Conversations With a Wounded Healer

There's an obvious throughline that runs from productive feedback to authentic relationships. And vice versa. Rebecca Slusher, LPCP, is the owner of Balanced Life Counseling in Chicago. She understands that managing the group's needs for connection, empathy, and equitable conflict resolution, while navigating the daily realities of doing business, is a work in progress — and that's okay! GUEST BIO...

Welcome to Part 2 of my catch-up with Annie Schuessler Zam. If you haven't already, I recommend starting with Part 1: A Continuum of Connection: Parent-Child Relationships, Caregiving, and Self-Healing. I consider Annie as a case study in remaining open to possibility. She embodies a fearlessness that we all possess but often shy away from activating. Courageousness is scary, after all.  GUEST BIO...

Shout out to all the folks who continue to show up for themselves. Lending physical and emotional support to others is easy. Extending that same amount of empathy and reliability to ourselves? Ugh, no. That's why many of us abandon our healing work just as things start to challenge us. But the muck is where we need to be if we have any hope of growing into a true expression of self. Annie Schuessl...

The solution to all (okay, most) of the challenges facing group practices is embedded, quite cleverly, in the name. Owner, admin, or therapist, your individual participation informs the altruistic and financial goals of the entire practice. And also… Groups are powered by people––real, live humans with individual expectations, convictions, experiences, and traumas.  Samantha Perry, LCSW, encourage...

I hate to break it to you, but friendships require effort. Actually, I'm happy to pass that info on!  Part Two of the conversation between Mishara D. Winston and Christina Michelle Watkins delves into the realities of authentic connection––notably, how we take responsibility for our attachment styles and our roles in a healthy rift-and-repair process. That's "the work." If you haven't already done...

What does it mean to be a good friend? If you're struggling to answer, my next question might help you find the words. How do we learn the skills to maintain genuine, deeply nourishing friendships?  For this special episode, I've enlisted a pair of exceptional role models: Mishara D. Winston and Christina Michelle Watkins, two visionary healers and storytellers in conversation—without me. It's an...

Good people create great group practices. Eventually. I tacked that adverb on the end not to undermine anyone's ability to craft cultures of transparency and inclusivity, but to acknowledge that the whole shebang requires constant work.  Amy Zajakowski Uhll, LCPC, founder and director of Chicago Center for Integration and Healing (CCIH), is an excellent example of an accomplished leader and eterna...

If Simon Mont wants to get into a conversation about ego, idols, and the mystical process of birthing new realities, who am I to discourage him? "Whatever you're ultimately concerned with is, definitionally, your God," he begins. "God comes from the German: that which you invoke. It's what you're invoking in every moment."  Thus begins the second half of my wide-ranging chat with Simon, a lifelong...

Now, I can't promise that a chat with Simon Mont will soothe away the complexities of our current socio-political environment. But, it can reconnect us to the big feelings and deep thoughts that we often abandoned in favor of surviving these "unprecedented times."  Simon is co-founder of Harmonize, the consulting firm that helps groups bridge the gap between values, vision, and impact. "I help peo...

How can we improve communication between practice owners and employees? Sthefany Alviar reveals insights from the contrast between her current role at Mirjam Quinn and Associates and a previous, less supportive private practice. She and Sarah explore issues such as financial transparency, the challenges of transitioning from salaried to contractual pay, and the importance of clear administrative s...

As promised, here's the fantastic part two of my conversation with Tamila Gresham. We delve into the foundational pieces of accountability: knowledge, nuance, relationship, and vulnerability.  You know what to do if you haven't met her yet: hit play on part one. Tamilia is co-founder of Harmonize, a consulting firm that helps organizations bridge the gap between values, vision, and impact. She's a...

Some advice for therapists and those in adjacent healing professions: This (gestures wildly at everything) is not the time to close ranks. We're being called to proceed with less ego and more accountability. Lately, however, anger (much of it warranted) and impatience have turned accountability into more of a cudgel than the intended call-in.  Tamila Gresham is here to reconnect us to core strateg...

How can we learn from past experiences to improve future practices? You may not know this but LGBTQ-focused group practices are a fairly recent development in our field. Jeff Levy recounts his journey from co-founding Live Oak, in Chicago, to his current solo private practice with a focus on virtual therapy and consultations. He and Sarah discuss the evolution of group practices, market shifts pos...

David Allen is quietly and thoroughly advancing the notion of masculinity into a new era. He's a tattoo artist working with post-mastectomy clients in Chicago. David is also a father who, despite his childhood wounds, has devoted himself to raising emotionally intelligent kids. It's a path informed by his work with cancer patients, his ancestral lineage, and his commitment to therapy.  If you miss...

Look for the helpers. It's a simple axiom meant to comfort small children, a reminder to find supportive adults in times of distress. But good advice doesn't stop being good just because we've aged out of the original target audience. Adults need helpers, too. David Allen is an absolute gem of a helper, an art director turned tattoo artist who works with post-mastectomy clients in Chicago. While b...

If you work inside a group practice, why do you stay? And if you lead a group practice, do you know why your employees stay? Or… why they don't? Jennifer Fromel is a bilingual mental health clinician with over 30 years of experience across various clinical and supervisory settings, specializing in trauma, evidence-based interventions, and integrative therapy approaches. She is actively involved in...

Ready to dive into artificial intelligence in the therapy space?! Steve Duke, founder of The Hemingway Group, is back for part two of our conversation. Steve helps us think more purposefully about how we can AI-proof the relational component of therapy while acknowledging that the tech may make other aspects of the job easier, like note-taking. GUEST BIO Steve Duke (he/him) is the founder of The H...

How are y'all doing while the United States (specifically) plummets into political, social, and economic freefall? Therapists are freaking tf out right with good reason. We're at a tipping point in the evolution of our field, especially when it comes to the rapid ascendancy of venture capital, consolidation, and technology––those AI chatbots lurking and learning in the digital shadows.  I sound th...

How do you support group practice employees to feel connected, engaged, and motivated? HINT: It might have something to do with building the capacity to receive and act on feedback. Mirjam Quinn (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Mirjam Quinn and Associates, a group practice in Chicago that provides affirming therapy, testing, and teaching to people 3 - 104 in Chicago...

"I thought I knew what this conversation might be like. I had all my worries, concerns, and anticipations of what might be brought up––and it didn't go that way," laughs Heather Lovegood.  Intrigued??  Check out part one, and then come back here for the conclusion of my conversation with Heather, a holistic bodyworker and lymphatic drainage expert who provides healing-centered, trauma-trained serv...

I'm a firm believer in the connectedness of everything. Healing happens at the intersection of spirituality, science, and Indigenous wisdom. Sure, each principle can (and has!) exist in its own sphere, but the true magic is in the mix. Heather Lovegood agrees. She's a holistic bodyworker and lymphatic drainage expert who provides healing-centered, trauma-trained services to clients in Chicago. She...

How do we bridge the divide between practice owners and employees in the therapy field to create better healing environments for everyone?  Discover how innovation, open communication, and shared values can transform group practices, resulting in a culture of connection. Group Practice (R)evolution is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and reso...

Leadership is lonely, y'all. It's also hella rewarding. Cara Chae, LCPC, knows this duality all too well. She's working on finding (and holding!) the balance between the two––an evolutionary pursuit that resonates with many.  GUEST BIO Cara Chae , LCPC, (she/her) is a psychotherapist working in a group private practice in Chicago. Her professional interests include working with issues related to A...

Cue the klieg lights and gift bags because THIS episode marks the seventh anniversary of Conversations With A Wounded Healer! Major thanks to everyone from the OG fans to the newbies. I couldn't do it without you, which is the perfect segue to today's episode. Cara Chae, LCPC, is a psychotherapist at Inner Voice Psychotherapy, a group private practice in Chicago. She focuses on issues related to a...

If you missed Part One of my conversation with sociocracy expert Ted Rau, PhD., hit play on that episode now. You won't be disappointed, nor will you want to miss our introduction to sociocracy, the decentralized way for organizations, workplaces, and communities to make decisions.  In Part Two, Ted and I expand on how sociocracy might work in the group practice environment and how the fundamental...