I recently spoke with Arianna Taboada, a maternity leave consultant for women entrepreneurs. Today, I am bringing you her best tips for how to prepare for maternity leave as a therapist who is self-employed or in private practice.

This topic is near and dear to my heart, because I became a mom while I had a full and busy private practice. At the time, I didn't know people like Arianna. Thankfully, she is available to help you sort through how to gently move out of and back into work. Of course, every pregnancy, mom, and baby are different; for this reason, the information in this post is meant to provide guidelines for you to create a leave plan that suits you best.

1 | Gearing up for maternity leave

In preparation for maternity leave, determine when you want to begin telling existing clients that you are pregnant, as well as when you will begin telling new clients during an initial phone call. I (Ili) began telling new clients during intake phone calls (once they expressed their desire to schedule an appointment) when I was approximately four months pregnant. I took into consideration that I did relatively long-term work with couples, and I did not want new couples to feel abandoned in the middle of a relational crisis. Depending on your target clientele, as well as the types of problems they bring to therapy, this may be different for you.

2 | What are the things that you might need postpartum?

Start at the highest level of thinking through and imagining what you might need. This usually includes people in your life who can help support you, as well as timeframes. Thirty-seven weeks is considered full-term, and anything could happen as of then, so be prepared with your plan to step away from your work by that point. You might not go into labor until later, but it's important to consider that there is a fairly large time frame when you can go into labor--anywhere from thirty-seven to forty-two weeks. So, take the time to really "drill down" and think:

How many weeks before you give birth might you need to start stepping away?
What amount of time would you want your private practice either running on its own--to some extent, or shut down? By running on its own I don't mean that clients are being seen in the way that they would be seen when you're there, but rather, thinking through:
- What boundaries do you want to set? For example, are you going to be available via phone, live video, or email, and so forth?

There will be a period of time that you'll need to step away from doing therapy, but that period of time is an individual decision and can be influenced by a variety of factors.

3 | Finances and Recovery

Most likely, your plan for maternity leave will involve some financial decision-making. Take a look at your budget well before your leave--ideally, within your first trimester--and determine how much you can set aside into a maternity leave fund.

Also, consider how much time you will need to fully recover from giving birth. If this is your first baby, you may not know. Do some research by asking other moms, as well as other mom therapists who are self-employed.

Consider your mental health, in terms of your need for rest, as well as your need for time with and away from your child. These needs vary from woman to woman; therefore, it's important to allow for the experience after birth to unfold without too many restrictions placed on your time off. A timeline for returning to work is helpful, but, flexibility with your timeline can mean the difference between a full recovery and ongoing fatigue.

Things that you will not know before giving birth, include: the type of labor you will have, and it's physical effects; your child's temperament; how much you'll be able to sleep; as well as your emotional response to these experiences. In order to make room for these uncertainties, set up ways to stay flexible with your timeframes and allot more time than you think you'll need. You can always return to work earlier than planned..

4 | Communicating with Therapy Clients

When communicating your leave plan with clients, as well as your timeframe for returning to work, stay general with your deadlines. Precise dates may not be the best for you or your family. However, pair this flexibility with specific communication to clients about how their needs will be met during your absence.

This is a sample script that you can tailor for your needs:

"I am taking X week off. This date is the first date that I will be opening my calendar for scheduling. During my leave:

my availability for email/phone sessions will be X,

I will have not be working, and I am recommending the following therapists until I return to work.

Should you have an emergency, please contact X.

Communicate this information to clients well in advance of your leave, and provide it in written form, for their future reference.

5 | The Gradual Return to Client Sessions

If you have a full client caseload, you may not be ready to resume with all clients after your designated maternity leave. Think strategically about the easiest clients to add back into your schedule right way, and slowly add the rest of your clients over a month, or longer. This gives you the flexibility of moving slowly back into work, rather than going from full-time maternity leave to full-time private practice.

6| Tip: Use an email list!

If you don't already have your clients' email addresses organized into a client email list, begin developing one. This will save you time, ensure your clients' anonymity, and make ongoing updates much easier!

Highlights and Summary

As you prepare for maternity leave and head back to work, it's better to be safe than sorry. Create some extra room in your leave, that you may not need, because you can always go back to work early. Also, prepare yourself mentally for your experience to differ from what you envisioned, so that you stay flexible through your pregnancy and your maternity leave.

Begin with asking yourself:

What might I need in terms of support in my life?
What might I need in terms of timeline?

Let's Chat

Let me know in the comments below:

What question do you have about preparing well for your maternity leave?

How to Keep Your Therapy Communications Secure, While Working Remotely: An Interview with iplum CEO Pankaj Gupta

Pankaj Gupta, CEO of iPlum, joins me for this post. I interview him about iPlum’s mission, the services the company offers, as well as why iPlum is the right fit for therapists in private practice.

If you haven’t already read Part 1 of my partnership with iPlum, see the five benefits of using a HIPAA-compliant phone solution.

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Recently, I published two articles on the topic: Reasons why therapists are leaving the mental health field. In them, I covered ten of the most common reasons therapists are choosing to change their career path. (If you’d like to read those posts, here are the links to part one and part two.)

There are many therapists who are living through challenges in their work and career, and yet have not chosen to, or do not want to, leave the field. If this describes you, then keep reading for ten steps that will help you rekindle some career energy.

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In this post, I continue listing reasons why therapists are considering leaving the mental health field, because there are many. And, if you are one of the therapists considering leaving the field, please know: You are not alone. If you missed the first post on this topic, head here, and read that first.

Five Reasons Therapists Are Leaving the Mental Health Field

Each week, I coach at least one therapist who mentions that they are considering leaving the therapy field. This sentiment seems to have increased among psychotherapists in the past two years with challenges related to COVID (for therapists and clients), including a) sickness, b) working from home, c) relational and family transitions, among others.

Of course, each therapist has their own particular reasons for their desire to leave their profession. Also, from my interaction with thousands of therapists each week, I have noticed several common challenges emerge in conversations about leaving the field.

How to Find and Live The Refreshed Therapist Life

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As therapists, we have the opportunity to be vocal about the ways we live out the intersection of life and work. Our voices generate more expansive and encouraging conversations that can lead to a sense of flow in navigating our personal and therapist selves.

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Hey—like therapy, this is a judgment-free zone. It is also a “let’s be our best selves” zone. And, to show up as our best selves, self care is essential.

Technology-Assisted Clinical Supervision: Benefits, Challenges, and Regulations

If you’re a clinical supervisor navigating the delivery of supervision right now, you may have encountered some challenges, including state, institutional, and technological limitations. The information I present in this post is intended to encourage the legal and ethical use of technology-assisted (distance) supervision in a variety of settings.

Dr. AnnaLynn Schooley and I recently discussed this subject as it relates to our experiences and our development as supervisors. Dr. Schooley is a LMFT and LMHC in the state of Florida, and carries licenses in additional states. She serves as a supervisor for master and doctoral-level MFT students in her role as professor for Capella University.

Start on Time, End on Time: HOW TO MANAGE Your Private Practice THERAPY Sessions

Whether you’re 6 or 60, there’s one thing everyone hates when going to the doctor; and no, it’s not getting pricked with needles. It’s waiting to get pricked with needles. Your appointment is at 2, but as 2, 2:05, 2:10 rolls by, you ruminate “I had an appointment. If the doctor wasn’t going to be available, why schedule at this time? Apparently, my time isn’t valuable.”

As our lives are perhaps more rushed than ever, waiting for any appointment or meeting is a hassle. However, a tardy counseling session is qualitatively worse than other late meetings. Getting started late is a broken promise in a relationship that needs trust in spades.

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Recently, I’ve been thinking about the role of work in my life, as well as how I relate to work. This train of thought naturally leads to evaluating how well I am doing engaging with people (and myself) as more than a worker.

How much time and mental energy does my work take from me, or give to me?

How much of my drive and motivation does my work inspire?

These are a few of the questions I am asking in order to continue my mission for myself and other therapists: To live and work well.

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Mindfulness is popular.

You likely have worksheets, lessons, techniques, and theories that help your clients understand mindfulness and its benefits.

You understand mindfulness and its benefits.

But, as we therapists know, sometimes understanding doesn’t foster motivation, or change. The fact is, therapists struggle to implement mindfulness, along with a “self-caring” lifestyle (Kissil and Niño, 2017).

10 Therapist (and Child)-Approved Activities to Support Kids with Anxiety

If you’re a mental health professional working with children, you will probably agree that many of the calls you receive from parents have something to do with anxiety or stress. Child therapists have the amazingly important yet challenging task of educating and supporting kids in a therapeutic setting that is both productive and fun. When working with children as young as preschool age, it can be a very daunting task to keep things fresh and exciting week after week! So, how do we help children develop the coping skills they need while keeping them engaged (and not glancing at their watch)? Here are ten therapist (and child!)-approved, fun activities that address anxiety-based disorders and promote relaxation and stress reduction in children:

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Solution Focused Brief Couples Therapy Tips, with Elliott Connie

Elliott Connie is a Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) practitioner, author, and speaker. He developed an approach to couples work that distills the essence of SFBT into guiding principles for working with couples.

As a therapist who loves working with couples, I am always interested in ways to enhance my couples therapy skills. For this reason, I invited Elliott to explain the reasons why SFBT is his choice for working with clients, as well as how it creates a contrasting experience for couples that have a history in therapy.

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Understanding is the foundation of Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST). Bowen (1985) believed that if clients could understand themselves as members of their FOOs and as created by their histories, they could begin and continue significant change.

In today’s post, I offer the next step in developing understanding: Creating your genogram. I explain how to create a basic genogram that you can expand as you continue your exploration.

5 Tips for Keeping Up with Therapy Paperwork

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In today’s post, I offer several strategies for keeping up with paperwork, so that you can stay on track and avoid the stress of falling behind.

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In this post, I present a review of these client types, and I explain their relevance to and usefulness for all therapeutic sessions.

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In this post, I cover steps for disrupting an argument occurring in a couple therapy session. Intervention on the part of the therapist is necessary during some conflicts, because the arguments can cause further damage in the couple relationship. And, if therapists allow arguments to continue for too long, they can affect the couple’s sense of safety when in therapy.

The main goals of intervention in this case are to: