New Therapist FAQ

26/06/2024

Attention therapists!
Ever dreamt of writing a book? Do you assume that your voice wouldn’t make a difference? Linda Yoon and Soo Jin Lee share about how they overcame multiple hurdles and wrote an EXCELLENT book that will bring positive change to the Asian American community ✊

New episode is out! Listen and be inspired! 💡

13/02/2024

Are you noticing more of your intakes seeking help for s*xually compulsive behaviors? This trend has been growing and I don't see an end anytime soon. I sadly have to turn away many people seeking help because of full caseloads, and this is true for many of my colleagues specializing in this field.

I am hosting a FREE group Zoom call for anyone interested in learning how to become a Certified S** Addiction Therapist. I'll simply be sharing about the growing need for CSATs and steps you can consider taking to become a CSAT. I'll also be fielding questions and I'll do my best to answer them!

Saturday, February 24 at 9am Pacific. About 40 mins total and I'll be starting promptly. Send me a message and I'll give you the Zoom link!

21/10/2022

Many of us therapists have full caseloads. And we feel bad about turning people away who seek our services. Dr. Marie Fang and I had a great time talking about creative ways to make therapy more accessible when we are maxed out!

Find link to episode in the comments!

27/01/2022

Values. Family. Money. Spirituality. Communication styles. These are the classic hits when it comes to premarital counseling. There is one topic though that many therapists gloss over: P**n. I believe an honest discussion about p**n will help unearth the true dynamics of their relationship in accelerated fashion.

P**n discussions get to the heart of long-kept secrets. About how they view intimacy, how they view power. It exposes what stresses them out and what makes them angry. P**n discussions can cause one or both to realize they have an addiction or problematic behavior, and inspire them to start recovery.

P**n discussions can actually prevent divorce and miserable marriages. It gives partners a chance to define what their boundaries are and gives the other partner a chance to decide whether they can abide by that boundary or not. P**n discussions help both parties make a monumental decision about their lives based on truth, rather than fronts.

11/01/2022

Hi everyone! My wife graciously sat down with me to hear me explain to her what I understand about the No Surprises Act and the Good Faith Estimate. She provided her reactions and we had a real good chat. Her responses helped me see how this act may affect our clients when we explain it to them. Our recorded conversation is now published as Episode 20 of New Therapist FAQ. I hope it gets more of your gears turning and promotes more conversation as you start to exercise this new regulation in your practice. You can find the link to the podcast in the comments below

23/11/2021

This year was tough for so many of us. Is there a supervisor or colleague who helped you get through? We’d love to hear your story of gratitude!

18/11/2021

The holidays are fast approaching. Let the social media barrage begin. Your clients' friends will be posting pictures of get-togethers, get-aways, gifts, families, and all the other things that make depressed people compare themselves further.

If your client is in an appropriate stage of change, you can provide some education about the potential effects of social media, and collaborate on a social media plan that sits well with them and their mental health 🦃🎄

16/11/2021

In 2018, I was 4 years into licensure, and I struggled to make ends meet as a therapist. I was super discouraged and scared. What if I have to take on another job? How can I provide for my family? What was I doing wrong?

In 2019, everything changed. By year end, I had doubled my revenue from 2018. DOUBLED. And when I did the forensics there were 3 clear changes I made that were different from all the previous years of non-growth.

The first change was that I started to specialize. Sexual addiction and betrayal trauma. That's it. No more jack of all trades.

The second change is I increased my rates because I specialized.

The third change is I facilitated group therapy. There are so many things I can share about my experience of group therapy and the nuts & bolts of it all. Perhaps at a later time. But for now, I'll simply start by saying that group therapy allowed me to work LESS hours and earn MORE revenue. My Quickbooks gave me the proof. I did not double my income by doubling my client hours!

I will also say that my effectiveness as a therapist INCREASED via group therapy. My clients who committed to group therapy for sexual addiction or for betrayal trauma made more clinical gains than those who did not do group therapy.

There is more to share about this whole topic, but I hope for now just to encourage you to consider including group therapy in your practice for 2022. It might be an invaluable gift to your clients, and it might give you the compensation you've been longing for.

03/11/2021

My client isn’t making progress! My client terminated early! Does this mean I suck as a therapist?!

01/06/2021

What should I consider before making the decision to get on insurance panels? Dr. Lynn Raine chats with me to help you make a more informed decision!

(Link to the podcast episode in the comments below)

02/03/2021

New Therapist FAQ : 018: How Do I Stay Organized and Motivated?

02/02/2021

Today we are talking about social media again! Nearly all your clients are on social media for hours every day. How do you leverage this and give them helpful content, plus get more visibility for your practice? Joining me to discuss this is ! She is a licensed psychologist practicing in San Jose, CA. She is the host of , a popular YouTube channel for therapists in private practice, and she is going to help me answer the frequently asked question: How do I succeed on social media? Dr. Marie will be sharing personally like she always does, and I hope you find great value in this episode. Plus, towards the end of this episode, I’ll be sharing a special offer for anyone who is thinking about (perhaps even agonizing over) creating your own therapy practice website.

Some talking points:

Focusing on one social media platform
Repurposing content across platforms
How did Marie choose YouTube?
Let your unique personality show up, and be consistent in sharing your voice.
Don't try to be like others, be yourself instead!
Develop your brand story

Marie's YouTube channel: Private Practice Skills
Marie's step-by-step course: How to DIY a Therapist Website that Fills your Practice (with zero ads!)
Find the link to the course in the bio, and enter promo code 20OFF at checkout for $20 off savings :)

Submit more questions at www.newtherapistfaq.com

02/02/2021

Many of you have already started wrapping your mind around the idea of getting niche specific in your practice. It's a smart strategy because it sets you apart from the pack, among other various reasons. If you have already started the process, keep going! Whatever you whittled down, whittle down some more. Let's say you whittled down from treating all ages, to treating minors. Great, keep going. Whittle it down to treating teenagers. Keep going. Whittle it down from treating teenagers down to teenagers with trauma from bullying. Whittle it down some more. Cyber bullying. Keep going. Cyber bullying with regards to race. Keep going! I think you get the idea. You will now become the pre-eminent expert on teens victimized by race related cyber bullying, which is a far cry from "I treat everybody." And when you become this expert, chances are I will be able to find you pretty quick on a google search, and so will the clients in need of this specific issue.

10/11/2020

What a great question! Not just for Whites but for ANY therapist. If you are like me, then your comfort level will rise or fall depending on how familiar you are with the culture your client represents. How does a Black client make you initially feel? A Native American? An Afghan? A Korean with a thick accent? Do you feel extra on guard, a pressure to not offend or to avoid mistakes? You are definitely not alone.

Special thanks to Dr. Shawan Worsley from The Center for Culturally Responsive Clinical Training for helping me answer this super important and relevant question! Link to the podcast in the bio.

Find out more about Dr. Worsley and The Center for Culturally Responsive Clinical Training at https://ccrct.org

09/11/2020

As a new therapist, your head may be swimming with keeping track of everything you've learned in grad school and in your licensing exam. That's a lot to manage. And yet, your client will be arriving in 10 minutes and now is not the time to have so many racing thoughts. The fact of the matter is, your client is most likely in a lot of pain, and their pain has likely been invisible or numbed for much of their life. Here is your chance to view their pain, acknowledge it, understand it, honor it. Follow the pain, even if it shifts and ducks and hides. It will be one of the most sacred work that you do.

25/08/2020

Where are you today compared to your first day of graduate school?

Where are you today compared to your first day of practicum?

Where are you today compared to your passing of the licensing exam?

Where are you today compared to the opening of your private practice?

One year from today, you will marvel at what the pandemic has taught you as well.

Isn’t progress wonderful?

31/07/2020

Joining me again is Dr. Marie Fang! She is the host of and we’ll be candidly tackling this wonderfully vulnerable question.

You can find the link to episode in bio ⬆️

28/07/2020

In a previous episode of New Therapist FAQ regarding networking w/ pastors, Dr. Ben Shin and I discussed the benefits of meeting with pastors to increase our client referral base while providing psychoeducation to churches. We recently held a meet & greet online and it was really enjoyable! Here's the video if you'd like to watch

26/07/2020

What an anxiety filled question! We all want to pass our exam this time around so we don't have to wait a long period of time before re-taking the exam. Plus we really want to get started with the career we love, right?

Helping me answer this question are Jessica Sotelo (LCSW) and Ryan Forsell (LMFT). They recently passed their exams and graciously offered their time to talk about the experience. They will talk about which prep program they used, what their exam day was like, and many practical tips.

Hope you find this episode to be helpful. Please share with a colleague who can benefit!
You can find the link to the podcast in the comments below ✨

02/07/2020

Do you love working with high conflict couples, but dislike working with teen suicidality? Do you get passionate about helping the bullied, but get bored with millenial identity work? Embrace your emotions about things like these. Our level of enjoyment can indicate where our strengths lie. You can have a long thriving career when you play to your strengths. We were not meant to treat everybody ✨

26/06/2020

Some of you have been asking how you can network with psychiatrists. What a great question. Helping me answer your question is an actual psychiatrist, Dr. Esther Park from Oak Health Center. She took precious time from her busy schedule to offer some very practical tips.

I hope you find this conversation to be helpful. Find link to the podcast in the comments below. Tag a colleague and please help spread the word!

25/06/2020

Quiet that inner critic. Just because you haven’t learned some things yet, or don’t have all the answers, does not make you an impostor. You are someone who is using your training and entire unique self to help another in need. And you’re only gonna get better 💪🏻

19/06/2020

We have a 2 part question for today:
* What kinds of workshops do churches most desire from a therapist?
* How does a therapist start a relationship with a small Korean church?

I know this 2nd question is very ethno specific, but our guest answers it in such a way that applies to most any situation.

This is a crucial time in our history to be partnering with churches. Many churches want to know how to talk about black lives matter, how to better cope with injustice and grieving and reconciliation, about how to lean into shame and regret as we consider our contributions to systemic racism. Now is an opportune time to partner with churches and contribute our expertise, especially in reflection and communication. But how do we even get in the door?

Helping me answer today’s question is Dr. Benjamin Shin. He is an associate professor at Talbot School of Theology, teaching in both the masters and doctoral programs. He is the teaching pastor at New Life Vision Church, and more personally, he is a mentor and friend to me and thousands of others.

Hope you enjoy the episode and tag a colleague ✅

Links in the comments

18/06/2020

Having fear doesn’t make you a coward or weak. Rather accept your fears. Say hello, I see you. And act despite them. Especially if it’s the right thing to do.

12/06/2020

Many of you will be, or are already working with, couples or individuals who are getting divorced. The more you get to know trustworthy lawyers in your area, the better you can serve your client.

So how do we actually get to know them?

Rather than guessing, I felt it would be most helpful to actually ask a family lawyer. Helping me answer today’s question is Cheryl Kang Prout, the managing partner at Cordial Family Lawyers in Orange County, CA.

Hope you get your questions answered and you find great value in this episode. To help you make more use of today’s episode I've included a simple PDF that graphs the differentiating factors mentioned in today’s discussion, and you can find that on the new therapist faq website.

Please take a moment to give this podcast a rating and review. That will help this podcast get seen by more therapists who want these same questions answered. And if you have some questions that you want answered, head over to newtherapistfaq.com and get those questions submitted!

Resources mentioned on today's show:

https://www.cordiallaw.com
[email protected]
949-705-4391
www.avvo.com
https://www.secondsaturday.com
https://www.divorcecare.org

12/06/2020

What's a good way for a therapist to network with a family attorney?

11/06/2020

Keep persisting in things that are meaningful. I look forward to what you’ll produce ⚡️

05/06/2020

helps me discuss the pros and cons of both (there are many!) so that you can make a better informed decision ✅

Thanks Hatty for joining the show, you are a compassionate therapist and a tremendous thought leader using social media for great good 💯

Find links to Episode 004 in the bio, and please share with a colleague!

04/06/2020

Are you wondering whether you should start a private practice, or join a group practice? Listen in as Hatty J. Lee, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #83772 and I discuss the pros and cons of both. We hope it will help you make a confident decision that plays to your strengths and situation!

What an important question! There are definitely pros and cons to both. We’re going to answer today's question with the point of view of someone who has just gotten licensed, or is almost there. And for all of you in the process of trying to gain hours for licensure, we’ll have a separate episod...

02/06/2020