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Access Counseling

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Access Counseling

Cognitive Behavior Therapy
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Mental Health Services
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Counseling, Psychology

Providing mental health services to children and their families of our community since 2005

01/21/2026

University of ________, they taught you the theory. But not how to actually do the job.

Here’s the thing. Your degree taught you the concepts. Frameworks. Best practices.

But it didn’t teach you how to finish work in a reasonable time. Or respond to formal requests professionally. Or set boundaries without apologizing.

So the first few times, you panic. Spend hours on tasks that should take minutes. Google ‘what to do if’s’ at 10 pm. Undercharge or overcommit constantly.

Your go-to thought is that you should already know this stuff.

But you’re not doing anything wrong. The training just has gaps.

Here’s what I noticed working with new professionals: They don’t need more theory. They need practical systems for the stuff nobody teaches.

That’s why I offer resources. Documentation templates. Professional formatting. Workflow structures.

Not to replace mentorship, which is vital. To fill the gaps between what the school taught and what the job actually requires.

You’ll finish work in less time. Respond to requests without panic. Set your fees and schedules with confidence.

The guilt about not knowing some stuff? It disappears when you realize it’s not your fault.

What did school NOT prepare you for? (Comment below - let’s make a list)

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01/19/2026

New therapists doubt 47 things before their first client.

Your brain thinks doubt keeps you safe.

If you question everything, you won’t make mistakes.

But here’s what actually happens.

The doubt never stops.

It just gets louder.

Monday: Did I say the right thing?

Tuesday: Am I even qualified?

Wednesday: Everyone else seems confident.

Friday: I’m definitely getting sued.

Here’s what I notice working with new therapists.

The doubt isn’t so much about skills.

It’s more about proof.

Your brain needs evidence that you’re capable.

Try this Monday morning.

Before your first session.

Write ONE thing you know you’re good at.

Read it before each client.

You’ll walk into sessions grounded.

Not shaky.

You’ll stop replaying conversations for 3 hours.

You’ll actually enjoy Friday.

Instead of dreading Monday.

What’s your biggest doubt this week?

Comment honestly. We’ve all been there.

01/12/2026

Used to text clients back at 7pm. Felt “responsive.”

Then I realized I was teaching them I had no boundaries.

Here’s what changed:

I stopped answering client texts after 6pm. Full stop.

Not because I’m mean. Because boundaries teach clients how therapy works.

When I respond at all hours, I’m teaching them work has no end, their crisis is always my emergency, healthy people sacrifice themselves. That’s not therapy. That’s codependency.

Now my voicemail says: “I return non-urgent messages within 24 business hours. For crisis support, call 988 or 911.”

And you know what happened?

Clients adjusted. They planned ahead. They used their coping skills.

The work got better because I modeled what I was teaching.

If you’re answering texts at 7pm, you’re not being a good therapist. You’re being available.

Those aren’t the same thing.

Try it for one week. 6pm cutoff for non-urgent communication. See what shifts.

What time do you stop responding to clients? (honest answers only)

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01/10/2026

Burnout isn’t a you problem. It’s a systems problem.

Used to think ‘Not sure this is what I’m supposed to be doing’. Staying up late doing notes most nights and skipping lunch some days, bringing work stress home. Thought if I just worked harder, got better at time management, and learned to focus more, it would click.

Then one night I’m staring at my laptop at 9 pm, still working on notes from that afternoon’s sessions, and it just hit me: This isn’t sustainable. Something has to change.

That’s when I realized: I’m not failing the system. The system is failing me.

Most agencies expect 25-30 client hours per week plus documentation, treatment planning, care coordination, and professional development, all in a 40-hour week. The math doesn’t work. It never did. You’re not constantly behind because you’re incompetent. You’re behind because you were handed an impossible equation and told to solve it.

Here’s what actually changed: I stopped writing from scratch and started using templates I could fill in. My notes went from 30 minutes to 8 or less. Lately, I can close my laptop before 7 pm and don’t think about work the rest of the night.

I’m grateful I stopped believing the lie that I had to suffer to be good at this work. Some of the templates I built for myself are in my bio if you want to try them. But the real shift? Believing I deserved to finish my work and actually go home.

You’re not the problem. The expectations are.

Save this if you needed to hear it today. What’s one system you wish worked better for you?

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01/08/2026

Parent hands you a letter from their lawyer asking you to “document everything.” Here’s how to stay ethical.

Your documentation should reflect clinical observations, treatment interventions, and progress. Not legal strategy. You’re not an investigator, and your notes aren’t meant to prove anyone’s case.

When custody comes up:

Document what you observe in session
Note what the client reports
Record your clinical interventions
Keep language factual and behavioral
Don’t speculate about outcomes or fitness
Your role is clinical. The documentation reflects that role.

If you’re asked to testify or provide records, consult your lawyer or supervisor before you respond. Not after your notes are already written with the courtroom in mind.

My Court Templates walk through ethical documentation for high-conflict cases. They’re linked in bio if you need them.

Has this request landed on your desk yet? Comment below.

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01/07/2026

Left session feeling like a total failure?

Session went sideways. Client looked disappointed. Now you’re replaying every word you said.

Convinced you’re in the wrong field.

I used to stress out for days after a bad session. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t focus on the next client. Just kept replaying what I should have said differently.

Showed up to my next client still going over the session with the last one. Wasn’t fully present. That made it worse.

Here’s what I learned:

Bad sessions don’t mean you’re bad at therapy. They tell you that you’re learning and that you care.

The therapists who never doubt themselves? They’re not paying attention.

I still have sessions that feel off. Difference now? I don’t stress about it for 3 days. I talk with a peer. I show up for the next client.

Save this for your next doubt spiral.

The session that made you spiral the longest? Drop your story. Let’s normalize this together.

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01/05/2026

Client meltdown in session 3.

Note deadline at 5pm.

I had no idea what was “safe” to write.

What do I document when they’re sobbing so hard they can’t breathe? When that mandated teen refuses to say a single word? When everything I planned goes sideways?

Year 1, I’d stare at my blank progress note for 20 minutes. Terrified I’d write too much. Scared I’d write too little.

Everyone else seemed to know what they were doing.

Just me, stressing out.

Here’s what changed:

Document the crisis behaviors I observed. Document my interventions. Document the client’s response. Document safety planning if needed. Keep it clinical and brief.

I don’t need to capture every tear. I don’t need a transcript. I need enough to show I responded appropriately.

This cut my crisis note time from 30 minutes to 8.

Home by 6 pm instead of staying late, spiraling over what to write.

Now, when a client melts down? I’m present with them. Not already panicking about the note.

The structures I actually use are in bio if you need them too.

Real talk: Do you still panic about crisis notes? Or was it just me back in the first few years? Drop your story, I promise you’re not alone.

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01/01/2026

New therapists: Take today off. You've earned it.

You survived 2025. You showed up for people on their hardest days. You wrote notes late into the night. You kept going even when you had no idea if you were doing it right.

Today? Rest. Not "catch up on documentation" rest. Not "plan for Monday" rest. Actual rest.

You might be that therapist who finished your December 31st session notes before midnight like you were supposed to, but then still opened your laptop on January 1st anyway. "Just checking email." "Just reviewing my calendar." "Just organizing my files for next week."

Or maybe you're off today but already planning Monday's sessions in your head. Mentally rehearsing interventions. Replaying last week's tough moments. Working without even realizing you're working.

This year, don't. Your personal to-do list can wait. Your reflection on 2025 can wait. Your goals for 2026 can wait one more day.

If you're reading this between sessions today, close your laptop. If you're reading this tonight already exhausted, you stayed too long. If you're planning tomorrow's to-do list right now, stop.

You have 364 more days to be productive. Take this one off.

Screenshot this before you talk yourself out of it.

What's one thing you're NOT doing today?

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12/28/2025

What did the therapists who actually thrived in 2025 do differently?

I watched dozens of new therapists navigate 2025. Some finished the year exhausted, still writing notes at 9pm. Others? They left at 5:30 every day and stopped apologizing for it.

The difference wasn’t talent. It was three small shifts.

One woman stayed until 7:30pm most nights in January, texting her partner “still here” while reheating dinner at her desk. By December, she made it to her son’s basketball game. He didn’t even expect her to be there.

Here’s what changed:

1. They protected their time like it was part of treatment. She set a hard 5:30pm alarm. The first week felt impossible. By week three, she left without guilt. Six hours per week back. The resentment building in her relationship? Gone.

2. They simplified documentation. Instead of writing everything, they asked: “Does this support treatment or just prove I’m thorough?” One therapist cut note time from 25 to 8 minutes. That’s 3+ hours back every week. The Sunday dread? Disappeared.

3. They asked for help. One intern avoided case consultation for six months because asking questions felt like admitting failure. When she finally joined a consultation group, she realized everyone struggled with the same things. The isolation that made her consider quitting? Replaced with community.

The therapists who thrived didn’t work harder. They worked clearer.

Screenshot this before your first session of 2026.

What’s one thing you want to change in your practice this year?

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12/24/2025

Taking Christmas Eve off? You’ll worry about your clients the entire day.

That guilt you’re feeling? It’s not proof you should be working. It’s proof you care.

Your brain thinks staying available keeps clients safe. So it makes you check email between presents. Rehearse crisis responses during dinner. Feel selfish for enjoying your own holiday.

But here’s what that actually costs you:

You’re physically present but mentally at work. Your family notices you’re distracted. You miss the moment your nephew opens his gift. And you still can’t fix their problems from your phone anyway.

Here’s what I notice supervising therapists through every holiday season:

Your clients don’t benefit from a therapist working on Christmas Eve. They benefit from a rested therapist in January. Who shows up fully present. Who doesn’t resent them by March.

Taking today off isn’t abandoning your clients. It’s modeling the boundaries you teach them to set.

How are you protecting your energy this holiday?

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12/23/2025

Your Tuesday morning client texted at 7am. “So sorry - can’t make it today, family stuff.”

That’s your third same-day cancellation this week. You’ve lost $450. And you don’t know if you’re allowed to charge it.

Your brain tells you charging is mean. So you absorb the loss. And silently panic about rent.

Here’s what sometimes happens: New therapists lose 20-30% of December income. Not just because clients cancel. But because they don’t enforce their own policies.

But here’s what that actually costs you: You’ll work 15 extra sessions in January ($2,250) to recover. You resent every client text notification. Your partner stops asking if you’re coming home on time. And you feel like a doormat in your own practice.

Your cancellation policy isn’t mean. It’s the business boundary that protects your time.

Here’s what your policy probably says: “Cancellations within 24 hours are charged the full session fee.”

That means if they texted at 7am today. For a 9am session. You can charge them.

Try this: Send this exact text. “I understand things come up. Per our agreement, cancellations within 24 hours are charged the full fee. I’ll process that and look forward to seeing you at our next session on [date].”

Then actually charge it.

You’ll stop losing $2,000+ every December to last-minute cancellations. You’ll respect your own business policies. Clients will start giving you actual notice. And that knot in your stomach when you see “can’t make it” texts? Gone.

Follow for more scripts that protect your boundaries.

What’s the shortest notice you’ve gotten for a cancellation this month?

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Address

804 S Garnett Street
Henderson, NC
27536

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 1pm

Telephone

+12529158966

Website

http://myaccesscounseling.com/

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