Marriage and Family Therapy (Portland, Lewiston: sublet, rental, insurance)

[Matt74]

I am a marriage and family therapist and I am investigating moving to Southern Maine. I am going to investigate Brunswick this weekend. Anyone know if this is a good area for this type of work? As in, is the area saturated with therapists, is it seen as normal for people to go to see a therapist, and things like that.

Matt

[MRVphotog]

Well, I suppose there is some anxiety in Brunswick and will probably rise in the future due to the emminant closing of the BNAS which I would think would bold well for someone in your line of work.

[sgb70]

Hi Matt,
I am also a therapist so I found your post interesting as I too am thinking of moving to Southern Maine in the next year or so, most likely the Portland area. Anyway I primarily work with individuals, not families, but I am curious to read the responses to your post as I am also wondering about whether people in Maine are receptive to therapy or not, and if there is a market for it. Good Luck!
Steve

[Acadianlion]

It is my observation that there are a gazillion therapists of all type throughout Maine. It also seems that in order to get a license here, you need to be breathing and be able to spell therapist.

I am a little jaundiced of course since a former tenant of mine was a therapist of sorts who proved to be severely disturbed. While I realize that that experience may have been unique, I did do a little research into the profession in general and found that it is quite large, and there seems to be a lot of opportunity throughout the state.

[flycessna]

I thought you needed a Masters dagree to be a Licensed Social Worker?

I am sure you'll do fine once you get established.

Seems to me that the more poor the state the more social problems and the more need for Social Workers. If that holds true then I would position my self where there is the largest population of Poor people. Lewiston/Auburn area maybe? Or look at the divorce rate for any particular area. just a thought

[Dwatted Wabbit]

^^No, no, you want some Wealthy Worried Well clients: good insurance, minimal problems like anxiety and dispair when their Lexus or Mercedes gets scratched in a parking lot.

Therapists almost always have masters or higher degrees. Substance abuse counselors have various requirements in different states, but a degree is often not part of the requirement.
IMHO a college degree indicates more a willingness to put up with X years of BS than any advanced level of learning, ethics, empathy, or people skills.

Acadianlion, it's not that easy to get licensed.
Given that, there are nut cases in every profession including MDs, judges, and astronauts despite rigorous entry requirements. Having worked psych for a number of years I can guarantee there are some seriously disturbed staff, particularly in the management section.
Life on earth. Lucky there are us normal ones here to balance things out!

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by flycessna

I thought you needed a Masters dagree to be a Licensed Social Worker?

I am sure you'll do fine once you get established.

Seems to me that the more poor the state the more social problems and the more need for Social Workers. If that holds true then I would position my self where there is the largest population of Poor people. Lewiston/Auburn area maybe? Or look at the divorce rate for any particular area. just a thought

There are also BSWs who typically are licensed. It varies by state. They generally aren't authorized to be therapists, they often work in agencies, often have years or decades of experience and can be as skilled as anyone with an advanced degree including MD or PhD.

The degree has almost no direct relationship to the skill of the practitioner.

[flycessna]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

The degree has almost no direct relationship to the skill of the practitioner.

I can't agree more. I always say to my teacher friends that all you need is a license to teach, not an ability!

[Desirae]

I don't know about Brunswick, but Portland does have it's fair share. (I work for a Psychologist who owns the building we're in and we rent offices to about 10 other therapists or psychologists. There is a building next door that has therapists and there is a building at the end of the street that has therapists. That's just within a 30 second walk. There are social works and psychologists aplenty in Portland. What I have noticed from working for the Ph.D. for 10 years (and managing his rental space) is that therapists who have been here for awhile have to turn clients away. Therapists who have not been here for a long time do tend to struggle a bit. There are several therapists in our building who sublet their offices one or two days a week to help pay the rent (which isn't a lot--about $375-$450 per month including everything). These therapists all work for themselves.

If you work as part of a practice, you would obtain a larger base clientèle faster.

[sgb70]

thanks for the information Desirae, it was very helpful! Looks like maybe getting involved with a group practice is the best way to start out.