Texas Counselors Creating Badass Businesses

109 Why Every Supervisor Needs a Planner: Tips for Getting Ahead in 2025

• Dr. Kate Walker Ph.D., LPC/LMFT Supervisor • Season 3 • Episode 109

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What if the key to starting 2025 successfully lies in early planning and preparation? Join me as we uncover essential strategies for financial planning and tax readiness, with critical deadlines such as December 31st for fiscal year-end and January 31st for 1099 submissions. For counselors, staying informed about frequent rule changes can be daunting, but fear not—our Step it Up members have access to exclusive resources to help navigate these updates. Plus, I’ll share insights from my audit experiences to help you effectively prepare for the upcoming continuing education credits shift on November 26th.

Supervisors and supervisees, maintaining compliance just got easier with our comprehensive checklist! Discover how a supervision planner can be your go-to tool for organizing supervisee details, from emergency contacts to practice site visits. We'll also discuss the importance of keeping personal information current on the BHEC website and ensuring malpractice insurance is up to date. As the holiday season approaches, learn how to manage tasks and stress using mindfulness techniques inspired by Jennifer Rosado’s polyvagal counseling presentation. And don't miss a preview of our upcoming discussions on harnessing AI for website copy and note writing—exciting opportunities for innovation and growth are on the horizon!

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.

Speaker 1:

hey there, welcome to our tuesday live coaching. If you're joining me live, you can keep your camera off. You can keep your mic off and then at the end I will open it up for questions. You can always post stuff in the chat too. Just know that if you do talk and I get you on the on the video, that I'll probably get your voice. I can usually edit out your face on your camera, but it's hard to edit out voices and, besides, you ask such good questions usually that I want it to. I want it to go out there. So we're recording live.

Speaker 1:

And again, I'm Dr Kate Walker. This is your Step it Up weekly group coaching. We do this every week at noon on Tuesday, and I hope it's during lunch hours. I think you know if you get a lunch. If you don't have a lunch, you should take a lunch. That's self-care. So this month I'm going to help all of our Step it Up members get their act together before Q1 2025. And so for you business owners out there, that means quarter one, first quarter, right, the year's divided into four quarters.

Speaker 1:

We want to hit the ground running in January, and the thing about January is, you know, we think, oh, it's the holidays. I'm going to procrastinate, I'm going to put it off till then, and you guys, we're going to hit the ground running in January. I mean, I've talked about this before, counselors, we kind of have two rushes, if you'll, if you will, for the year, right? The first one happens in January. Everybody's kind of got the new year, new you attitude. We have a lot of families and couples that have been hanging in there through the holidays. They get through it and then January they're ready to get into therapy. Of course, our other rush tends to be September. Right, during September, early October, those of us who see kids and families, we have folks that want to get in before the holidays, and then, of course, with the kiddos, that's usually around the first report card or that first note home. So, yeah, don't put this off to Q1. Don't put this off to January, to January. It's time to get this done now. So I'm going to start with money, right, because money isn't everything, but when we worry about it it tends to push everything aside, especially the good stuff, right? It's hard to see what's going well in our business if we're worried about money.

Speaker 1:

And so the fiscal year for us is December 31st, and also for the US government. Now there are other tax deadlines that you want to think about. But for those of you who are 1099 independent contractors and those of you who hire 1099 independent contractors, you've got to have those 1099s ready to go out the very last day of January. For those of you who are early birds and you like to get those tax things done in January, you want to get all of that organized now and I am going to talk about that more. That's coming up in our let me just get it over here. I'm going to talk about taxes in detail November 19th. So in our Step it Up membership and our group coaching call, we're going to go over money and taxes in more detail on the 19th. So definitely think about taxes. Add that to your list right now.

Speaker 1:

The other thing you need to add to your list of things to get in shape before Q1 is your paperwork, and I mean you guys know I'm a rules junkie. I'm always going to the BHEC and the LPC and the LMFT board meetings. We just added a social work 40-hour supervisor training to the list of courses that Kate Walker Training offers. So now I'm looking into social work rules, at least in Texas. So understanding that we have had, I know of at least three updates this year alone. That's 2024. And actually I looked back at my records we had three updates in 2023 as well. So if you are not going back and looking at your paperwork and going through it with a fine tooth comb, you could be missing things, because if you're the I mean you're a Step it Up member, so you're going to rely on me. I've got you. I've got you. I'm going to let you know when those rules updates happen. I'm going to let you know what they are.

Speaker 1:

Step it Up members. You guys have any time. I have a rules review webinar. Step it Up members get the replay. You guys can sit down with a transcript and you can go through it slowly. You've got lots of resources so that you understand exactly which new rules are coming your way. So, adding to that, your paperwork right. So you got the rules review over here, you got your paperwork over here and you're just highlighting and you're making changes. You're making sure that your paperwork is up to date for the new year and we will go over that in detail November 26th and I will use screen share on the 26th so you can see my paperwork and how I'm going to go through that as well.

Speaker 1:

Now you know what I'm lying to you because I oh, you know what I lied. November 26th we're going to do something different. So I pushed the paperwork thing, course training, coaching to December because I have a good reason. I got audited for my CEs. So I thought, oh great, this is a wonderful opportunity to share this with everybody so you can see exactly how I go through and get my CEs together. So not exactly on everybody's checklist, but for you January birthdays, february birthdays if your birthday falls in Q1, then yeah, we're going to throw this onto the checklist of things you need to get in order before the end of the year. So we'll push the paper. I promise we will do a training on the paperwork with screen share, all the things.

Speaker 1:

But I am going to take you through November 26th how I'm getting my CEs together for my audit. So you get to see how I do my self studies and how I do my 50% and all of the things. And I do a lot of presentations. So those of you out there who do presentations, you get to see how to count that as well. So, all right, let's talk about then. So we've got paperwork check, money check, uh, we have, uh, the rules check. So I'm going to save this last part for supervisors, all right. So, supervisors, you know my clinical handbook, the clinical supervision survival guide, just came out in June and I talk about a lot of things that you need to keep track of. So, if you are a supervisor, one of the things to understand yeah, you're doing paperwork, taxes, ces, all of the things for you, but then you have to also keep track of things for your supervisees. So it kind of doubles your work a little bit. Now you don't need to micromanage them, you don't need to go through and micromanage all of like.

Speaker 1:

There was a question today in the Supervisor Coalition Facebook page. Somebody asked and we get this question a lot do I have to sign off on my supervisee's documentation, so the notes that they take in session? No, absolutely not. You do not. So there are lots of things that we help you to shove off of your plate, right, not just add two, but with the clinical supervision planner and this is something that we're adding to the Step it Up membership in January, so this is going into your membership. So I'm going to walk you through some of the things, just for supervisors, that you need to make sure you've got on your checklist for Q4, because that's where we are. We're in Q4 to get ready for 2025.

Speaker 1:

So make sure you have updated your supervisees data. This is good for you too. Remember it's in the rules. If you have data in the system that is outdated so the wrong address, the wrong name, like if you got married and you changed your name you are out of compliance with the rules. So add that to your checklist. Go in to the BHEC website and go and log in to where you can see your license, update your name and your address. Remember you can check a box where your private information stays private. So back in the day, they used to publicize our address, so we'd have our home address out there for the whole world to see and you don't need to do that anymore. So if you're a supervisor, adding to the data, making sure you're updating your supervisee data and with a supervision planner it's so much easier to do that because, for those of you who are supervisors, there's a whole page dedicated to your supervisee data so making sure that you know the date that their license went live on the website, the date they began seeing clients so it started accruing their direct hours.

Speaker 1:

The malpractice insurance date expiration A lot of supervisors don't think about that. But do you really want a supervisee who has let their malpractice insurance expire? In fact, add that to your checklist for Q1. Do you love your malpractice insurance Y'all? There are a few companies out there that won't pay your legal fees until after whatever you're going through has been adjudicated. You could be out lots and lots of money. So maybe put that on your list for Q4 to shop around for some better malpractice insurance. All right, I already mentioned the address, making sure that you're going into the BHEC website updating, making sure that that's all there.

Speaker 1:

If you're a supervisor, do you have your supervisee's emergency contact information? What if you get a call from the site and you're like they say, hey, your supervisee hasn't shown up for a week, when are they? And you're like I don't know, I haven't. You know, I only have to see them four hours a month. They haven't been here the last two weeks. Do you have an emergency contact for your supervisee? Do you know their medical conditions? If they take a break of one month or longer, do you have a place to log that? Do you know their practice sites? Have you visited their practice sites? Do you know if your supervisee is self-employed? Do you have all of the addresses for their social media sites and their personal websites so you can look at all that copy that they're putting out?

Speaker 1:

Speaking of copy, I just want to remind everybody in December we're going to talk a lot about AI. We're going to talk about how to use AI to create website copy, how to create a copy for search engine optimization. So stay tuned for that and don't forget. Our December speaker, dr Melissa McCaffrey, is going to talk to us about using AI with our note writing. So just dropping a little plug for everybody there.

Speaker 1:

Now, also, in the supervision planner, we have a supervisee onboarding checklist. So if you're a Step it Up member and you're listening to my voice right now or watching my video and you're an associate this is really important to pay attention to You're going to have the supervision planner in your profile starting in January, so this would be a great thing to hand to your supervisor. So this has things like have you gone through your HIPAA training? Everybody, add that to your checklist. Have you gone through HIPAA training? Did you know that, while HIPAA does not specify how many times you need to be retrained. House Bill 300 does so. Lucky for you, you have a HIPAA training in your profile that we update every single year, so add that to your checklist. When was the last time you had a HIPAA slash? House Bill 300 orientation.

Speaker 1:

The other thing in the supervisee onboarding checklist making sure that all of your resources are up to date. If you have a list of resources, I keep a Dropbox folder and I just call it treatment resources Y'all. When was the last time you've cleaned that out? When was the last time you have gone through your treatment resources folder and looked at how many of that stuff may be 10 years old or older? It's time to go through that, just like you. Marie Kondo, your closet, and you say you know what. Thank you, you were an amazing resource. Delete closet, and you say you know what. Thank you, you are an amazing resource. Delete, delete, delete. Go through and delete things where research, better research, better resources have come along and replaced it. The other thing to think about is your training for the new year.

Speaker 1:

You know I talked earlier that I'm taking you through my CE audit on November 26th instead of the paperwork, so go through your own CEs. If they're just kind of in there haphazardly, which I have a real sinking feeling, that's what mine look like right now. You might want to get them organized into CEs that meet the 50% rule and CEs that are self-study, ces where I read a book, ces that I can carry over to the next year. Do you have a spreadsheet? Are you keeping track of them? I'm thinking all of this as I go, because I'm pretty sure that I don't. Y'all, this is my first audit since I became licensed fully licensed in 2006.

Speaker 1:

Now, associates and supervisors, hear me clearly Associates, you do not need continuing education. That doesn't mean I mean that officially. Of course you need education. Yes, go get training. Yes, go do all the things, but the board does not require you to have the CE certificates and the documentation of the continuing education, like they require us to do. Now, if you're asking yourself questions like oh, what was that 50% rule? Again, step it up, members, never fear, just go back.

Speaker 1:

There is a training in your profile where I talk about the 50% rules and CEs. So you got this and I got you All right. Let me keep going thinking about your procedures, right, your policies and procedures for your office. I told you earlier, january, february that's our rush. That's when people come back into therapy if they've taken a break for the holidays. So do you have a late cancel, no-show policy? Or if you have one, do you like it? Are you ready to revamp it? Remember you've got a training about that. There's a training in your profile that talks about asking for money, handling money, how to handle the relationship with your client when money might be an issue, especially if you're one of those folks that takes insurance or you invoice your clients, right and you've got somebody carrying a balance right. It talks about how to deal with that.

Speaker 1:

When we talk about reporting procedures, now I said earlier, remember to go through the rules and of course you're going to do that. But the reporting procedures, the mandatory reporting procedures do you have a good procedure for you? And if you're a practice owner, do you have a good procedure for everyone who works in your office? And if you're a supervisor, do you have a procedure that you want your supervisee to follow? So, again, the supervisor planner helps you really plan all of that and make sure, check, check, check that you have gotten everything covered and you've got a plan for it in the new year. Now the other things in the planner that are great for having a checklist. Of course there's a checklist so you can plan your groups for the year.

Speaker 1:

There is a place to track important dates. So let me talk to everybody who's not a supervisor this is a great time to get out your calendar for 2025 2025, and put in the dates important things like when your license expires right, put a date about six weeks ahead of that. Like me, I mean I got my audit letter I guess it's probably three weeks ago and my license expires December 31st. So you see, if I let's see, so actually I would put on your calendar about 10 weeks ahead of your expiration date, check CEs. So if you do get that letter in the mail remember it's a white letter for the audit, it's a blue card if it's not. But about 10 weeks ahead of your license expiration, write yourself a note, check my CEs, and you know there's a way to go into your Google Calendar and click repeat annually, right, so that always comes up.

Speaker 1:

Same thing with your malpractice insurance. Make the note the day it expires, repeat annually, and about a month before that, so that you have a reminder and it doesn't surprise you and you're just thinking, oh gosh, I'm just going to. I'm going to keep the insurance that I've always had, instead taking the time about a month before it expires to go out and really shop. So take some time for 2025 and write down important dates. I know for me, I'm going to the TASES annual conference in February. It's in Georgetown, texas, and I put it on my calendar every single year. Same thing for the Texas Counseling Association annual conference and a few others that I really enjoy. So they're always on my calendar. It's never going to butt heads with anything else and it gives me some peace of mind because I already know my CEs are going to be taken care of in the new year, my malpractice insurance is going to be taken care of in the new year, and I'll make sure to do all the other important things in my life, like travel, visit my kids, do fun things All right. Travel, visit my kids, do fun things All right.

Speaker 1:

So the rest of the supervision planner is devoted to a 12-month calendar. Now, I am not a paper person, but I know a lot of you are. So if you need a paper thing, supervision planner will be awesome. If you are a Google Calendar girl like me or person like me. Then go into your Google Calendar, do the edit function and click Is this repeat annually? I mean I've got an NBCC certification. I have to maintain repeats annually. I have to remember birthdays repeat annually so do it now.

Speaker 1:

This is kind of thinking this time as the calm before the storm, right? I mean Thanksgiving starts in a couple of weeks, all the prep for that, and then after that we have a big holiday season. So if you are entering a holiday season, if that applies to you or not, right, it's still going to affect your practice. So a lot of things can happen in December, everything from your income going down and you've got lots of time on your hands to feeling the crunch financially right and starting to get stressed yourself. So take some time today or when you hear this episode.

Speaker 1:

Take some time and just make a list, make a checklist of all the things you need to do and hit pause. Go back and listen to this from the beginning and speed it up, slow it down, do what you have to do, because I know I've thrown a lot at you, but it'll start your gears turning as well, right, when you hear somebody else talk about their to-do list. At first it could be super overwhelming, but then once you kind of take some deep breaths and do it, jennifer Rosado taught us last week in her amazing presentation about integrating polyvagal counseling. Oh my gosh, it was wonderful. So do some deep breathing and get your own calendar together. All right, I'm going to stop the recording and open it up for questions.