Alternative Careers for Therapists

When I was providing direct patient care as a physical therapist, I didn't know all of the avenues available for clinicians in non-clinical spaces. At the time, the known paths to me were: ✔ Clinical specialist  ✔ Academia ✔ Management (supervisor > manager > director) in a rehabilitation department ✖ Knowing I wanted to be a generalist, I didn't pursue the clinical specialist route. 📖 I didn’t like the idea of lesson planning in academia. ⁉ I thought I would take the path of an operational leader in the therapy department. However, after applying for a supervisor role that I didn't get, I did some self evaluation and long story short I fell in love with #healthcarequality. ❔ Did you know there are lots of healthcare quality roles available for different skill sets? Here are just a few. ✔Clinical Data Analyst  ✔Utilization Reviewer ✔Clinical Quality Outcomes Coordinator  ✔Quality management (i.e. Operations within the Quality department) ✔Patient experience champion  ✔Regulatory Compliance (CMS, The Joint Commission, the State, OSHA) ✔Patient safety officer ✔Quality/Performance Improvement Specialist  ✔Population Health Coordinator Why do I share this? I wish I had a coach, mentor (found one later) or someone to walk with me when I was making the non-clinical transition. So, I'm passing along what I learned so your journey can be shorter and smoother than mine. Want to hear the journeys of people who have been in these types of roles? Check out Kairos Conversations: Connecting with Quality - Podcast, which you can find on any major podcast platform (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music). #careerchange

If you're a therapist interested in working with one of the many tech companies out there, this is my very basic breakdown of the opportunities in terms of how therapists can partner with these organizations. "Therapist Partners" - my category for companies that support therapists in private practice with services like billing, insurance credentialing, referrals, etc. You're typically a 1099, no benefits, make your own schedule. These companies are best for therapists who want to run a private practice and just need some extra support. Your clients are seen under your practice, not the company. Examples: - Alma - Headway - SonderMind - Tava Health - Grow Therapy "Therapist Employers" - employers is a loose term here, but generally you work for the company as a therapist at these companies. Could be a 1099 or W2 position, part-time or full-time. Referrals and marketing are generally done for you, rather than helping you market your own practice. The clients are coming to the company for therapy, not just to be directed to therapists. You typically have more benefits at these companies, but less autonomy (true with any 1099 vs. W2 position). Examples: - Headspace - Meru Health - Two Chairs - Modern Health - Brightline And then the third category is truly "mental health tech" - these companies offer products, programs, apps, etc. that supplement the mental health process, but do not directly provide therapy or direct access to therapists in private practice. Typically, therapists don't work for these companies (although they really should a lot more in operational and product design roles!) I've met with many therapists navigating the job market who are interested in one of these categories more than the other, and get confused by the options out there. I hope this helps! And if you're a recruiter or work with any companies hiring therapists, feel free to drop your openings in the comments and let us know if you're a therapist partner or a therapist employer! #mentalhealthtech #digitalmentalhealth #mentalhealthpartners #mentalhealthindustry