Private Practice Skills

2026 Marie interviews 2012 Marie (the year I started private practice). Which do you prefer more?Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

The land of Big Tech Therapy has been making headlines. I cover some of them in this episode.*The links shared below are a reference only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Marie Fang, Private Practice Skills, or its sponsors.If you’d like a great summary of all that I covered, check out ZynnyMe’s article:https://www.zynnyme.com/blog/alma-headway-and-the-big-questionIf you feel compelled to do something, this r/therapists post links to several options at the systemic level:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1tvzpov/support_and_advocacy_for_therapists/Build Better Health’s Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force’s Petition (if you’d like to sign):https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/we-demand-a-system-that-reflects-the-true-value-of-mental-health-careThank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Citations:Alma has investments from Cigna and Optum:https://cignaventures.com/alma-raises-130m-in-series-d-funding-led-by-thoma-bravo-to-advance-its-mission-to-simplify-access-to-high-quality-affordable-mental-health-care/Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of several Blue Cross Blue Shield programs, invests in Headway:https://www.hcsc.com/newsroom/news-releases/2023/strategic-investment-headway-behavioral-healthReference: HCSC is parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield:https://www.hcsc.com/who-we-areRula backed by Blue Venture Fund:https://bhbusiness.com/2024/09/17/digital-mental-health-platform-rula-health-expands-to-50-states/Reference: Blue Venture Fund invests on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield:https://blueventurefund.com/Headway and Alma announce 30 percent cut in Optum Rates, January 2025:https://clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2024/11/2-digital-mental-health-platforms-cut-pay-rates-for-therapists-with-unitedhealths-optum-stirring-anger/Aetna cuts rates with Alma-contracted therapists:https://bhbusiness.com/2026/05/21/aetna-cuts-rates-with-alma-contracted-therapists/r/therapists megathread on Aetna’s rate cuts through Alma:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1tj1bl1/megathread_aetna_alma_reimbursement_changes_90837/APA urges Aetna to halt rate cuts:https://updates.apaservices.org/apa--american-psychiatric-association-urge-aetna-to-pause-reimbursement-rate-cuts-for-behavioral-health-cliniciansAetna Launches Aetna Mental Health on Demand:https://www.aetna.com/insights/news/aetna-launches-mental-health-on-demand.htmlCVS Announces Aetna Mental Health on Demand:https://www.cvshealth.com/news/condition-management/aetna-launches-aetna-mental-health-on-demand-to-provide-real-time-access-to-care-and-ongoing-support.htmlProof News Article: "Woman’s Talkspace Therapy App Sessions Exposed in Court"https://www.proofnews.org/womans-talkspace-therapy-app-sessions-exposed-in-court/FTC Sues Amazon for Monopoly Power:https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-powerClass Action Lawsuit Against Headway:https://www.classaction.org/news/headway-hit-with-class-action-over-alleged-disclosure-of-patient-info-to-googleClear Health Costs Article: "Therapists have misgivings on the platforms: Alma, Headway etc. and the business of therapy”https://clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/11/therapists-have-misgivings-on-the-platforms-alma-headway-etc-and-the-business-of-therapy/Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comThis podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

After a consult call with a new potential therapist who charged the morning of the therapy session, I found myself in a deep dive seeking the answer to this question: is it ethical for therapists to charge in advance of session?Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:r/therapists: "Do you charge your clients before or after the session?"https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1dilgg3/do_you_charge_your_clients_before_or_after_the/Quora: "What are the ethical implications of paying for therapy sessions in advance?”https://therapistsexposed.quora.com/What-are-the-ethical-implications-of-paying-for-therapy-sessions-in-advanceQuora: "Do all therapists require their clients to pay up front before starting treatment/therapy sessions?"https://www.quora.com/Do-all-therapists-require-their-clients-to-pay-up-front-before-starting-treatment-therapy-sessionsQuora: "Should a therapist ask for payment up front or at the end of the session?"https://www.quora.com/Should-a-therapist-ask-for-payment-up-front-or-at-the-end-of-the-sessionEthical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conducthttps://www.apa.org/ethics/codeAAMFT’s Code of Ethics:https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/web/Action-Advocacy/Code-of-Ethics-New.aspxLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

I recently reached out to a therapist for myself and realized how much the entire intake process sets the tone of the therapeutic alliance.In this episode, I share some suggestions for how we can hold a therapeutic frame with potential clients before the therapy starts. Not only will it improve the client experience, but setting accurate expectations can help clients make an accurate decision before consenting to therapy, and clients are less likely to cancel before the first session (like I did!). Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Article: "Premature discontinuation in adult psychotherapy: a meta-analysis"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22506792/Article: “The Nature, Timing, and Symptom Trajectories of Dropout from Transdiagnostic and Single-Diagnosis Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8531532/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

It’s the start of a new series: The Most Fundamental Therapy Skills Explained. Woo! Today we’re kicking off the series by talking about active listening.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Video: My Story of Sudden Hearing Loss:https://youtu.be/DYQJKKnbxFkAPA’s Definition of Active Listening:https://dictionary.apa.org/active-listeningRogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1987). Active listening. In R. G. Newman, M. A. Danzinger, & M. Cohen (Eds.), Communicating in business today (pp. 580–593). D. C. Heath & Company.https://books.google.com/books/about/Communicating_in_Business_Today.html?id=PJ24PAAACAAJArticle: “Active Listening”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK442015/Article: "Coregulation of therapist and client emotion during psychotherapy”https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7233481/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.