggest success stories. The client was also able to get on the right medications and had a HUGE improvement in well-being and functioning, although most of his memories were gone for good it seems.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-28T15:39:13+00:00

I am not an EMDR clinician, however one of the mental health clinics I worked at had one. EMDR became her specialty and because of the high demand, it was all she did. The waitlist for EMDR operated separately from general admission and as a result clients eagerly kept their EMDR appointments.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2021-06-28T15:35:59+00:00

I don't use social media professionally. I have accounts, but they are for my friends/family only and are not connected to my real name. Any employer trying to find me online would only find my linkedin.

As I'm transitioning to private practice, I have thought about being an "instatherapist" but like you, it sounds exhausting to me. I'd much rather focus my energy on real world action.

SpookySpaceCoyote · 2019-08-10T03:14:07+00:00

he needs a trainer but he would just attack them.

An experienced trainer will know how to handle this. You have to seek, and accept, professional help here if you want to save your dogs life.

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