A Look at Remote Recruiters and Telehealth
Like a lot of clinicians, I’m super-excited that Telehealth is now a thing. For years, we’ve had to work-around the #1 barrier to treatment, and that’s transportation. Add to that scheduling, privacy and everything else Telehealth addresses, and it should be amazing and convenient for all of us. And it is…
Like most things that are new and shiny, we need to take a closer look at the reality vs. the expectation, and Telehealth is no exception. I’m professionally associated with Headway, and I’m moderately pleased. I think the vetting and credentialing process with the insurance companies was appropriate and thorough, and I’ve had decent contact with them over the past three months. They also provided good training, and are very responsive.
On the other hand, they seem to rely, almost totally, on me to do my own marketing. While I still agree with that, the marketing I’ve seen on their end doesn’t seem to address substance abuse/addiction - At All. They do have resources/links/suggestions, but it seems like it’s all on me to do marketing. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it is an issue I need to be aware of and address, especially since clinicians are not always known for their marketing skills.
I’m not going to moan and grown about our Capitalist system: we’ve all had enough of that for the moment. I do think it’s fair (and necessary) for all of us to understand what’s happening in the marketplace, and make informed and intelligent decisions. Not everyone has our best interests in mind as they enter the mental health/addictions sector.
CareDash recently got put on blast for posting National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers in association with BetterHelp and TalkSpace. This means that CareDash is listing therapists who never signed with them or gave them permission to do so. CareDash listing that information implies that the clinician listed is associated with BetterHelp, TalkSpace or whoever else CareDash contracted with, when in fact most are not. My profile has me listed at a credential, job, and address I was at 11 years ago. Yikes!
This got the attention of the Clinical Social Work Association. I’d rather kick a nest of hornets wearing nothing but shorts than tick off the CSWA or any Social Work Board, Association, or Facebook group. They are the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and no one in the mental health/behavioral health sphere has better lobbyists and representation than these clinicians. Here’s a link to one of the announcements from the CSWA addressing the actions of Care Dash.
TalkSpace also has a bit of controversy you should consider before signing up with them. At Headway, I’m a contractor from day one. Other organizations like TalkSpace actually hire therapists as full-time employees, which gives benefits and protections not afforded to contractors. However, one should be aware of the productivity requirements they can, and do, require. For example, if 30 contact hours are required, that might nor seem like a lot, but it is. It also depends on the definition of contact hours. At any rate, TalkSpace has opted to convert an undisclosed number of staff clinicians to contract work, in part due to a lack of ‘productivity.’ One executive is quoted as saying, “I’ve been very disappointed by the level of engagement from some individuals in the therapist network around how they are managing and coping with these changes.”
I’m not asserting that this is a red flag, but it is an orange flag requiring caution. ANY reference to productivity standards in therapy should be assessed objectively and very thoroughly by any clinician. I recently left a job, and people I loved, due in large part to insane productivity standards and definitions that I concluded put me at risk as a Clinical Supervisor. I left the best boss I ever worked for because of the ridiculous decisions of the Board of Directors and the CEO. The CEO got canned, but the Board that instructed, supported and enabled that debacle remains. Since I can spot a scapegoat a mile away, I didn’t rescind my resignation. I’m not working for that Board again.
Telehealth is a new frontier, and we all need to learn and adjust as needed. We’re NOT powerless as a profession. We just need to make the kinds of decisions we try to develop with our clients and patients, and use some of that CBT on ourselves. Weigh the pro’s and cons, do a Google search, and chose an employer who meets your needs and expectations. Easier said than done, but that’s why we have networks, clinical supervisors and coaches. Use them!
All sorts of remote-work-oriented players in my area are recruiting on Indeed, stating salary ranges from $50K to $100K. Every single clinician should be making that much. The brutal truth: that’s usually an indication of a contract position: no benefits, no W-2, no Workers Comp, no paid vacation. That doesn’t always work for everyone, and there could be tax implications you need to deal with.
LinkedIn may not be perfect, but there are some excellent resources and recruiters. Megan Cornish is a Licensed Social Worker (LICSW) who has moved over to recruiting. She gave me permission to share a recent post about questions to ask employers, which I highly recommend. Megan suggests some very tough questions to ask before accepting a position. Things like: what is the average annual salary? What are the billable hour requirements? Megan is a good addition to any LinkedIn network, and she posts regularly. I recommend checking her out and joining her network.
My take is: if the company is not willing to answer some or all of these questions, then I don’t want to work for them. Even when I was hiring, I treated the process as a two-way interview. Remember: prospective employers need to meet our standards. Your needs and wants may vary, and this is not a comprehensive post. That would require at least a book…
