Title: Why Join a Therapist Collective?
Written by: Jessica Stredwick LMFTA
Choosing Your Path
Choosing your path in this profession can be a nightmare, a dream, or something in between.
Many interns or associate clinicians feel the sting of choosing a place of employment when freshly graduated. They may find themselves struggling with the overwhelm of community mental health facilities, unsightly group practice percentage splits, or without referrals as they attempt to build their own private practice.
Maybe you feel isolated, overwhelmed with administrative burdens, and are facing early career burnout.
Whatever barriers you experience, a collective can be a wonderful resource and alternative to the common routes one might take as a new mental health therapist. This path might offer you freedom and flexibility to run your own business while also connecting you to a like-minded community!
Why a Collective Could Be the Answer
Collectives generally offer you a steady stream of referrals, admin support, community events, and assistance building your private practice.
So, what is a collective?
A collective, for therapists, is a group of like-minded individuals who each run their own private practice while paying the Collective for billing, administrative work, educational opportunities, supervision, and consultation. More than likely a small portion of the fee goes to the owner/director for assuming risk and providing all back end support, which can be well worth it.
Each collective does it differently, so make sure to ask any questions and get the clarity you need prior to making a decision.
Being a part of a collective might offer you increased flexibility in your schedule, a fairer percentage or fee for services, referrals, someone to manage insurance claims and billing challenges, supervision, the opportunity to run your own business, and more.
Did we mention the continuing education requirements that every mental health therapist is required by law to complete?
One of the hallmark challenges that both new and experienced clinicians face is accessing continuing education. To build upward in this career, one of the primary ways to do so is by continuing your education and finding your niche. Collectives often offer greater access to educational tools, CE’s, and more.
Whatever path you take, you likely want to be a part of a business structure with a deeply rooted value system. This type of business model reflects these aligned values at every level, both micro and macro.
It’s the type of community you can feel, your clients will appreciate, and you will want to stay connected to over the course of your career. It can make the difference between enjoying your work as a therapist and burning out.
It matters!
Did You Know?
The roots of The Healing Collective, a collective for mental health therapists in Washington State, are firmly lodged in a values-based group practice model. This means values such as inclusivity, ethical adherence, acceptance, and warm-hearted compassion have influenced each choice that’s been made in its creation.
This doesn’t stop with clients. Decisions in the continual growth of The Healing Collective are sifted through a lens of inclusivity, trauma-informed care, and accessibility for both clients and clinicians alike.
The Healing Collective provides something called The Learning Hub for its established clinicians.
Alexandria Zachariades, The Healing Collective’s founder, creator and director, connects with her clinicians often to offer new learning opportunities—whether in person in Spokane, Washington, or online. The Healing Collective attempts to bridge the gap between therapists and their education. The collective also offers group consultations, a massive collection of resources, and warm and equitable treatment.
Your Path Forward
Whatever your view on group practice, private practice, or community mental health, our goal is to humbly offer empowerment and connection to a deeper purpose—the one that brought you to the threshold of this profession in the first place!
The Healing Collective is an established mental health therapy collective in Washington State that gives mental health therapists the chance to build their own individual private practice while inviting connection with others in the community, receiving much-needed support, and opening up the floodgates to oftentimes expensive education.
Ultimately, by taking care of our clinicians, we take care of clients. And by taking care of clients? We’re doing the work we always set out to do.
If you’re a new or growing therapist in Washington State and you’re looking for both independence and support, we’d love to connect. Please reach out for more information on The Healing Collective website.
