Diversion Center

03/01/2026

Therapists, stop complaining about BetterHelp.

Become BetterHelp.

You can’t criticize the big platforms while refusing to market like a big platform.

They advertise on:
• Radio
• Satellite radio
• Local TV
• Billboards
• Gyms
• Supermarkets
• Podcasts
• Everywhere your clients already are

And you?
You’re waiting for referrals.

It’s time to get in the middle of traffic.

Stop thinking small.

Upgrade your business cards.
Upgrade your website.
Get SEO optimized.
Get AI search optimized.
Learn how to position yourself.
Invest in visibility.

Here’s the honest truth:

You must invest more in your business than you invested in your degree.

Your degree gave you competence.
Marketing gives you clients.

No one is coming to save you.

And complaining about AI won’t stop it.
Complaining about large platforms won’t shrink them.

But learning how to use AI?
Learning how to advertise?
Learning how to build systems?

That changes everything.

Sometimes it’s not a money problem.

It’s a resourcefulness problem.

The best way to grow your practice is simple:

Go where the people are going.

If you’re ready to stop playing small and start building a real court-mandated or private practice business, let’s talk.

But complaining won’t change your situation.

Action will.

— Derek Collins, PhD, CADC-II, MATS, SAP
CEO, Diversion Center LLC
Founder, National Association of Court Approved Treatment Providers

02/28/2026

If you provide court-mandated classes or substance use evaluations and you’re still trying to figure out where your referrals will come from… let me give you a strategy most people overlook.

Partner with DUI schools.

Here’s why this works:

DUI schools primarily focus on DUI School and Defensive Driving. That’s their lane.

But their clients often need MORE than that:
• Anger Management
• Parenting Classes
• MRT
• Values Clarification
• Shoplifting/Theft Prevention
• Substance Use Evaluations
• Clinical Assessments for court

Most DUI schools do NOT provide those services in-house.

That’s your opportunity.

Instead of competing for attention online, paying for ads, or hoping probation officers find you…

You become the referral partner.

Now let’s talk evaluations.

Many DUI schools refer out for clinical evaluations. You can structure a referral partnership with a 60/40 or 70/30 split.

Example:
You conduct the evaluation.
You keep 70%.
The DUI school keeps 30% for referring the client.

Why is this powerful?

Because the DUI school is already doing the marketing. They’re already attracting the clients. You simply plug into the pipeline.

It’s essentially free marketing.

They win because they offer their clients a one-stop solution.
You win because you get consistent referrals without spending money on ads.

This is how you build predictable revenue in the court-mandated space.

There are many ways to structure partnerships ethically and profitably if you understand the system.

If you want to learn how to provide court-mandated classes and evaluations the right way — and how to build referral relationships that actually generate income — send me a message or comment below.

02/27/2026

Let me say something that might challenge how you’re thinking about your license 👇🏾

If you’re a licensed therapist, counselor, or social worker… you may be dramatically underestimating what you’re allowed to do.

🚨 Not everything you offer has to be “therapy.”

There’s a whole lane called psychoeducation — and it opens doors most clinicians never walk through.

We’re talking about classes like:

• Anger Management
• Parenting
• Shoplifting & Theft Prevention
• Domestic Violence
• MRT (Moral Reconation Therapy)
• Values Clarification
• Decision-Making & Cognitive Restructuring

These are structured, curriculum-based educational services.

They are not psychotherapy.

And here’s the part that makes people pause…

You do not have to be licensed in multiple states to provide psychoeducational classes.

Because you’re not diagnosing.
You’re not treating mental illness.
You’re not providing clinical therapy.

You’re teaching skills.

That changes everything.

Right now, I’m in the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
And I can still facilitate virtual psychoeducation classes.

Why?

Because education is not restricted the same way therapy is.

You can:
✔️ Run them virtually
✔️ Offer them in group format
✔️ Offer them individually
✔️ Serve court-mandated clients
✔️ Serve voluntary clients
✔️ Build recurring revenue
✔️ Expand beyond your state

Some of you are boxed in by rules that don’t even apply to what you could be doing.

The rabbit hole is deep.

There are services you can ethically and legally provide that you’ve never even been introduced to.

And once you understand the distinction between therapy and psychoeducation… your business model expands.

If you’re a licensed professional and you’re curious about what this could look like for you — let’s talk.

There are more options available to you than you think.

02/26/2026

We can do our work from anywhere

02/25/2026

Let me say something that doesn’t get talked about enough in the court-mandated world.

If you run a court-approved treatment or pre-trial diversion program and you’re not taking care of your team… your clients feel it.

Full stop.

The people walking through our doors aren’t casual consumers.

They’re on probation.
They’re in pre-trial diversion.
They’re stressed.
They’re anxious.
They’re scared about their record, their job, their family, their future.

And the energy your staff brings into that room matters.

Here’s what I believe as someone who runs a court-approved intervention program:

I take care of my people so my people can take care of their people.

That means:

• Paying well
• Paying on time (this should be basic, but somehow it’s not)
• Bonus structures when we win
• Incentives for performance
• Respecting contractors and class facilitators
• Creating stability so they can focus on service, not survival

It amazes me how some organizations expect excellence from facilitators teaching anger management, substance use, theft prevention, or DUI groups…

…but don’t compensate them properly.
…or delay payments.
…or treat them as disposable.

That trickles down.

When your instructors feel valued, they show up differently.

They’re more patient with the client who’s defensive.
They’re more present with the client who’s ashamed.
They go the extra mile for the probation officer referral.
They care more about documentation, compliance, and outcomes.

In court-mandated services, your reputation is everything.

Judges talk.
Probation officers talk.
Defense attorneys talk.

But you know who influences that reputation the most?

Your team.

If you run a court-approved program, here’s the question:

Are you building a revolving door of underpaid facilitators…
Or a loyal, high-performing team that protects your brand like it’s their own?

This field is hard enough. The clients are navigating legal pressure, financial strain, and personal crisis.

The least we can do is build an internal culture of stability and respect.

Take care of your team.

Pay them well.
Pay them on time.
Reward them when the organization wins.

Because when they feel secure, your clients feel supported.

And when your clients feel supported, the outcomes — and the referrals — follow.

Let’s raise the standard in court-mandated services.

02/24/2026

Just because someone is court-mandated… doesn’t mean they deserve bad service.

Let that sink in.

Too many providers treat mandated clients like they have no choice.

“They have to be here anyway.”
“They don’t have options.”
“They’ll come back because the court said so.”

That mindset is dangerous.

Court-mandated clients are still people.

They have feelings.
They have pride.
They talk to others.

And yes… they have options.

If you rush them, talk down to them, ignore their calls, or act annoyed — they feel it.

If you greet them with respect, listen, explain the process clearly, and treat them like a human being — they feel that too.

And guess what?

People remember how you make them feel.

If you want more referrals…
If you want probation officers to trust you…
If you want your program to grow…

Give better service.

Build real rapport.
Return calls quickly.
Be kind, even when they’re frustrated.
Hold boundaries, but keep your dignity and theirs intact.

Mandated does not mean “less than.”

Everyone deserves respect.

The providers who understand this will win in the long run.

02/24/2026

Most anger management groups fail for one simple reason:

They try to kill anger.

That’s like trying to stop the smoke… instead of checking the fire alarm.

Anger is not the enemy.
Anger is a signal.

When someone yells, shuts down, rolls their eyes, or storms out…
They’re not “bad.”

They’re overwhelmed.

Here’s the left-field part:

Stop teaching people to “calm down.”

Start teaching them to slow down.

Calm is the result.
Slow is the skill.

In my groups, we don’t start with deep breathing.
We start with this question:

“What did your body feel right before you blew up?”

Tight chest?
Hot face?
Fast heart?

That’s the real classroom.

Because if they can catch it at level 3…
They don’t explode at level 10.

Anger management isn’t about control.

It’s about awareness.

And awareness is teachable.

If you facilitate groups, try this shift.

You might be surprised what happens.

02/23/2026

02/22/2026

VIP Day loading up!

02/14/2026

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