u/hapachickka

I'm an LMSW and I've been getting my clinical hours through a psychoanalytic institute in NYC. I just sat and calculated how long it's going to take me to get the clinical hours needed for my LCSW based on my current client load and I'm really cutting it close to the 6-year cut-off. The recent loss of a couple of clients (who left the state) set me back and I'm worried that I won't make the necessary hours if anyone else leaves. I also don't think I can do my best therapy while feeling desperate to hang on to clients.

An LCSW hired me to work under her license but I haven't managed to actually get any clients at her practice because I'm running into trouble getting OON reimbursement by insurance (seems very few cover supervised billing here in NY State). She's very supportive and a good clinical supervisor but doesn't have the bandwidth to take on fighting insurance and getting me clients. I'm on my own there.

Should I just get a job for a year at a community-based mental health organization or a large group practice that has staff dealing with insurance and I'm guaranteed a steady stream of clients?

Currently I'm doing 6 sessions a week. I'd love to get that up to 15-20, which would see me finish my hours in around a year. I have kids at home so only interested in part-time.

Questions:

1. Is it unethical for me to start working with clients knowing I plan to stay only a year? 

2. Is there such a thing as part-time work in the CMH/grouppractice world? How does one start looking for those kinds of jobs? (I've seen such horror stories on reddit about employers demanding insane caseloads, it really concerns me.)

3. Are there any other options I'm not thinking of? I'm having a really hard time drumming up paying clients on my own and even my institute's consultation center hasn't had many inquiries recently.

 

I hope this makes sense. Thanks for any advice given.

I've started working under a LCSW and am having a terrible time getting insurance cos to reimburse my patients. I know LMSWs work under LCSW supervision in group practices all the time -- what's the secret?

I'm my supervisor's first W-4 employee and we are both flummoxed. The digital forms on the insurance sites don't give patients any option to indicate the supervisory situation, and the insurance companies reject the claim because my NPI number isn't in their database. They have also told me that I can't put my supervisor in as the rendering provider because I'm the rendering provider. So what are other LMSWs at group practices doing?