The Importance of Online Consultation Groups for Therapists
By Shannon Heers
Therapists, especially those in private practice, face a number of challenges every day. If you are a solo private practice counselor, the difficulties in doing your job, day in and day out, are even more so. With no one other than yourself to rely upon, it can become overwhelming to maintain your sense of well-being while also providing quality therapy.
One of the main challenges that private practice counselors face is the isolation and lack of peer support. This can lead to a sense of professional isolation. The absence of daily interactions with your colleagues really does limit your opportunities for peer support and collaboration. Further, this can make it challenging to navigate your complex cases or seek advice.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most therapists provided solely in-person services. However because of the need to move counseling online during this time, many therapists have remained solely virtual therapists. Even new private practice counselors who have entered the field since then are operating entirely online. Working remotely, by yourself, can be incredibly isolating.
The good news is, that you do have options for getting peer support, clinical consultation, and ongoing professional development. Online clinical consultation groups have popped up in many places, and the benefits of these groups to solo practitioners are endless.
Understanding the Need for Ongoing Consultation
All therapists, counselors and social workers get clinical supervision before becoming independently licensed. But so many stop getting that clinical support, from an experienced supervisor, once they get that license in hand. Why is this? Perhaps due to finances, as it costs money to get quality supervision. Maybe due to time constraints, or even not understanding the ongoing value of peer consultation.
Once a therapist becomes fully licensed, you no longer are required to get supervision. But it is encouraged to get clinical consultation, and peer consultation is a great option to get this. Your learning and need for consultation does not stop once you get licensed. Actually, most of your career as a counselor will be after you get independently licensed, so if you completely stop getting clinical supervision, you are neglecting a significant learning opportunity.
Here are some quick benefits of getting ongoing clinical consultation or peer consultation after you are no longer required to get clinical supervision:
- Supports ongoing professional development
- Enhances your clinical skills
- Allows opportunities for clinical specializations
- Helps to prevent burnout
- Connects you with your peers
These are all great reasons to continue with the process of getting case consultation for your clinical cases, and professional support for yourself, through clinical consultation.
Advantages of Online Consultation Groups
Virtual clinical consultation groups offer many different opportunities for private practice therapists. Ask yourself, what are you missing in your work? Is it a sense of connection with others, or guidance on difficult cases? Or perhaps it’s career mentorship or keeping up with the latest trends in the field. You could even be missing out on all of these things.
Online consultation groups may be the answer to many of your challenges as a counselor. Here are several advantages of online consultation groups:
- Easily accessible via a click of a button
- Accommodates busy schedules (fit a group in during your lunch break!)
- Offers diverse perspectives and collaboration
- Exposes you to different therapeutic approaches
- Overcomes geographic barriers to getting support
While in-person consultation groups are also excellent opportunities to get the clinical support and professional guidance that therapists need, online groups offer additional benefits. If you live in a rural area, or are a stay-at-home parent trying to squeeze your working hours during school times, online consultation groups can accommodate you.
Participating in Online Consultation Groups
While every online clinical consultation group is different, they all make it easy to participate. Groups may use platforms such as Zoom, Google Meets, or Microsoft Teams. Ensure that whatever platform your group is using is HIPAA compliant, as you may be discussing sensitive information during your case consultations.
You also want to make sure that each group member abides by confidentiality. Adding in group norms or guidelines about participation, feedback, and how to manage conflict within the group can also be helpful. Remember, you want to get the most out of your consultation group experience, and to do that you want to feel safe and comfortable.
Establishing a supportive and respectful environment is an important part of the first stages of the consultation group. Whether the group is run by peers or has an identified facilitator or supervisor, setting the tone for the group culture early is essential. Because participation in consultation groups is often (although not always) optional, you want to get the most out of your experience every single group.
Recommendations for Finding Online Consultation Groups
There are many peer consultation groups that are virtual, but sometimes it can be hard to find those groups. A lot of times, consultation groups that are peer-run tend to fizzle out or have trouble retaining members. Check your local therapist community for any online peer consultation groups that may have open spots, and ask how long the group has been in existence.
If you are seeking a supervisor-led peer consultation group, Firelight Supervision has you covered. We provide all of the vetting of group members, the set-up, and the facilitation of the consultation group to make it easy for you. All you need to do is show up, connect with your peers, and get your consultation needs met!
How we can help
If you’re looking for support and clinical consultation around your clinical work, check out our Clinical Consultation Community, where you can develop professionally within a community of other private practice therapists, just like yourself.
You can also sign up for a free phone consultation to discuss options and learn more about us!
Author Bio
Shannon Heers is a psychotherapist, approved clinical supervisor, guest blogger, and the owner of a group psychotherapy practice in the Denver area. Shannon helps adults in professional careers manage anxiety, depression, work-life balance, and grief and loss. Follow Firelight Supervision on Instagram and Facebook.
