Separate EVERYTHING operationally

If you don’t separate operations, the legal entities won’t matter much.

You need:

Business name, EIN, bank account, website, email domain, branding, scheduling systems, client vs customer forms ALL SEPERATE

👉 If a board investigator looked at your businesses, it should be obvious they are different services

DO NOT ADVERTISE CONSULTING AS “mental health treatment” or a “therapy alternative” or use license in any misleading way

you can list your credentials but clarify context

“name, lcmhc (for informational purposes only; consulting services are non-clinical and do not constitute therapy”

Taxes & liability separation

• Each entity files separately (or tracked separately if pass-through)

• Liability is contained:

  • Clinical risk → PLLC + malpractice insurance

  • Business risk → LLC + general liability insurance

Insurance (you likely need both)

Clinical side:

• Malpractice insurance

Consulting side:

• General liability or professional liability (non-clinical)

Gray areas to be VERY careful with

These can accidentally turn consulting into “clinical practice”:

• 1:1 “coaching” that explores trauma, diagnosis, or symptoms

• Giving personalized mental health advice

• Working with individuals vs organizations (higher risk)

👉 If you cross into those → the board may say:

“That’s counseling, not consulting.”

What a clean setup looks like in practice

You might have:

Business 1:

“Thrive Counseling, PLLC”

• Therapy clients

• HIPAA-compliant EHR

• Insurance billing

• Full board compliance

Business 2:

“Thrive Consulting Group, LLC”

• Corporate trainings

• Speaking engagements

• No clinical records

• Contracts + disclaimers only

Pro tip (this is what really protects you)

Have an attorney draft or review:

• Your consulting agreement

• Your website language

• Your service descriptions

Because the legal distinction comes down to:

how a reasonable person would interpret what you’re offering

Bottom line

To properly separate clinical and non-clinical work in NC:

• ✔ PLLC for therapy (board-regulated)

• ✔ LLC for consulting (non-clinical)

• ✔ Separate finances, branding, and systems

• ✔ Clear contracts stating “NOT therapy”

• ✔ Careful marketing language

• ✔ Stay strictly within non-clinical scope in consulting

Non-Clinical Consulting Services Disclaimer

LizKellie Consulting, LLC provides professional consulting services focused on communication skills, professional development, and trauma-informed approaches within organizational and business contexts. These services are educational and skills-based in nature.

Consulting services provided by LizKellie Consulting, LLC do not constitute mental health counseling, psychotherapy, diagnosis, or treatment of any mental health condition. Participation in consulting services does not establish a counselor-client, therapist-client, or healthcare provider relationship.

The Consultant, although licensed as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in the State of North Carolina, is acting solely in the capacity of a consultant within this agreement. No clinical services are being rendered under this agreement.

Clients acknowledge that consulting services are not a substitute for mental health treatment, therapy, or clinical supervision. Clients are responsible for seeking appropriate licensed mental health services for themselves or referring their own clients to qualified providers when needed.

Consulting discussions may include general information about communication strategies and trauma-informed principles; however, such information is not individualized mental health advice and should not be applied as a substitute for clinical judgment or treatment.

LizKellie Consulting, LLC does not provide crisis services. If you or someone you work with is experiencing a mental health emergency, you should contact appropriate emergency or licensed mental health services immediately.

Now, let’s analyze your consulting idea (this is the important part)

What you described:

You want to:

Work 1:1 with professionals (e.g., personal trainers)

Teach: - Boundary setting - Assertive vs passive communication - Compassionate communication - Trauma-informed awareness - Help them apply it with their clients

What is clearly NON-clinical (safe zone)

These are solid and defensible: Teaching communication frameworks - Practicing scripts (e.g., “how to say no to late cancellations”) - Role-playing conversations

Teaching:

• Assertiveness

• Professional boundaries

• Time management communication

General education on: “What trauma-informed means in a workplace”

👉 This is essentially professional skills training

Where it starts getting risky

These elements could push you into “clinical” territory:

1. Interpreting a third party’s trauma

If you start saying things like: “Your client is reacting this way because of trauma” - “Here’s how to manage their triggers”

That can look like: applying clinical judgment to a mental health condition

2. Giving individualized guidance about a specific person

Example:

“Given what you told me about your client’s abuse history, here’s how you should respond…”

That starts resembling:

• indirect treatment planning

• clinical consultation

3. Emotional processing with the professional

If sessions become: exploring the consultant client’s own emotional reactions deeply - unpacking their personal trauma - That becomes therapy.

How to keep your model legally clean

Reframe your service like this:

Instead of: “Helping you work with trauma survivors”

Say: “Helping professionals develop communication systems that are respectful, boundaried, and adaptable across diverse client needs”

Keep everything anchored to:

• The professional’s behavior

• The professional’s communication skills

• The professional’s business practices

NOT:

• The mental health of the third party

Use this rule of thumb:

If an outside reviewer asked: “Who is the focus of the service?”

The correct answer must always be:

“The professional’s communication skills—not any individual’s mental health.”

🧠 Your specific example (personal trainer scenario)

✔ SAFE version:

“Here are 3 ways to communicate cancellation policies compassionately” - “Here’s how to hold boundaries without over-apologizing” - “Let’s role-play a client pushing back on your policy”

RISKY version: “Your client likely has trauma around control—here’s how to approach that” - “Let’s map their triggers and responses” - “Here’s how to emotionally regulate them during sessions”

🛡️ Extra protection strategies to really protect yourself in North Carolina:

1. Avoid intake forms that resemble clinical assessments - No: trauma history forms or symptom checklists

2. Rename sessions carefully - Use: “Consulting session” - “Strategy session”

Avoid: “session” alone (too clinical in tone)

Add a verbal disclaimer in first meeting

Say clearly: “This is not therapy, and we won’t be addressing mental health treatment—our focus is your professional communication skills.”

Consider target market shift (optional but powerful)

Lower risk: Businesses - Teams - Organizations

Higher risk: 1:1 with individuals discussing specific client cases

Bottom line

• Your idea can absolutely work in NC without crossing into clinical practice if:

• You stay skills-based, not treatment-based

• You avoid analyzing or advising on specific individuals’ mental health

• You clearly document that this is not therapy

• You keep the focus on professional behavior and communication systems