Have you ever wondered how to streamline your counseling practice's onboarding process? Are you struggling to find high-quality continuing education courses that won't disrupt your work-life balance? I know from personal experience how chaotic and frustrating this process can be. That's why I'm going to walk you through the essentials of an employee onboarding process in this compelling conversation. In addition to this don't forget to check out the podcast episode with Ashley Hubbard who walks us through her policy and procedures manual.
When I first started, I made a slew of mistakes. But with time, I learned and created Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for my practice. I can't emphasize enough how crucial this is! The more your staff understands the protocols, the smoother everything runs. And guess what, it's not just about protocols, it's also about understanding the laws surrounding confidential information, specifically HIPAA. Especially for unlicensed staff, this can be a game-changer.
Wondering about an example of a SOP might be? You'll also hear about my out-of-the-box 10-step process to turning a webinar into a course and eventually into a Continuing Education unit. All housed in a shared Google Drive, simple, organized, and efficient. Finding quality continuing education courses doesn't have to be a hassle anymore. Plus, there's a special bonus I'm offering for my 40-hour LPC/LMFT supervisor training course in October. Believe me; it's a golden opportunity. Don't forget to tune in; this episode is packed with practical know-how and tips that are sure to help you grow your practice.
Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.
Have you ever wondered how to streamline your counseling practice's onboarding process? Are you struggling to find high-quality continuing education courses that won't disrupt your work-life balance? I know from personal experience how chaotic and frustrating this process can be. That's why I'm going to walk you through the essentials of an employee onboarding process in this compelling conversation. In addition to this don't forget to check out the podcast episode with Ashley Hubbard who walks us through her policy and procedures manual.
When I first started, I made a slew of mistakes. But with time, I learned and created Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for my practice. I can't emphasize enough how crucial this is! The more your staff understands the protocols, the smoother everything runs. And guess what, it's not just about protocols, it's also about understanding the laws surrounding confidential information, specifically HIPAA. Especially for unlicensed staff, this can be a game-changer.
Wondering about an example of a SOP might be? You'll also hear about my out-of-the-box 10-step process to turning a webinar into a course and eventually into a Continuing Education unit. All housed in a shared Google Drive, simple, organized, and efficient. Finding quality continuing education courses doesn't have to be a hassle anymore. Plus, there's a special bonus I'm offering for my 40-hour LPC/LMFT supervisor training course in October. Believe me; it's a golden opportunity. Don't forget to tune in; this episode is packed with practical know-how and tips that are sure to help you grow your practice.
Get your step by step guide to private practice. Because you are too important to lose to not knowing the rules, going broke, burning out, and giving up. #counselorsdontquit.
You've got this 10 step. It's wonderful, it's amazing. You're like, oh gosh, I covered everything and then a week later that person quits. Guess what? That SOP just became your job description as you hire the next person. ["the Next Person"]. Hi, I'm Dr Kate Walker. I'm a marriage and family therapist practice owner and professor of counselor education who took a passion for training the next generation of mental health providers and turned it into a multi six figure business that designs the courses that teach mental health providers how to be clinical supervisors, teaching graduate students and seasoned counselors.
Speaker 1:I learned about the fears Fears about failing, quitting toxic work environments where you're seeing 80 clients a week. Fears about starting a private practice running out of money, getting in trouble by the licensing board, the IRS, you name it. I created the Texas counselors creating bad ass businesses community so mental health providers like you could have a step by step guide and learn actionable steps to achieve the security, freedom and satisfaction of a counseling career you'll love. Look, you had the dream to become a mental health professional. You got the degree, you took the exams, you put in the time. Whatever, your business is a private practice. Maybe you want to sell courses, like I do. You're adding clinical supervision. You want to write a book or get paid to speak. Whatever it is. You are too important to your community to lose, to getting in trouble, giving up, going broke and burning out. Are you ready to break through those fears once and for all? I thought so. Let's get to work. Welcome to Texas counselors creating bad ass businesses when it's all about working smarter, not harder. And here's your host, dr Kate Walker, who hates leggings. Hey, bad ass. I know you don't have time to sit in on another boring, outdated webinar for your counseling continuing education. So I wanted to make sure you know about the best deal going in Texas counselor continuing education Free webinars at Kate Walker Training.
Speaker 1:Best of all, every webinar is presented after 5 PM. It's completely free and every webinar meets the new Texas rule mandating that 50% of CEs come from a designated provider. The free webinars are presented by real people, facilitated by yours truly, and there is always an opportunity for Q&A. Here's what we have coming up in the next four months. October 25, I'm presenting a webinar for the supervisor. Curious, scared of becoming a clinical supervisor? Attend this webinar and help me get you over your fears and out into the field where you can multiply the difference you make in underserved Texas communities by becoming a clinical supervisor. November 30, dr Lisa Wines will present Bridging the Gap from Grad School to LPC Associate. This is one of our most popular webinars and I invite professors to tune in with your entire classroom of counseling students. Also in November, you can start applying for our Counseling Grant giveaway. Last year we gave away over $500 in grants and this year I'm matching that, so we'll hopefully be giving away $1,000 in practice grants to counselors and supervisors serving rural and underserved Texans Need the recording because you can't make it, don't worry, step it up members.
Speaker 1:Get the recording converted into an online course that they can take whenever they like. That's right on your schedule. You're the one working your butt off getting your house ready for the high holy days, school plays, fafsa applications, sats and football season, all while trying to return all the calls and emails because, well, you're a business owner. So I'm going to make it easy for you. Just go to katewalkertrainingcom forward slash free webinar and you can sign up and start attending free training that fits into your life and your schedule. That's katewalkertrainingcom forward slash free webinar. You're too important to lose because you paid too much for courses with tempting titles, sat through boring live trainings and got suckered into live, disorganized webinars. It's time to take the next step in your counseling career. Go to katewalkertrainingcom forward, slash free webinar and sign up for our next free webinar. Now let's get to work. All right, I'm Dr Kate Walker. Welcome to the Step it Up training on onboarding.
Speaker 1:So onboarding can seem super weird and boring unless you actually own a business and then you know it's vital you have to have a system to onboard. Now let me put this in context for you. As a new business owner, practice owner back in the day, I think my onboarding was basically I'm so glad you agreed to work for me. This is so cool. Okay, here's your key. Oh, and I made this policy and procedures manual, just when you have a chance to look at it. No big deal Like that was literally my onboarding. As I learned a little bit more and a few more mistakes were made because, yes, there were mistakes made by other folks. I had a therapist who had a complaint filed against them. I had a therapist who forgot to turn lights off when we were renting another office owned by another person. I had mistakes well, all kinds of mistakes. So I learned the hard way that onboarding is multifaceted and onboarding is ongoing.
Speaker 1:Now, if you heard the podcast drop last week, it was the Group Practice Summit 2023 Group Practice Summit presentation by Ashley Hubbard, and it's great. So, if you're watching this on a replay or listening to this on a replay, hit pause, check her out, because she goes through a policy and procedures manual and she does touch on onboarding and, of course, policy and procedures is one of the things I'm going to talk about today but she does an amazing job of going through the policy and the procedures manual, because it's just not just a CYA, right, you know what that means, but it sets you up for success. In fact, if you don't have a policy and procedures or you just haven't gotten there yet, I'm going to actually maybe make a few people mad here, because you may be actually self-sabotaging your own practice. Success Because, remember, you're amazing, You're going to grow, your community is going to love you, you're filling a need, people will come, and so for you to have this shaky, soggy foundation isn't good for anybody, right? And so the reason I teach this stuff and the reason I put it out there in the podcast world too, and the reason I give it to you guys in trainings. I'm setting you up for success. I want you to be successful and you guys know me, if I find out something new, something different, shoot. I'll just make a webinar about it. I'll invite an expert who's smarter than me and we'll present it to you in a different way. I'm going to find so many different ways to give you this information because it's important and it's important that you succeed, because we have got to fill the gaps in access to affordable mental health care in Texas. And if you're listening or watching this and you're someplace beside Texas, welcome. You are welcome here. Now let's get your business up to badass.
Speaker 1:So, onboarding Number one don't assume anything. All right, if you are one of those blessed people and you're going to bring on a grad student to see clients in your practice, first of all, thank you. We need you. We need you to give those grad students their hours toward their graduation. But you do know they're unlicensed, right? I mean, they're just like anybody on the street. You bring them in and they don't have a license that indicates they've been fingerprinted and background checked and all of those things. I'm not aware of universities, where that's a thing. I don't know if they background check, fingerprint, et cetera.
Speaker 1:They may do that now, but the reason I'm saying don't assume anything is because you must hipotrain them. You must make sure they understand the laws surrounding confidentiality, record storage, maintenance, client protection of their information. So the federal law is, of course, hipaa. The state laws, those are outlined in your licenses and in the family law and the criminal law. All of these things must be taught to your supervisee. It's like you know. I tell my kids when they were little and we go to the grocery store, if it's not on the list, it doesn't exist. Don't tell me to buy cookies in the grocery store if you didn't put it on the list. So if you haven't taught it, you can't evaluate it. You cannot assume that they have met expectations or fallen below expectations and yes, I'm going to talk about that too in a minute.
Speaker 1:But when you onboard, you must make HIPAA training part of that procedure. You can do a one hour, you can do a three hour. I do a one hour just for unlicensed staff. That could be people answering the phone. If you work at a crisis center, it could be the people who are doing triage, if anybody has contact with a client or potential client a lot of times.
Speaker 1:I know what I heard from children's advocacy centers of Texas. They were working with folks and they would answer the phone and they wanted to know what happened. Right, because they'd just taken this very traumatic phone call. They wanted to check in with a therapist and say, hey, I just wanted to ask about so and so, and it came from a good place. You can't do that, right.
Speaker 1:There is no sharing of information, protected health information, when it's not medically necessary. So something as simple as that. It's not just a policy and procedures or best practices, it's actually breaking the law. So, part of your onboarding, don't assume anything and make sure that HIPAA training for all, but especially your unlicensed staff. Now, I say for all, because even for those of you who are hiring your therapists, who have their full license, when's the last time they had a HIPAA training? I mean, yes, you have to have six hours or so many hours of ethics, but it can be any kind of ethics. It doesn't have to specifically be the care and maintenance of protected health information. So you can create one, you can purchase one, you can go to the HIPAA website and I'm sure they have one that's free. This isn't a money thing. You absolutely can provide HIPAA training as you onboard people at little to zero cost. You just got to find it. Look for it, make sure it happens.
Speaker 1:Okay, number three before or as you're teaching, right? So you're doing these things. You're introducing people to HIPAA. You're introducing them to your practice. You're telling them how to open the doors in the morning. You're telling them how you want them to upload their files. You're telling them how to log in. You're telling them the names of your front office staff. You're telling them all, right, as you're teaching, create an SOP. Remember, sop stands for Standard Operating Procedure.
Speaker 1:Now, there's a couple of reasons for this. Number one it's good because you'll be able to refer back to it. Because if you're like me, you do a lot of this stuff on the fly and you're like, oh my gosh, that was great. When I sit down in a minute, I'll write it down, and then you never write it down. So if you have a specific way you want things done in your office, as you're teaching it, you can actually look at somebody and say, hey, can you take notes on this? I want to grab that in a minute and I'm going to make sure we do it step by step. Now that's going to help as you go forward. I know I've done things with my assistant, jennifer, and we do these webinars.
Speaker 1:Well, how do you turn a webinar into a course and then into a CE? There's a procedure here for downloading it, editing it, coming up with quiz questions, coming up with an evaluation several steps to turn a training into a course and then possibly into a CE, because not every training becomes a CE. Well, I wrote it all down and I put it in a shared Google Drive. So, as you're thinking about this and you're onboarding, it can be as simple as creating these things in a shared Google Drive. Or, if you're old school, you can get one of those three-ring binders. That's about that thick you do you?
Speaker 1:So here's the wonderful thing about having an SOP, because it can actually now be a job description. It's sweater weather and while we may still have a few days in the 90s here in Texas, I'm going to put my Uggs on anyway, even if I have to turn on the fan when I'm watching UT kick Alabama's butt on the big screen at the neighbors down the street. And what's better than sweater weather? How about taking the next step in your counseling career and getting your clinical supervisor designation. We all know that counselors need quality continuing education courses full of great information that will help them build their career, protect their license, grow a practice and stay out of trouble. Oh and bonus points at the course is not boring and outdated, but the real barrier to finishing a course that could lead to your supervisor designation. You, my bad ass, are busy saving the world with excellent therapy.
Speaker 1:So for you to get the training to improve your practice and your skill set while still caring for people, your choices are compromise your work week life balance with overwhelming, boring, outdated online courses, or pay for a live training. But if you have to miss work to travel, then you just doubled the cost of that course. Let me make it easy for you. I host the only online 40 hour LPC LMFT supervisor training that can lead to the supervisor designation in Texas, and in the month of October, I'm giving you the two hour 2023 rules review with the latest update as a bonus when you purchase that course from me. The rules review is not available to the general public for purchase, but you get it for you when you purchase the 40 hour supervisor training in October. Wanna see if you're eligible for your supervisor designation. It's easy Just go to katewalkertrainingcom forward, slash 40STC.
Speaker 1:That's katewalkertrainingcom. Forward. Slash the number 40. So a four and a zero STC. I'm gonna say it one more time katewalkertrainingcom forward, slash 40STC.
Speaker 1:So if you're talking the person you know you just hired a VA. So let's say they are a virtual assistant, right, and you're talking them. Through this, you're doing what I'm asking you to do and you're creating the SOP as you're teaching them and you've got this 10 step. It's wonderful, it's amazing. You're like, oh gosh, I covered everything. And then a week later that person quits. Guess what? That SOP just became.
Speaker 1:Your job description as you hire the next person here help wanted, this is the job duty. This is exactly what you have to do and this becomes what you evaluate later, your SOP. You can literally evaluate someone based on that, which is number three introduce your group norms early and what is meets expectation or fails to meet expectation. So, as you're onboarding, you're introducing them to the culture of your practice, and I've worked with so many of you and you have really beautiful cultures. You're holistic or you are equine therapy, or you have this beautiful creative space for families. Everything about you comes through on the website and then you go to hire somebody and then I'm like I'm strictly CBT, that's all I know, and you hire them anyway and then you expect to acculturate them. I guess I mean, is that like a pickle? Like you're going to put a cucumber and a bunch of vinegar, it's going to turn into a pickle. I don't know how much better would it be for you to have these SOPs and this ability to show someone look, this is the culture we're creating here. You might even do a video like a video of you and you're excited and you're talking through the mission and what drives your passion and the type of therapist that you're looking for in the front office staff.
Speaker 1:One of the podcasts we're going to drop in a couple of weeks is one of our GPS presenters, anna Marcella Rodriguez, talking about the creating a niche that serves a minority, and she spent a lot of time talking to me about training the folks that are the first contact on the phone. You know me, I'm like it's a 10 minute consultation. You have a hard beginning and a hard ending, and you go through these things and she's like no, that's not really how we do things, because we're dealing with so many folks that this is the first time that they have ever even reached out. They're not sure what therapy is. Maybe even in their community it's seen as a stigma. It's a bad thing. So they train the folks they hire to answer the phone, that initial first contact, to be very patient. They train them to answer all questions. For as long as it takes they must be bilingual in this language that they're serving. So you, as you're creating these SOPs, you're also creating a job description that reflects the culture you're trying to create in your office. So there are no surprises.
Speaker 1:Now, I know a lot of times and I'm just going to kind of break off for a second and go on a tangent I work with supervisors and I consult with them later on and they're telling me these issues that they have with associates and there's some kind of a rupture in the relationship. Something's gone sideways, not sure what to do, and usually the question is do I fire them? And my first question after that is did you teach it, did you evaluate it, have you remediated it? And then, if you can answer those three things, we usually know whether or not it's an okay time to fire them. I'm not talking about something egregious. If you catch somebody having sex with somebody in that broom clock okay, no, that fireable, and remember, in Texas it's at will say you can fire anybody for any reason at any time. But if you are following these onboarding suggestions and you're setting yourself up for success, you have taught the skill. Now, as you're onboarding, you can teach them.
Speaker 1:Look, here's how you meet expectations in this area. So let's imagine you go back to the phone answering thing. Right, success might be if at least 10% of the calls that you answer actually schedule and come to a first appointment. That might be a measure of success. It could be. We give an outcome survey to everyone who calls us. We ask them to do a quick little survey and then they tell us at the end that you did a great job. That may be a way for this new hire to meet or exceed expectations and you might say, okay, if zero people schedule and show up to their first appointment in the span of, let's say, three months, then you know you're not meeting expectations.
Speaker 1:But you can introduce this in your onboarding is specific. You know the drill specific, measurable, trackable, attainable, realistic something that anybody from three points could all look at and say, yes, this person is meeting and exceeding expectations or no. This person is failing to meet expectations, then you can introduce your Progressive Discipline Plan. Again, you can listen to Ashley's podcast or I also have a training about a Progressive Discipline Plan and how that's different from a remediation plan, because basically it's the verbal warning. Hey, I noticed that in three months no one you've talked to has booked an appointment. That's not okay. I'm going to write you up, or two a written warning. Now I've got my verbal, I've got my written. Imagine if you could throw a review in there.
Speaker 1:One of the biggest complaints I hear from staff, or even from licensed therapists that nobody's ever reviewed them, nobody's ever given them a formal evaluation. People like to know how they're doing. They like to know if they're meeting your expectations or if they're really disappointing you. You coming out of nowhere as the boss saying, hey, here's a write-up, and they're like whoa, whoa, wait. You could say, of course, well, I taught you that. I can show you in the orientation where I did, because I went to Cate's training and I made sure that I did that. But have you ever evaluated them before you dinged them with a written write-up? Or, if you're a supervisor remediation plan?
Speaker 1:It is a process. You got to teach it, you've got to measure it. Then you can remediate it or terminate it. But it starts here, with the onboarding process. Can you imagine those of you out there who love spreadsheets and binders? I can imagine you just salivating right now because you're thinking, oh, I know what I'm going to put in the three-ring binder, I know what I'm going to put in the Google Drive. If you're like me, I know the video I'm going to make.
Speaker 1:Right, create a culture, introduce it when you're onboarding. Make sure everyone is trained in the care and the handling of protected health information and sensitive information, that you have best practices that you can teach. That you turn each one of those teachable skills into an SOP, a standard operating procedure that you put into a Google Drive so you can hire consistently. If people quit suddenly, you'll be fine because you can immediately train someone quickly. There are the SOPs. Now go forth and do your job. Then, finally, you will introduce the evaluation and maybe even the evaluation schedule. I mean, how put together would you look if you were able to tell somebody yep, your first evaluation will be three months in, your next one will be six months in and if everything goes well. Well, the next one won't be for a year, but you'll have a file that you can see at any time where I have documented your performance, meeting expectations, failing to meet expectations or exceeding expectations. Then, who knows, maybe you'll work in some bonuses, or you'll work in some bennies, some benefits. That's what I always tell my kids. Get a job with benefits. That could be you. So I am going to end it there and open it up for questions. I'm going to check online and hit pause on the recording Music.
Speaker 1:Hey, badasses, we can all agree that counselors want a path to a successful counseling career, but that means you have to find quality training. That's not even the real barrier. The real problem is a lot of information can be overwhelming and you, my badass, are busy. So you're probably asking yourself how can I improve my practice while still caring for people? How do I grow my skill set, become a supervisor without losing my work-life balance? How do I find quality training that won't cost too much time and money?
Speaker 1:Bottom line counselors who want a successful counseling career value the goal of growing their skill set and even becoming a supervisor, but at the same time, struggle with finding time to attend quality courses. Counselors can't overcome this barrier because so many times, courses with tempting titles over promise and underperform. Let me ask you something what if there were courses that delivered exactly what they promised, that didn't take a lot of time and didn't break the bank? That's exactly the kind of course we design at Kate Walker Training. I specialize in helping you grow your skill set and career with quality courses on demand, and we have so many to choose from.
Speaker 1:If you're asking yourself where do I go if I want to sustain my practice and grow my marketing presence, well, check out the Step it Up membership. What do you do if you're ready to pay it forward and add streams of income? Well, check out the supervisor training. See if you're eligible. If you're looking for an experience that's more hands-on, keep an eye out for open enrollment for Badass Basics and our exclusive mastermind groups. I'm Dr Kate Walker. Thank you so much for listening to Texas counselors creating Badass Businesses. Thank you to Ridgely Walker for her lovely voiceovers at our introduction and do me a favor when you get a second please like, share and subscribe and write us a review. That's really how we get picked up by other RSS feeds and we get this information out to the mental health badasses who need it. Thanks again and keep saving the world with excellent therapy you.