Expanding my Referral Network: A Request

My focus during this next phase of my practice is to exponentially grow my referral network, and develop a strong base of professional colleagues. My main motivations for this are:

1) Clinicians moving from agency work into private practice face considerable isolation risks; these can not only threaten one's ability to practice competently, but also one's overall well-being and job satisfaction. Maintaining healthy ties to a professional community is essential, and as we no longer have access to the default network provided by the workplace, it is up to us to build our own.

2) I find that it is frequently necessary to refer folks to another therapist or service for various reasons (when I am full, not on someone's insurance plan, not in the right geographical location, am too personally close to the person seeking therapy, discover issues outside my scope of practice, etc.).

I also often seek referrals for my own clients to additional services that I do not offer, such as couples therapy, child/family therapy, support groups, psychiatry, bodywork/massage, personal organizers, or other specialized services.

To this end, I have reached out to as many colleagues as possible, and am pleased with my growing list of potential referrals (augmenting my Resources page).

I also recently joined both Open Minds and Gaylesta, which are local groups of therapists and students who affirm that sexual and gender diversity are natural expressions of the human experience, and who help clients connect with LGBTQQI-friendly and kink/poly-aware therapists. I am excited to welcome more queer-identified folks into my practice as a result of these connections. 

I have already found the support in these associations to be significant, and appreciate the immense pool of resources members provide each other. I volunteered at the Gaylesta booth for a few hours of the Castro Street Fair, which became a wonderful point of connection with other like-minded therapists and the community, and I plan to represent Gaylesta at the Transgender Health Fair in December.

Here, then, is my request to you:

If you know of another mental health/helping professional that is not currently within my network, please connect us!

To other mental health/helping professionals:

-If you would like to be in my referral network, please introduce yourself!

-If you have a consultation group that is accepting new members, or are attending a training I might be interested in, please let me know!

-If you work with another really strong/specialized clinician, please connect us!

-If you have a newsletter or mailing list, please add me to it, and if you would enjoy reading my quarterly practice newsletter, please add yourself here!

Thank you for your assistance with this project! I am loving the world of private practice, and intend on staying connected to a supportive and diverse community as I walk this new path.