Table of Contents
Preface to the Classic Edition xi
Introduction xv
1 Join Forces with a Psychiatrist to Open a Risk-Free Private Practice 1
2 Don't Become Married to a Single Referral Source 5
3 Accept the Fact That Salaries in This Field Are Often Unfair 7
4 It Pays to Be Assertive When You're Shopping for Your Salary 9
5 Managed Care Panels Often Slam the Door in Your Face 11
6 Managed Care Firms Dictate Who, When, and How 13
7 The Multicultural Diversity Secret: You Can Work with a Wider Range of People than You Think 17
8 Never Give Any Client Information without a Signed Release-of-Information Form 19
9 You Must Use a DSM or ICD Diagnosis to Secure Third-Party Payments 21
10 The Insurance Superbill Must Have Your Name as the Provider 23
11 Lecturing May Not Flood Your Waiting Room with Clients 25
12 Referrals Received Do Not Determine How Many New Clients You Actually See 27
13 Managed Care Companies Discriminate against Some Counseling and Psychotherapy Theories 29
14 Refer Severely Disturbed Clients for a Medical or Psychiatric Evaluation 31
15 Find Out Whether the Psychological and Psycho-Educational Test Reports You Receive Are Individualized 33
16 Don't Be Misled by Clients Who Initially Put You on a Pedestal 37
17 Most Professional Certifications Won't Help You Secure Insurance Payments 39
18 Don't Use Paradoxical Interventions with Suicidal and Homicidal Clients 41
19 Conduct a Suicide Assessment on Each Initial Client 43
20 Don't Try to Clone Your Favorite Therapist 45
21 When In Doubt, Use a Person-Centered Response 47
22 Read Ethical Guidelines Before You Even So Much as Hug a Client 49
23 Don't Rush to Therapeutic Judgment Until You Get All the Facts 53
24 The Number One Therapeutic Blunder: Confronting Sooner than Later 55
25 You Are Not a Failure if You Don't Land Your Dream Job 57
26 Your Supervisor's Knowledge and Experience Should Not Be Underestimated 59
27 Use Verbiage Your Client Will Understand 63
28 Be a Better Helper by Networking with Others in the Field 65
29 Grandfathering: The Fast Track for Snaring Licenses and Certifications 67
30 Use Free Advertising to Build Your Agency or Practice 71
31 Helpers Are Mandated Child-Abuse Reporters 75
32 Beyond Confidentiality: Professional Counselors and Therapists Have a Duty to Warn 77
33 If You Want to Work in a Public School, Contact the Department of Education 79
34 Don't Let a Day from Hell in Court Lower Your Professional Self-Esteem 81
35 Save Your Course Catalogs to Invest in Your Future 85
36 Enhance Sessions by Adjusting Group Treatment Exercises and Using Small Talk 87
37 If a Client Was Disappointed with the Previous Helper Find Out Why 93
38 Use Caution When Considering the "In" Diagnosis 97
39 Don't Go into This Field to Recount Old War Stories About Your Own Recovery 101
40 Don't Become Married to a Single System of Psychotherapy 105
41 Be Enthusiastic if You Want to Be a Better Workshop Presenter 107
42 Don't Try to Clone Your Favorite Mental Health Lecturer 109
43 If a Client You Have Been Seeing for an Extended Period of Time Requests Marriage, Family or Couples Therapy, Consider a Referral to Another Therapist 111
44 Be Prepared to Change Therapeutic Strategies at a Moment's Notice 113
45 Documentation: The Royal Road to Promotion 115
46 Avoid Dual Relationships Like the Plague 117
47 Insider Tips for a Good Cover Letter and Human Service Resumé 121
48 If You Are Daydreaming, Your Client Will Perceive You as an Uninterested Helper 125
49 Pick a Theory of Intervention and a Job You Believe In 127
50 Despite the Pitfalls, Make Friends with the Media to Promote Yourself and Your Agency 131
51 Writing a Book or Starting a Project? Ask Your Agency First 137
52 Your Employment and Credentials Determine What You Pay for Malpractice Insurance 139
53 Private Practice Is Not a Panacea for Everything That Ails You 143
54 Steer Clear of False Memory Syndrome 149
55 Create an Emotional Trophy Closet to Help You Through a Bad Day 151
Conclusion 153
