About

At Support for Mental Health Professionals, we are passionate about helping mental health clinicians and students at all levels thrive. We provide self care, professional and personal development information, and community peer-support groups via Zoom to help clinicians connect and learn from one another. We believe that by providing a safe and caring online space, we can empower clinicians to care for themselves so they can provide excellent care for their clients.

Our vision is a world where all mental health professionals have access to:

  • Self Care and Tools to Prevent Compassion Fatigue & Burnout

  • Caring & Safe Support

  • Personal & Professional Development Information which is affordable, applicable and research-based

  • Who

    My name is Julie Palmer and I am a mental health professional in Virginia and have been for eighteen years, and creator of this site. I’m an introvert and have ADHD. I hate small talk and wish I could socialize like others with ease and grace. I live for people’s stories and as mental health professionals we listen to many stories. It can scary though to tell our own stories. In November of 2019, I had the opportunity to start a Masters Degree in Clinical Counseling through Bellevue University.

  • The Experience

    It was of great value that my practicum and internship connected me through Zoom weekly with a diverse group of the best (I’m a little biased) future counselors from all over the country creating a safe place to discuss individual, supervisory, and regional differences. It also allowed for many stories, and deeper conversations, outside of our structured work environment, about how mental health work impacts us and influences the work we do with clients.

  • Goals

    In August of 2022, I graduated from the program and am now working on the next goals of completing the hours for counseling residency and a certificate in play therapy. I'm grateful for my educational experience and wondered if there was a way to connect with other clinicians online. Many professional organizations have meetings, but well, meetings are meetings, and usually do not build deeper connections. Although I studied clinical counseling, my first love was social work. I have experienced great value in connecting with others doing the work from different perspectives and diverse backgrounds.

  • The Idea

    Longing for a way to form a deeper connections with other clinicians and talk about mental health work in a meaningful way, the idea for an easy to access, structured, affordable, online community was created. Since COVID so many workers seem to be stressed out and wondering if this work is worth it. It can be very hard work. As a research nerd, I felt compelled, like only those with ADHD hyperfocus can understand, to add as many resources as possible to make the work easier. It is my hope that many perspectives and diverse voices will lead to learning, understanding, and growth.

  • Mental Health Professionals who are interested in learning about self care, personal and professional growth and are interested in connecting with peers across the country.

  • For the price of one lunch out per month, you will have access to a safe and caring online community and online resources that are formatted to give directly to clients.

  • Sessions are 45 minutes in length. Perfect to fit in if you have an outpatient client cancel or as a lunch break if you work in the community or a medical center. Each meeting will start with a self-care opening, introductions, topic discussion peer process group, and self-care closing.

  • “Process groups” refer to a group of up to 10 individuals that will meet virtually to share their ideas about a topic related to mental health work. Clinicians could process their reaction to their successes, struggles, concerns, fears, and challenges. The hope of these groups is that members will discover more about who they are and how they relate to others, making them more effective in their work. These will be peer lead groups.

  • A sector of the health care community that does not often receive recognition are those individuals working as social workers, counselors, therapists, case managers and peer supporters. Many of us provided care throughout the COVID pandemic. We delivered counseling and support in a variety of ways, through traditional in-person care and telehealth. We helped clients navigate many losses and grief while experiencing uncertainty ourselves. We checked in with individuals and families and made sure that crisis services were available when needed. We made sure that prescriptions were filled so that treatment was not interrupted. We provided transportation to appointments that took twice as long as usual. The days can be long and stressful and when you think your day is done, there is one more call, client or note to get in. You certainly don’t do it for the money. Thank You for being a light in this crazy world.

Questions?