A Day In The Life: Meet Professional Counselor Stephanie Adams

I've never actually met Stephanie Adams, LPC  face to face, but I like her a lot. I've connected with her on Twitter, exchanged emails, and visited her website so I feel confident that I can say that she's a "go getter" and like me, Stephanie loves to reach out to clients and professionals through technology.She founded Beginnings Counseling & Consulting, a boutique E-Therapy practice based in College Station, TX, where she uses video conferencing, email, phone and real-time chat to meet with clients and coach beginning counselors. She's co-authoring a book "The Beginning Counselor’s Survival Guide" aimed at supporting new therapists in building their practice.

A Day In The Life

Thursday, November 17, 20116:15AMWake up and make coffee. Spend time with my husband before he leaves for medical school.8AMCheck email and plan out the day.9AMConsult via email with representative from online therapy platform I will soon be working with. I had a question about the nature of their existing informed consent documents. Since they obtain contact information for emergencies and provide a detailed informed consent statement on the nature of online therapy, I decide I do not need to add my own informed consent forms when I work with clients on their site.9:15-9:45AMAttempt to resolve issues with a recent product I’ve listed on clickbank, called the Premarital Power Seminar. A representative from the site tells me my product cannot be approved unless the target URL shows my domain name, www.stephanieadamslpc.com. Since my website was originally a free site before I upgraded to hosting, it still shows an old URL using the free domain name. Email my website support to ask for help changing it.9:45AMSend email to affiliate who is planning on representing my product and update her on the progress…or lack therof.9:45-10:30 AMShower and get ready for the day!10:30AMReturn client email.10:45AMSubmit interior material for my upcoming book, The Beginning Counselor’s Survival Guide and check for errors. Find 5 formatting errors, correct 4 and email co-author Dr. Carol Doss about getting a high-resolution photograph for her author bio for the last error resolution. Try to figure out whether I have a high-resolution photograph for my own picture! Decide to shelve that problem for late. Check pre-order form on my web store to see if it will allow a person to order the book successfully, as I am announcing the pre-order at the free webinar I am giving later tonight.11:30AMConsult with private practice mentor on recent claim payment received. Can it really pay so little?12:30 PMReturn new client consultation email that just came in regarding carinig for an ADHD child. Inform client that while I cannot treat a child client over online therapy, I do have experience working with ADHD children and would be happy to provide her with consultation and behavioral strategies to help her work successfully with her child.12:35 PMInform another new client via email that since she is of legal age, I cannot call her mother to ask about her insurance information, as it would be a breach of privacy. Provide form to be e-signed by client to allow me to call client’s insurance company about mental health benefits.12:41PMFinalize time for phone conference tomorrow morning with a different potential new online counseling platform. Jot down notes: Will this site allow me to restrict clients to only clients in Texas, where I am licensed? Will it be a concern for this site’s owner if I provide services through more than one platform?1:00PMAttend free webinar from TeleMental Health Institute, “How To Build A Thriving Mental Health Practice From Your Home.” During the presentation, write answers for the pre-submitted questions for my webinar and make last-minute changes to the Powerpoint presentation I have created. Update my business accounts, typing in and filing receipts and client payments for the appointments I’ve had this week.2:30PMReturn voicemail from local student applying to counseling master’s programs. Set up a time to meet with her after Thanksgiving week, and invite her to tonight’s webinar.3-4 PMRehearse for presentation of my first webinar tonight, “Developing Your Counselor Mission: The One Idea That Changes Everything.”4:18PMAssure several recipients of my webinar invitation that if they cannot attend the seminar tonight, the recording will be emailed to them.5:00PMTell my husband I’m nervous about giving the webinar. He reassures me that I will do fine.5:30PMDiscuss Thanksgiving travel plans with my husband.6:13PMReceive new subscriber to email list for Beginning Counselors. Yay!6:30-7:00PMOpen AnyMeeting and “start” the webinar before anyone gets there so I can play with sound and turn off the webcam – not having a good enough hair day for that. Discover to my horror that if I am to share my Powerpoint presentation with attendees, I will not be able to see their chat box, because as I have a Mac I can only share my entire screen. They will be able to see the chat box, but I can’t. Scramble through potential options to correct this situation, including turning on my husband’s old desktop (does not have a working microphone) and playing the Powerpoint from within program itself. It doesn’t look as good outside of presentation mode, so finally decide to bite the bullet, and share the situation with participants signing in. Let them know that when Powerpoint poses a question I want them to answer, I will have to minimize the program in order to see their answers.7:00PMGive webinar. I enjoy getting to talk to new counselors and get excited about the topic all over again.8:30PMSign off from webinar. Share with my husband that it was a success. Make a to-do list for tomorrow: Meeting with owner of online counseling site. Research licensure laws to see if any other states will allow me provisional licensure to practice online in their jurisdiction. Finish homemade baby blankets for family baby shower over Thanksgiving break. Confirm appointments for the next Monday and Tuesday before we leave for home.9:00PMCall my mom.9:30PMRelax.For more information visit www.stephanieadamslpc.com