Bethany Raab, LCSW, ACS

I took a non-traditional approach to becoming an LCSW. After focusing on macro social work in grad school, I landed a therapist position in a Denver non-profit. I felt lost. I put off getting my license because I was constantly on the verge of burning out.

Then everything changed. I found my ideal client population and learned from an effective supervisor. I found a home and a passion. And I earned my LCSW. 

I have owned my private practice since 2012. I built my practice from the ground up. I earned a profit during my first year in business. I built a solid network of other social workers and professionals who have supported and encouraged me all the way.

Fast-forward to today.

I provide specialized therapy to youth in the criminal justice system and adolescents struggling with relationships, anxiety and depression. I supervise 30-35 social workers who are pursuing their LCSW in Colorado. I consult with other clinicians on topics related to healthy sexuality and sexually inappropriate behaviors. I provide guidance to social workers who want to start a private practice. Plus, I am the President of the Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work.

I do all this and more.

Here’s the best part!

I don’t overwork. I don’t answer emails at all hours of the day. I finish my documentation on the same day as sessions. I earn a living wage. I sleep enough. I take time off. I spend quality time with family and friends. 

In short, I am a social worker who is thriving, not just surviving. I want to help you do the same.

My clinical supervision style is rooted in feminist and multicultural principles. I am dedicated to an ecological and systems view of clinical social work. Dismantling the systems of oppression that impact our clients is a focal point of my work. Challenging one’s own supremacist views and becoming an actively anti-racist social worker is a part of supervision with me. I am a dedicated trauma-informed social worker. I am also a detail-oriented administrator who asserts that proper documentation is the best form of self-supervision. I follow the ethical standards of the social work field, and I am attentive to the legal and legislative influences on the social work profession. I believe social workers must not practice in isolation and I support early career social workers in building a robust professional network. Finally, I believe social workers have a responsibility to advocate for our clients as well as ourselves. I am not shy about telling you to use your PTO, encouraging you to advocate for change in your organization and even urging you to ask for a raise.

Schedule with me today and let’s get you started. In an initial phone call we will go over meeting schedule, our working agreement and specific topics to be covered during supervision. 

Don’t procrastinate! Limited space is available for group and individual supervision.

I look forward to welcoming you to your new supervision journey.

Education
Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Honors Scholar, University of Sioux Falls, 2005
Master of Social Work, University of Denver, 2006
 
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, State of Colorado, 2010
 
Sex Offender Management Board, State of Colorado

• Full Operating Juvenile Treatment Provider and Evaluator, 2016
• Associate Level Juvenile Treatment Provider and Evaluator, 2008-2016

Approved Clinical Supervisor, Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), 2019
 
Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work

• Member since 2014
• Co-Chair, Education Committee, 2018-2020
• Board President beginning in 2021

National Association of Social Workers

• Member since 2004
• Colorado Chapter Board Treasurer, 2013-2016
• Co-Chair, Private Practice Committee, 2018-2020

Awards

• Most Distinguished Clinician, Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work, 2018

Training

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Creating Your Beyond with Brenda Bomgardner

• Advanced Gang Identification, Denver Area Youth Services, Leo Alirez

• Anti-Oppression Informed Practice Foundations, NASW Ohio

• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, Living Works

• Bystander Intervention to Stop Race-Based Harassment, Right to Be (formerly Hollaback)

•  Child & Adolescent Development, Various Providers

• Clinical Supervision Training Level 1, 2, and 3, Noeticus Counseling Center and Training Institute

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Various Providers

• Decolonizing Therapy for Black Folks, Kindred Wellness – Shawna Murray-Browne, LCSW

• Ethics in Supervision, Metropolitan State University of Denver

• Helping the Suicidal Person, Stacey Freedenthal PhD, LCSW, The Second Wind Fund

• Mental Health First Aid, All Health Network (formerly Arapahoe/Douglas Mental Health Network)

• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Palouse Mindfulness

• Modern Sexual Issues in Clinical Practice: What Every Clinician Needs to Know, PESI

• Motivational Interviewing, Various Providers

• Offense Specific Therapy and Psychosexual Evaluations, Colorado Sex Offender Management Board

• Psychological First Aid, Arapahoe Douglas Mental Health Network (now All Health Network)

• Psychopharmacology for Social Workers, Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work

• Racial Justice Training for Therapists, Jasmine Crane, LPC

• Racial Trauma, New Culturally Sensitive Tools for Clinicians, Candice R Dickens, LCPC, LCADC, MAC

• Six Crucial Steps to Decolonize Your Therapy Practice, Kindred Wellness – Shawna Murray-Browne, LCSW

• Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Elliot Connie

• Telehealth for Mental Health Professionals, PESI

• Train the Trainer - Child & Adolescent Healthy Sexual Development (32 hours), The Kempe Center

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Medical University of South Carolina

• Understanding and Supporting Grieving Youth, The Second Wind Fund & Judi's House

• Using the New DSM in Practice: Challenges and Changes, NASW Colorado

​​Presentations:

• Teens & Sex: What is Normal, Questionable and Illegal, Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work, April 2018
• Boundaries in Social Media for Therapists in Private Practice and Opening Remarks, University of Denver Private Practice Bootcamp, August 2018
• Ethical Use of Social Media in Private Practice, Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work, Private Practice Workshop, August 2019 and June 2020
• Marketing Your Private Practice: Identifying Your Niche and Ethical Social Media Use, Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work, Private Practice Workshop, June and October 2021, February 2023
• Collaborative Documentation Panelist, Time, Flexibility, & Freedom Virtual Summit, Organize & Thrive, December 2021
• My Journey to Private Practice, Opening Remarks, University of Denver Private Practice Bootcamp, May 2022
• Supporting Early Career Social Workers: A Discussion with Seasoned Social Workers, Early Career Social Workers & MSW Students, Colorado Society for Clinical Social Work, February 2023 
• The 7th Annual Social Work Policy Conference: A Call to Action: Ensuring Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive and Equitable Social Work Licensing Practices, Keynote Panelist, Metropolitan State University of Denver, September 2023