I’ll never forget the moment when I realized that I was exactly where I needed to be. Prior to coming to Carolina Counseling Services I had been an agency therapist, through and through. The idea of contracting was foreign, and if I’m being honest it was also scary. 

I had recently moved to North Carolina from New York. I had worked at the same clinic for four years while I was back in New York and had been really lucky to have many varied experiences even though it was with the same clinic. The work was hard, but it was rewarding.

Adjusting to practicing in a new state was challenging and I ended up in a setting that wasn’t healthy for me personally or professionally. I was lucky to meet some supportive colleagues who eventually turned friends and was introduced to Carolina Counseling Services. 

If I had a nickel for every time I wondered when the other shoe would drop after I began contracting with CCS I would be a rich woman. I spent so much time waiting for when the mask would slip and I’d see just how toxic the work environment was. That’s what had happened in the past, so why would this time be any different? 

Spoiler alert, I came to CCS in 2015 and all the shoes have remained where they belong. 

For a while I viewed the time I spent worrying as wasted time. I beat myself up over it for a little bit if I’m being honest. Now I can say that I have come to find that it was time well spent. It has allowed me to understand the experience of other therapists who come to contract with CCS. It allows me to better hold space for them while they process their own past work experience. It has motivated me to continue to do my best to make sure CCS remains a place where therapists can fully become who they are meant to be as clinicians and feel supported along the way. 

As a therapist you hold space and inspire change for so many. You deserve the same. Practice what you preach, my therapist friend. See you next time.

*If you are interested in becoming an independent contractor with CCS and you are a licensed therapist in North Carolina, send your cover letter and resume to the following email: Applicants@CarolinaCounselingServices.com 

Jaime Johnson Fitzpatrick LCMHCS, LCAS is one of the Owners and Vice Presidents of Carolina Counseling Services. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist in the State of North Carolina as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in State of New York. Jaime is also certified in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and utilizes various other approaches in her practice.