News
Telepsychiatry in Community Mental Health
The people in greatest need and those most able to help are not frequently neighbors. In a sprawling and traffic-plagued region like Southern California, it can be especially difficult to assemble a team of psychiatric practitioners. Long commutes are often a barrier to otherwise qualified and well-matched individuals. There are ways around this. One of those ways is to use telepsychiatry.
With a little creativity and technical know-how, telepsychiatry can be incorporated into just about any community mental health practice. It can be deployed full time or may be used to supplement in-person coverage. For example, with medication follow-up appointments. Locations can get certified, practitioners can be trained. If you are having trouble getting psychiatric care for your clients... read more
FAQ Videos, Jobs and More
Hello there! We haven't updated our news feed in a while because we've been busy adding a new Jobs Page with current listings and putting together a video series for our Practitioner and Agency FAQ pages. Check them out when you get a chance. Don't forget to connect with us on LinkedIn. Cheers!
Winning your Psychiatric Placement
In this video we offer some thoughts and pointers for navigating paperwork and building a great support team in community-based mental health care.
Why do we do it?
We, Nancy and Jeff, have been involved in community based mental health care in Southern California for over 15 years. Our careers followed a path familiar to many in the industry. With bachelor's degrees in psychology we began as front line staff in a residential treatment setting for juveniles. We both worked our way up to leadership positions, earning master's degrees along the way. Jeff earned a master's in business administration and ventured into entrepreneurship. Nancy earned a master’s in clinical psychology and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and continued to practice as her career advanced.
Our motivation for launching Sites Professionals is the same motivation that has kept us in the industry since the beginning. We do it for the clients. From our... read more
Change pt 2: Psychiatric Practitioners
There are three components to being customer oriented, and each must be attended to. They are: Who are your customers? What do they need? What are your distinctive competencies capable of servicing those needs?
In the case of most psychiatric practitioners, ‘customers’ includes patients, mental health treatment agencies, and the public or private sources of funding; each of these with distinct and changing needs.
This creates a moving target for practitioners looking for new opportunities. Furthermore, the experience and education that comprise a practitioner’s distinctive competencies represent a significant investment and are not easily adapted to drastic change in the industry.
Do your homework and diversify.
In the short to medium-term, the best way to... read more
Change and Being Customer Oriented
The pace of change in the field of mental health can be disorienting. It is an industry tied closely to the whims of public policy makers and influenced by public perceptions.
Reimbursement rates fluctuate. Rules for access to care are continually tweaked and amended. News of epidemics, such as homelessness and opioid addiction, spur public action that bring both opportunities and challenges to mental health care providers.
Change is to be expected in any industry. When it occurs, it becomes clear that some businesses have better positioned themselves than others to deal with it. But how? Is it luck? Probably not.
'Adaptability' is the easy answer to how some businesses successfully deal with change. But what does that look like in a non-profit mental health... read more
Placement Service for Prescribers
Sites Professionals simplifies the process of matching and placing you with local agencies, so that you can have an impact in the areas of greatest need. The advantages of working with us include finding flexible assignments in the areas of focus that most interest you.
We know that you can provide the best care to patients when the work is closely aligned with your passion and you are not overly burdened by the administrative processes that come along with it.
Working with Sites Professionals, whether to work a couple days a week or to find a new full-time position, gives you the benefit of 24/7 support from a team with expertise in the laws and processes of mental health. You set your rates, hours and availability. Let us take care of the rest.
Thoughts on Burnout
There’s much discussion these days about burnout, particularly among physicians and psychiatrists. Medscape and the American Psychiatric Association recently published and discussed a survey indicating 40% of MDs are experiencing some level of burnout.
It’s safe to say that this problem is not limited to doctors. It’s common for people at all levels in the field of mental health to have had feelings of burnout from time to time.
The complexities of the helping field only complicate a profession that requires you to be emotionally present on a daily basis. The challenges of bureaucracy and paperwork only make matters worse.
Self-care and maintaining a healthy work culture with empathy are essential to alleviating burnout in your team.
Helping you... read more
Are We Middlemen?
No. Sites Professionals performs or enhances work essential to a functional psychiatric services program. We personally recruit and place psychiatrists and other practitioners with mental health providers. Sites Professionals remains committed to the successful deployment of practitioners by making sure they are prepared, and have the knowledge and passion for community-based mental health. We provide hands-on support for the duration of our placements. We are focused on Southern California, where we know what it takes to run a psychiatric services program effectively, and where we can have routine in-person meetings and introductions with our clients.
For agencies, our work enhances the capabilities of your existing team without having to undergo the expensive process of... read more
The Complete Package for Agencies
Working with Sites Professionals to staff and support your organization’s psychiatric services has benefits beyond just the recruitment and placement of practitioners. We help provide insight into the best way to build and utilize your medication support team for better client care and efficient billing and reimbursement. That is why we get to know you with in-person meetings and frequent contact. We are big believers in the value of community-based care, and buying into your mission allows us to find terrific matches for your staffing needs.
Staffing Placement Process for Agencies
Working with Sites Professionals to fill your psychiatric staffing needs usually follows just a few steps. We personally get to know your agency to make sure we’re a good fit for your recruitment needs. Once it’s decided we are a good match, we sign an agreement. Then Sites Professionals identifies appropriate candidates from our network of providers and we arrange a face-to-face introduction between them and your team. Once you accept a practitioner the deposit is due, followed by a signed Assignment Confirmation letter. The placement then commences.
Most of our placements are for a period of 12 months. Six-month placements are available in many cases. At the conclusion of the placement, the agreement can be renewed, terminated, or in many cases there is a buyout option.
... read moreSCPS Career Day
Thank you to everyone we met yesterday, and to the Southern California Psychiatric Society and Didi Hirsch for hosting Career Day.
The Psychiatric Shortage
A report recently published by the National Council for Behavioral Health lays bare the challenges faced by service providers in providing their patients with adequate psychiatric care. Among the many startling findings is the scope of the shortage which has become a nationwide problem:
"[The] study revealed that 55 percent of counties in the continental U.S. do not have any psychiatrists. Another study concluded that 77 percent of U.S. counties had 'severe shortages' of psychiatrists and other behavioral health providers."
The report goes on to highlight a number of factors that have contributed to and exacerbated the shortage, particularly those that have led an increasing... read more