Hudson Valley Guild of Mental Health Professionals - Business and Clinical Issues

HUDSON VALLEY GUILD OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS • PO Box 157,
Woodstock, NY 12498 – www.hudsonvalleyguild.com

“BUSINESS AND CLINICAL ISSUES”

ADMISSION FREE FOR GUILD MEMBERS, OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: $10

SCHEDULE: 3:30 - 4:00PM Networking & refreshments
4:00 - 4:15PM Guild announcements
4:15 - 6:00PM Discussion groups

This meeting is a small group discussion format which many colleagues
told us they enjoy. Below are descriptions of topics which are
suggestions for group discussions. Participants can choose a topic,
and form discussion groups. At the end of the meeting, we can
reconvene and share our small group experiences. These have been
well received and requested meetings.

TOPICS:

1) Grappling with diagnoses:
- Why diagnose (besides insurance)?
- How do you decide on a diagnosis?
- What are some of the more common diagnostic questions? Some
examples: borderline personality disorder vs. bipolar; substance
abuse vs. other psychiatric disorders; hypomania vs. agitated
depression; ADD in adults vs. anxiety.
- When are differential diagnoses important for treatment planning?
- How do you use this diagnosis in treatment?

2) Boundary issues:
-- Managing confidentiality within the practice in a small community
where therapists may know too much, i.e. clients and/or therapist and
client have overlapping relationships.
--Managing contacts with clients in the community.
-- Violating confidentiality in emergency situations.
--Cultural differences between therapist and client. Dealing with
client racial and religious prejudices. Dealing with political issues
raised in session
-- Disclosure issues - pro and con, when to disclose or not disclose
about oneself.
-- Working with members of the same family in individual and/or family
sessions. What information disclosed by a minor child should be
shared with his/her parents?
-- Working with clients in both individual and group sessions
--When is advice appropriate? Exchanging information resources?

3) Marketing:
-- Referral sources: word of mouth, insurance companies, doctors,
other therapists. How to cultivate referrals, how to get appropriate
referrals. Feedback to referral sources?
-- Advertising: brochures, ads in publications, yellow pages (print
and online), direct mail, distributing promotional material and
business cards (to doctors, other referral sources, etc.). Ad
content ? Internet: group websites, own site, links on other websites ?
-- Workshops (at our office or for other organizations), courses, open
therapy groups

4) How Do You Organize Your Practice?:
--Scheduling
--Attendance policies and cancellation fees.
--Billing: Paper or computerized, using computer packages, private pay
billing, financial record-keeping, collections.
--Standard forms: intake information, consent for treatment,
conditions of treatment, attendance policies, releases, etc.
--Communicating with clients: reminder calls?, email contact, follow-
up on clients who stop treatment without notice

5) The Influence of today’s communication technology on clients’ lives
and relationships:
--Relationship expectations: frequency and nature of contact with
significant others, children, other family.
--Trust, privacy, boundary issues: monitoring phone/texting/computer
usage, social network sites
--Attentiveness to real vs. virtual relationships (use of cell phone
and computers while at job, school, when with others).
--Work relationships: availability, virtual vs. face to face
communication,. telecommuting.
--Implications for therapy: how do we address these issues and how
should we make use of technology ourselves?

6) Boundary issues:
-- Disclosure issues - pro and con, when to disclose or not disclose
about oneself
-- Working with members of the same family in individual and/or family
sessions. What information disclosed by a minor child should be
shared with his/her parents?
-- Working with clients in both individual and group sessions
-- Managing confidentiality and outside contact with clients in a
small community
-- Cultural differences between therapist and client. Dealing with
client racial and religious prejudices. Dealing with political issues
raised in session.

7) Transference/ Countertransference issues:
-- How to define and recognize transference/countertransference
-- How, when, and with which clients to use T/CT as part of their
Psychotherapy is an Interpersonal Psychotherapy is a time-limited psychotherapy that was developed in the 1970s and 80s as an outpatient treatment for adults who were diagnosed with moderate or severe non-delusional clinical depression.[1] It has its roots in the interpersonal theory of psychiatry ">interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. ">Psychotherapy is an Interpersonal Psychotherapy is a time-limited psychotherapy that was developed in the 1970s and 80s as an outpatient treatment for adults who were diagnosed with moderate or severe non-delusional clinical depression.[1] It has its roots in the interpersonal theory of psychiatry ">interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. ">psychotherapy sessions
-- How to use your CT reactions in different contexts: with clients,
in supervision

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Ruth J. Hirsch
(845) 246-8601/Partner-in-Healing@earthlink.net the Program Committee
coordinator for this program.

COME, SHARE SNACKS AND ENRICHING CONVERSATION; RECONNECT WITH YOUR
COLLEAGUES ON JANUARY 24.

Snow cancellation procedure: If the program is cancelled due to
weather conditions, the program liaison will send an email by 10am on
the day of the program. You can also call or email the liaison
directly to find out.