Gettin' Gritty for Mental Health Therapists: Clinical Confidence + Reassurance, Reframing Imposter Syndrome, Overwhelm and Burnout

What happens when attachment trauma, EMDR therapy, and family work come together into one powerful foundational protocol? In this episode of Gettin' Gritty for Mental Health Therapists, we sit down with our longtime mentor, supervisor and collaborator Debra Wesselmann, LIMHP co-founder of the Attachment Trauma Center of Nebraska , to tell the story behind the Integrative Attachment Trauma Pro...

In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist , we share three EMDR attachment interventions for child therapy. These practical exercises help therapists strengthen parent-child attachment, support nervous system regulation, and repair early trauma wounds. Listen to this one if you’re a therapist who works with:  Children with attachment trauma Foster or adoptive families Kids with separat...

What if one of your most powerful clinical interventions… was a children’s book? But first... If you want more practical, grounded tools like this, check out our course Where Rookie Means Ready    (yes, it’s intentionally affordable) and grab our free Grit Kit here! Because grit isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the courage to keep trying when things get uncomfortable. And that takes nervous system capa...

Ever walked out of supervision thinking, “I should’ve known that” ? Yeah. Us too. But first...get on our newsletter list here ! In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist, we’re digging into a powerful quote that stopped us in our tracks: Be humble in preparation, but confident in execution.- Andy Frisella And we’re unpacking what that really means for therapists in the messy middle of...

What does it actually mean to be a “gritty” therapist? In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist , we pull back the curtain on the class we created for new clinicians: Where   Rookie Meets Ready: Grit School for the Real World . Because let’s be honest, grad school teaches you interventions… but it doesn’t teach you how to handle the messy middle of being a therapist: uncertainty, impo...

Ever found yourself mid-session thinking, “Oh no… what do I say next?” Or felt that sudden spiral of self-doubt that whispers, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this…” You’re not alone. In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist , we unpack what’s really happening underneath those scramble moments in the therapy room...AND we've created a PDF download that explains the 3 steps!  This conv...

Ever find yourself mid-session thinking, “Okay… what do I do next?” In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist , we kick off a “tomorrow-ready” series, complete with a FREE PDF download (grab yours HERE ) just for you!  As mental health therapists we know you want more confidence, more grit, and less imposter syndrome with practical interventions you can use right away. Because well, th...

What does it actually look like to build a sustainable therapy career while raising babies, surviving burnout seasons, and learning how to leave work at work? In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist, we sit down with special guest Taylor Dibble-Townsend, a licensed therapist, former intern at The Cord, and now a Gritty Academy Mentor, to talk about what it really takes to grow into y...

In this episode of The Gritty Therapist Podcast, we share hilarious, awkward, and deeply relatable stories about the moment we say “I’m a therapist," and how people react next. From being ignored at holiday parties, to becoming the “therapist at the table,” to being bombarded with deeply personal questions in public spaces, this episode captures the reality every clinician knows too well. We...

What if what you’ve been calling imposter syndrome isn’t a syndrome at all? In this episode of The Gritty Mental Health Therapist, we dig into a powerful reframe that many early- and mid-career therapists desperately need. We’re talking about grit, boundaries, imposter syndrome, and the hard lessons that actually make you a better clinician, even when they feel terrifying in the moment. Cathy shar...

If you’ve ever failed an exam by one point , questioned whether you learned “anything” in internship, or wondered if “grit” just means seeing 35 clients a week… this episode is for you. We sit down with Aubre, one of our own clinicians, who went from provisional therapist to fully licensed while navigating a major life curveball: pregnancy, a traumatic early birth/NICU experience, and the messy mi...

It’s officially that time of year; the holiday stretch where your nervous system is doing the most and your calendar is acting like you don’t need sleep. So consider this your gritty little holiday check-in. In this quick episode, we keep it real about what actually helps us stay sane during the holidays: the traditions that bring comfort, the boundaries we're holding (even when guilt shows u...

The holidays can be magical… but for therapists? They can also feel like a pressure cooker filled with client crises, family expectations, over-responsibility, and the quiet fear that taking time off means you’re “letting someone down." and going broke.  In this candid, cozy, and surprisingly hilarious episode, we get grinchy, in the best, most therapeutic way possible. If you’ve ever:  ✨ bo...

As a mental health therapist, do you ever secretly think, “How did I even get here… and do I actually know what I’m doing?” 👀 This episode is for every new, provisionally licensed, early-career therapist or even someone who's been doing this a while , who’s quietly spiraling over imposter syndrome, boundaries, and “faking it till you make it.” In this episode, we welcome our very first guest...

Ever find yourself checking your phone at 10 p.m., heart racing after a client text, wondering if you’re a “bad therapist” for not replying right away? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Gettin’ Gritty Podcast , we get real about our own internal voices that drove us to over-respond, over-give, and over-worry and how learning to wait can actually make you a stronger, more confident, more gro...

Are you too nurturing with your clients, too structured or just right?   In this episode of The Gettin’ Gritty Podcast for Mental Health Therapists we unpack the Goldilocks Principle for therapists, finding that “just right” balance between structure and nurture, both in the therapy room and in your own life. Drawing from our transformative experience with TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention...

Every therapist, including us, wishes there was an “easy button”, a magic fix to calm our nerves, silence imposter syndrome, and make sessions go smoothly. But the truth? There’s no shortcut to becoming a confident, grounded clinician. In this raw and relatable episode of The Gettin’ Gritty Podcast for Mental Health Therapists, we share our own gritty stories on what it really takes to build grit...

Ever wonder why you react the way you do as a therapist? In this episode of The Gettin' Gritty Podcast for Mental Health Therapists, we explore how understanding your emotional patterns and drivers through the Primal Question framework can build grit, deepen self-awareness, and transform both your personal growth and your clinical work.  You’ll discover how self-awareness not only deepens you...

Ever feel like you’re “bad” at therapy—fumbling through EMDR, forgetting your manual, or replaying every word after a tough session? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Gritty Therapist , Stefanie Armstrong and Cathy Schweitzer share real stories of learning new trauma-informed tools, bombing sessions, and still showing up anyway. We talk about why being bad is actually good —because grit and...

The Sunday Scaries hit hard when you’re a therapist. Your notes aren’t finished, your caseload feels overwhelming, and by 2pm you’re already bracing for another week of client sessions. In this bonus episode of Gettin’ Gritty, we share our own Sunday Scaries as trauma-informed therapists—and the practical tools we use to reset before Monday.  We also give a sneak peek of the tool we created to hel...

Welcome to The Gettin' Gritty Podcast , the podcast created for therapists who love this work—but sometimes wonder if they’re really cut out for it. If you’ve ever replayed a session on your drive home, felt stuck with a shut-down client, or gone to bed worrying you’re not doing enough, you’re in the right place. We’re Stefanie Armstrong and Cathy Schweitzer—two trauma-trained, EMDR-certified...

In our very first episode of The Gettin' Gritty Podcast , we share how we built our own grit—starting as teachers and school counselors, through cafeteria duty and pencil-sharpening, to launching a trauma-informed practice during the pandemic. If you’re a trauma-trained, EMDR, Somatic or attachment-focused therapist who struggles with burnout, session insecurity, or nervous system overload ,...