It Takes a Village: How a Therapeutic Community Improves Outcomes and Prevents Burnout

For the third year in a row, therapists are facing an increased demand for mental health care. Caseloads are maxed out, waitlists are bursting at the seams, and provider burnout is at an all-time high. In addition, many therapists are confronting geographical limitations and specialized needs which affect patients’ access to treatment

Now more than ever, mental health providers need to join forces to meet the needs of their communities. By collaborating with colleagues, therapists can not only fill gaps in service but also receive professional support, helping to protect against burnout. But who has the time to connect with peers? And how can therapists make sure they are communicating with vetted colleagues in a secure and confidential space? If only there was a “one-stop shop” where mental health providers could give and receive support, trade referrals, and stay up to date with industry news!

While no one community can be all things to all therapists, Belongly aims to meet as many of these needs as possible. This article will outline how you can use Belongly to expand your professional network and improve outcomes for your clients. But first, let’s take a look at why a collaborative approach is the right approach to the current mental health crisis.

How collaboration affects outcomes

Seventy-five percent of rural U.S. counties are under-resourced. These counties either have no mental health providers or fewer than 50 per 100,000 residents. When you consider that 1 in 5 adults suffer from a mental health condition, it’s easy to see that there is a gap between supply and demand in these areas. When patients can’t access the services they need, their conditions get worse, and comorbidity increases.

The situation is worse for the nation’s youth and ethnic minorities. Imagine being a 14-year-old Native American living in rural North Dakota, and looking for a specialist with EMDR certification. Your parent asks your primary care physician for a referral, but there are no providers within a 50-mile radius who have the proper qualifications. Without cross-regional collaboration, you would be out of luck, left to manage your PTSD symptoms on your own.

Now imagine that your PCP reaches out to the town social worker, who also happens to be a member of Belongly. She posts a referral and finds a child psychologist in Georgia who is a PSYPACT member and has experience treating PTSD within the Native American community. Suddenly, your future seems a lot brighter.

In addition to helping with referrals, Belongly gives you access to thousands of qualified peers for consultation and supervision. Let’s say one of your long-term clients is going through a divorce, and you are feeling ill-equipped to help them with this particular life transition. You can use Belongly to connect with a colleague who has more experience in this area and set up a consultation, enabling you to provide continuity of care. Here are some other ways Belongly can help you, your practice, and your clients.

How Belongly can help

Belongly is a HIPAA-compliant platform that provides therapists with the resources they need to provide better patient care and overcome the challenges facing the industry. How does Belongly do this? By empowering mental health providers to do the following:

Make connections

You can use Belongly to connect with therapists in your geographical area, those with the same clinical interests, or providers who offer services that complement your own. Belongly also offers professional consultation groups on a variety of industry-relevant topics.

Expand your professional network

A professional network is an essential resource for therapists who want to learn, grow, and improve outcomes for their clients. The connections you make on Belongly can provide advice about best practices, help you stay up to date with industry news and trends, and create opportunities for collaboration on complicated cases.

Give and receive referrals

Belongly can also help you expand your referral network. You can use our referrals feature to find services for clients you cannot personally serve, or you can post about your availability and expertise so that colleagues can refer to you. This leads to improved access to care, creating better outcomes for clients.

Offer a more holistic approach to client care

You can also leverage the professional network you create on Belongly to provide more holistic care to your clients. By collaborating with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, social workers, family therapists, and group therapists, you can help your clients access comprehensive care that addresses all aspects of their well-being.

Grow your practice

Interested in starting a private practice, but not sure where to begin? Or maybe you are just starting out and looking for ways to grow your business. Belongly offers webinars, templates, and other resources to set you firmly on the path of private practice success.

Watch and learn

Our webinars aren’t limited to private practice growth. We also offer advice on marketing, managing finances, improving compliance, and getting published.

Get published

Writing and publishing articles is an excellent way to gain exposure for your practice, resulting in greater brand recognition and new client referrals. Belongly makes getting published easy! All we need is a little information about you, a photo for your profile, and an article that meets our content guidelines.

Find a job or fill a job

Looking for a job in the mental health field? Belongly enables you to search thousands of openings across the US, save the ones you love, and apply quickly and easily. Employers can post open positions on Belongly and feel assured that their listings are only being read by vetted, licensed mental health professsionals.