Private Therapy Practice in Metro Detroit? Ferndale? 'Burbs? (Ann Arbor, Wayne: college, military)

[rmsi]

I posted this as part of many questions I had in the "palmer woods" thread, but figure if I put the question in a thread with a more relevant title I may get some more info...

I am considering moving to the Detroit area (either Palmer Woods/Sherwood Forest or the 'burbs) in the next couple of years, and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts/insights on the feasability of a private therapy practice there.

My wife and I are both Master's-level social workers, and so I assume (and have found online) that social work jobs are actually not terribly difficult to find there... but if at all possible, I'd rather practice privately than continue to work for social service agencies.

I'm a therapist for an HIV/AIDS service organization right now, so I figure maybe Ferndale would be a decent place to consider to open a practice given my experience and skillset (HIV/AIDS, 'gay' issues, substance abuse - esp meth) - anyone have any thoughts on this?

Beyond that, I have experience with many different populations and many different therapies, so I don't mean to necessarily pigeonhole myself into the HIV/AIDS stuff either... is anyone (or does anyone know) a therapist in the city or the 'burbs that things are going well for?

TIA!

[Cliffie]

There are quite a few private practices in the area that are doing fine. More of them are having to introduce sliding fee scales for the uninsured, of course. If you are a Medicaid provider, COME ON DOWN! If you have a high-demand specialty that always makes it easier. I was always busy as a private practitioner because my area is trauma, but there is a crying need for more people with expertise in eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and anyone who works with badly-behaved children of any sort. Ferndale is heavily loaded with retirees -- until the swine flu wipes them all out of course -- and that would be a great area to work in if you have expertise in geriatrics. You especially want to work in one of the college towns -- Ann Arbor, Ypsi, or down by Wayne State U in the downtown area -- if you plan to go on working with the HIV/AIDS population.

[rmsi]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

There are quite a few private practices in the area that are doing fine. More of them are having to introduce sliding fee scales for the uninsured, of course. If you are a Medicaid provider, COME ON DOWN! If you have a high-demand specialty that always makes it easier. I was always busy as a private practitioner because my area is trauma, but there is a crying need for more people with expertise in eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and anyone who works with badly-behaved children of any sort. Ferndale is heavily loaded with retirees -- until the swine flu wipes them all out of course -- and that would be a great area to work in if you have expertise in geriatrics. You especially want to work in one of the college towns -- Ann Arbor, Ypsi, or down by Wayne State U in the downtown area -- if you plan to go on working with the HIV/AIDS population.

Thanks for the response! I asked about Ferndale because most of what I found online was that it is very gay-friendly... but you say it's mostly retirees? Not two groups I would necessarily instinctively put together, but what do I know?

Maybe a longshot, but do you know anything about social work license reciprocity between states? I know that Arizona basically doesn't have reciprocity with ANYONE, but I'm wondering how to find out, if we end up there, what I would need to do to establish independent licensure there... even if they don't do direct reciprocity, I certainly hope it wouldn't be starting from square one... if you don't know, do you have any directions you could point me?

[Cliffie]

Here's the spot to look that up:

MDCH - Social Worker

[rmsi]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

Here's the spot to look that up:

MDCH - Social Worker

Awesome! I looked and on the app there is a spot to put a license issued by another state, so maybe it will be less of an issue than I am preparing myself for!

Of course, I've found that if you work for the military (Selfridge has a SW position open) then you just need to be licensed in any state... so that may be an option, at least in the short term.

Thanks a lot for the link. In the info-gathering phase, every little bit helps...

[Cliffie]

My dad worked at Selfridge for ages. He loved it there. FYI.