Therapist Spotlight: Family Therapy and Insurance Panels with Brandi Chiarello
This Therapist Spotlight is a part of our interview series with experienced Mental Health Practitioners, where therapists share their experiences in Private Practice Therapy.
What was one of the biggest problems you struggled with and ultimately solved in the beginning of your private practice? What solution did you find to your (perhaps persisting) problem?
The biggest problem was getting clients. It was resolved by getting in network with a few insurance companies and making contact with a psychiatrist who is now referring me clients.
What advice would you give to a budding mental health practitioner just getting licensed?
That the best way to get clients is to network and the second best is to get in-network 🙂
What makes you and your practice, your approach, unique? How are you different?
I think the thing that makes me unique is my approach. I am warm and friendly and I emphasize listening above and beyond evaluation and assessment. My clients are people first. Diagnoses are background information that can be helpful to look at, but are not central to who my client is. I allow my clients to tell me the approach that they need with regards to directive vs. nondirective. I can “just listen” and allow my clients to process through their thoughts and emotions during our sessions or I can do that IN ADDITION TO offering coping ideas, homework assignments, and accountability to the goals they have set. Every client seems to have a preference on one or the other, and I always try to make sure that I know that preference. I make sure my clients are getting what they need from our therapy! Finally, it should also be noted that I have worked with children of ALL AGES from Infant Mental Health (with ages 0-3) to play therapy with children and activity therapy with young adolescents. I know how to cater my therapy to meet the developmental needs of the child.
Please let us know about you: where are you located, any specialties, credentials, and educational background. How should someone get in touch with you?
I am a child, adolescent, and family therapist. I do play therapy, activity therapy, and talk therapy. The bulk of my clients are struggling with anxiety of some sort (generalized anxiety, panic attacks, OCD, social anxiety, test anxiety, etc.); however, I also work with clients coping with general life stressors as well as issues like depression, trauma, family discord, and parenting. I am located in Dallas at 17440 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 216 Dallas, TX 75287. I am an LPC as well as a board approved supervisor of LPC interns. I have a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from UNT and had 2 1/2 years of internship under Brandy Schumann, PhD, an amazing play therapist in McKinney, TX. The best way to reach me is by email at brandi@family-1st-counseling.com; however, if calling is preferred my phone number is 469.321.6006.
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