Coaching
We all have to start somewhere and where we begin our careers often influence our quality of life and job satisfaction. Selecting and working in the right career is one of the most important decisions of adulthood. According to research, only 52.3% of Americans are satisfied with their job. Given this, we help professionals and students develop clear career goals and identify essential career resources. Through our career advising services you will develop skills to help you know yourself better and understand the world of social work and counseling.
Launching and operating a private practice, group practice or consulting business is not an easy accomplishment. We know that launching and operating a business can
be exciting, but also stressful and overwhelming at times. Given this, we offer
business advising to help you make key business decisions such as how to launch a business, how to structure your business, how to secure capital for your business,
how to market your business, how to scale your business and more importantly how
to sustain your business by making it profitable.
Business Coaching
– Guidance with starting or scaling a business.
– Support with developing SMART business goals.
– Advice to maximum your entrepreneurial gift.
– Support so you can win in business.
Career Coaching
– Starting a Career
– Would like to Change Careers
– Feel Stuck in Your Career
– Looking to Get a Promotion or Raise
Dr. Dwayne L. Buckingham, President & CEO, Buckingham Consulting Group, LLC
Dr. Buckingham is an award-winning entrepreneur, multiple 6-figure business owner and renowned consultant. He is the Chief Executive Officer of R.E.A.L. Horizons Consulting Solutions, LLC, founder of the You Deserve More women’s empowerment movement and President of the Empathy and Resilience Center, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3). Dr. Buckingham has over 20 years of experiences in clinical and community social work and founded his consulting firm in 2007 after serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force for nearly a decade.
He is passionate about helping inspiring and established social entrepreneurs create client-centered-profitable businesses. He’s also extremely committed to helping entrepreneurs “win” in business and has established a successful track record of winning himself. In 2017 he received the distinct destination of DMV Entrepreneur of the Year from Wes Adams’ State’s Attorney Office, Anne Arundel County, Maryland for his work as a community advocate, keynote speaker, resilience guru, author of 11 books, producer of 4 documentaries, real estate owner, janitorial business owner, relationship coach and organizational training consultant.
Business & Career Coaching Expertise:
Consulting Business Start-up and Scaling Telemental Health Practice Start-up and Scaling Business Development and Growth Income Diversification (consulting, coaching, book publishing, documentary production, affiliate, etc.) Workshop facilitation and Adult Learning Training Speaking for Pay Start a Social Work or Counseling Career Feel Stuck in Your Social Work Career Looking to Get a Promotion or Raise
Dr. Cara Alexander, LCSW-C, President & Founder, Embrace Life, LLC
Dr. Cara Alexander successfully grew a business from a solo practice to an outpatient behavioral health clinic employing a staff of 50 in less than 2 years. She currently owns Embrace Life, LLC where she provides psychotherapy, coaching and consulting services. Also, she has extensive experience in starting and expanding businesses designed to help others.
Dr. Alexander is dually licensed as an independent Clinical Social Worker in Georgia and Maryland. She is a Board-Certified Diplomate (BCD) in Clinical Social Work. She has over twenty-five years of experience in the field of behavioral health, HIV/AIDS, co-occurring disorders, and executive management. Her practice foundation is ingrained with extensive micro and macro practice in all types of integrated settings (including but not limited to-private and public hospitals, federal/military treatment facilities, community health, substance abuse treatment, home health, school settings, juvenile court systems). She has over eight years of experience teaching and mentoring graduate level social work students.
She has developed a unique niche in the global context as an International Subject Matter Expert specializing in international psychology. She managed projects that spanned across more than eight countries (South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, India, Ukraine, Caribbean regions and China). Her expertise has been utilized to provide technical assistance on implementation of direct service and systems strengthening activities for addressing the behavioral health drivers in HIV prevention, treatment and care.
Business Advising Expertise:
Private Practice Start-up and Scaling Quality Improvement and Accreditation, Business Development and Growth Career Advising Income Diversification (consulting, coaching, adjunct-professor)
Dionne M. Brown-Bushrod, LCSW-C, Owner, Prosperity Redefined, LLC
Intrigue in mental health and social conflict, Dionne founded Prosperity Redefined in July 1998 and quickly acquired over 39 new clients. To date, Dionne has served over 700 clients in her private practice.
Dionne believes that her success as business owner is a result of superb networking, quality clinical treatment and keen attention to administrative details.
She is on a mission to help fellow social workers and counselors reshape prosperity and peace for themselves and their clients. Dionne knows first-hand what it means to build a business from scratch without guidance. She used her wealth of experience as a clinician, clinical consultant, clinical director, presenter/ trainer, field instructor, and clinical social work supervisor to propel her business to the next level. Dionne helps her clients change their perspective and focus on what matters.
Business Advising Expertise:
Private Practice Start-up and Scaling Prosperity Development and Growth Training
Linda Johannisson, LCSW-C, President, Acceptance Telemental Health, LLC
Linda Johannisson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C), with over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. She founded Johannisson & Associates Counseling in 2007 to ensure that distraught individuals, couples and families had access to mental health clinicians and resources. As a cognitive-behavioral therapy focused therapist, she helps clients restructure their thinking and develop behavioral skills to overcome distress and adversity.
Linda served as a Lieutenant Commander in United States Navy from 1983 to 1989, where she gained a wealthy of business-related experience. Her time in the Navy taught her that the pathway to prosperity is to serve others. Linda believes that her military training played a critical role in developing her business acumen.
She enjoys being innovative and recently founded Acceptance Telemental Health, LLC a teletherapy platform that allows her to serve and treat clients from the comfort of their homes. Linda lives by her motto, “Self-acceptance is the key to social acceptance.”
Business Advising Expertise:
Private Practice Start-up and Scaling Business Registration Website design and development Telemental Health Start-up
Natasha Oates, LCMHC, Founder, UP Company, LLC
Natasha Oates is a 2x award-winning therapist, business owner, and keynote speaker. Natasha has been featured by many national publications including Fox, CBS, Reader’s Digest and Best Life Magazine.
She is living proof that you can go from the Coach to a Counselor in Business with perseverance and expert guidance. After 4 months of working on her private practice’s branding she went from seeing 6 clients per week to having a full caseload forcing her to hire staff to accommodate the growth.
She is the founder of The UP Company, providing outpatient counseling services, business coaching and keynotes. She is a board member for The Black Mental Health Symposium, a nationally recognized conference for mental health professionals. She enjoys giving back through her philanthropic work as a mental health committee member for The Premier Foundation and through her free community counseling program, Unlimited Perseverance.
Natasha has a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor. She inspires professionals through conferences, coaching and counseling services.
Business Advising Expertise:
Psychology Today Profile Client Magnet Business Branding Basics Extraordinaire Coach to Paid Speaker Coach
Indira Harris, LCSW-C, BCD, Chief of Behavioral Health Unit, Department of Homeland Security
Indira serves as Chief, Behavioral Health Unit within the Department of Homeland Security where she is responsible for supervising five behavioral health consultants and planning, directing coordinating, and evaluating all of the behavioral health services for the agency. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Board Certified Diplomate (BCD) with over 17 years clinical, management, and leadership experience working with children, families, groups, and communities in Florida and around the United States.
She is a Miami native and received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Florida State University, where she studied psychology and clinical social work, respectively.
Ms. Harris is currently a PhD student at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and studying Health Science. Throughout her clinical practice with children, adolescents, and adults, she has integrated mindfulness and meditation techniques to increase the coping skills, emotional and mental stability, and resilience of those she served.
Ms. Harris is a lifelong practitioner of meditation and yoga and these practices have significantly enhanced her emotional well-being and inner resilience.
Career Advising Expertise:
Starting a Social Work or Counseling Career Would like to Change Careers Feel Stuck in Your Career Looking to Get a Promotion or Raise
ADVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES
BASWC advisors have the responsibility of:
- Informing entrepreneurs of the nature of the advisor relationship.
- Helping entrepreneurs clarify and develop realistic business goals/plans.
- Assisting entrepreneurs in developing a business consistent with their abilities and interests.
- Monitoring entrepreneurs’ progress toward business goals.
- Discussing and reinforce linkages and relationships between business aspirations and resources (e.g., capital, skill set, support and time).
- Discussing business tracks (e.g., launch, accelerate, build).
- Maintaining an advising file for each entrepreneur.
- Referring entrepreneurs when their business needs and desires require assistance by other BASW professionals.
- Assist advisees in identifying business growth opportunities.
- Developing a caring relationship with entrepreneurs.
- Informing entrepreneurs of resources available to them for growth, development and prosperity.
- Keeping scheduled advising appointments.
ADVISEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Advisees have the responsibility of:
- Keeping scheduled appointments and being prompt for sessions.
- Making payments on time.
- Completing homework assignments.
- Being responsive to advisors’ recommendations.
- Demonstrating a willingness to listen and take action to ensure growth.
- Eliminating excuses for business stagnation.
- Embracing challenges for emotional growth from a business perspective.
- Committing to the advisor and advisee relationship.
- Arranging their schedule to ensure that adequate time is given to develop their business.
- Seeking advice, conducting research and implementing suggestions.
Advising Services
Free 20 Minute Consulting Session
This session is designed to educate you about the advising process and to determine how we can best serve you. At the conclusion of the session you will be advised on how to select your advisor and on next steps.
Three Month Advising Package
This package was designed to provide individualized guidance to inspiring entrepreneurs on a weekly basis. All things business will be discussed with your advisor to include, but not limited to launching a business, business planning, business structuring, marketing, client acquisition, revenue growth and financial prosperity.
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Your advisor will meet with you for a one-hour one-to-one session via telephone or video conferencing.
Sessions will address questions and/or challenges ranging from launching a business to scaling and everything in between.
If you have specific questions and desire customized guidance as an inspiring or new social entrepreneur, our two-month package is ideal for you.
12 sessions/50 minutes per week – $1,500.00
Monthly payment of $500 or One Time Payment of $1,300.00
Student 12 sessions/50 minute rate – $1,080.00
Monthly payment of $90.00 or One Time Payment of $900
Individualized Business Advising
One-to-one individualized advising sessions were designed for inspiring and established entrepreneurs who require occasional guidance regarding operational effectiveness, revenue growth strategies, marketing, profit generation, personnel issues, scaling and other common business challenges.
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50-minut session – $130
Student rate: 50-minutes – $80
Non-member rate: $170
Group Advising Session
Group advising sessions were designed for inspiring and established entrepreneurs who have their own goals, but would like to network with individuals who may be in similar phases in their idea formation or business. Individuals benefit from peer learning with others and the collective wisdom of the group.
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1 hourly session – $60 per person
Non-member rate: $75
Individualized Career Advising
One-to-one individualized career advising sessions were designed for professionals and graduate students who require guidance regarding their future career paths in social work or counseling.
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50-minute session – $130
Student rate: 50-minutes – $80
Non-member rate: $170
What Next?
- Select the advisor that you desire to work with.
- Schedule your FREE 20-minute consultation.
- Check your email for an appointment confirmation.
- Upon completion of your free consultation, you will be redirected to purchase your sessions and book your sessions.
*Note: If you purchase the advising package, all sessions must be completed within three months..