Intentional Therapist: Putting You In Your Schedule

Supervision and consultation are important components of mental health clinicians’ training and professional development.  These activities can also play an important role in clinician wellness and self-care.  In this episode we speak with Shannon Heers, founder of Firelight Supervision, about the differences between consultation and supervision, how these activities contribute to clinician wellne...

Remember that feeling you had as a kid, when your interests were held with such intensity and passion that they couldn’t help but bring you joy?   When was the last time you experienced - or allowed yourself to experience - that type of passionate interest in something?   In this special bonus episode we speak with author Tabitha Carvan about how Benedict Cumberbatch helped her do just that, and w...

Female mental health clinicians face many barriers to engaging in truly meaningful self-care practices, perhaps the most powerful of which are societal messages that encourage us to adopt a self-sacrificing way of being that focuses primarily on the needs of others.  In this episode we have the pleasure of speaking with Enid De Jesus, a Florida Licensed therapist and coach who’s made it her missio...

When’s the last time you sat down to really reflect on your values?  In this busy world it’s so easy to go through life without really giving this much thought.  Yet, setting some time aside to do just that can help us truly create a life from which we don’t need to escape.  In this episode we speak with Lisa Mustard, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (and co-member of the PsychCraft Network)...

When female clinicians think of self-care the term “organizational systems” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind (probably not even the last thing).  Yet, having effective organizational systems in place at work (and home) can be such an important step in our self-care journey as they have the potential to help us feel less overwhelmed, work more efficiently, and (by doing so) can hel...

If you’re like us, there was probably a time in your career when you sought after that oh so elusive “work-life balance” and saw that as the true mark of self-care.  The only problem, of course, is that “balance” is incredibly hard (if not impossible) to find and, as it turns out, may not actually be what we truly need to thrive.   In this episode we speak with clinical psychologist and parent of...

In this episode we reconnect with Arianna Smith, licensed professional counselor (LPC) and copywriting coach for therapists, to learn more about her 2-month sabbatical and her transition back to work.  Arianna shares some of the challenges associated with planning and returning from a sabbatical, what she learned about herself as a person and a therapist, and how she’s used this information to res...

When most of us think of self-care we probably don’t think about developing a side business.  We know that wasn't our expectation when we started Intentional Therapist.  And yet, enhanced self-care is exactly what a side business can offer! In this episode we speak with Dr. Tamara Soles about what led her to create her side business (including a podcast and online parenting course) and how th...

All of us undoubtedly know firsthand how challenging it can be to regularly incorporate wellness strategies into our workday.  The idea of moving into private practice can become particularly appealing as it is often seen as providing opportunities for us to take more control over our work life and build a practice that supports our wellness.  Sadly, many female clinicians quickly learn that by mo...

Unfortunately as women and mental health clinicians, we receive many messages (from society, and also through our training and work experiences) that contribute to us developing beliefs and behaviours that get in the way of creating full, sustainable, and happy private practices. In fact, these messages are so strong that many of us can’t even imagine what a full and happy clinical practice might...

“I’m not sure I’m well suited for this profession.” Sound familiar? We’ve heard this from other female therapists more times than we can count. But is it really about us being ill suited for this profession or is it really more so that our practice/work setting is ill suited for us? In this episode we speak with psychologists, Dr. Kelly Yanek and Dr. Michele Kinderman, about what led them to leave...

Copywriting and self-care?  In this episode Arianna Smith, licensed professional counselor (LPC) and copywriting coach for therapists explains exactly what copywriting involves, its appeal to her personally, and how it relates to self-care for therapists in both public and private practice settings.  Arianna also shares how the pandemic contributed to her own burnout and the steps she took to plan...

Can rest and success actually co-exist in the lives of female mental health clinicians?  Indeed they can!  In this episode we speak with Maegan Megginson, about her own experiences with burnout and how this ultimately led her to developing the Rest and Success Code.  Maegan talks about how deep rest is an integral component of our success as therapists, some of the biggest barriers to adopting a l...

An essential component of having a sustainable and enjoyable psychotherapy practice is ensuring it’s set up in a manner that truly honors our unique qualities and needs.  What happens, however, if what we truly need to thrive in our practice looks different than that of our colleagues?   Unfortunately, that can lead many clinicians to incorrectly assume it says something negative about them as a t...

Most therapists likely wouldn’t include “documentation” in their list of self-care activities but the reality is many of us struggle with documentation, whether that be writing progress notes or reports.  If you’ve ever gotten behind in your documentation or struggled to know what to include then you know firsthand how overwhelming this can feel and the impact this can have on our perception of ou...

Let’s face it:  self-care is a journey.  And like any journey, we’re bound to run into unexpected roadblocks and detours that are beyond our control (think pandemic, home schooling, client crises, etc.).  Fortunately, we all have a built-in global positioning system (GPS) called values, that can help us navigate our journey, even in the face of roadblocks and detours.  It can help keep us moving i...

With all the heaviness and responsibility that often comes with our work - especially throughout the pandemic - it’s easy to lose touch with the more playful and creative side of ourselves.  Yet the reality is, these are foundational to our existence as human beings (yes, even adult human beings) and can actually help us build complex, skilled, responsive, socially adept and flexible brains.  Whic...

Finances and self-care?  Yep, that’s right!  Although not typically considered part of traditional self-care, money and finances figure prominently in our fresh take on self-care for female mental health clinicians.  In this episode we speak with Linzy Bonham, MSW, RSW, founder of Money Nuts & Bolts, about the important role finances and money play in self-care, some of the warning signs that...