Dr. Ben Caldwell
Benjamin E. Caldwell, PsyD is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Education Director for SimplePractice Learning. He serves as adjunct faculty for the graduate program at California State University Northridge, and is the author of several books, including Saving Psychotherapy and Basics of California Law for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. He has served on the AAMFT Ethics Committee and spent more than a decade as the Legislative and Advocacy Chair for AAMFT-California, working on groundbreaking legislation including California's first-in-the-nation ban on reparative therapy for minors. He lives in Los Angeles.
How to Fire a Client
In any health practitioner’s career, there are some clients who are problematic. As clinicians, we try to screen for any … Continued
ICD and CPT Codes: The Language of Healthcare Billing
Whether you’re billing for health care services through insurance or using a superbill, there are several key pieces of information … Continued
Ethics Consult: The Importance of Failure
Dear Ethics Consult, I’ve been licensed and in private practice for just over a year now. I have several clients … Continued
4 Ways Therapists Can Overcome Imposter Syndrome
If you suffer from imposter syndrome as a therapist, you’re not alone. Even therapists who have been in the business … Continued
In Case of Emergency: The Professional Will
A few years ago, my wife and I were traveling overseas when a police officer stopped us. We hadn’t paid … Continued
The Key to HIPAA-Compliant Email for Therapists
It’s so common now that you might barely notice it: The paragraph of text at the end of a healthcare … Continued
Why Therapists Are Getting Licensed in Multiple States
Getting licensed in multiple states used to be relatively uncommon. But a number of social shifts are making it so … Continued
What to Consider Before You Return to In-Person Sessions
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, health and wellness professionals are wrestling with some of the more complicated questions … Continued
3 Tips on How to Manage Test Anxiety
Over the past two years, I’ve helped more than 3,000 California MFTs and clinical social workers pass their license exams. … Continued
Why Some People Lie in Therapy
The therapeutic relationship is built on good faith. Clients share deeply personal information about their emotional and relationship struggles in … Continued
The Natural Tensions of a Therapy Business
Many therapists say they’d be happy to work themselves out of a job. And it’s true—we tend to be mission-driven … Continued
5 Minutes to Better HIPAA Compliance
In December 2020, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) audit found that even before the pandemic, the overwhelming … Continued
When Does a Therapist Have to Break Confidentiality?
Confidentiality is a cornerstone of therapeutic treatment. It gives clients seeking services the knowledge and comfort that they can be … Continued
How to Increase Rates for Clients in Private Practice
The new year is often a time when health and wellness practitioners consider making changes to their fee structures. The … Continued
Airlines Can Ban ESAs in 2021
Under a revised rule recently finalized by the Department of Transportation (DOT), airlines will no longer be required to allow … Continued
How to Minimize Legal Risks for Your Private Practice
When I started my private practice in 2006, a lot of what I did were practices I learned from supervisors … Continued
3 Tips for Hiring Prelicensed Therapists
As your practice grows, you may encounter a common problem for professionals who provide services by the hour. How can … Continued
The Truth About Using Testimonials to Market Your Practice
Testimonials are what marketers call social proof—the modern-day word-of-mouth referrals. But aren’t testimonials distasteful at best, and illegal or unethical … Continued
What to Include in Your Fee Schedule
Health and wellness professionals end up doing a lot of work for free. That often includes tasks that require professional … Continued
Why I’m Not Attending the Evolution of Psychotherapy
There’s an evolution of psychotherapy happening, and the Evolution of Psychotherapy conference happening later this year is ignoring it. The … Continued
What You Need to Consider Before Returning to the Office
How to Decide to Return to In-Person Care Even with stay-at-home orders in place, a wide variety of healthcare workers … Continued
The Value of Between-Session Contact
Caring is a central component to your work, which is why it can be easy to assume clients already know you care about … Continued
What Coronavirus Means for Your Office Lease
If you’re finding the transition to telehealth to be a positive one, do you really still need a physical office? … Continued
Doctorate Degrees: Worth the Cost?
It’s a common dilemma: How much education should you get on your path to helping people? Pursuing a doctorate is … Continued
New Changes to California Telehealth Regulations
Have you ever done a phone or video session with a client? Most therapists occasionally will, perhaps for clients who … Continued
Clients Who Threaten Therapists: How to Stay Safe
The overwhelming majority of those with mental illness will never become violent. But it’s also true that therapists can be … Continued
Holiday Gift Guide 2019: 10 Perfect Gifts for Therapists
Wondering what to get for a counselor or therapist this holiday season? We’ve got you covered, with ideas big and … Continued
Scams Targeting Health and Wellness Professionals (and How to Avoid Them)
Scam artists are targeting health and wellness professionals. Protect yourself from being taken advantage of by knowing two of the … Continued
Should I Get Certified?
There is a lot of training available for health and wellness professionals, both in person and online. Many trainings advertise … Continued
What’s the Difference Between Therapy, Counseling, and Coaching?
The mental health world uses a lot of professional titles that sound similar, and can be confusing even to mental … Continued
SimplePractice is Now an APA-Approved Sponsor of Continuing Education
Since we launched SimplePractice Learning, we’ve gotten one question more often than any other: Are you pursuing APA approval to … Continued
Therapist Scrutinized for Writing ESA Letter
In what appears to be a first, the California Board of Behavioral Sciences has disciplined a licensed therapist for writing … Continued
Why Therapists Stopped Creating No-Harm Contracts
It seemed like the simplest thing. A few years ago, a client of mine had been thinking a bit about … Continued
How Keeping Secrets Can Help Couple Therapy Succeed
For years, my clinical specialty has been working with couples in couple therapy. When I started, I had a “no-secrets” … Continued
3 Ways to Save Time in Your Therapy Practice
If there’s one thing that we never seem to have enough of as therapists, it’s time. We’re often reminded to … Continued
4 Ways to Learn More From Continuing Education
Quick, tell me what you learned in the continuing education courses you took last year. Hopefully, you had some great, … Continued
Improving Continuing Education: The SimplePractice Learning Story
From its beginning, SimplePractice has been about making it easier for health and wellness professionals to run their practices, so … Continued
