Benefits of Working at Sparrow Counseling in Birmingham, Alabama
SPARROW COUNSELING IS A PRIVATE COUNSELING PRACTICE
We focus on quality client care and good clinical outcomes. Rather than on corporate profit or requirements (like the BIG tech mental health companies) or requirements from third-party companies (like insurance companies) dictating to you how to best care for your client. You get the freedom of a flexible schedule and give your clients the kind of care you dreamed of while in graduate school from start to finish.
Maybe your client needs to meet virtually or by phone for a session rather than in person, have longer or more frequent sessions, or bring a family member to a session to do some deeper family work necessary for them to find peace. No problem! You and your client get to call the shots about what is best for their care rather than checking with a third party, like insurance, to make sure you will be reimbursed for changing a session.
SPARROW COUNSELING HAS W2 EMPLOYEE POSITIONS
Why is this a benefit? Because we pay your payroll taxes, so you don’t have to, at the end of the year. If you are a contract therapist, you have to save all year long to pay your employment taxes at the end of the year. Also, we do not employ contract therapists because of the highly litigious population we often work with - divorcing couples. Sparrow Counseling can protect our therapists by using best practices like thorough court policies to work with these families.
SPARROW COUNSELING IS NOT INTERESTED IN CREATING A CULTURE OF THERAPIST BURNOUT.
We want our therapists to have a healthy amount of work, rest, and play, so they can find meaning in their work and their personal lives. Big “therapy” tech companies will often promise large pay and bonuses to therapists applying for jobs with them. But at what cost to the therapists? It means working 10-12 hours/day, 5-6 days a week, messaging clients between sessions, or assigning them random worksheets that have nothing to do with clinical outcomes!
These companies are not therapist-led - they are led by people wanting to profit from other people’s pain. That’s gross! Sparrow Counseling is different. We are led by a mental health professional that wants to create great transformations with our clients. Who also provides an environment of balance and collaboration. We want you to take time off, have time for your family and friends at the end of your work days, enjoy your weekends without worrying about the upcoming long week, and stay in this profession without the threat of burnout.
SPARROW COUNSELING IS A CASH-PAY PRACTICE WHICH MEANS WE CAN FOCUS ON CLIENT CARE AND THERAPIST WELL-BEING.
Why is this important? Because we don’t worry about wondering if and when an insurance company will reimburse us, which can cause monthly fluctuations in income. Some agencies that bill through insurance, or allow contract pay, make offers to therapists that look really nice up front with attractive percentages going to the therapist. Often what is forgotten when looking at these offers is what an insurance company actually pays per hour, which can be quite low, and that contract-employed therapists have to take their employment taxes out at the end of the year. That is a BIG hit! You don’t need that kind of frustration!
Working at Sparrow Counseling means we bring clients to you that are motivated to change and ready to work hard! You may be worried about whether a cash-pay practice is really sustainable and if you can find clients willing to pay cash over using their insurance. We aren’t! We have been successfully growing as a practice in Alabama since 2016 and know this can be done! If you are great at what you do, we will do the rest!
SPARROW COUNSELING PROVIDES AMAZING ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS!
Our Client Care Coordinator is trained in how to take care of you as well as your clients. Our CCC handles all of the scheduling and billing with clients as well as the marketing. You will not be interrupted on your weekend by a client call or text because all calls and texts go immediately to our CCC first. Our CCC is our gatekeeper to allow us to enjoy our personal lives and enjoy our clinical work. The support that our CCC provides to all the therapists is a huge help in allowing our therapists to just show up to the office, see their clients and go home and enjoy their families and friends!
SPARROW COUNSELING PROVIDES FREE, PAID SUPERVISION FOR ANY MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS.
If you are a graduate of a marriage and family graduate program, you can receive free supervision and get paid to be supervised! Our Executive Director, Sara Hadgraft, is an AAMFT Supervisor Candidate and can provide supervision for MFTAs. That can be a savings of over $4000-6000/year. Not only is it free, but at Sparrow Counseling, we pay YOU for your hour to be supervised because we know that is necessary for you to do your job.
SPARROW COUNSELING PROVIDES A PAPERLESS OFFICE THAT USES A HIPPA-COMPLIANT SECURE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD.
Why is this important? Because you get to set your schedule and do documentation online through a secure portal. Your clients will fill out all their intake paperwork, so you can review it ahead of time. Your client files can be accessed from a desktop or an app SECURELY from anywhere and at any time. You get the peace of mind of knowing your client’s information is secure and accessing it if needed when you are not in the office.
SPARROW COUNSELING HAS AN AUTHENTIC AND RESPECTFUL OFFICE CULTURE.
It is important at Sparrow Counseling that we are not wasting our clinician’s time in long, unnecessary staff meetings, but also providing quality case consultation. You would be the right fit for us if you are not afraid of direct communication and love feedback and collaboration. We would much rather you come to us if you are struggling with clinical outcomes, get a client complaint, or realize that you are struggling with low retention before we have to come to you and have “a conversation”.
If you are open and willing to give and receive feedback, this is the place for you! We are trying to cultivate a culture that respectfully gives and receives feedback not just from our clinicians but also from our clients. We are trained to receive feedback, so it is important that we are a practice that does so!
SPARROW COUNSELING IS COMMITTED TO COMPETENCY AS A VALUE FOR OUR CLINICIANS.
Therefore we provide free training and resources to build our clinician's skills in the areas of working with families. Graduate programs do not teach us how to work with high-conflict couples or divorcing families.
At Sparrow Counseling, we have been dedicated to getting thoroughly trained in how to work with these complicated families from couples counseling, discernment counseling, blended families, divorce mediation, and co-parenting counseling. We also provide training stipends for our clinicians to gain greater clinical skills after they have worked with us for a period of time. The longer you work with Sparrow Counseling the bigger the stipend!
SPARROW COUNSELING HAS A BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED AND CONVENIENTLY LOCATED OFFICE SPACE IN THE DESIRABLE LOCATION OF DOWNTOWN HOMEWOOD.
Does your physical space impact how you work? Do you crave order and beauty in your workspace? We do! We want you to come to work and enjoy the convenience of Homewood, AL while also enjoying the small amenities we provide in the office. Our office feels more like a home than office space.
Become a Marriage and Family Therapist in Birmingham, AL
You know you want to work at a place you enjoy being at. A safe place where you can provide clients with the support and guidance they need to overcome their struggles. To become a marriage and family therapist at Sparrow Counseling follow these simple steps:
Explore more of Sparrow Counseling to see if you’re a good fit.
Start working in an enjoyable workplace where you can make a difference in your client’s lives.
Other Services Offered at Sparrow Counseling
At Sparrow Counseling we offer in-person and online therapy in the state of Alabama. Our team specializes in co-parenting counseling, reunification therapy, blended family counseling, divorce & family mediation, discernment counseling, individual counseling, and more in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more by checking out our FAQs and Blog!