Podcast (group): Play in new window | Download | Embed
Have you wanted to be a traveling therapist? How can you still see clients legally while traveling the world? What are the benefits that you can appreciate from this experience?
In this podcast episode, LaToya Smith speaks about how to become a traveling therapist with Kym Tolson, LCSW, CSAC.
Podcast Sponsor: OKclarity
Are you a mental health or wellness professional looking to be found and trusted by the global Jewish community? Meet your ultimate solution: OKclarity.
OKclarity is the exclusive online marketing and directory platform designed for both Jewish and non-Jewish professionals who want to serve the global Jewish community. Fill your practice and improve your professional brand and online presence with their all-in-one platform.
OKclarity gives you everything you need to attract your ideal clients and promote the unique courses, workshops, and groups you bring to the wellness space.
Starting is simple. Plans begin with a one-time set-up fee of $775 and then just a $20 monthly membership fee. And of course, here’s an exclusive offer for Grow a Group Practice listeners: Mention JOE during your onboarding call for 4 months free!
Join the OKclarity community today. Visit
Professional memberships | OKclarity to learn more and schedule your call with an onboarding specialist.
Meet Kym Tolson LCSW, CSAC
As a therapist turned digital nomad, Kym’s transformed her passion for travel into an exhilarating lifestyle, living in Airbnb’s across the globe. Her journey has led her to create “Bill Like A Boss,” a thriving community where insurance-based therapists can learn and elevate their practices. Additionally, she has curated a unique membership community called The Traveling Therapist Membership designed to support therapists juggling work and travel.
Recently, she has integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into every aspect of her business, revolutionizing the way she works and interacts with her clients. This exciting development has led to the creation of the Clinical AI Club, a platform dedicated to exploring the intersection of AI and running a private practice.
Visit The Travelling Therapist and connect on Facebook and Instagram.
FREEBIE: How to become a traveling therapist
In This Podcast
- What is a traveling therapist?
- The legality
- Creating a traveling private practice
What is a traveling therapist?
I love to travel and once I realized that I could take my practice online and I could be pretty much anywhere, I decided to become a digital nomad.
Kym Tolson
Kym and her partner travel all around the world. They sold everything that they owned and put the rest into storage so that they could be freer without having to move with too many things each time.
They both work remotely and live in different AirBnB’s, so they get to work together while they travel together, and they’ve been on the road since February 2022.
What I hear you say is that, “I love to travel, I love being a therapist, we’re going to put these two together and make it work.”
LaToya Smith
The legality
Being a traveling therapist, it is important to make sure that you are doing everything correctly in terms of licensure and registration.
What you have to do is check with your licensing board to make sure that you’re allowed to not be in the state at the time of service. Most of them say [that] as long as your client is physically located in the state at the time of service you can be anywhere.
Kym Tolson
While ensuring that the clients you see are within the state that you are licensed in, you also have to check where you are providing service from.
Texas, Oklahoma, and Alaska are three states that have recently passed laws stating that you cannot practice therapy virtually with clients in other states while you are residing there.
Creating a traveling private practice
There’s a lot of research that’s required to do this well and correctly. Kym offers a free guide about how to be a traveling therapist with regards to the technology required, the basic legality, and how to communicate with clients!
Anybody can do this! You just need to do your research.
If your therapists [in a group practice] are traveling, you need to make sure they’ve got a HIPAA compliant connection which is something that’s easily done with something like Simple Practice.
Kym Tolson
As long as you are within regulation and everything is legally set up to protect yourself and your clients, then it’s a great benefit to consider offering your fellow clinicians if you have employees – or to try yourself!
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
- Visit The Travelling Therapist and connect on Facebook and Instagram.
- Professional memberships | OKclarity to learn more and schedule your call with an onboarding specialist.
Check out these additional resources:
- How To Use AI In Your Practice with Kym Tolson LCSW, CSAC | GP 185
- Practice of the Practice Network
- Group Practice Launch
- Group Practice Boss: www.practiceofthepractice.com/grouppracticeboss $149 a month
- PoP Group Practice Owners Facebook Group
- Free resources to help you start, grow, and scale
- Work with us
- Practice of the Practice Network
Meet LaToya Smith
LaToya is a consultant with Practice of the Practice and the owner of LCS Counseling and Consulting Agency in Fortworth Texas. She firmly believes that people don’t have to remain stuck in their pain or the place they became wounded. In addition to this, LaToya encourages her clients to be active in their treatment and work towards their desired outcomes.
She has also launched Strong Witness which is a platform designed to connect, transform, and heal communities through the power of storytelling.
Visit LaToya’s website. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Strong Witness Instagram, and Twitter.
