Providing therapists practical solutions to managed care's erosion of their freedom to practice, this book presents a working blueprint for a private-pay psychotherapy practice. Dana C. Ackley casts out the distortions that have crept into many clinicians' thinking as a result of reliance on third-party reimbursement. Based on his own experience, he shows how you can serve clients--and yourself--better by developing real alternatives to the pressures and bureaucracy of managed care. In clear step-by-step detail, including practical exercises and checklists, sample marketing materials, and payment plans, the volume shows you how to: *Rediscover the economic and clinical value of your work *Discard assumptions that might block your progress *Educate yourself about the needs of potential clients *Market and sell your services effectively *Learn ethical, reasonable business-of-practice skills *Diversify into the rewarding area of psychological consultation to businesses. No matter what your clinical style, theoretical orientation, or practice history, you will benefit from the hard-won lessons Dr. Ackley shares in this book.

Expert advice for building your private practice The "business" of practice as a mental health professional is a skill that is seldom taught in school and requires thoughtful guidance and professional mentorship from those who have already succeeded. Containing the collective wisdom and secrets of many expert practitioners, this helpful resource provides useful insights for setting up, managing, and marketing your practice, including timely advice on being a successful provider in the digital age from Internet marketing to building your online presence. Designed for private practices of any size and at any stage of development, this practical guide looks at: Creating your dream niche practice Choosing the right technological tools and resources to simplify and streamline your job Leveraging the Internet to market your practice Developing a practice outside of managed care Transitioning to executive coaching Ethical and legal aspects of private practice Full of action-oriented ideas, tips, and techniques, Getting Better at Private Practice provides both early career and seasoned mental health professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to establish, develop, and position their practice so that it is financially successful and life-enriching over the long term.

A Psychologist's Proactive Guide to Managed Mental Health Care offers a concise overview of the evolution of managed mental health care and its impact on the working lives of clinical and counseling psychologists. Although many books explore the ramifications of managed care for psychotherapy, this is the first to take a broad perspective and examine the ways in which the new health care delivery system is affecting all aspects of practice--not just treatment but also assessment and training--as well as mental health research. The authors include some of the country's most noted psychologists with extensive experience in managed care. Their tone is optimistic rather than pessimistic; as they look at developments others have only deplored, they see potential roles and opportunities for growth for psychologists. In an era of dramatic health change, all those practitioners who are concerned about how to make managed care work for them rather than against them, will find this Guide essential reading. ALTERNATE BLURB A Psychologist's Proactive Guide to Managed Mental Health Care offers a concise overview of the evolution of managed mental health care and its impact on the working lives of clinical and counseling psychologists. While many books explore the ramifications of managed care for psychotherapy, this is the first to take a broad perspective and examine the ways in which the new health care delivery system is affecting all aspects of practice--not just treatment but also assessment and training--and mental health research as well.

Psychotherapy is an increasingly stressful profession. Yet therapists spend most of their time helping clients deal with their stress, not caring for their own. This book is designed as a tool for the experienced counselor, junior therapist, and graduate student, as the issues confronted and discussed herein are relevant to anyone in the field, regardless of experience or expertise. Dr. Weiss has written a book in an easy, conversational tone, filled with concrete examples and blending research findings, clinical experience and theoretical approaches into practical suggestions and sound advice. The book is divided into three parts, discussing therapist concerns and questions that are continually raised, and providing practical tools based on clinical experience and research findings. It will be useful to all mental health professionals who have felt the strain of their practice.

This bestselling book, now in a revised edition, radically challenges the prevailing medical definition of co-dependency as a permanent, progressive, and incurable addiction. Rather, the authors identify it as the result of developmental traumas that interfered with the infant-parent bonding relationship during the first year of life. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, Barry and Janae Weinhold correlate the developmental causes of co-dependency with relationship problems later in life, such as establishing and maintaining boundaries, clinging and dependent behaviors, people pleasing, and difficulty achieving success in the world. Then they focus on healing co-dependency, providing compelling case histories and practical activities to help readers heal early trauma and transform themselves and their primary relationships.

Develop new ways to provide ethical, effective mental health services in a world of managed care! Psycho-Economics gives psychologists and mental health care administrators suggestions for handling the changes that have come with the advent of managed care. Using empirical research and practitioner accounts, this informative book assesses the impact of managed care, suggests ways to ameliorate its negative effects, and proposes ideas for the improvement of the managed care system and mental health care in general. Psycho-Economics takes a clear look at the ways in which the managed care system has altered the practice of mental health care. While acknowledging its positive effects on accountability and provision of a broader variety of care options, the chapter authors also note its powerful negative effects, including cutbacks in length of treatment, potential abuses of confidential medical records, and over-prescribing of mood-altering drugs. Yet the book also offers hope for psychologists, social workers, and other counselors. By developing diversified areas for professional practice, collaborating with primary care physicians, and creating corporate education opportunities, psychologists can contribute their expertise to people who might otherwise have never sought them out. Moreover, mental health professionals can embrace new opportunities in treating substance abuse, behavioral health, and such specialized areas as forensic psychology, domestic violence, crisis counseling, and employee screening. These areas and other new developments offer you a chance to build a solid practice devoted to serving society's needs. Psycho-Economics: brings practitioners effective, innovative approaches to clinical practice in relation to managed mental health care fosters awareness of the means by which managed care affects the quality of care that clients receive points out the steps that can be taken to minimize the negative effects that managed care dictates on the quantity and quality of mental health care highlights ethical and legal considerations that should be of concern to providers of mental health services encourages discussion of the future of the managed care system and its impact on providers and clients Psycho-Economics is a survival guide which will help contemporary practitioners like you maintain ethical and effective practices while coping with the administrative expectations of managed care systems.

Covers all major topics relevant to clinical social work. Discusses social work practice, multicultural and diversity issues, and research, as well as assessment and measurement.