Day in the life of
Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Hannah Tishman
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker practicing cognitive behavioral therapy and soon to be practicing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). I use a holistic lens and incorporate different aspects of multiple modalities that best fit my clients’ needs. I utilize a trauma-focused lens to help ground clients within their body and environments as well as to process past traumatic experiences. I use the therapeutic relationship that my clients and I have to model a safe, trusting rapport. I attempt to humanize the therapy experience by relating to clients appropriately and when clinically relevant. Therapy works best when there is trust within the relationship.
My Typical Day
Each day at work looks different for me. I see around 20 clients a week, supervise four therapists as well as a group of therapists (I’m the VP of Operations too). I tap into several different clinical skills that I use in my relationships with clients and colleagues. Some days are more client heavy and some days are more administrative. I love the balance and the opportunity I have to diversify my professional and clinical skills. I also work on my own trainings and continue to read outside of work and implement these skills/knowledge into my sessions.
When I’m seeing clients, I provide individual therapy. I use reflective listening, empathy, and unconditional positive regard to establish rapport. Depending on the reason and symptoms my clients are presenting with/for, I provide feedback, elicit underlying thoughts, feelings, core beliefs, and listen. A big part of my job is being an unbiased sounding board for the clients I serve and to establish a safe environment for them to express the challenges in their lives.
When I supervise therapists, they present clinical cases that they may find challenging and I give feedback around which modalities might help, a different approach or I validate the therapist’s experience. There is no right or wrong approach and I certainly don’t have all the answers. Together we brainstorm and collaborate around what might work best for that client’s presenting problems.
In terms of admin work as the VP of Operations, I focus on the process side of things in the practice. I help onboard employees, troubleshoot technology and behind-the-scenes issues, and work closely with my colleagues on different teams to problem solve any urgent or non-urgent practice wide issues. I also work towards improving workflow, automation, and different types of documentation including compliance and liability.
Pros
The pros of my job are being able to work so closely with colleagues and clients, as well as to serve in different leadership roles. Giving clinical feedback and advice is one of my favorite parts of my job. In doing so, I get to learn about my supervisees as well as myself.
A pro of working at our practice is being able to go to each other for advice, whether it’s clinical or operational. I always have support and people to go to for help, if needed.
Cons
In terms of cons, there aren’t many. Sometimes it can feel hard to balance clinical and operations work, although I typically set aside time on Thursdays to work on more operational items.
