I am the Director of the Resilience and Psychotherapy Clinic, which sounds fancy but just means I am the sole owner of my practice and my preference is in person work. Why is this important and how does this differ from seeing someone in a group practice or online?
The Values that Determine how I practice
Professional Autonomy
I determine and have autonomy in how I practice and the clients I choose to work with and not based on just filling my day to pay for a practice owner's business. This is an important difference as I am more interested in having clients who are the right fit for me as a clinician with my particular training, experience and personality. I am not right for everyone and that is ok.
Professional Authenticity and Integrity
I am intentional and get to choose how I work and set my fees. I am not governed by another practice owner or agency's values, goals or mission. This means when you work with me you get to experience a therapist who is working from alignment of who she is professionally and personally. This also means I can offer my best professional self as I am working from a place of integrity and authenticity.
I personally prefer in person work, especially in the work of trauma. Much of trauma happens in relationships and I believe healing needs to happens in that space.
Professional Fulfillment
Working as a trauma informed therapist means I do deeper, longer term work and don't just work on shorter term coping strategies (this has its value and merit too!). I find this area of work most meaningful and fulfilling for me.
Its extremely rewarding and inspiring work AND challenging and demanding. This means I need to practice what I teach clients, to be intentional and mindful of living a life that is aligned to what is most important to me. I choose to work with fewer clients for longer term. I also believe in taking time to work on my practice, to be investing in my own growth and learning and this means I often take time to do courses, read and develop content. This is enriching and meaningful and another way I offer 'free' information and resources to the wider public that is accessible.
All the above investment and intentionality in how I choose to practice means I need to set a fee that allows me to work in continual alignment with my values and what is most meaningful to me. This allows me to work in a way that is most sustainable in the long term and from a place that is most helpful for both myself and the client.
Lowering my fees would mean I need to compromise and I have learnt the hard way; this erodes my professional values and does not allow me to be fully the therapist I want to be for my clients.
Professional Transparency
This is important as being able to determine how I choose to work, my clients and set my fees minimises burn out and allows me to be most helpful to my clients. I am choosing to only see private paying clients and no longer taking new bulk billing clients because I don't buy into the narrative that therapy should always 'be free/low cost'. This may work in other settings because of government subsidies or personal therapist financial circumstances that allows for them to work at that level. However, when clients come to see me, I want to be clear that setting the fee I do allows me to work in such a way that I can also take care of myself as a therapist and as a human. The client will also benefit.
My professional values is an evolving space which I am aware will change, develop and shift over time. I will continue to return to this and update as needed so clients have clarity of who they have chosen to work with and this allows them to make informed choices.
I plan to upload future videos of myself which may also help you get a sense of who I am which can lesson the anxiety and minefield of choosing a therapist to work with. Watch this space!
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