The Colorado Counseling Association is made up of more than 1,400 members throughout the state of Colorado. We are so grateful to serve each member! The mission of the CCA is to serve its membership by promoting legislative advocacy efforts, education resources, and professional resources offered to its members. What's in this newsletter: - 2024 Annual Conference - Less than two weeks away!
- Conference Sponsors
- Creating a Culture of Success
- Welcome to the new 2024-2025 CCA Officers
- Did You Know
- Medicare Coding Update
Thank you from all of us here! |
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Colorado Counseling Association |
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www.coloradocounselingassociation.org |
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The CCA Foundations Student Conference and Annual Conference is Just a Week Away AND You Can Still Register There’s still time to register for the CCA conferences August 21-23 in beautiful Keystone! We’re excited for this conference and the outstanding lineup of conference presentations. In addition to networking opportunities and the ability to talk with our conference sponsors and exhibitors, conference attendees will receive continuing education hours toward license renewal. For more information regarding the conference schedule, registration, and hotel information, visit the CCA Conference website page. We hope to see you there! |
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We especially want to thank our conference sponsors who make this conference possible and those businesses who are exhibiting at our conference. Please stop in and see them and show your support of their businesses. Silver Sponsor Bronze Sponsors Colorado Department of Corrections - Mental and behavioral health careers and support within corrections https://cdoc.colorado.gov/ Jane (Jane App) - Online platform for health and wellness practitioners to manage and grow business https://jane.app/ Technology Advance US - Business travel and wellness technology solutions Supporting Sponsors CPH & Associates- Handout Bag Sponsor - Mental and behavioral health professional liability and malpractice insurance EMDR of the Rockies- App Sponsor - Virtual and in-person EMDR training Annual Conference Exhibitors Premium Exhibitors Cornerstone Programs -Youth and family mental health, substance use, juvenile justice, health, social services, education, and vocational services https://www.cornerstoneprograms.com/ EMDR of the Rockies - Virtual and in-person EMDR training The Joy Artist- Jan Haas - Artist specializing in positive, healing-focused art for mental health spaces, therapists, and self-care focused individuals https://thejoyartist.com/ General Exhibitors Denver Springs - Child, adolescent, and adult in-patient and out-patient mental health and substance use programs https://denversprings.com/ EveryoneCounts.World - Self-help, transformation, and career courses Griffith Centers - Mental and behavioral health services SOL Mental Health - Mental healthcare with therapists and psychiatrists The Redpoint Center - Mental health and substance use IOP programs The Wounded Healer Project - Veteran mental health support Student Conference Sponsors Psyquel- Student Keynote Session Fliers - Mental health billing and practice management software https://psyquel.com/ |
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You're done with the grind of community mental health and wanting to start your own practice, but after a while in your new adventure into entrepreneurship and your solo practice, you realize two things… - Your income is capped to some extent because there is only one you and there are a set number of hours in the week to see clients.
- You’re lonely.
You’ve been successful in filling your caseload and your clients seem happy and are making progress and so it feels like it’s time to grow. It’s time to start a group therapy practice. There are a lot of things to think about as you jump into the world of group practice: - Will I hire independent contractors or W2 employees?
- Do I need to change my marketing strategy?
- Am I hiring licensed or pre-licensed clinicians?
- How much can I actually afford to pay?
All these factors are extremely important…AND…I would suggest the most important place to start and spend some intentional time thinking about is how you are going to create a culture that will support employee growth, satisfaction, and retention. After all, you can’t have a group practice if therapists do not want to stay working with you. Here are three considerations or tips that I have seen to be truly important and effective as I lead my small group practice. - Do NOT try to create mini-mes of yourself. A diverse group of clinicians will allow for a greater learning environment for your whole team. Even less experienced clinicians will have strengths and knowledge that you don’t. Celebrating these differences and supporting your team to learn from one another will add so much value to your team and the individual clinicians as a whole. Not to mention it will take some things off your plate and allow for more autonomy and agency for your clinicians.
- Transparency and a shared understanding go a long way. Are you going to share every financial detail with your clinicians? No. But is it helpful for your staff to understand the state of your practice as a business? Absolutely. If I am making difficult decisions that will impact my team, once I have really processed and decided what is in the best interest of the practice, I share some of that process with my team. This really goes a long way.
- Take time to understand what makes your clinicians tick. What are your clinicians interested in learning about? How do they see themselves growing in the future? What is their buy-in? This can be more difficult than you think as you are focused on your baby…your business. Even if they are interested in starting a private practice one day, I believe it is my role to help them reach their goals.
So, before you jump in hoping to make the big bucks, slow down and ask yourself if you have the desire to lead a team. |
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Counselor Education and Supervision Liaison: Dr. Jillian Blueford, LPC, NCC is a Clinical Associate Professor for the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Denver. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado, a National Certified Counselor, and a Fellow in Thanatology. Over the years, Dr. Blueford has provided grief counseling to individuals of all backgrounds in various settings, including schools, outpatient facilities, and currently in private practice. Further, Dr. Blueford’s research expertise expands on grief counseling training and preparation, trauma-informed care, and child and adolescent grief. Her research and scholarship have been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, webinars, podcast features, and regional, national, and international presentations. |
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Southern Region Liaison Dr. Kendal Wellington Humes, DPC, LPC, LAC, NCC, CCTP earned his Doctorate in Professional Counseling and M.S. in Marriage and Family Counseling from Mississippi College. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (CO, OK), a Licensed Addiction Counselor (CO), and a National Certified Counselor and owner of Couch Time Counseling and Consulting, LLC. Dr. Humes is also a State Board of Marriage and Family Therapist Examiners approved non-MFT supervisor approved to supervise a candidate for Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure in the State of Colorado. In addition, he is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. |
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Multicultural Counseling and Development Liaison: Dr. Michell Temple, Ph.D., Ed.D., CRC, NCC, ACS, LPC (CO,GA), LPC/MHSP (TN), serves an Assistant Professor of Counseling at Denver Seminary and a private practice Rehabilitation and Mental Health counselor. She also serves on the USA-based team for the International Mental Health Consultants and the International Postgraduate Educational Institute of Ukraine, where she engages in fundraising and teaches in the trauma therapy certificate program. She earned a Ph.D. from Regent University in Counselor Education and Supervision and an Ed.D. from the University of West Georgia in Professional Counseling and Supervision. Dr. Temple earned a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Georgia State University. Dr. Temple is the lead faculty at Denver Seminary and teaches the social and cultural foundation course. She is a member of the 2019 Cohort of the NBCC-F Mental Health Doctoral Fellowship. She is an Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), 2023 Research Grant recipient. Her current grounded theory study on the process of changing oppressive relationships in counselor education is in the final data analysis phase. Dr. Temple was recently awarded a Wabash Center large grant for the project title, Preparing Seminary faculty to integrate multicultural education in their classrooms. Some her publications include Black Males with Disabilities: The Role of Self-determination in College Completion, Imagining Human Relationship Dynamics Differently, and a case for the Social and Cultural Foundations chapter in Case studies in counselor education. She is currently writing a faith-based intercultural counseling textbook. |
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Client recordkeeping is an important aspect of a counselor’s practice and Colorado State Statues are specific in what should be kept in a client’s file and how long these files need to be kept. Regarding how long client files must be kept, the statute says: Every licensed professional counselor shall create and shall maintain a record as defined in subsection (B) of this Rule for each client, this record shall be retained for a period of seven years, commencing on either the termination of professional counseling services or the date of last contact with the client, whichever is later. Exception. When the client is a child, the record shall be retained for a period of seven years commencing either upon the last day of treatment or when the child reaches eighteen years of age, whichever comes later, but in no event shall records be kept for more than twelve years. The statute is very specific regarding what needs to be maintained in a client's record. If a clinician is writing good therapy notes, has a disclosure statement that lists services and fees, and an intake form that gives client identifying information, most of these requirements will be met. Clinicians should review their client files to ensure the following information is in each file. 1. Name of treating therapist; 2. Client's identifying data to include name, address, telephone number, gender, date of birth, and if applicable the name of the parent or guardian. If the client is an organization, the name of the organization, telephone number and name of the principal authorizing the mental health provider's services or treatment; 3. Reason(s) for the psychotherapy services; 4. Mandatory disclosure statement(s); 5. Dates of service including, but not limited to the date of each contact with client, the date on which services began, and the date of last contact with client; 6. Types of service; 7. Fees; 8. Any release of information; 9. The record shall justify and describe the assessment, diagnosis and therapy/treatment administered in a legible document. The records must be prepared in a manner that allows any subsequent provider to yield a comprehensive conclusion as to what occurred; 10. Name of any test administered, each date on which the test was administered, and the name(s) of the person(s) administering the test; 11. A final closing statement (if services are over). Information found in 4 CCR 737-1.16 - RECORDS REQUIRED TO BE KEPT AND RECORD RETENTION (C.R.S. sections 12-245-204(4), 12-245-224(1)(u)) |
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If you take Medicare, you may have experienced confusion as to how to code telehealth/teletherapy sessions for clients. According to an article from a recent Barbara Griswold, LMFT newsletter, clinicians now need to code audio and/or video sessions using place of service modifier 93 for audio-only and modifier 95 for audio/video. This change order is effective retroactively to January 1, 2024. To see the June 2024 DHHS change order, click here: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/r12671cp.pdf Special thanks to Barbara Griswold, LMFT, Author of Navigating the Insurance Maze: The Therapist's Complete Guide to Navigating Insurance -- And Whether You Should She can be reached at barbgris@aol.com or theinsurancemaze.com |
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PO Box 469 Brighton, CO 80601, USA |
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