Mastering Therapy

BONUS: When Clients Disappear: The Reality of Therapy Endings (PT2) Ever had a client vanish just before their final session? Or wondered why endings can feel so awkward sometimes for everyone in the room? This bonus episode of Mastering Therapy is a practical guide to therapy terminations, with a clinician’s eye on what really happens (and what goes unsaid). The conversation explores messy ending...

What really happens when a client goes blank in therapy? This episode dives into dissociation and distress in therapy sessions. Dr Natalie Stott helps make sense of those in-the-room moments where clients disconnect or shut down. Instead of offering set techniques, she shares what clients say actually helps, mistakes therapists often make, and how to understand what's really going on beneath the s...

Do you wonder how much of yourself to share with clients in therapy? Self-disclosure in therapy can feel like a tightrope walk,one foot in humanity, one in professionalism, and absolutely no brick walls in sight. In this sharp, practical episode, Dr Natalie Stott explores the everyday moments when clients ask about your personal life, and how your answer (or non-answer) shapes the relationship. Ge...

How do you end your therapy sessions? This episode looks at the art of closing a clinical hour in therapy by host Dr Natalie Stott. The discussion focuses on those crucial last few minutes of a session, how they shape the client's week, and what endings can reveal about both therapist and client. The episode covers practical ideas, common challenges in managing endings, and reflects on the role of...

S4E11: When Compassion Meets Cash: The Therapist’s Money Dilemmas | Dr Katja Windheim Let’s talk about the money elephant in the therapy room. In this episode, clinical psychologist Katja Windheim aka “The Money Psychologist”— joins us to dissect why charging, chasing payments, and setting fees make therapists squirm more than the average tax return. We get specific about how feelings, professiona...

S4E10: Understanding Maternal Rage: A Guide for Therapists | Dr Caroline Boyd EPISODE SUMMARY Is it just anger—or is it maternal rage? Dr. Natalie Stott sits down with Caroline to unpack why mothers feel rage so acutely, and why it matters to name it as a distinct experience. We look at the four contextual forces shaping maternal anger, how cultural myths make mothers feel inadequate, and how ther...

S4E9 Changing emotion with emotion in EFT | Dr Anna Oldershaw EPISODE SUMMARY Most therapists are comfortable talking about emotions, but Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) takes things several steps further. In this episode, Dr. Natalie Stott sits down with Dr Anna Oldershaw, consultant clinical psychologist and EFT trainer, to demystify the nuts, bolts, and chairs of EFT. They explore why “changing e...

S4E8: Beyond Diagnosis: Building Confidence in Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice | Dr Jo Mueller & Dr Lauren Breese EPISODE SUMMARY This episode of Mastering Therapy welcomes clinical psychologists Dr. Lauren Breese and Dr. Jo Mueller of the neurodiversity practice (alongside Dr Sibohan Higgins) for a sharp, practical exploration of adult autism and neurodivergent parenting. They discuss the misco...

S4E7: Online Therapy Across Borders: Risk, Cover, Compliance | Dr Tess Browne EPISODE SUMMARY What happens when your therapy room has no borders—literally? In this episode, Dr. Natalie Stott and Dr Tess Browne tackle the practical realities of working with clients overseas, from risk management to insurance headaches. If you’ve debated taking your private practice global, wondered about how to saf...

S4E6: The Power of Empathic Confrontation and Mode Mapping: Schema Therapy | Dr Jo White Ever had a client say, “I know it’s not logical, but I just feel… defective”? This episode of Mastering Therapy unpacks schema therapy with ISST-certified schema therapist and supervisor Dr Jo White. Hosts Dr Natalie Stott and Jo tackle the origins of schema therapy, why Jeff Young developed it when CBT wasn’t...

What happens when you blend the structured world of EMDR with the nuanced, parts-based approach of IFS? Dr. Natalie Stott sits down with David Polidi—EMDR therapist and “IFS guru” (his clients’ words, not his)—to get practical about integrating Internal Family Systems and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing in complex trauma work. They tackle everything from how to honour protectors (wit...

S4E4: Therapist Drift. Skill or laziness? | Dr Gracie Mclaven EPISODE SUMMARY Is “therapist drift” a mark of incompetence, or creative clinical freedom? In this episode, Dr. Gracie McLaven sits down with Dr. Natalie Stott to deconstruct the practical realities of blending therapy models, from DDP to EMDR and ACT, in a world obsessed with protocols and evidence bases. The conversation sidesteps the...

S4E3: Clinical Supervision PART 2: The Bits Nobody Taught You | Dr Paul Grantham EPISODE SUMMARY What really makes supervision high quality, and why do most of us avoid thinking about it until there’s a complaint on the horizon? In this episode, Dr. Natalie Stott and Dr Paul Grantham wade into the murky waters of supervision for therapists—shining a light on everything from note-taking and record...

S4E2: What's the point in Clinical Supervision Part 1: Dr Paul Grantham Supervision in therapy: necessary evil or vital lifeline? This episode of Mastering Therapy sees Dr. Natalie Stott joined by Dr Paul Grantham, founder of SDS Seminars, to dig into the messy world of supervision standards, expectations, and practicalities. Whether you’re working in private practice or deep in the NHS trenches,...

S4E1: 6 things the best ACT therapists do differently: Dr Joe Oliver Are you curious about what sets great ACT therapists apart? This episode of Mastering Therapy looks at ACT with special guest Dr Joe Oliver, director of contextual consulting, a highly skilled clinical psychologist and ACT trainer. The discussion covers what experienced ACT therapists do differently, how to use perspective taking...

Season 4 coming on Thursday 12th Feb 2026 ** Check out Mastering Therapy’s Youtube Channel for all podcast episodes ** For notification on up coming episodes and for occasional summaries of tools discussed on the podcast sign up here: www.masteringtherapy.com To recommend a topic you’d like to hear about, or if you’d like to appear on the podcast please get in touch at www.masteringtherapy.com/gue...

How do you reflect on your year in practice? This episode marks the final of season three and offers a thoughtful approach to wrapping up the therapy year. Podcast Host and Clinical psychologist Dr. Natalie Stott leads listeners through the “Big 20 Questions” – a set of prompts designed to spark reflection and help therapists take stock, plan ahead, and care for themselves as well as their clients...

SHORTS: S2E4 Why therapists need to talk about sex Full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s2e4-why-therapists-must-talk-about-sex-with-lu-cook/id1773673403?i=1000698029637 Youtube: https://youtu.be/C9ViCr9kmCw Guest Information: Louise Cook is a COSRT / BACP / NCPS registered Psychosexual and Relationship Psychotherapist currently working in private practice. She specialises in workin...

S3E12: IFS & parts work | Dr Zandra Bamford  Have you ever wondered why some parts of you work so hard to protect you, while others seem to hold you back? This episode dives into Internal Family Systems (IFS) with psychologist and certified IFS consultant Dr Zandra Bamford. Together with host Dr. Natalie Stott, they break down the basics of the IFS model, from managers and firefighters to exiles...

S3E11: Values Clarification beyond the card sort What’s your go-to values exercise in therapy? This episode dives into values work in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) with Dr. Natalie Stott, a clinical psychologist and founder of Supervisor Platform. The conversation busts the myth that values work is just about worksheets and gives creative ways for therapists to help clients clarify and l...

S3E10: Bringing body work into the room | Dr Stephanie Minchin Do you want concrete ways to bring the body into your therapy room without losing clinical rigour? In this episode, Dr Stephanie Minchin (The Yoga Psychologist) lays out a clear, usable approach to integrating body work with talking therapy. We cover how to notice and use nonverbal data, why “embodiment” isn’t optional for clinicians,...

S3E9 Therapeutic writing & journal prompts in therapy | Dr Hannah Taylor Do you use therapeutic writing in your sessions? This episode looks at therapeutic writing with clinical psychologist Dr Hannah Taylor. She shares practical ways journalling can support clients both inside and outside sessions, drawing from her background in compassion focused therapy. The conversation covers common barriers...

Have you used this nurturing figures tool in your sessions before? In this episode of the Mastering Therapy Podcast, Dr. Natalie Stott discusses the use of nurturing figures in therapy sessions with experienced psychotherapist Wendy Castelino. The conversation covers various therapeutic modalities, such as CFT and EMDR, and the importance of nurturing figures for trauma and anxiety management. Wen...

Do you work with clients who struggle with health anxiety? This episode dives into the world of health anxiety with consultant clinical psychologist Dr. Sophie Gwinett. Sophie shares her new layered model, offering a fresh and practical way to understand and formulate health anxiety. The conversation covers how traditional CBT can sometimes fall short, introduces the "house of health anxiety" meta...

Have you ever wondered about how EMDR can be used beyond the traditional uses in trauma? or what an I-EMDR session contains? This episode features Dr. Jonathan Hutchins, a clinical psychologist, EMDR supervisor, and soon-to-be EMDR trainer. His vast experience covers EMDR for trauma, including new intensive approaches, neuropsychology, and working with those with traumatic brain injury, autism, an...