Complete guide to starting a private practice from two successful practitioners. Michael Langlois, LICSW and Tamara G. Suttle, M.Ed., LPC share expert insights on building essential clinical skills, establishing your practice from scratch, getting your first clients, marketing strategies (websites, blogging, social media), managing the business side, creating systems and workflows, balancing multiple professional roles, finding your niche, and top 10 must-know startup tips. Whether you’re fresh out of graduate school or transitioning from agency work, learn everything you need to successfully launch and grow your private practice.
10 Essential Social Work Skills Every Practitioner Must Have
10 essential clinical social work skills infographic from Dean Nancy Smyth: substance abuse screening, mental health assessment, domestic violence safety planning, trauma understanding, dissociation assessment, behavioral interviewing, CBT interventions, motivational interviewing, record-keeping, and couples/family skills. The MSW is just the beginning; develop these competencies through specialized training.
Feeling, Writing, Empowering: Book Review and Author Interview
How Therapeutic Journaling Can Empower You/Your Client Have you wanted to use journaling as a therapeutic method with clients? Or have you wanted to try to engage in writing as a method of self-care or self-expression? If yes, you are likely to find Dima Dupéré’s book: Feeling, Writing, Empowering [Integrating Therapeutic Writing into Practice with Groups and Individuals], most helpful. Amy […]
Family/Couples Therapy – Improving Relationships
Family and/or Couples’ Therapy Have you wanted to know what a family/couples’ therapist does and/or what you could do to improve the communications in your family unit? These are some of the questions explored in an interview with Laurel Wiig, Ph.D., MFT., who is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Laurel has advanced clinical training […]
A Day in the Life of a CPS Social Worker
Have you wondered what a typical day of work is like for a social worker in Child Protective Services (CPS)? Thanks to Brock Venture*, who has been in the field for 15 years, and kindly agreed to be interviewed, this post will provide you with an idea of what social work in child welfare is […]





