The end of the school year is upon us!  As we start our summers during the age of COVID-19, we will continue to have to be flexible and manage our expectations.  Trips have been canceled.  Summer camps will look different; if they happen at all.  And the worry of what school will look like in the fall looms large for many.  Radical acceptance is a difficult concept for many adults to adhere to, so what about our kids?
 
In my lifetime, there has not been a global situation that has affected our children as much as this pandemic is, and the effects will be ongoing, long after there is a vaccine and our worlds look closer to how they were in 2019.  These times can be confusing, frustrating, and scary for many.  Our children’s mental health will be affected if it hasn’t been already, and while mental health professionals are equipped to deal with these experiences that our children are living through, parents are on the front lines.  Parents are the first line of defense.  This may seem really scary as a parent (I have the privilege of being a parent to two wonderful boys and feel unsure all the time).
 
How can we as parents help our children weather this storm?

By Sybil Cummin, MA, LPC
​Private Practice Consultation
Private Practice Workshops & Seminars

It can be scary starting out on your own.  Will I be able to fill my schedule?  Will I be able to pay my bills?  How will potential clients find me?

When you are trying to start a private practice, there are several ways to increase your visibility and referral sources in your area.  You can join different groups on social media outlets, post ads through Facebook or LinkedIn, or use tools like Google Ad Words.  You can make sure that your website has strong SEO (search engine optimization).  The most important method for me is meeting other therapists face-to-face and building those relationships. 

What people often do not share is how you can turn people off when trying to increase your visibility to increase your caseload. 

Here are the top 5 reasons why I may not send clients your way.

By Sybil Cummin, MA, LPC
​Private Practice Consultation
Private Practice Workshops & Seminars

Does the term “networking event” cause an immediate anxiety reaction for you?  Does the thought of talking about yourself to different people you don’t know cause panic?  Do you feel like your business could grow significantly if you just could get over your discomfort of networking?  If you answered yes to these questions I’m guessing you would label yourself an introvert.  I am here to offer hope.  Introverts can network just as effectively as extroverts.  It may look different, but will still be successful.

Building a strong referral network is a great way to build and maintain a successful private practice.  Our field is relational and so direct networking or meeting other professionals will produce results far sooner than online marketing can.  If other professionals (therapists, acupuncturists, doctors, etc.) have met you face to face and can see your passion for working with a specific population, as well as your personality, they can provide referrals that will most likely be a good fit for you and for the client.  It also helps build your referral list for when your caseload is full or if you are not a good fit for a prospective client.  

​If you understand the importance of personal and direct networking but are still scared out of your mind to get out there and do it, read the tips below to calm yourself down and increase your confidence.  You too can network like a pro.

By Sybil Cummin, MA, LPC
​Private Practice Consultation
Private Practice Workshops & Seminars

If you have had an agency job, you rarely get to pick the clients you see and there is typically a huge range of presenting problems and clients that you work with.  This is great training and allows you to work with a huge range of clients, building your skills and confidence.  It seems like having this diversity of skills and experience will be a significant advantage when starting a private practice -- you could see almost anybody.  Do you really need to have a niche?  Isn’t it an advantage to be able to take on anyone in your practice? While it is helpful to have confidence in what you do and your abilities to work with a diverse population, there are some disadvantages to opening a practice that sees everybody. 

It is likely that you already understand the importance in setting goals to have success in your practice.  It is also likely that you have heard the term SMART goals.  If you have not, the acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Focused/Oriented.  This acronym sets a guideline for creating goals that can work.  And while it is a great map, there are a couple of other important factor when creating goals for an authentic and successful practice (or any other endeavor you are working on).

With the end of the year approaching, it is a great time to check in with yourself and your business.  What are your wins?  What have been your challenges?  How was this year different from the one you set out to have?  

In what ways do you go about checking in with your 2018?  You can crunch the numbers and check out if your practice has made a profit.  You can look at your current caseload to determine if you are full or not.  I don’t know about you all, but when I was first asked to review my year, I couldn’t remember anything important regarding my business earlier than the summer.  Sure, I remembered bits and pieces, but not enough to have a thorough review of my year.  For me it is helpful to look at the financial health of my practice, however the numbers do not tell me all I need to know about my year.  Some months may have been higher revenue while some were lower, but what factors made the difference?  Are there other things that are important to you within your work besides your bottom line?  So, while it is important to look at your practice at the end of the year, it is just as important if not more important to check in with your practice more frequently.  While I do set yearly and quarterly goals, I have also chosen to check in with myself and my business each month.  I am so glad that I did.

The holiday season is upon us.  A time for family and friends, too much food and presents.  Many parents I know worry about how much is too much when it comes to presents and gift giving.  Parents buy many many toys that are sometimes tossed to the side and not used in the ways that you hoped.  This can bring up feelings of frustration and resentment and may make you wonder what your child is grateful for, if anything.  If you ask your child what they are grateful for, many times you will hear that they are grateful for their tablets or phones, toys, maybe their house or if you’re lucky they might say you or their family.  While these are definitely things to be grateful for, the ideas of gratefulness or gratitude are much bigger than the things we possess.  How can we teach our children about the power of gratitude?

​Extra-curricular activities can be a fun way for children to learn skills and values such as time management, the value of team work, the value of hard work and dedication, as well as many others.  There are all types of activities that are beneficial for kids to participate in; music, art, volunteering in the community, drama, and athletics.  If you have a high energy or hyperactive child, providing your child ways to exercise and burn off some of that energy is needed and athletic activities are great for this.  If your child has ADHD, it can be challenging to find an extracurricular activity that will keep your child engaged, motivated, and will help with the illusive skill of time management.  Many children with ADHD not only struggle with focus and attention to detail, many also struggle in the social world as well, making team sports more difficult.  Some children with ADHD do very well in a team environment and the team dynamics do not cause anxiety or blows to their self-esteem.  If you do have a child that struggles in the social arena and may need an individual sport, martial arts may be exactly what you are looking for.

By Sybil Cummin, MA, LPC

Yep, school is coming.  Most likely, your summer schedule has become more lax and free-spirited.  Vacations, inconsistent meal times, staying up late, and sleeping in are all some of the perks of summer vacation.  As school approaches, parents fear the process of getting their kids back into a set and structured schedule.  This is difficult for almost all children and parents alike.  One of the major struggles I hear during the transition time of starting school in the fall is how to set a morning routine.  For children with ADD and ADHD, structure in the mornings can help set the day and help them feel some control over their busy minds and bodies.  

By Sybil Cummin, MA, LPC

​If you have a child with either ADHD or ADD or if you are diagnosed with one, you know how difficult organization can be.  Many times it seems that there is a trail of mess and destruction following your child.  You can see the path they took while changing their clothes or while taking off their backpack, shoes, and jacket after coming home from school.  Their folders and binders explode with week-old, half-completed assignments when you open them and their planners have yet to be opened.  There is rarely a spot of carpet that can be seen on the floor of their bedroom and you think, “No wonder they can’t ever find their soccer cleats.”  If your child struggles with executive function, they will probably also struggle with cleaning their room and keeping their school work organized among other things.  As frustrating as this can be, it is our job as parents to find strategies to help.