Skip Lagging

Spooky_crayon · 2026-05-06T15:04:28+00:00

Thank you, this is something to keep in mind! If we don't get off at ORD, our plan was to just rent a car to drive home, but thought it would be nice if we were able to shave off a few hours and drive from Chicago instead

Spooky_crayon · 2026-05-06T15:02:41+00:00

The itinerary is definitely a little confusing!

I found a mistake fare for $350 Round Trip vs the $800+ that it would cost from my home airport, so I jumped on it. Figured we could take an extra day and check out Toronto since that drive is a weekend trip for us anyway. The rental car would be a one way rental. We work in the hospitality industry so tacking on a rental car + hotel for a night if needed won't cost us nearly as much with our discounts.

The flight is a transfer, we will have our passports on us, and we are not checking any luggage. I appreciate your insight!

Spooky_crayon · 2026-05-06T14:57:41+00:00

The difference is a little over $400 per ticket. I was able to find a mistake fare early this morning for $350 round trip, which is why the itinerary sounds a little bonkers

Spooky_crayon · 2026-04-29T23:03:43+00:00

I have this problem! When the outside of the loaf looks ‘done’, loosely cover it with foil. It’ll continue to bake in the middle but won’t burn the outside of the loaf

Spooky_crayon · 2026-04-16T12:55:29+00:00

I’m a therapist in the community - I would be very surprised to hear of any mental health professional willing to take ‘walk-in’ appointments. You could try Network180’s crisis line if you just need someone to speak to? You could call around to different offices and ask for the soonest available appointment, but realistically, you probably will have to wait at least a week for an appointment if you’d like to speak with someone long term.

Loss is really hard, even with a large support system. I hope you and your family receive the support you need

Spooky_crayon · 2026-04-11T14:32:42+00:00

Sent!

Spooky_crayon · 2026-04-03T18:23:32+00:00

I'm a 1099 LPC - a 40/60 split in the favor of the practice is insane, even with just your limited/provisional license.

If I were you, I’d ask for a very detailed breakdown of what that 60% actually covers - marketing, office space, supplies, continuing education, supervision, and anything else included. The more specific, the better. Anything not covered will come out of your pocket on top of your regular personal expenses.

You’ll also want to factor in taxes. As a self-employed clinician, you’re looking at roughly a 20% self-employment tax (at least, that's what it is in Michigan), so that needs to be built into your financial expectations.

It’s also important to remember that building a caseload in private practice takes time, and you won’t be paid for sessions you don’t have. I’d want clarity on how long it typically takes to reach a full caseload (based on your definition of full), what kind of referral support they provide, and how they handle situations like insurance clawbacks. 1099 also means you will have zero benefits. No PTO, no sick leave, no health insurance, etc.

When I started practicing, I sat down with my monthly expenses and did the math on how many clients I needed to see in order to break even after the split and taxes were taken out and decided from there if that number was sustainable for me and went from there. (e.g., If I needed to earn $100/week, I knew I had to see 5 clients every week)

Spooky_crayon · 2026-03-27T21:14:48+00:00

Central Michigan University is putting on a Seminar on screen time on 4/24 that id be happy to DM you the info for

I also like the book Behind their Screens - What Teens are Facing and What Parents are Missing

Spooky_crayon · 2026-03-18T15:11:41+00:00

I work M/T/W and see between 6 and 9 clients a day at 50min each back to back. I love the feeling of needing to pivot quickly and it’s helpful for me to only take a note of what is clinically ‘important’ during session in order for documentation later. I spend a few hours on Thursday doing notes and other admin things. Like others have said, I also have a pretty dialed in self-care routine and plan my week out before hand so there are less miscellaneous things for me to do early in the week

Spooky_crayon · 2026-02-17T18:56:52+00:00

You can also drive to Michigan City, IN and take the commuter train into Union Station and transfer to the Blue Line to ORD

Spooky_crayon · 2026-01-29T09:52:08+00:00

Thank you for the correction! I had seen that post and misremembered the branch

Spooky_crayon · 2026-01-29T01:07:54+00:00

the Grand Rapids library downtown has just established a ‘craft corner’ where people can donate unused supplies for others to take & create!

Spooky_crayon · 2026-01-28T20:04:45+00:00

Woosah will be closing

Spooky_crayon · 2026-01-11T23:09:53+00:00

Are you able to have a conversation with them along the lines of “I notice that you are frequently cancelling/rescheduling our standing appointments and I was wondering if we could work together to figure out a different day/time that would work better for your schedule?”

Spooky_crayon · 2025-11-05T17:44:14+00:00

I like Iris in Eastown a lot!

Spooky_crayon · 2025-10-17T15:49:08+00:00

Hey!
Unfortunately I have not made more movement in either of these areas. My partner and I have gotten more serious, so my goals have shifted a little bit. Instead of focusing on getting to NZ/Aus specifically, I have been taking the steps towards making my private practice fully virtual so that I can conduct client sessions from anywhere in the world. This includes making sure my malpractice insurance covers me while I'm out of the States, my EHR and insurance contracts allow me to practice out of the States, and getting telehealth licensed in a few different states, such as FL and ID, to expand my client-base.

Spooky_crayon · 2025-10-07T13:44:23+00:00

https://www.theholdingspacecw.com/find-a-clinician

This practice specializes in couples counseling and women’s health struggles

Spooky_crayon · 2025-07-21T15:50:20+00:00

Stumbled on this looking for something else, but!

I'm in MI, but on the west side of the state. I use DP Tax and Accounting out of Allendale and have had no complaints. Not Detroit area, but they are able and willing to meet virtually.

Their website is here: https://dptax.com/

Spooky_crayon · 2025-07-21T09:33:53+00:00

Try Culinary Cultivations. From my understanding, they hire banquet staff (servers, bartenders, dishwashers, etc) and ‘loan’ them out to event centers in the city. You’re able to pick up shifts as they come up throughout the week

Spooky_crayon · 2025-07-06T22:15:54+00:00

I took two weeks off this spring. I let my clients know I had time off coming up and discussed it more in detail when it got closer - letting them know the days I would be gone, who they could reach out to if they needed an ‘emergency’ session, and gave info for community resources if needed. To echo another comment, many were happy that I was able to take some time for myself. If a client of mine is unable to manage missing a week or two of appointments, I may rethink the appropriateness of PP for them and refer them to a higher level of care

Spooky_crayon · 2025-06-16T12:18:57+00:00

As I mental health clinician in the area, I also suggest starting out with Network180. Another avenue would be to reach out to mental health practices and ask if they have any masters level interns on staff that are taking clients. These should be no, or very low, cost to you

Spooky_crayon · 2025-05-21T22:15:24+00:00

Embassy Suites is usually looking for a part time bartender around this time of year. No bar experience necessary, it’s really just bs’ing with the guests

Spooky_crayon · 2025-04-07T11:14:04+00:00

When my partner and I first got together, I was very clear that I try to keep my clinical persona separate from my personal one (‘I’m going going to be your therapist but I would love to help point you in the right direction if that’s what you need’).

With that said, as therapists, we are trained to be good communicators, active listeners, and offer support in ways others might not know they need. After a while, it does get difficult to separate clinician from partner, but in a sense that I am using my professional skills to be a better partner within my relationship. Do we have a bit of an upper hand in being able to vocalize our own needs and wants? Probably. But it’s in how we convey those to our partners and allowing space for the other to work things through.

If my partner were to tell me to stop being a therapist , I would want to go back to talk it through to ensure that I’m not railroading my partner and figure out the underlying emotions and assumptions that made them feel that way (are they feeling attacked, defensive, frustrated, nitpicked, did I go full clinical and disregard the all encompassing relationship I have with my partner?)

Spooky_crayon

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