About this course

Learning Objectives

• Describe insurance and ethical documentation requirements and how they apply to integrative and unconventional therapeutic practices.
• Identify and correct common pitfalls in clinical documentation, including vague language, poor goal alignment, and lack of evidence-based framing.
• Translate spiritual, somatic, and energy-based interventions into clinically appropriate language that reflects theoretical alignment and meets documentation standards.
• Create ethically transparent documentation, including informed consent and treatment plans that clearly outline the integration of holistic practices.

Learning Levels

• All Levels

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Dr. Tina Vitolo, LCSW, DSW, QS

  Founder of The Black Sheep Therapist & Innovative Practitioner Accelerator Program

  Dr. Tina Vitolo is a clinical innovator, educator, and mentor dedicated to helping therapists bridge the gap between conventional mental health practice and unconventional, holistic, and integrative modalities. With nearly 20 years of experience in the field, she specializes in guiding clinicians to develop a strong theoretical foundation, ensuring they integrate complementary, alternative, and energy-based practices in a way that is both ethical and clinically sound.

  As the founder of The Black Sheep Therapist community and the creator of the Innovative Practitioner Accelerator (IPA) Program, Dr. Vitolo has empowered hundreds of therapists to align their unique practice styles with empirical frameworks, providing them with the confidence and language to navigate regulatory expectations without compromising their authenticity. She is deeply passionate about supporting clinicians in transforming their personal journeys into cohesive, ethically grounded practice frameworks that foster both professional freedom and integrity.

  Dr. Vitolo is widely recognized for her expertise in helping therapists build clinical language around their unconventional modalities, ensuring they meet ethical and insurance compliance standards while maintaining alignment with their unique approaches. She is a sought-after consultant, speaker, and educator who specializes in teaching therapists how to integrate their personal and professional identities into their work, ultimately creating a more authentic, impactful, and legally sound practice.

• 

  Vanessa Holliman, LCSW

  Founder of BEing Wholistic LLC

  Vanessa Holliman, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, founder of BEing Wholistic LLC, and practices Integrative Mind-Body-Spirit Social Work. Her work is rooted in the belief that healing trauma, especially the niche of adult sexual trauma, requires addressing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. With training in psychotherapy, holistic nutrition, functional movement, astrology, and energy modalities like Usui & Holy Fire Reiki, she’s developed an integrated approach to help beings reconnect with their true self. and her mission is to help beings navigate life’s transitions, break free from limiting beliefs, and align with the life they’re meant to live.

  Vanessa has spent over 10 years working within community mental health and county correctional health systems. Her experience spans managing Supportive and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams serving the Seriously Mentally Ill, acting as a Preceptor within correctional mental health departments, and was an peer and leadership auditor for the county's Regional Behavioral Health Authority for 3 years, ensuring both ACT and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA services met standards of care and were documented appropriately. In both 2024 and 2025, Vanessa's psychotherapy practice passed insurance including Medicaid documentation audits utilizing the methods she teaches.

Disclosure

References

• Mann, J. D., Gaylord, S. A., & Norton, S. K. (2004). Integrating Complementary & Alternative Therapies with Conventional Care. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Program on Integrative
• Drisko, J. W., & Friedman, A. (2019). Let’s clearly distinguish evidence-based practice and empirically supported treatments. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 89(1), 44–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377317.2019.1706316
• Detrich, R., & Spencer, T. D. (2008). Evidence-based, empirically supported, or best practice? A guide for the scientist-practitioner. The Behavior Analyst Today, 9(3–4), 282–297. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100657
• Vitolo, T., Cooley, M. E., Weissman, D. (2023). Licensed clinical social workers' perceptions of complementary and alternative interventions. Research on Social Work Practice, 34(5), 555–566. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315231195829
• Hodge, D. R., & Horvath, V. E. (2021). Current mental health clients' attitudes regarding religion and spirituality in treatment: A national survey. Religions, 12(6), 371. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12060371
• Milner, K., Crawford, P., Edgley, A., Hare-Duke, L., & Slade, M. (2020). The experiences of spirituality among adults with mental health difficulties: A qualitative systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 20, 476. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02517-1
• Goldsby, T. L., Goldsby, M. E., McWalters, M., & Mills, P. J. (2022). Sound healing: Mood, emotional, and spiritual well-being interrelationships. Religions, 13(2), 123. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X19864817
• Semetsky, I. (2005). Integrating tarot readings into counselling and psychotherapy. Spirituality and Health International, 6(2), 81–94
• Kim, H. (2020). Self-exploration on anxiety in chakra meditation experienced people. International Journal of Social Welfare Promotion and Management, 7(1), 15–22