We are Local to Puget Sound - Not A National Generalized Program

We aren’t generalizing our advice, guidance and tools for everyone in the country, like some other programs. What we offer is specific to what therapists in the Puget Sound and Washington State need to know. Everything from local resources, running a business, who you should know, and cultural relevance. Why pay for a program that doesn’t understand the unique environment where you’ll be growing your private practice?

We are Small so we can be Personal

We operate in small cohorts (4-8 per group), meeting in-person (virtually during COVID-19 pandemic) in order to cultivate authentic relationships that are supportive and challenge one another's personal and professional growth.

Other programs' idea of relationship and community is meeting on facebook with dozens and dozens of program participants, vying for attention and time.

We Introduce you to Local Industry Leaders

Like every other industry, who you know becomes a significant factor in where you go with your career. You have peers you went to graduate school with but the field is much larger than that cirlce. Carol has been practicing in Seattle for over a decade and will intorduce you to experts, leaders and programs you should know.

Not only will these introductions help you extend your reach, but the hope is it will expand your picture of what is possible for you as a professional, providing you insider tips for pursuing your passion area.

We are Guided by Modern Values

The Launch is a program of The Therapists Corner, which is guided by these six values: collaboration, professionalism, inclusivity & Equanimity, Kindness, Global Gitizenship and Conscious Growth. Learn more at our About Us page.

Our main motivation is to create a community of conscientious, effective therapists who are making the world a better place, one client, one relationships, one community at a time. We understand that this means supporting therapists in their own personal and professional growth. The Launch is a flagship program to help therapists get a solid start on that journey.

We Are Culturally Relevant

As therapists committed to service, we want to prepare you to be culturally relevant with the therapy you offer. This includes being compenent in understanding biases you may hold due to the influences of the dominant culture as well as each of our unique subcultures. That is why we have chosen guests who represent a diversity of cultures and experiences, as well as CEUs to equip you to grow in your cultural competency: Advance Your Cultural Competency in the Clinical Setting and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) Clients: Clinical Issues and Treatment Strategies

We offer Telehealth Training

Telehealth is a necessary feature for the today's therapist. By the time you complete The Launch, you will have earned your Telehealth 101 for Mental Health Professionals: Best Practices for the Basics and Beyond. This also includes 1 Ethic and 2 General CEUs towards licensure.

We Bring in a Diversity of Voices

We believe that we're better equipped as clinicians if we learn from diverse voices, perspectives and areas of expertise. Carol Missel brings in her network of various voices.

We Learn in Community

We're adapting to the current pandemic, but still committed to creating community. You'll be placed in a pod of 4-8 other therapists, joining together for group supervision, business coaching, networking experiences, CEU learning and more. For the Fall 2021 cohort, our hope is to offer the option of meeting in-person or virutally, whichever serves you best.

Meet Dr. Shawan Worsley

We are so honored to have Dr. Shawan join us for two sessions during our program. First session she will give her business coaching perspective on how to build a private practice niche. Her second session with us will focus on Cultural Competency, with a focus on working with African American clients.

She resides in The Bay Area with her husband and two children. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and a B.A. in African American Studies. But even more impressive is her beautiful heart for lovingly and steadily bringing people into deeper understanding of their own identities and embracing others’ identities. She recently started Cultural Ally - a trainging and resource organization for equiping therapists to be culturally competent clinicians. She also runs her own private practice, Amerie Counseling, and offers a CEU training with Simple Practice, and is a sought after trainer and speaker.

Meet Jinah Yoon

Jinah Yoon, LICSW, MDiv. is a Seattle-based therapist and spiritual director who has been practicing for almost over 20 years, working with individuals, couples, and families. She has earned a reputation for effectively working with a diversity of clinical issues, as well as creating strong alliances with her clients that allow them to transition into depth work in their therapeutic work with her. She is a clinician devoted to her own personal growth and development, which has allowed her to find a way to build a thriving, sustainable private practice.

She is an activist and advocate for marginalized communities and has found ways to express this outside of her practice as well as within. She loves films, traveling, writing music with her ukulele. She has a beautiful smile and laugh, as well as a wise soul and brilliant mind.

Meet Walter

Walter Cardona, M.Ed. is a clinician with 20 years of clinical experience, graduating with his Masters in Counseling in 1999. He has extensive education and training in psychotherapy and family systems theory. He has considerable experience working with emotionally and behaviorally-challenging adolescents since 1994. During his graduate training, he completed a year-long practicum at the Masters & Johnson Sex Therapy Clinic in St. Louis, Missouri. He taught a Family Relationships course at Virginia Tech, as well as a Systems Theory and Family Therapy at the Calgary Health Region's Family Therapy Training Program.

He has worked in family therapy centers, and clinically managed a juvenile sex offender treatment program. He consulted with First Nation healing centers helping young offenders develop healthier lives through a combination of conventional mental health therapies and traditional aboriginal healing practices. He operated a private practice in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and was qualified as an expert witness in Family Therapy and Systems Theory, parenting, and parenting assessments for the Alberta Provincial Family & Youth Court.

Besides being a wealth of experience, Walter has a heart of gold and has a contagious smile. He is real, funny and smart and we’re thrilled that he has offered to share his time with us.

Who May Participate?

We welcome anyone to apply who has completed their Graduate Degree in Counseling Psychology, Marriage & Family Therapy or Social Work. We have a limited number of slots, and there needs to be a sense of alignment between you and Carol, the program director & clinical supervisor, in order to be participate in this program.

Will The Launch take place during the Covid-19 Pandemic?

We will keep abreast of WA State regulations regarding meeting in person and adjust accordingly, with the hope of having at least one-on-one supervision in person.

What is the Schedule?

2022 Launch Crew: January 2022 - July 2022

* GROUP SUPERVISION: Every Other Monday, 6 pm - 8 pm. (Dates: Jan. 10 & 24, Feb. 7 & 21, Mar. 7 & 21, Apr. 4 & 28, May 2 & May 16, Jun. 13 & 27, July 11 and July 25)

• First hour will be a guest speaker or Jenny Girl Friday (Business Coaching).

• Second hour will be supervision (case consult and other clinical learning lead by Carol).

Other Montly Commitments

* Paired Supervision (1 hour) TBD

* Individual Supervision (1 hour) TBD

* CEU webinar trainings (on your own time & optional)

Can You Tell Me More Details About Supervision?

Supervision is provided by Carol Missel, LMCH. Carol’s supervision training was completed with the Washington Association of Family & Marriage Therapists, qualifying her to provide 100 hours of supervision for LMHCA, LMFTA and SWAA clinicians.

Supervision provided by Carol Missel, LMCH. Carol’s supervision training was completed with the Washington Association of Family & Marriage Therapists, qualifying her to provide 100 hours of supervision for LMHCA, LMFTA and SWAA clinicians. The four hours of supervision you will receive each month is experienced as follows:

* Group Supervision (2x a month in Monday Meeting = 2 hours a month)

* Paired Supervision (1x a month = 1 hour)

* Individual Supervision (1x month = 1 hour)

At the end of the seven month program, if you attend all the meetings and supervision appointments, you will accumulate 28 clinical supervision hours. That's over a quarter of what you need for full licensure, putting you on pace to complete your supervision hour requirements in 18 months.

What will be taught for the 23 CEUs?

Currently we are planning on offering the following Four OnLine Trainings through PESI:

• Advance Your Cultural Competency in the Clinical Setting: DSM-5® Guidelines, Ethical Standards and Multicultural Awareness (6 CUEs)

* Transgender & Gender Non-Binary (TGNB) Adult Clients: Culturally-Competent Strategies Every Clinician Should Know (Digital Seminar) (6.25 CUEs)

* Telehealth 101 for Mental Health Professionals: Best Practices for the Basics and Beyond] 3 (1 Ethics + 2 General CEUs)

* Microtraumas and The African American Client (3 CEUs)

* Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) Discovering Your Inner Freedom] (5.25 CEUs)

Can you explain why the monthly price is listed for 12-months but the duration of the program is 7-months?

The Launch is a 7-month commitment. Pricing is listed for monthly charges of 12 months, in order to make it affordable for clinicians who are just starting out in their career. Charges will begin your first month of participation and will continue to run 5-months after you’ve completed The Launch, to reach the 12-month total. Again, this is in order to make the program affordable while you are still getting your private practice off the ground.

How do I join?

• Step One: Fill out the application: https://thetherapistcorner.com/the-launch-application

• Step Two: We will contact you via email Our email will notify you if you qualify. If you do qualify, we'll coordinate a time for you to have an interview with Carol Missel, the program director and supervisor. If for some reason you do not qualify, we will send you an email explaining.

• Step Three: Your interview with Carol This is a chance for you and Carol to get to know each other. Carol wants to hear from you, personally, about your your professional goals, clinical desires for growth, and your vision for service. This is also a time for you to ask her questions about the program, her supervision style or any other related information you may want to know. Because one of the key elements of this program is providing clinical supervision, it's important that both you and Carol sense that there is an alignment with working together in this critical role.

• Step Four: After the interview you and Carol can both take up to 7 days to decide if you both discern this would be a good fit.

Do I have to have a private practice open yet?

The short answer is “no.” Part of this program is to assist you in getting your practice set-up, so it’s not necessary for your practice to be up and running yet. Some people join the program to get their hours for licensure (supervision, CEUs) and do a process of determining which next professional step is right for them.

Is this a Group Practice?

This is NOT a Group Practice. We are grateful for group practices, as they have a necessary place in the continuum of care in our society. However, for therapists, you will loose 25% - 40% of your potential earning, as most Group Practices skim a percentage off the top of what the client pays.

Most starting clinicians don't realize that if you are seeing clients who are using their health insurance, which are most clients going to a Group Practice, the rate you are paid is determined by the contract your Group Practice signed with the Health Insurance Company. This means you will receive significantly less than the average private practice clinician gets paid. And regardless of the hourly rate your Group Practice lists, the health insurance reimbursement rate is what the Group Practice actually gets paid, and then you'll only take a percentage of that. Most health insurance companies reimburse Group Practices and Private Practice clinicians between $65 - $120 per 53 minute session. Some health insurances require that you only meet for 45 minutes, reducing the reimbursement rate even lower.

In Private Practice, you set your own rate when your clients pay you out-of-pocket. The average beginning rate being $110-$140 (depending on previous experience). This allows you some flexibiliyt to also offer a sliding scale, to make you accessible to a diversity of income classes. Also Carol Missel, your supervisor, is able to sponsor you to be on her insurance panel, if you do want to take clients who use First Choice and Kaiser Permamente PPO.

What are the advantages of doing The Launch instead of joining a Group Practice?

Unlike a group practice, The Launch gives you the freedom to:

• Set Your Own Hourly Rate! You can make more per hour, plus provide sliding scale rates so you can stay committed to social justice and making mental health accessible to all. You can make more per hour, while serving a diversity of income clients.
• Choose Which Clients You Accept. You can discern which clients may be a “good-fit,” allowing you to do your best work, not feel in-over-your-head, and develop a specialty, if that interests you.
• Determine Your Own Schedule and Vacation Times. Many group practices require you have a regular schedule and particular availability. With your own private practice, you can respond to your own inner-knowing of when you need a break, or if your relationships need your extra attention, requiring you to take time-off when it will benefit you the most.
• One Less Professional Transition. Most clinicians in group practice end up launching out into their own private practice as they progress in their career. Why? Well, mostly for the reasons stated above. Plus, private practice usually gives you more time, since there are less meetings and logistical hoops to jump through that organizations, by necessity, require your time and participation.

What about Supervision after the seven months of The Launch are done?

You are welcome to keep Carol Missel as a supervisor after you have completed the seven months of The Launch.

Pricing for supervision with Carol will be her hourly rate of $165 for the first 5 months after graduating from The Launch. If you would like to continue working with her, your rate will be based on tier pricing, dependent on how many clients you see.

If there is enough interest from Launch Alumni, there may be the option of continuing Group Supervision once a month as well.

Can I be working for a Group Practice or Clinic and do The Launch?

Yes, you do not have to have a private practice to participate in The Launch. If you are wanting supervision towards licensure, we just require that your employer sign The Launch Contract, consenting to you being allowed to talk about your clients and receive clinical supervision for the clients you see at the place you work.

I have more questions. How do I find out more information?

Go to the bottom of this page and fill out the Contact Us form. Someone will reach out to you in the next 24-72 business hours.