Have you been curious about what it’s like to work online as a therapist? Although remote work and telehealth have taken off in the wake of the pandemic, LIT member Mila Petkova was ahead of the curve.
Mila first started working online as a therapist more than six years ago, when she first opened her location independent practice. So, she has plenty of experience with working online (even before online therapy was commonly accepted).
In this interview, Mila shares why she decided to start working online as a therapist and how those initial years were for her. You’ll find out how she helped her clients adjust to remote therapy, what helped her overcome her fear of starting her location independent practice and what this freedom has meant to her.
This interview is sure to offer plenty of inspiration and helpful tips for your own location independent journey!
You can find the full series of interviews on our LIT YouTube Channel.
What it’s like to Work Online as a Therapist with Mila Petkova
If you’re considering becoming a location independent therapist, check out our interview with LIT member Mila Petkova!
Click play below to watch Mila’s interview with LIT co-founder Melissa Parks (it’s only 15 minutes).
Introducing Mila Petkova, a Bulgarian Online Psychotherapist based in Belgium & Spain
Dr. Mila Petkova is an online psychotherapist from Bulgaria. Having studied for her Master’s in Barcelona, Mila decided that she wanted to travel and become location independent in her work. So, she set out to create an online psychotherapy practice right from the beginning.
Mila wanted to have the option to return to Spain, but not to be tied down to one location. At this time in the mid 2010s, remote therapy wasn’t common. The idea of having online therapy consultations was still seen as unusual, so Mila did feel unsure at times.
So, what helped Mila to set up a successful online practice? As Mila had already worked in IT, she had experience working across countries, managing time zones and remote communication. This was helpful, as she could transfer this knowledge to doing what she really wanted to do – running her online counselling practice.
As Mila was a pioneer of location independent therapy, she has also helped other therapists set up their practices and feel comfortable working online. And as an active LIT Community member, Mila hosts regular Case Supervision groups and LIT Talks events. (Find out more about the LIT Community here).
Where does Mila see herself in the future? She’d like to have a home base and the freedom to travel slowly and spend more time in each country. Mila has recently split her time between Belgium, Spain, and her home country, Bulgaria. She loves that this lifestyle allows her to have multiple home bases.
Connect with Mila Online:
If you’d like to get in touch with Mila or follow her online, here’s where you can find her:
- Her website: https://mipsy.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mila-petkova-phd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilaPetkovaPhD
When you work online as a therapist, a supportive community makes a huge difference!
If you work online as a therapist, you’ll know that this lifestyle offers so many advantages. But there are also challenges along the way, and it can get lonely at times.
And that’s why we created the LIT Community (and think it could be the perfect place for you!).
It’s our dedicated community for (aspiring) location independent mental health professionals where we offer support, advice, accountability, and inspiration as you start or grow your business.
That includes:
- Virtual coworking sessions
- Business meetups
- Live guest expert talks
- Peer supervision groups
- Hot seat coaching
- A 24/7 discussion board
- A book club and a movie club
- Coworking sessions for support & accountability
- Our entire event replay library available to you
- A growing referral network and public LIT Directory
Sounds like just what you need? We’d love to welcome you into the LIT Community!
Our doors are currently closed, but we’ll open them again soon. Find out more about the LIT Community here, and make sure to sign up for our waitlist to be the first to hear when we’ll next open the doors!
