Clearwater Counseling Services, LLC

08/01/2026

Vitamin D is not a Vitamin: Why Your Body and Mind Need Sunlight Like Your Life Depends on It

Vitamin D is a misnomer. It's not a vitamin! It's actually a hormone and one that affects most of your body's functioning....

Vitamin D is not a vitamin. It's a hormone made with sun exposure that effects your sleep, motivation, mood, and mental health.

07/26/2026

You Retired Early. Now What? The FIRE Community’s Search for Meaning

Once a person in the FIRE community hits their number, they can finally quit their job and retire early....

Clearwater Counseling Services, llc You Retired Early. Now What? The FIRE Community’s Search for Meaning with Financial Therapy -

05/21/2026

For clinicians starting a private practice:

The landscape has changed dramatically since I founded Clearwater Counseling Services, LLC in 2021. The Counseling Compact we were promised would be in effect by now is only useful in a few states. The pandemic led to the rise of tele-health practices and clinicians seeking multi-state licensure credentialing.

Adding new states comes with the need to credential with more insurance companies, a task that is often burdensome, time consuming, and requiring of lots of followup and negotiation, which therapists focused on their patient's issues don't have the time or bandwidth for...

I know there's lots of debate around using larger platforms and I understand the legitimacy of these concerns. From my experience however, Rula connected me with my ideal Florida clients. As a Spanish speaker, it was important to me to use this skill set in my work as a clinician. There is no cost to sign up and start growing your multi-state practice. This is a referral link and will get credit when you sign up. I'm recommending this if it's a good fit for you as I have worked with Rula for a few years now:

https://pages.rula.com/therapy-provider-referral?grsf=molly-ggdtvu

If Rula isn't the best fit, take a look at Headway. Headway is another strong option with ease of credentialing with multiple insurance companies, respectful reimbursements, thorough AI-assisted note taking, and improved customer service, timely direct deposits, etc. There is no cost to join and they promise no clawbacks. While I'm newer to Headway, everything has gone smoothly so far. This is my referral link which means I get credit when you sign up:

share.findheadway.com/molly

If you are wanting to get started, just know things have changed a lot in the last few years. While I started with a website and Psychology Today - now business is expanding to new territories, so I need new alliances and new tools. I hope you find these links helpful in growing your private practices so you can focus on helping others more and the admin stuff less!

05/01/2026

https://clearwatercounseling.services/2026/04/30/the-impact-of-ai-on-licensed-therapists-and-care/

In March 2026, roughly 2,400 clinicians in California went on strike to protest Kaiser Permanente's decision to replace 6 clinicians with AI.

05/01/2026

The Impact of AI on Licensed Therapists and Care

I'll admit I'm having a hard time keeping up. I follow those tracking the latest developments in AI to try to grasp a snippet of what's going on and how it will affect my profession. Here's what I can say are some themes: automation, fear, anger, job insecurity, burnout, protest, exit. My head is spinning. Currently, AI is being marketed to therapists as a productivity tool....

In March 2026, roughly 2,400 clinicians in California went on strike to protest Kaiser Permanente's decision to replace 6 clinicians with AI.

03/06/2026

Bike Rides and Brain Scans

Anna's bike ride home seemed like a minor mishap — a bruised hip, a scratched cheek, nothing serious. But a year later, she's losing words mid-sentence, forgetting why she walked into a room, and reading the same paragraph over and over. It wasn't until a routine doctor's visit that someone connected the dots. What felt like stress or aging might have been something else entirely — and for many people, it still goes undiagnosed. Anna's story is fictional. The symptoms are common....

Anna's bike accident seemed minor at the time — but a year later, the brain fog, lost words, and emotional changes tell a different story.

02/08/2026

https://clearwatercounseling.services/2026/02/06/aces-and-emotional-neglect/

02/06/2026

Understanding ACEs: What the Assessment Misses About Emotional Neglect

If you've been researching childhood trauma or exploring therapy for anxiety and C-PTSD, you've likely encountered the term "ACEs" or Adverse Childhood Experiences. This screening tool has revolutionized how we understand the long-term impact of childhood adversity on adult health and wellbeing. However, like any assessment tool, it has limitations—and one of the most significant is how it measures emotional neglect....

Does your ACEs score adequately reflect your childhood experiences? Learn strengths and limitations of this standardized trauma assessment.

01/03/2026

Check out my new blog on flight phobia! Learn how this condition is temporary and how the worst thing you can do about it is to do nothing! Read here: clearwatercounseling.services/blog

https://clearwatercounseling.services/2026/01/02/fear-of-flying-therapy/

12/06/2025

https://clearwatercounseling.services/2025/12/05/mental-health-challenges-in-december-reasons-to-start-therapy-in-january-2026/