3 Helpful Online Groups for Behavioral Health Clinicians

One of the problems with running your own behavioral health practice is that you’re on your own. You can’t just run to a coworker’s office when you have a question.

The good thing is, there are a lot of resources you can seek out for help. Of course, you can participate in your state or national professional organization. They will have an array of resources you can access and peers who can help you.

Another great option is to join an online group through a social media channel. With these online groups, you can interact with fellow clinicians every day by asking questions, giving advice and reading about their experiences. These groups can get your questions answered and give you the opportunity to network!

Below is a list of three online groups that we have joined. Each is a little different and will provide you with different experiences and resources. They’re a great place to get started, so check them out!

Abundance Practice Builders

Created by Allison Puryear of the website Abundance Practice Building, this Facebook group is a great gathering place for any clinician who has started or will be starting their own private practice.

This is a safe space for you to ask pretty much any question about your private practice, from questions about managing money to clinical questions. There are many experienced counselors who have been in your shoes and want to help you succeed.

Selling the Couch

Yes, this Facebook group is created by the same guy who makes the insanely helpful Selling the Couch podcast, Melvin Varghese.

Like Abundance Practice Builders, this is a safe space for you to ask questions of experienced clinicians. But, this group is has a tighter focus on issues around marketing your private practice.

Need advice choosing a location for your private practice? Check out this episode of Selling the Couch featuring our founder, Jim Jonas, LICSW, LMFT.

In addition to questions posted by group members, Melvin also puts out intentionally interactive posts every day that ask group members to share their own websites, resources they use and more.

Links for Shrinks

If Facebook isn’t your thing, then head over to LinkedIn and check out Links for Shrinks. It is another online gathering place for behavioral health clinicians.

Like the other two groups, you can post questions and get answers from other clinicians. But there’s also a focus on posting resources that you can use in your practice.

In addition, the admins also provide a weekly newsletter that provides more links to resources that can help you do a better job running your practice.

These three groups will all provide you with opportunities to network and get your questions answered. We would suggest joining one of these groups, if not all of them. They each provide a different experience and different resources.

Do you have a different group that would be helpful for other independent clinicians? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+!