267 | Think You're an Independent Contractor? You Might Not Be. Know the Difference Between Independent Contractor Vs. Employee Categorization

Play Therapy Podcast: A Master-Class in Child-Centered Play Therapy

In this episode, I take a break between series for a much-needed "palate cleanse" to address an issue that keeps coming up in conversations with play therapists—understanding the difference between subcontractors and employees in private practice. Many therapists find themselves in situations where they are labeled as independent contractors but are actually being treated as employees.

If you own a practice and employ therapists, or if you're working as a therapist under someone else's practice, this episode will help you understand your rights and responsibilities. It's a must-listen for anyone navigating the business side of play therapy!

Play Therapy Podcast Meetup - MISSISSIPPI - Feb 21, 2025 at 6:30pm RSVP here: https://playtherapypodcast_ms.eventbrite.com

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If you would like to ask me questions directly, check out www.ccptcollective.com, where I host two weekly Zoom calls filled with advanced CCPT case studies and session reviews, as well as member Q&A. You can take advantage of the two-week free trial to see if the CCPT Collective is right for you.

Ask Me Questions: Call ‪(813) 812-5525‬, or email: brenna@thekidcounselor.com Brenna's CCPT Hub: https://www.playtherapynow.com CCPT Collective (online community exclusively for CCPTs): https://www.ccptcollective.com Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com APT Approved Play Therapy CE courses: https://childcenteredtraining.com Twitter: @thekidcounselor https://twitter.com/thekidcounselor Facebook: https://facebook.com/playtherapypodcast

Common References: Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley. VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press. Landreth, G.L. (2023). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th ed.). Routledge. Bratton, S. C., Landreth, G. L., Kellam, T., & Blackard, S. R. (2006). Child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) treatment manual: A 10-session filial therapy model for training parents. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.

2025-02-11 18 min Transcript

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Transcript

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You're listening to the Play Therapy Podcast with Dr. Brenna Hicks,

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your source for centered and focused play therapy coaching.

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Hi,

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I'm Dr. Brenna Hicks,

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The Kid Counselor.

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This is the Play Therapy Podcast where you get

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a master class in child-centered play therapy

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and practical support and application for your

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work with children and their families.

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In today's episode,

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we are doing

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what I'd like to call a palate cleanse,

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I guess.

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So,

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We finished our neutrality series

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and before we transition into a new topic,

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I wanted to do kind of just a one-off curriculum

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and this is birthed out of many,

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many conversations I've had

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specifically very recently,

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but even in the last,

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let's say 3 to 6 months,

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about the distinction

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between

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subcontractor and employee

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when you're working for someone else as a play therapist.

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So if you are an employee,

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if you are a subcontractor,

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if you are an employer of either employees or subcontractors,

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this podcast is for you.

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I have so many

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coaching participants and collective members bringing up the varying degrees of

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work responsibilities and what that looks like and

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I'm an employee and I'm a subcontractor,

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but

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the eyes of those distinctions are very clear by law.

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And I'll share a couple stories with you,

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and then we'll dive into

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what you need to know,

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all things related to the classification as a play therapist

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of subcontractor versus employee.

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However,

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before we do,

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I

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just graduated a whole another round,

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so two cohorts of my six-figure coaching program,

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and I just wanted to say I'm so excited for them and

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so encouraged by the confidence and the competence and

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the articulation,

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the growth,

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just everything.

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We,

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we kind of celebrated the whole year together and

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just

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really incredible to see the transformations that have taken place.

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So,

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little shout out to my newly graduated people.

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And also,

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thank you for those of you who have been

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signing up for the Mississippi podcast meet up.

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If you are going to be at the conference or can drive to Oxford,

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Mississippi,

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please make sure that you click on the link in the show notes to sign up for the RSVP.

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Well,

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you are RSVPing for the meetup.

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OK,

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so let's dive into

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the idea of subcontractor versus employee,

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and let me share a really quick story that I that I think will illustrate

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the significance of this.

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Because in our industry I think it's pretty common

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practice to have the lines really severely blurred,

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but the lines are very,

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very clearly defined in the legal arena.

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So let me share a quick story.

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I used to have exclusively

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subcontractors at my practice,

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so all of my therapists were subcontractors ran their own businesses,

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and they just worked

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in my center and served my waitlist and my clients.

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I reached out to an employment lawyer and said I'd like to

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have you draft some employment agreements as I bring on more subcontractors,

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and he refused

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to take the job,

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which that was very interesting to me because

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I'm like,

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you are in fact an employment lawyer,

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this is what you specialize in and I'm wanting to pay you for your services.

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Why are you turning me away?

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And he said,

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I'm not going to risk my license on that.

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I'm not gonna touch that with a 10 ft pole.

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You need to find someone else.

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And when I dug deeper,

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I actually ended up working with a different attorney because he legit blew me off,

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and he ended up,

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the new attorney ended up telling me.

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That we have a reputation in the mental health industry

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in legal circles

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for

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basically breaking the law all the time,

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and

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they associate the mental health space with

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the most consistent.

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In the eyes of the law,

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breaking the rules for employee versus subcontractor agreements.

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So I did

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some pretty deep conversations with him and I did some research myself.

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So if you are thinking about bringing on

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therapists to work under you,

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if you are actively employing

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therapists to work under you and or if you

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are working under someone as an employee or subcontractor,

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there are some really important things that you need to know

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and this is really kind of more of a public service.

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Kind of episode,

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but

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I think this will affect so many of you that I'm probably gonna get a lot of feedback.

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That's what I'm anticipating anyway.

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So here's

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the breakdown.

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If you are a subcontractor,

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you have to run your own business,

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and you have to operate completely independently

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of anyone

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who is employing you.

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So you have to think of this as a general contractor building a house.

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So the homeowner

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secures the contract with the general contractor

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and says,

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you know,

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I choose this house,

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this square footage,

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this many bedrooms,

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this many bathrooms,

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these fixtures,

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this granite for the countertops,

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whatever.

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So the home buyer is in contracted agreement with the general contractor.

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But the general contractor does not do all of the components of the house.

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The general contractor

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uses an electrician

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to do the electrical,

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uh,

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plumber to do the plumbing.

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An air conditioning contractor to do the HVAC,

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a roofer to do the roof.

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A person who specializes in foundations to pour the concrete.

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OK,

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so you can see that although the general contractor

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is in

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a contract with the home buyer.

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The GC is going to sublet subcontract

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all of the work

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to contractors.

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So think about this,

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let's take this analogy a little bit further.

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The general contractor does not tell

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the plumber

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how to do their job.

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The plumber has to

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install the plumbing that's appropriate for the house,

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so the plumber's going to be under contractual obligation

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to put in a certain number of toilets and

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a certain number of showers and a certain number of

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pipes to connect everything together,

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etc.

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but as long as the agreed upon terms are met,

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the general contractor does not provide any tools to the plumber,

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the general contractor does not supervise the plumber.

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The general contractor does not tell the plumber when

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it has to work.

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In other words,

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you have to work from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday.

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There's really no little to no oversight.

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The general contractor says,

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you have a plumbing business.

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I'm hiring you to

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do this according to our contract.

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You get the plumbing done and

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I don't need to worry about you.

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So,

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the,

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the analogy I always use to take this further is,

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if the plumber wants to show up at 2 a.m.

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drunk in a pink tutu.

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To do the plumbing on the house,

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that is the plumber's prerogative because as a subcontractor,

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the GC cannot say

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you have to show up at this hour wearing this outfit

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and not drunk.

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Now,

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if,

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if the drunkenness impacts the final product and it's not to code or something,

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OK,

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then we have another discussion.

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But

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the point is,

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2 a.m. drunk in a pink tutu,

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if the plumber does the job according to the contract,

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the general contractor has nothing to say about it.

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So,

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now let's go back to our industry.

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What's happening is

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that we are being told

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that we are subcontractors.

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So we're being hired

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and we're signing agreements

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that we are subcontractors in someone else's practice.

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But then we're being told the hours we have to work,

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the number of clients we have to see,

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we're being supervised and told we have to provide XYZ intervention

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or we have to

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conduct our sessions in this way,

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then

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we are given

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paper and pen

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and playrooms

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and printers

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and staples and Sharpies and file folders and computers and you name it.

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With which to do our job.

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And this is why the attorneys don't want anything to do with it.

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This is why the attorney turned me away,

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because that means that you're an employee.

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An independent contractor has to function completely independently.

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They have to provide all of their own tools.

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You cannot even use a pen.

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At the place that you work.

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If you are an independent contractor,

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you have to bring your own.

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You can't sit in

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someone else's

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desk chair that was provided.

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You have to provide your own desk chair.

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You have to outfit your entire playroom.

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Everything in the playroom has to be purchased by you.

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As an independent contractor,

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you are completely responsible to do your job and to

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have all the tools with which to do your job,

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and no one can give you oversight.

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They can't tell you what to wear,

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when to show up,

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what to do,

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how to do it.

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They can't force you to use any of their forms.

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They can't

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have any supervision over you.

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And I know a lot of you are reeling right now.

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This is why I'm doing this episode.

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Because you're going,

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oh my gosh,

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00:09:28,429 --> 00:09:32,500
I was hired as an independent contractor and I am not being treated as one,

252
00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:33,229
right?

253
00:09:33,469 --> 00:09:35,619
And that's why the lawyers are having a field day,

254
00:09:35,869 --> 00:09:37,090
and that's why

255
00:09:38,119 --> 00:09:38,929
The

256
00:09:39,530 --> 00:09:41,289
attorneys are seeking

257
00:09:42,130 --> 00:09:46,859
audits of mental health agencies and practices all the time

258
00:09:47,250 --> 00:09:48,890
because they're busting people left and right.

259
00:09:50,690 --> 00:09:51,190
So

260
00:09:51,349 --> 00:09:52,219
now in contrast,

261
00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:53,280
as an employee.

262
00:09:54,489 --> 00:09:55,099
You

263
00:09:55,309 --> 00:09:58,380
can be completely governed and everything is provided for you.

264
00:09:59,549 --> 00:10:00,750
You can be supervised,

265
00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:01,940
you can be told what to do,

266
00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:02,530
when to do it,

267
00:10:02,599 --> 00:10:03,349
how to do it.

268
00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,359
That's all under an employment contract as an employee.

269
00:10:09,409 --> 00:10:11,030
So if you are currently

270
00:10:12,159 --> 00:10:13,950
Having people work under you

271
00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,710
as a practice owner or as an employer.

272
00:10:18,940 --> 00:10:20,190
You need to make sure

273
00:10:20,460 --> 00:10:22,940
that you are not doing employment fraud.

274
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,969
Because what is happening is we are bringing on people

275
00:10:27,239 --> 00:10:28,669
that we are paying

276
00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:30,469
as independent contractors,

277
00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:32,520
but treating them as employees.

278
00:10:33,690 --> 00:10:36,109
And here's another related aside,

279
00:10:36,719 --> 00:10:37,000
many,

280
00:10:37,140 --> 00:10:37,549
many,

281
00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:38,599
like dozens,

282
00:10:38,799 --> 00:10:42,200
maybe hundreds of therapists have had conversations with me.

283
00:10:43,409 --> 00:10:44,190
About

284
00:10:44,590 --> 00:10:46,789
what to do regarding.

285
00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:50,030
I was told this was going to be my position.

286
00:10:50,070 --> 00:10:51,979
I was told this was going to be my role.

287
00:10:52,150 --> 00:10:54,250
I was hired to work this many hours.

288
00:10:54,270 --> 00:10:56,359
I was hired to see this many clients.

289
00:10:56,510 --> 00:10:57,429
I was

290
00:10:57,789 --> 00:10:59,340
given the impression that,

291
00:10:59,710 --> 00:11:02,030
and when I ask clarifying questions,

292
00:11:02,070 --> 00:11:03,619
it all comes back to,

293
00:11:03,950 --> 00:11:04,059
no,

294
00:11:04,150 --> 00:11:05,460
there was never a contract.

295
00:11:06,309 --> 00:11:06,469
No,

296
00:11:06,530 --> 00:11:08,539
there was never anything formal written up.

297
00:11:08,909 --> 00:11:09,030
No,

298
00:11:09,109 --> 00:11:10,359
I never signed anything.

299
00:11:10,469 --> 00:11:12,349
This was all just verbally discussed.

300
00:11:13,270 --> 00:11:13,789
Yikes,

301
00:11:13,830 --> 00:11:14,200
y'all,

302
00:11:14,349 --> 00:11:17,659
this is why we need business training to do this job.

303
00:11:18,950 --> 00:11:21,619
No one in the business industry would ever,

304
00:11:21,669 --> 00:11:21,940
ever,

305
00:11:21,989 --> 00:11:22,580
ever.

306
00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,549
Emphatically stated multiple times for a reason,

307
00:11:26,989 --> 00:11:28,280
would never.

308
00:11:29,250 --> 00:11:33,349
Do anything related to a job without a contract

309
00:11:33,349 --> 00:11:37,119
or an agreement or something signed stating expectations,

310
00:11:37,159 --> 00:11:38,039
responsibilities,

311
00:11:38,159 --> 00:11:38,770
duties,

312
00:11:38,799 --> 00:11:39,429
all of it,

313
00:11:39,799 --> 00:11:41,760
and we do it all the time.

314
00:11:42,119 --> 00:11:42,309
Oh,

315
00:11:42,359 --> 00:11:42,520
I mean,

316
00:11:42,599 --> 00:11:42,820
I,

317
00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:43,750
I trust her.

318
00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:44,789
I trust him.

319
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,869
It we it was a handshake kind of thing.

320
00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:48,510
We just talked about it,

321
00:11:48,659 --> 00:11:49,059
we just,

322
00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:50,570
yikes.

323
00:11:51,409 --> 00:11:53,659
So not only are we not

324
00:11:53,849 --> 00:11:54,669
adhering

325
00:11:54,849 --> 00:11:58,450
to employment guidelines for what constitutes

326
00:11:58,450 --> 00:12:00,400
an employee versus a subcontractor,

327
00:12:01,010 --> 00:12:03,299
we are also not getting anything in writing,

328
00:12:04,010 --> 00:12:07,960
we're not having any kind of agreements or contracts that are formally drawn up,

329
00:12:08,409 --> 00:12:09,440
and if they are,

330
00:12:09,690 --> 00:12:13,210
they were like handwritten and they got off Legal Zoom

331
00:12:13,210 --> 00:12:16,440
and modified something and think that that's gonna work.

332
00:12:17,299 --> 00:12:19,929
There are legal loopholes over every single bit

333
00:12:19,929 --> 00:12:22,010
of everything that was drafted like that.

334
00:12:23,239 --> 00:12:25,549
A lawyer needs to craft

335
00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:27,109
an employment agreement.

336
00:12:27,229 --> 00:12:29,520
Whether you're an independent contractor or an employee,

337
00:12:29,570 --> 00:12:30,330
it doesn't matter.

338
00:12:31,349 --> 00:12:34,570
You need to have a lawyer involved in the

339
00:12:34,570 --> 00:12:37,530
construction of the agreement to protect both sides.

340
00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,010
The employer needs protection,

341
00:12:40,070 --> 00:12:41,599
the employee needs protection.

342
00:12:41,770 --> 00:12:43,119
It needs to be very clear.

343
00:12:43,330 --> 00:12:44,359
It needs to be

344
00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:45,770
very.

345
00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:48,260
Legally well written.

346
00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,780
And it needs to be ironclad.

347
00:12:51,869 --> 00:12:52,159
Why?

348
00:12:52,409 --> 00:12:55,340
Because inevitably you want to know how many conversations I've had

349
00:12:56,070 --> 00:12:57,729
specifically with coaching participants

350
00:12:58,030 --> 00:12:58,659
that have said,

351
00:12:58,969 --> 00:12:59,190
yeah,

352
00:12:59,270 --> 00:13:00,619
and now out of the blue,

353
00:13:00,750 --> 00:13:02,510
my boss is saying that

354
00:13:02,950 --> 00:13:04,780
I have to take PTO

355
00:13:05,109 --> 00:13:08,340
time if I don't meet a certain number of clients each week.

356
00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:10,190
And I said,

357
00:13:10,309 --> 00:13:10,369
well,

358
00:13:10,469 --> 00:13:11,880
I'm wondering what

359
00:13:12,229 --> 00:13:13,619
that said in the contract.

360
00:13:13,830 --> 00:13:14,210
Oh no,

361
00:13:14,309 --> 00:13:15,309
it didn't say that.

362
00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:16,869
Well,

363
00:13:17,039 --> 00:13:18,840
why is that being enforced now?

364
00:13:18,919 --> 00:13:19,039
Well,

365
00:13:19,159 --> 00:13:19,630
I mean,

366
00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:20,119
I don't know,

367
00:13:20,219 --> 00:13:21,080
it's just out of the blue.

368
00:13:21,119 --> 00:13:21,840
My boss was like,

369
00:13:21,849 --> 00:13:21,919
well,

370
00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:22,119
here,

371
00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:23,429
this is what we're gonna do now.

372
00:13:23,799 --> 00:13:25,640
If you don't have a contract number one,

373
00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:27,400
and or you don't have a well-written,

374
00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:28,330
well constructed,

375
00:13:28,479 --> 00:13:29,150
clearly

376
00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:30,789
drafted contract,

377
00:13:31,119 --> 00:13:32,469
you have nothing to fall back on.

378
00:13:33,830 --> 00:13:34,260
So,

379
00:13:35,020 --> 00:13:36,200
Food for thought,

380
00:13:36,489 --> 00:13:37,679
words to the wise.

381
00:13:38,650 --> 00:13:41,919
I really think that you all need to consider

382
00:13:42,409 --> 00:13:44,280
whether or not you've been classified,

383
00:13:44,650 --> 00:13:46,359
classified and categorized,

384
00:13:46,570 --> 00:13:46,809
wow,

385
00:13:46,929 --> 00:13:48,010
try to say those two,

386
00:13:48,450 --> 00:13:50,320
appropriately where you're working,

387
00:13:50,809 --> 00:13:53,400
and or if you have people working for you.

388
00:13:54,450 --> 00:13:56,929
Are you following employment guidelines?

389
00:13:57,650 --> 00:14:00,330
And are people actually being paid

390
00:14:00,739 --> 00:14:01,809
the way that they should be?

391
00:14:02,849 --> 00:14:05,849
And that was the first question that the lawyer asked me when I said,

392
00:14:05,929 --> 00:14:07,809
I want to bring on independent contractors.

393
00:14:07,890 --> 00:14:09,809
Can you draft me up an employment agreement?

394
00:14:09,929 --> 00:14:10,479
He was like,

395
00:14:11,260 --> 00:14:12,890
Are you gonna let them use your pens?

396
00:14:13,909 --> 00:14:14,719
And I was like,

397
00:14:14,830 --> 00:14:15,229
what?

398
00:14:15,849 --> 00:14:16,080
I mean,

399
00:14:16,119 --> 00:14:17,000
what a weird question,

400
00:14:17,039 --> 00:14:17,159
right?

401
00:14:17,260 --> 00:14:18,719
Like you're talking to an attorney and they're like,

402
00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:19,020
he goes,

403
00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:20,599
are you gonna let them use your pens?

404
00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:22,070
And I said,

405
00:14:22,479 --> 00:14:22,789
no,

406
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,030
they provide their own pens normally.

407
00:14:25,239 --> 00:14:25,400
I mean,

408
00:14:25,479 --> 00:14:26,409
I guess if someone said,

409
00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:27,359
Can I borrow one,

410
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:28,070
I might say yes.

411
00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:28,520
And he was like,

412
00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:28,760
no,

413
00:14:28,890 --> 00:14:29,469
you're not.

414
00:14:30,119 --> 00:14:33,150
You cannot provide them anything to do their job.

415
00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:35,130
And I mean,

416
00:14:35,169 --> 00:14:36,359
it's that clear.

417
00:14:36,729 --> 00:14:37,530
And here's what happens.

418
00:14:37,609 --> 00:14:37,630
You,

419
00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,080
you have someone come in from

420
00:14:40,530 --> 00:14:42,260
the department to audit,

421
00:14:42,690 --> 00:14:44,359
and that's the first thing they're going to ask,

422
00:14:44,690 --> 00:14:46,770
what does your employer provide you with?

423
00:14:47,609 --> 00:14:48,799
To do your job.

424
00:14:49,250 --> 00:14:51,599
And if you are hired as an independent contractor,

425
00:14:51,719 --> 00:14:54,880
and the only answer you can give is nothing.

426
00:14:55,770 --> 00:14:57,059
To have that not

427
00:14:57,530 --> 00:14:58,489
go really south,

428
00:14:58,570 --> 00:14:59,239
really fast.

429
00:15:00,919 --> 00:15:01,890
So,

430
00:15:01,929 --> 00:15:03,130
just wanted to make you aware,

431
00:15:03,210 --> 00:15:04,440
it's my little

432
00:15:04,890 --> 00:15:06,280
public service announcement,

433
00:15:06,409 --> 00:15:07,960
my duty to inform.

434
00:15:08,859 --> 00:15:12,099
I think we really need to evaluate what we're doing as an

435
00:15:12,099 --> 00:15:15,640
industry because we're already getting a pretty bad rap in the legal world

436
00:15:15,890 --> 00:15:16,859
and it's just it's,

437
00:15:16,929 --> 00:15:17,090
I mean,

438
00:15:17,210 --> 00:15:18,469
deservedly a bad rap,

439
00:15:18,530 --> 00:15:19,280
quite honestly,

440
00:15:19,729 --> 00:15:22,239
because I hear it and see it all the time.

441
00:15:23,070 --> 00:15:24,309
So just be mindful,

442
00:15:24,429 --> 00:15:25,260
be careful,

443
00:15:25,469 --> 00:15:26,609
get stuff in writing,

444
00:15:26,789 --> 00:15:28,869
have lawyers draw up your contracts,

445
00:15:29,030 --> 00:15:31,820
make sure that you are using wisdom

446
00:15:32,130 --> 00:15:32,880
and

447
00:15:33,590 --> 00:15:34,229
thought

448
00:15:34,590 --> 00:15:36,869
in the things that you're doing when you're getting hired.

449
00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:37,340
And look,

450
00:15:37,429 --> 00:15:39,789
if you're in a situation where you now know,

451
00:15:39,869 --> 00:15:40,510
oh my goodness,

452
00:15:40,630 --> 00:15:41,590
I am not,

453
00:15:41,789 --> 00:15:42,719
I'm not being

454
00:15:43,030 --> 00:15:44,340
categorized appropriately.

455
00:15:44,590 --> 00:15:47,429
I am 100% an employee based on these guidelines,

456
00:15:47,469 --> 00:15:48,119
but I'm

457
00:15:48,369 --> 00:15:48,659
You know,

458
00:15:48,940 --> 00:15:50,890
on the books as an independent contractor,

459
00:15:51,260 --> 00:15:55,210
you need to have a conversation with your boss or the owner or whoever is in charge.

460
00:15:55,659 --> 00:15:56,570
And if you are going,

461
00:15:56,659 --> 00:15:57,270
oh my goodness,

462
00:15:57,380 --> 00:16:00,340
I'm on like a handshake and a wink kind of deal where I

463
00:16:00,340 --> 00:16:03,169
work and I have nothing in writing and I have no contract.

464
00:16:04,020 --> 00:16:05,750
You need to have a conversation.

465
00:16:06,500 --> 00:16:07,330
You'd say,

466
00:16:07,539 --> 00:16:08,809
so I've been made aware of some things,

467
00:16:08,859 --> 00:16:10,929
I've been learning a lot about employment law,

468
00:16:11,619 --> 00:16:12,260
and

469
00:16:12,619 --> 00:16:15,169
I would really like to have a contract drawn up,

470
00:16:15,580 --> 00:16:20,659
or I would really like to be re-categorized because I'm technically an employee.

471
00:16:21,479 --> 00:16:22,429
And

472
00:16:22,630 --> 00:16:25,229
these are maybe potentially difficult conversations,

473
00:16:25,309 --> 00:16:26,549
but they're necessary ones.

474
00:16:27,719 --> 00:16:29,380
So I hope that that encourages you,

475
00:16:29,479 --> 00:16:30,039
supports you,

476
00:16:30,159 --> 00:16:32,390
and will help you in your work because

477
00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:33,270
we,

478
00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:34,320
we need to make sure that we're

479
00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,710
doing things legally and ethically and appropriately

480
00:16:37,919 --> 00:16:38,789
and sometimes

481
00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,330
that's not our responsibility when it starts,

482
00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,849
but it's our responsibility once we're made aware of

483
00:16:43,849 --> 00:16:45,830
something that is the way that it shouldn't be.

484
00:16:47,030 --> 00:16:47,270
All right,

485
00:16:47,429 --> 00:16:49,020
so palate cleanse episode,

486
00:16:49,109 --> 00:16:49,669
there you go,

487
00:16:49,750 --> 00:16:50,140
just

488
00:16:50,390 --> 00:16:50,900
little

489
00:16:51,270 --> 00:16:52,700
off the beaten path topic,

490
00:16:53,070 --> 00:16:55,820
and we will move into a new series next time.

491
00:16:55,989 --> 00:16:59,119
So this was just a a one and done kind of episode

492
00:16:59,510 --> 00:17:01,150
and I would love to hear from you if you'd

493
00:17:01,150 --> 00:17:03,650
like to reach out brenna@thekidcounselor.com.

494
00:17:04,030 --> 00:17:04,319
Oh,

495
00:17:04,510 --> 00:17:06,900
really quickly before we wrap up.

496
00:17:07,750 --> 00:17:10,380
Thank you to each and every one of you

497
00:17:10,868 --> 00:17:14,150
who has reached out to me and I have passed that on to Lee.

498
00:17:15,150 --> 00:17:16,770
For how

499
00:17:17,108 --> 00:17:17,618
that

500
00:17:17,910 --> 00:17:20,420
final neutrality episode and the

501
00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:21,189
write-up

502
00:17:21,630 --> 00:17:24,339
that Lee provided to us and let me read

503
00:17:24,829 --> 00:17:26,310
how that has impacted you.

504
00:17:26,569 --> 00:17:29,189
So many of you have asked if you can print it and

505
00:17:29,189 --> 00:17:32,180
frame it or hang it up somewhere or read it to yourself.

506
00:17:32,579 --> 00:17:33,510
Lee has graciously.

507
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:35,199
said absolutely yes.

508
00:17:35,449 --> 00:17:38,849
And I just wanted to say thank you for the feedback that you've given.

509
00:17:38,910 --> 00:17:40,479
I've passed it along to her.

510
00:17:41,010 --> 00:17:41,709
She is

511
00:17:42,050 --> 00:17:43,209
flabbergasted

512
00:17:43,530 --> 00:17:46,020
by the response and did not expect

513
00:17:46,329 --> 00:17:50,000
to have that shared and did not expect to have it have the impact that it has.

514
00:17:50,050 --> 00:17:50,410
So

515
00:17:51,030 --> 00:17:53,550
Huge thank you to each and every one of you for letting

516
00:17:53,550 --> 00:17:57,300
me know that that was so meaningful and that that really has just

517
00:17:57,550 --> 00:18:01,060
wrapped up the neutrality series for you in a really special way as it did for me.

518
00:18:01,189 --> 00:18:03,180
So I appreciate all of you letting me know that,

519
00:18:03,189 --> 00:18:04,339
and I promise I've,

520
00:18:04,630 --> 00:18:06,349
I've given credit where credit's due and I've

521
00:18:06,349 --> 00:18:08,400
passed along all of your appreciation and,

522
00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:10,260
and the impact that it's had.

523
00:18:10,829 --> 00:18:11,069
All right,

524
00:18:11,150 --> 00:18:11,510
love y'all.

525
00:18:11,589 --> 00:18:12,469
We'll talk again soon.

526
00:18:12,630 --> 00:18:12,829
Bye.

527
00:18:13,969 --> 00:18:16,729
Thank you for listening to the Play Therapy Podcast with Dr.

528
00:18:16,890 --> 00:18:17,890
Brenna Hicks.

529
00:18:18,010 --> 00:18:20,000
For more episodes and resources,

530
00:18:20,089 --> 00:18:24,829
please go to www.playtherapypodcast.com.

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