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Hi everyone, Dr. Patrick McGrath, Chief Clinical Officer for NOCD. If you're looking for help for OCD or related conditions, check us out@nocd.com that's n o c d dot com. We work with all sorts of insurances and we do work in Australia, Canada, the UK and right here in the US of A too. We'd be happy to meet with you to help you deal with what we know is an overwhelming experience of OCD and related disorders. Because we want to help you live the life that you want to live and not the life that OCD wants you to live. Today I'm passing the mic back to Barbara and Alexi, two NOCD therapists who are living this day to day work at nocd. They'll share with you the virtual work environment, what it's really like, how flexibility actually works in practice, and to what extent when it comes to metrics and support. We help people to make sure that they're successful as therapists. And now. Hi Barbara and Alexi.
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Hi everybody, it's Barbara.
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Hi and it's Alexi and welcome back. In our last episode we were kind of touching on some OCD erp, what it's like to work here at an OCD and how rewarding it can be. We also touched on a little bit of like the creativity piece of it and just how meaningful it is to work with our members and being ERP specialists. And so today with this episode, we're going to move into behind the scenes. Right. What's it like to be a therapist at no cv? And so I guess, Barbara, do you want to take it all, take it away with the, what's, what's the work environment like?
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C
Absolutely. So we are fully remote, which I think is an amazing quality of life improvement for me because I can kind of roll out of bed, get ready, have all my snacks, get drinks when I need to be in my own like comfortable space, which is really nice. But I think that also benefits the members too and the fact that they're in their comfortable space. So we both kind of come more ready to work in a way. Like I think back to previous jobs when I had to like drive to work or drive to the office, you know, driving 30, 40, 45 minutes and by the time you get there you kind of feel like you're in a rush a little bit. You kind of like gotta get in there and now you gotta read your notes, now you gotta. And doing it fully remote for me has been a big change for me because then I can just get up, have a lot of sleep, because I'm able to not have to get up to do that commute and then get ready how I wanna be for the day and walk in here to my personal office, which is decorated how I wanna decorate it, which I also love, and kind of just be more ready for members in my mindset and mind frame. What do you think, Alexi? How is it for you?
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A
Totally. I. I'm gonna take all the words you share, and I'm just gonna use them as my answer, because I. I absolutely agree. The fact that you're saving so much time on, like, from commuting and, you know, being in la. Oh, my goodness, the traffic.
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C
It's.
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They say rush hour is from, like, four to something. It's all day, you know, and so I'm. I'm saving myself, like, hours of time from driving. I think what you mentioned, like, with having your snacks. Oh, my gosh, I have so many drink cups here. That secret. I'm just, like, filling up during the session that I know. I feel like I'm better staying hydrated. I think just saving money from not having to, like, rush out the door and then be like, oh, no, I forgot my lunch, or I forgot this, and, you know, feeling like I have to stop and then go get something where, you know, when you're at home, you have all these things here. Um, definitely easier to meal prep and just kind of, I think, overall have the things you need readily available. I also agree, also, being fully remote, we're able to meet members is where they're at and be able to meet them maybe at earlier times before they go to work, maybe in the middle of the day during our lunchtimes, where maybe their commute might be really far, but because they can just kind of hop on a zoom call, you know, we can meet them during our breaks as well. And so that definitely makes it a lot easier to, you know, reach members who might not necessarily be able to do it in, like, a traditional therapy setting.
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C
Absolutely. And, you know, I noticed another benefit that I think benefits me, but also the members, is that I'm more flexible and willing to meet members at times. I typically wouldn't want to be working, you know, in the afternoon. And, you know, when you work in private practice or you work at a location, you want to put all your clients back to back and kind of get them all in, because you're all in that same space. But working remotely lets me change that a little bit. Like, if I have a member who just wants to be seen you know, one person late at night, well, I'm already home. So that commute to go to the office barrier is already removed for me. So I'm oftentimes more willing to kind of pop in and do that session and be happier in the session, like more present. So I'm not thinking about traffic or the drive home or how that looks. And I think that makes it a little bit easier for members to get the flexibility they need to be seen, but also for me to be more comfortable kind of offering extra time slots open and kind of do that type of work for me.
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Right, no, absolutely.
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I.
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It kind of reminds me of just the limitations working in like, in a actual, like, location, especially for those, like, higher levels of care. I know oftentimes, right. The hours are from like 9 to 4. And like you mentioned, you know, people are working, they're not going to be able to have that care or access to care. And then also the travel times. And so it definitely limits, you know, how much treatment they can, you know, get to. And so the fact that we can be available later in the evening can be so accommodating. I also know, like, even thinking about, like, community mental health, when I had to, like, travel to members, you know, know, most of my day, I think, was in a car. And so the fact that I can be able to, you know, see more people because I'm not commuting definitely helps get more, you know, more done and, you know, see more people when who needs it, rather than having a very limited caseload because of, you know, how far I have to travel.
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C
I agree. I think it's a great point. And even thinking about how work from home allows us a little bit of those, like, niceties for our personal choice. Like, for me, I got to pick the chair that fits best for me that helps me to not have, you know, back pain or anything from like, sitting. And then I also have a sit stand desk. So right now I'm sitting, but this desk can go standing for me and then I can be working standing and be comfortable both ways. So that flexibility too, of having like the station set up the way that I want to set it up makes a big difference for me personally.
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A
Yeah, yeah, no, that's a great point too, because I know in some. Some places you're sharing offices, so you don't really often have that opportunity to decorate as you want, have that personal touch. And not to say that, you know, is this a thing or not, but like, people touching your things. Like, it's nice to know, like, this is my space. When I opened up my computer, it's left off with where, you know, I. Or it has where I left off. And I know where things are rather than feeling, feeling like things got moved around because I know in previous practices too, right, where they'll have like, maybe a hybrid. So working sometimes from home, working sometimes in the office. But then when I'm working at home, someone's using my office. And so it's like, can I even trust that, you know, they're throwing things away or they're putting things back? Often, like, I have lots of, lots of toys that I'd have for kids would play with and they'd be, you know, put everywhere else other than the place that they were supposed to be. And so knowing like, this is my protected space definitely adds a lot of that comfort piece. You know, I'm feeling more attentive to members and worrying about, you know, the little things around us.
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C
I agree. And when I hear some people, like, considering work from home as a therapist, I also hear people kind of consider how they might be disconnected from being with other clinicians. And I think here at nocd, we make a big change to make that not where we're feeling. So, like, for me personally, I find it really enjoyable to be able to, like, disengage, not have coworkers interrupt when I really need to focus on my note. And then as soon as I am ready for engagement, there's always somebody available at some point. I can message somebody in slack, I can hop on a Zoom call, I can go to a consult group. Like, there's always a way to connect. Plus, we do little fun activities all the time and things like that. What's your experience with that part of nocd?
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No, absolutely. I mean, I think there's. There's a little bit of a reality that, you know, as therapists, our sessions are going to be by ourselves. Right. I think there's just a thing we must recognize, like, everything's confidential. We don't necessarily talk about these things, and that's okay.
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C
Right?
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I think that's kind of the job we signed up no matter where we go. But I think what makes it a little bit more special working on no CD is that like you said, right. It's like we have that ability to slack someone so quickly and there will always be someone. Like, and I know we're not supposed to say black and white things, but, like, truly, there's always someone there because working at, you know, again, previous places, they're. They're busy, their Doors close. And, like, that sucks. You know when you're, like, trying to peek your head out and you're like, okay, is there someone I can talk to? But all the doors are closed. And, you know, I can assume that during other sessions, but still, it's like that sense of. I felt more cut off working in an office seeing that, like, there's not a lot of people to connect personally. Whereas here, even though we are virtual, there's just so many people who want to connect. I mean, I think back to our NOLA trip. Like, how many people were like, I think I recognize you from this, like, little square, but it's so exciting to meet you. And just the sheer level of energy that people. People brought, it felt so different from, like, even any, I guess, work appreciation trip I've ever been on. Because, you know, oftentimes when you go on these trips, people are like, oh, you're. You're so and so from this department. Okay. Whereas it was completely the opposite. You know, it was just like, oh, my gosh, I love what you do. Thank you so much. Right. So much positivity that I'm like, okay, Even. Even this being remote, that energy's carried through all the events, all the opportunities, like you said at nocd.
- [10:33]
C
Yeah. I'm glad you brought up that NOLA trip, because you actually reminded me of how I felt in the moment when I walked down to the big lobby and all the therapists filled that entire lobby. There was so many of us, and I was kind of looking around like, okay, I don't think I, like, really know anyone. And then I had a whole group of people that came up to me immediately, knew my name, and I was like, oh, wow. Like that. Just the feeling you get when you're known, even when you don't get to connect in person all the time. It was just a phenomenal feeling. And I think that made a good point of, like, how well we are able to connect. And even thinking about, like, our diverse set of clinicians and how we're all in different time zones, what time you choose to work, there's going to be somebody in some time zone that's, like, on and available and, like, willing to connect, which I find to be just so exciting. As well as the availability of managers, because the managers are on different time zones too. So, like, if you need extra support for a reason like that, you also have that available, which is awesome. Right?
- [11:39]
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Totally. No, it's so cool to see. Yeah. Just see the availability and connection that we can all have, which I Guess makes me think of like, you know, how, how flexible is your role, you know, working at no City? Maybe in comparison to like other, other jobs, what's the flexibility like there?
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C
Great question. So for me, I consider no City to be very flexible, but I think it also kind of pairs with my working mindset and like how much I do want to see members pretty often. So my schedule, like Monday to Thursday, I'm working in between the hours of like 9 to 8pm I do take a pretty large gap in the middle of the day. I have like a two hour break that's off work time based on how I set up my personal schedule. Because I know that if I can see a bunch of clients, then I have that time to go to the doctor, go get lunch, go to the beach for a minute, do whatever I need to do, go get my nails done. I come back more rejuvenated. So that second half of the day, it doesn't feel like it's droning on and on. It just feels like I got to do something within my day and I get to work. So I do work late some hours. But once I hit my Friday, I've also set it up to where my Friday feels like a half day. So I work my morning time and then I tend to be out by 12 or 1 o' clock. And I get to have what feels like a three day weekend because me and my husband, we love to travel. So having that Friday night to be like, we could go somewhere or take a trip or drive somewhere, it kind of really just frees up my availability for flexibility. So I make it to where it's flexible for members because members do need those evening spots that Monday to Thursday they do. We need to be flexible in that way to be able to see them and care for them. But then it works for me because I get my weekends in a way that feels rejuvenating. So by the time I hit Monday again, I'm like, oh, I'm good to go. Like, let's do this. How's your schedule like or how do you make it work for you?
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Totally. I, I feel like coming in, we had this very conversation of like, yeah, how are you going to, you know, schedule your schedule? And I will say, honestly, I think starting off, because I was so used to a traditional like nine to five, um, and we had, you know, got to work those evening hours, I set it up where I was like, okay, I guess I'm going to just do long blocks for each of the day. I'll have one Shortened day as well. And I think the fact that, like, getting to make a schedule of my own choosing, first off, was just such a cool freedom. Like, I don't think I've ever had that in a job before. Right. Other places, working higher level of care or community mental health, it was very much like 8 to 4, 9 to 5, right. Just like those specific blocks. And so to be able to say, like, oh, I can sleep until 10 or 11, right. But see members until later in the evening was a really cool idea. But then I, you know, you inspired me. I was like, you know, these are. These hours are feeling long. Maybe I should have that kind of break in the middle of the day. And when I put in that request, typically at these other. At another previous job, they're like, you can only change your schedule once a year. I'm like, oh. And so when I put in a request, I noted they're like, okay, well, we'll change it as soon as possible. And I'm like, what? Really?
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Yeah.
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And they're like, yeah, we can totally change it. I mean, obviously, don't make it a habit, of course, but like, the, the idea that you could change your schedule based on the current situation or what's going to best, you know, accommodate even your schedule as a therapist, I thought was such a cool, cool, you know, like, give, take thing. Right. It's like, not only are we providing, you know, for our members, but I love that it was that kind of therapist first where it's like, okay, you know, you take care of members, we'll take care of you. And I thought that was so special about, you know, being able to tailor my, My day. And so now I. I'm. Mine is similar to you, Barbara, where I'll start at 8, I'll work until, like, the afternoon, have a, you know, a big break in between, and then I'll work those evening hours. And sometimes waking up early is a little tough. I will say, well, I won't lie. But oh, my goodness, having that, that block in between, I'll take naps, I'll go for walks. It. It very much is very rejuvenating. And being able to, like, even do a grocery run before the rush hour, it's. It's really cool. And like, I don't. I don't know of any other job that does that other than, like, I would and imagine, like private practice. But I think with that, I think at ocd, we are salaried clinicians. And so, you know, if we have a cancellation, if we have any Kind of other adjustments. It doesn't change our pay, right? Our pay is still the same. So just having some, I guess, little comparisons with, like, a private practice setting.
- [16:37]
C
I agree, it does. And it feels pretty stable. And just getting that time in the middle of the day for me to, like, go out and be in the sun, it just completely changes how I feel about, like, my work life balance. And then I've also noticed a big benefit for me is when you're hitting your metrics all the time. As a therapist, you have a lot of flexibility and you want to be flexible with your members. So if I have a member who typically gets seen, you know, at a time that I have something I want to be doing, and I ask them, hey, you want to reschedule to another time? Is there any other time that works for you? Oftentimes my members will be like, oh, yeah, this time actually works better. This time works better. And I can move that and then do the thing that I need to do during that time. So that's what we call, like, flex time here. So you're able to move things around. I'm still seeing that member within the week, but it's just at a different time than I might typically see them. And when you flex that time, as long as it's within the week, you don't have to go seek out extra permission to do so. And I find that to be really beneficial. And when I am flexible with my members, they have been flexible with me. So if I want to do that for myself, there's an appointment or a thing I need to get to. They tend to be pretty flexible with me because I offer, you know, around their schedule as well. Like I kind of mentioned earlier, somebody meets an off time. I don't typically work that maybe I don't typically want to work, but they need it that week because they have an appointment or they have finals week or they have a big work trip coming up, I just move them into that slot. I. I move it around how it works for me, and then we're kind of all happy. So I've noticed that's a big benefit too.
- [18:19]
A
Yeah, no, I'm glad that you brought that up because that's. That's essentially what flex time is. Like you said, I. I had no idea what flex time or what that even meant because I know, right. Other jobs don't necessarily mean, give you that opportunity. And, you know, if you were to try to add someone outside of your normal schedule, you have to, like, ask for permission. And by that time, right I'm sure the member is frustrated and you're frustrated. Like, we're just gonna have to wait a whole week, and that's, you know, what does that do for member Karen? So I think the fact that we're able to say, like, okay, yeah, I don't normally, you know, me during this time, but I'm so open to. To scheduling here and make it work, and you definitely build a much stronger trust and bond with your members that, you know, it makes, you know, makes life a little bit easier sometimes.
- [19:05]
C
I agree totally. And I even think about how, as my life changes as a clinician, how I might need to update my schedule in the future or how new people coming in maybe will need to update their schedule. Like, if, you know, somebody needs to work on their childcare or their significant other's schedule changes, as long as we're within those hours that are required of us, we can change it around. Like, if I didn't want to work evenings, I could work weekends instead. I just choose to work the evenings instead of the weekend because that's how I prefer it for my life right now. But I'm thinking about, like, my husband, he might start working weekends, so maybe then I want to work weekends so we can have evenings together. So the fact that we can change that and update that as we need to, and it still benefits the members, I think that's a key marker here is, yes, it benefits me, but it still benefits our members, too, because that's the times that they typically need to be seen. I find that to be a really cool balance between it.
- [20:05]
A
No, absolutely. Yeah. Just the. The freedom to be able to work with your schedule has just been very freeing and I guess a level of power that, you know, one might not necessarily have in another place. And so you're totally right. Absolutely.
- [20:22]
C
And we kind of touched a little bit on metrics, and we did a little bit last time, too. But I wanted to get your take on metrics and how that works here at nocd.
- [20:31]
A
Yeah. So, yes, I know metrics is a big word. It might scare some people, but honestly, like, the way that NOCD does metrics, as I can, I guess understand, it's really based on just trying to help the member get better. And they. These are assessments that you might see in other places where it's like, oh, we got to do this because of insurance purposes, which, I mean, don't get me wrong. Yes, we do it for insurance purposes too, but, like, they seem nonsensical, and I. I know there might be some frustrations where, you know, like, oh, this member doesn't want to fill it out. There's so many to do, right, because it can, it can pile on. And I, I feel like I had a previous experience though, where before every session, the member, right at another job, they had to fill out an assessment every session. We'll clarify here that the main, their main treat treatment might, let's say ocd. It gets sent out every three weeks. So in comparison to like every time, to every three might be a good kind of like a consideration to say, like, okay, that's not as bad. And then the other ones, they're sent out like every six weeks and, and then there's one, I think send out every 12. And so yes, there's a, there's a, probably a time where they all kind of land together. But it's, it's really cool to see, you know, how they're doing and being able to use that not only to show member progress, I think just helpful reminders for ourselves on the work that we're doing. Like, sometimes they can be kind of bothersome and mundane, but honestly, when I do the actual metrics with the members, I even, you know, use that opportunity to say like, okay, it's not a mark on like how I am as a therapist, but I'm seeing these numbers maybe sustained, right. Things aren't kind of dropping, but things aren't like going up, I guess. What, what are maybe some little things that we can, you know, work on to help keep like improving what's going on here. And I think just having that opportunity to have those conversations is so meaningful versus what, you know, the other ones that felt so nonsensical. You know, it's just like there's one assessment that's generalized and it's not really diagnostic. It's just like, how are we doing? It's like, how, how can I even take a conversation from these assessments? Right? Like, to me those felt really pointless, but here they felt very meaningful because they are not only evidence based assessments, but like they're focused on what you're working, working on. But what do you think?
- [23:07]
C
Yeah, I appreciate you sharing like how you've experienced those things in other jobs because for me personally, I didn't work a job that really tracked metrics until I came to no cd. So it was a brand new thing for me. I heard a lot of like negative feedback when you would kind of look up nocd. Like a lot of people are like scoring well, they track metrics. They track metrics. Um, that didn't kind of scare me off because I thought to myself, well, tracking metrics doesn't have to be bad because at least I'll get recognized if I'm doing well. Okay? So I was thinking about it that way. And so when I came in and I learned about the metrics, I actually got even more excited because every metric has a purpose. And it is not only telling about how our treatment is going, because it's supposed to inform treatment, but it lets me know ways that I could improve if I need to improve, or it lets me know I'm doing really well. So I get that constant reassurance, hey, I'm doing good here. And what I'll notice, like, metric wise, is we have a page on our side, a clinician side. We can always see how our metrics are going. So it's not some hidden thing or it's not brought up to you just in meetings. You have control over your own metrics. You can look at it, you can see what maybe you need to improve on, maybe what you're doing well on. And I really like how simple and easy it is to navigate, and I like how NOCD tracks it. We have expectations, but if a metric drops for a specific reason, like there's an explanation, it's not a big deal, right? What matters is our progress over time. And all these metrics are actually meant to show how we're helping members, which is ultimately the goal. As a clinician, we want to help people. So if the metrics are about helping people, I think that just goes hand in hand with, like, our purpose and what we want to do and how we want to be doing. And when you bring up the DOC score, the one that we take every three weeks with members, I find that to be really helpful for my treatment. And I always explain to them, like, this is more about what I can be focusing on with you in treatment. And also it helps us celebrate the members. I really enjoy that part of it because a lot of times when you get wrapped up in ocd, you don't get to kind of remember how bad it was at one point, because it always feels bad in that part of treatment that they're at. So when they get to reflect back and be like, okay, that's a. That's a big change for me. I can see the kind of, the relief in their face. And so I even had that conversation today, and it was just really exciting. And knowing that I'm going to get rewarded as a clinician when my members are doing well just feels so Right. And so ethical in that way.
- [25:45]
A
Right. And not only like reward, like the internal reward, like we're helping them, you know, reclaim their lives and live the life that they want. We actually get bonuses, right. For every treatment conqueror, we get like monetary bonuses that, you know, add to our paycheck at the end of every quarter. And I think the fact that it is so individualized is, is super cool because you are getting rewarded for the work you're, you're doing. And yeah, no, my previous work was very metrics based too, but it was all about like a group metric which made it so much more worse than like individualized because it was very polarizing.
- [26:22]
C
Right.
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A
Like, because it was a whole group thing. Some people might just skate on by because they know that there's going to be people out there that are like, I want to make it right. I want to make sure we, we hit this, this bonus. And even these bonuses had a cap, right. Like for however much work you might do throughout the entire year, it caps off and then the people who aren't really caring about the bonus, then it drops. And so your performance isn't, you know, equally or rightfully measured based on how you're doing. And I find myself, like, kind of stuck in that dilemma looking at my other jobs where I, of course, I don't want to be that person that skates by because it's not just like me, because I don't do this job for just the paycheck.
- [27:07]
C
Right.
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A
Like, I do it because I, I care and I want people to succeed and I want them to, you know, feel good about themselves and, you know, be able to see that progress. But with that, you know, in these different, the, the other jobs that I had meant, then, oh, it looks like I could take on more. And so then it would add more and more. But then for those who, it looks like they're struggling right now, they, they would give them less and.
- [27:32]
C
Right.
- [27:33]
A
Again, add to these polarized ends and feeling like me leading to burnout much quicker, not getting the, that reward or recognition. And even if I were to say something right in, in the previous jobs would be, you know, often the response is, oh, you can't do, you can't do as much. It was like, wait a minute, wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's not that I'm saying I can't do as much. I think it just, it feels unfair, you know, And I think the fact, you know, coming here to nocd that things are based on what you're doing. You have your individualized page. As you said, Barbara, you're able to see and track your growth and your progress. You are getting rewarded for your work. And that if you want to be someone who skates on by, I don't know if you'll get a bonus then, which is, you know, for you, if that's fine, sure.
- [28:23]
C
But.
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A
But I think the fact that, like, we, we get to see our work and get to see that in. In that. In those bonuses, too, is just an extra, you know, cherry on the top or. Yeah, cherry on top of the cake kind of deal. Absolutely.
- [28:39]
C
And I don't mind accountability, especially when it comes with positive recognition. Right. So if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, you're going to succeed here. I think that's the bottom line, is just do what you need to be doing and everything's great and you have all these opportunities to meet those extra bonus markers if you want to. Like, I know that I track mine because I think about the trip I want to go on or the money I want to save for the thing I'm doing in the next year. And that motivates me even more to open up extra slots for members and do a little extra work because I know it's going to result in positive benefits for members and positive benefits for me. And that just seems like marry the two things and they're the best it could be. Right. So that's what I love about it. And being able to kind of see everything transparently is also a big benefit to me because I love the, the fact that we can always look at our metrics, we can talk about them if we want to, and how that works transparently. You're not getting surprised by anyone. So I find that to be beneficial.
- [29:43]
A
Yeah, totally. No, I'm happy you brought up, like, saving up for trips because I, I know as adults our hobbies get a little bit more expensive, but, you know, the fact that, like, just a nice little chunk of change added. Yeah, totally. Saving that for those fun travel plans or for those future vacations. And so, no, it definitely feels like a win, win. I think another point I'm sure maybe we've gotten, like, maybe negative feedback on is like metric as, like a pressure. Right? Or like, feeling like I have to meet this, like, are there any consequences? And I think for me, I think of it as like, like you said, they're. They're talking points. Right. And again, working. Working in an environment before here where metrics was very focused. There was pressure, though, from management to say, like, you have to maintain this. If you don't, we're going to put you on probation or right. Like there was always some kind of negative consequence and I wonder if, you know, if people are speaking to that. Whereas, you know, metrics here is more like, we're not here to punish you, we're just here to, you know, think, think more through, like, how can we be better ERP specialists? Right? How can we practice? I know we've been focusing a lot more on response prevention because I, I don't know about you, but I have a lot of members who are amazing at doing the exposure piece. They are sobering, they want to dive in to do all the exposures. But now what we're getting stepped on is response prevention, which that is adding to the metric and so recognizing like, oh, it's not about me, it's not about them. I think we just need to add the fact like response prevention is a little bit more key here rather than, you know, other things. And I think that helps me become a better therapist rather than seeing these metrics as like, oh, I'm bad, I'm not doing good, there's some consequence, I'm losing out on salary.
- [31:33]
C
Right?
- [31:33]
A
Like there's no other consequence other than just this is just helping you be a better therapist.
- [31:40]
C
I agree. I definitely think a lot of it is mindset based too. For me personally, I already put enough pressure on myself to do what I think is right and like be there for members. So the fact that I, it automatically feels like recognition to me is the way that I like to take it. So I don't feel like I'm overly looking at metrics because I'm already doing my best and that tends to follow. So I think that's really beneficial. So if people come to NOCD and they are that person that always wants to be doing their best, they're probably not going to be bothered by the metric based counting because it's already a part of how they operate and all it does is give that positive feedback. Like I watch every week we have that Tuesday that comes out in Slack where it shows like top people with these certain metrics this week. I love seeing those because number one, I love seeing other clinicians and whose name's on there and who might I want to consult with or talk to or like, hey, I don't do well in that metric. Let me go ask them how they're doing well in that metric. But also sometimes I'm on those and it just feels good to be like, huh, okay, like I was on there. That's nice. So there's little things like that that are constant recognition, positively surrounding metrics at nocd. And I think that's another key component of how we operate as a company.
- [32:56]
A
Right? Yeah, no, absolutely. I guess kind of wrapping things up. What, what would you say to someone who, you know, wants to work here and like, what would make them successful in this environment?
- [33:12]
C
I think I would say, number one, I love it personally. I think if you're willing to work hard and you want to help people get better and you want to try to learn a new thing and be willing to implement it every day all the time, you're going to really succeed here at NOCD and be happy. If you like all those little niceties of like having your own space and building your schedule and you're willing to be flexible for members to get the time slots they need as well, you're probably going to really love it here. So I think those are some really big benefits. What about you, Alexi?
- [33:46]
A
Yeah, no, I think the, the remote work for first off is such a, like, you know, job grabber because it's like I don't have to commute. Right. Like, that's awesome. And I think what might help this clinician be successful in this environment is knowing that just because we're at home, you know, you still gotta be professional. We still have to, you know, do the tough work. And it can be, you know, there can be a world in which maybe I can show up in my PJs. Don't do that. You know, it's. It's still a professional environment and that work is hard. But if you're, you know, if you're like us and you know, every day, you know, coming here is like going to, you know, a location. It's just at home, you know, I think you're going to do really well. And I think being able to be your own boss while managing. Right. Your different numbers and that flexibility piece, because I do think like, you know, sometimes working until 9 sucks, but to have the freedom of like a half day on Friday, right. Or the freedom to like, really get to sleep in on another day, you know, it's nice to know that we have that kind of flexibility when it comes to like, you know, managing cases. Care, coordination, yes, there's all these other things, but I mean, what job doesn't have that, right? And I think again, just being able to, to being able to do it at your time, your pace at home, minus the other things that we've kind of talked about it. I think you would like do really well and succeed in this environment.
- [35:25]
C
Yeah, I agree. Thanks for talking about this, Alexia. I think it was a really important topic.
- [35:30]
A
Totally. I agree. Awesome.
- [35:33]
B
As you can see, working at NOCD offers a lot of advantages. There's flexibility and support, and there's even the ability to focus deeply on evidence based care. But it's also structured and there's a real commitment to delivering high quality treatment consistently for the right clinician. This combination works really well. Barbara and Alexei, thank you both for being open about your experiences and for giving such an honest look at what this environment is really like for you. And for anybody interested in working with ocd, we would love to hear from you.