Common CMS-1500 Form Mistakes to Avoid

It costs an average of $6.50 to file a claim, $25 to resubmit a rejected claim, and $37 to correct and resubmit a denied claim. These costs quickly eat into the average $88 reimbursement a therapist receives for each session. The more mistakes you make when filling out the CMS-1500 claim form, the more rejections […]

How a List of Emotions Can Help Your Clients

According to insights from emotion-focused therapy (EFT), emotional awareness, accepting each emotion, and knowing how to work with emotions are important skills essential to wellbeing. As a therapist, you can help your clients make progress by guiding them to understand how their emotions work and how to glean information from the emotions they experience. In […]

Tips for Successful Psychiatric Practice Management

Many of us have had the experience of enthusiastically starting a garden only to get busy with life’s many other demands. The day-to-day to-do list prevents us from dedicating time to our garden’s growth. As a result, the vision of creating our own Garden of Eden fails to materialize. Running a psychiatric practice often follows […]

The DASS-21 Scale Explained

Most successful projects require a variety of tools, used in combination to achieve the desired end. The same holds true when evaluating new clients. No single data point can accurately inform therapeutic decision-making on its own. Instead, a combination of assessments provides a clearer picture of your client’s current situation and helps you determine how […]

Effective Talk Therapy Strategies for Therapists

Thoughts and emotions are two of the most powerful forces that shape human behavior. When they align in healthy ways, thoughts and emotions can fuel positive change that results in a more balanced way of being in the world. But when these twin motivators fall out of alignment, they often lead to problematic behaviors. As […]

The Guide to Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy

Think back to the last time your daily routine suffered a significant interruption. (With the COVID-19 pandemic turning life upside down, most of us don’t have to reach too far back!) When the rhythm of everyday life is upended, most people naturally become more anxious and less focused. Predictable routines are an important part of […]

Elements of Effective Case Notes for Social Work

If a colleague has ever faced a professional lawsuit, you likely heard them either lamenting their note-taking habits or thanking the stars for them. Writing effective case notes (a.k.a. progress notes) for social work serves more than the purpose of record-keeping, however. Yes, detailed notes are necessary to satisfy legal requirements, but notes are an […]

Trauma Narratives in Mental Health Counseling

We all have events in our past that we’d like to forget. Whether the trauma is “little t” or “big T,” one of the primary tasks of therapists is to help clients process and deal with memories and triggers. Memories from “little t” traumas like a major car accident, bullying, and the loss of a […]

Understanding Therapy Billing Units for Mental Health

Most therapists have a love-hate relationship with billing. Billing gets you paid! But billing can also be a headache, especially if you aren’t yet familiar with all of the payer requirements. Understanding and optimizing your billing process will make your practice healthier and will provide you with peace of mind that you’re being reimbursed appropriately. […]

Easy and Effective Child Group Therapy Activities

Human beings have evolved to live, work, and relate to each other within a collective group. For this reason, the social support component embedded within group therapy is a key ingredient in its effectiveness. Unlike individual therapy, group therapy taps into the power of community, providing opportunities for self-acceptance and growth that are difficult to […]