In 1977, Ilya Prigogine was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on “dissipative structures.“  Prigogine contends that because dissipative structures are disturbed i.e. shaken up by definition, they are able to change and evolve.  On the other hand, those structures that are too well insulated, and thus unable to be disturbed, will simply stagnate and die.  According to Ilya,  friction is a good thing!

I was reading about Ilya’s work and got to thinking about how friction has served my practice well over the years. Here’s what I’m talking about . . . .

When my referral sources are disturbed . . . they call me to consult when they are in over their heads.  They call me with referrals. Or, they call me wanting referrals.  They do something different.

When my community is disturbed . . . by elections, substance abuse, suicides, natural disasters, my community gets busy!  It get activated! And, they do something different, too.

When my clients are disturbed . . . they are motivated to pick up the phone and call me. They make appointments and come to see me. They follow through with their homework in between sessions.  And, if they are disturbed with me, the tell me!  And, all of that serves me (and my clients) well.  They do something different.

And, when I am disturbed . . . I seek additional information.  Or, I take action.  I tell someone just to be heard.  I take a class or seek consultation. I learn a new strategy.  I, too,  do something different.

Although I’m always up for a new adventure, I must admit, I don’t always relish the unpredictability of my work being disturbed.  But . . . does it help in the long run?  Keep me on my toes?  Sharpen me mentally and emotionally?  Help me stay flexible and alive in my practice?  You bet!  And, that flexibility and willingness to do something different helps my business stay vibrant and thriving.

So maybe tomorrow . . . when chaos looms out of no where to disturb my daily practice . . . . Maybe, just maybe I’ll remember Ilya Prigogine’s ideas and instead of digging in my heels and whining, I’ll say “thank you” for my dissipative practice and the wisdom to see the gift!

How about you?  Got a dissipative practice?  Or have you gone rigid and stagnate?  Needing a little help loosening up and learning to ride the waves?  If so, email me!  I’m happy to help you get unstuck and start enjoying the fruits of a little disruption.

Tags: Change, Continuous Learning, Disruption

I received a call this week from a counselor who has recently moved into Colorado.  She asked if I could provide clinical supervision for her post-graduate work.  As we explored that possibility, the conversation turned to her previous experiences with clinical supervision and they were less than ideal.

If you, too, find yourself tempted to settle for a less than ideal supervisor, you are in need of a supervision rescue. Here are some ideas to consider. . . .

There is NO correlation between being a good therapist and being a good clinical supervisor.

Although the knowledge bases overlap, they require decidedly different skill sets.  Teaching, training, and monitoring are necessary for clinical supervision but are not the tasks of a counselor. Thus, the trend to require supervisors to have formal training in supervision.

Poppy Love . . . . #4 -- squaRED by onkel wart / Thomas Lieser

Mental health professionals are trained to initiate and facilitate difficult conversations.

This may be the perfect opportunity for you to discuss and re-negotiate your supervision with your current supervisor.  Perhaps she was unaware of your interest in clinical supervision and is willing and able to change how she supervises you ; or, perhaps she is not skilled in clinical supervision and can help facilitate a transfer for you to work under someone different who provides clinical supervision.  

Be clear about what you want / expect / need and ask for it.

Some therapists find that it works better to get clinical supervision from someone other than their immediate supervisor at work.

What you may not have realized is that if your boss may be functioning as  your administrative supervisor AND your clinical supervisor.  If so, at least some of the time, it is likely that she will have conflicting/dual roles.

You can’t always speak openly about mistakes that you’ve made with someone who has the authority / responsibility to fire you.

Many organizations are open to contracting with an independent  licensed mental health professional to provide weekly clinical supervision to their employees as an employee benefit.

This supervision may be provided to a small group, to you individually, or in some combination of the two. An organization can contract for this supervision at a much lower fee than if you seek out private supervision on your own.  

If your work site does not currently offer this type of supervision, perhaps it’s time to do a little reconnaissance work and then pitch the idea to them.

Related Posts

Clinical Supervision and Money Gouging

10 Questions You Must Ask Your Potential Supervisor

9 Steps You Can Take to Insure a Great Supervisory Experience

Tags: Change, Contract, Dual Roles, Mistakes

Even if you are doing many things “right,” you can still end up destroying your private practice. Here’s the 5 top ways you can blow it up fast:

# 5 – Don’t change things up.
Keep doing the same old things you used to do when you started in the business 20 years ago. Be predictable i.e. boring. Keep working with the same old issues (and only those same old issues) that you’ve always worked with. Don’t develop new bodies of work, new skills, or new interests. Allow your work and your practice to become dated and irrelevant. It works every time.

Caution! Caution!

# 4 – Don’t ask your clients.
Whatever you do, do not survey or poll your clients. Don’t ask for their feedback about anything . . . your office location, the way they are greeted at the front desk, your billing / fee collection process, your clinical effectiveness, or their thoughts about your work after they terminate. And, should your clients volunteer such feedback, be sure to argue, justify, or dispute it. Whatever you do, make sure you do not actually consider it and make appropriate changes (see comments above).

# 3 – Don’t ask for referrals.
Don’t explain that you are expanding your practice; don’t tell friends and family that you have a few extra time slots to fill; and, don’t tell clients that your business depends on referrals from satisfied customers. Better yet, tell everyone you know that you have a one month waiting list and are not looking for new clients.

# 2 – Don’t brand yourself.
Branding is for businesses that want to present a clear, succinct and memorable message about who they are and what they represent. By not branding you and your private practice, you can ensure that your business becomes forgettable, at best and, at worst, becomes confused with too many / unprofessional images and messages. To kill your practice, I highly recommend avoiding all tendencies toward branding.

# 1 – Don’t niche your practice.
Most importantly, try to be everything to everyone. Be a generalist. Do everything OK. Work with everyone all right. Refuse to specialize in anything and become forgettable fast.

Why isn’t your private practice surviving?

Tags: Brand, Change, Feedback, Niche, Survey