The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

Curt and Katie talk about how to prepare for economic uncertainty as one of the ripple effects from COVID-19. We talk about practical suggestions of what you can do now to weather a recession as well as continue forward with the practice you’d like to build.         It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Cur...

Curt and Katie talk about the idea that burnout and depression could actually be the same thing. We look at how stigma and a sense of superiority may inhibit clinicians from reporting that they’re actually experiencing depression rather than “burnout.”         It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widh...

Curt and Katie talk about the Corona Virus scare. We look at how to take care of ourselves, our clients, and our businesses during the current outbreak. We also look at the mental health impacts and the legal and ethical responsibilities we have to our clients.          It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts,...

An interview with Dr. Jamie Marich on how to navigate through dissociation in the therapy room. Curt and Katie interview Jamie about her own experiences with dissociation and what she does to cope as a dissociative professional. We discuss the importance of mindfulness and other strategies to take care of ourselves as well as treating dissociative clients. We also chat about how to navigate profes...

Curt and Katie talk about the ins and outs of intuition. We look at when you can trust your gut feelings and when you cannot. We sort through how to actually develop and use clinical intuition as well as the problems that can come into play when you do not follow the appropriate steps.      It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a t...

An interview with Carrie Wiita and Ben Fineman, MFT Trainees and the co-hosts of the Very Bad Therapy podcast. Curt and Katie interview Ben and Carrie about their experience as graduate students and mental health advocates. We look at the short-falls of the educational system as well as the mythologies that stagnate the profession. We talk about how to improve therapy and the training we receive....

Curt and Katie talk about structuring self-care into your business practices. We look at how to incorporate self-care best practices into the way you build your work day. We also talk about common challenges to taking this advice.    It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk a...

An interview with Norine Vander Hooven, LCSW about therapists who become suicidal. Curt and Katie interview Norine on the risk factors that therapists face as well as how we can support each other in our community. We talk about prevention, interventions with a colleague, and how to manage when a colleague dies by suicide.  It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are...

An interview with Norine Vander Hooven, LCSW about assessing suicide appropriately for our clients from the beginning of treatment. Curt and Katie talk with Norine about what therapists often miss with their clients and how to treat suicidality when it comes up. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, wi...

Curt and Katie talk about the nuance of treating therapists in therapy. We look at the unique dynamics in the therapeutic relationship as well as common traps to avoid.    It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age....

An interview with Pardis Mahdavi, PhD, and Negeen Moussavian, AMFT, regarding Iran, current events, and how the news might impact Iranian clients. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market th...

Curt and Katie talk about how difficult it is for therapists to take care of ourselves. We look at why we struggle with the self-care that we teach our clients, including shaming in our field, lack of connection to our shadow-self, and where we seek support. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhal...

Special Episode: Curt and Katie talk about the recent NUHW- Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Worker Strike. Katie interviews a National Union of Healthcare Workers representative, Dr. Kenneth Rogers. We then both reflect on the interview and a statement from Kaiser Permanente, especially related to the implications for the profession as a whole. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to b...

Curt and Katie talk about the advocacy efforts to make paying prelicensed individuals a best practice. We talk about a statement recently approved by CAMFT, looking at the process, the implications, and a call to action. In this episode we talk about: A public statement approved at the most recent meeting of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists The supporting information that s...

An interview with Dr. Laura Louis, CEO of Couch to Podium, on how to move into public speaking as a therapist. We look at best practices, what therapists get wrong, and how to get started. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists...

An interview with Kate Campbell, PhD, LMFT, and Katie Lemieux, LMFT from The Private Practice Startup. Curt and Katie talk with Kate and Katie about the differences between marketing and branding, what therapists should consider when developing their personal brand, and common mistakes therapists make.  Interview with Kate and Katie from the Private Practice Startup The Private Practice Startup is...

Curt and Katie talk about Person of the Therapist training. We talk about a revolutionary training model that starts with who a therapist is and what will come up for them as a therapist – rather than setting unreasonable expectations of blank, neutral, perfect therapists.           It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist...

An interview with Michael Blumberg, LCPC, about mental health care as a basic human right. Curt and Katie talk with Michael about the tension between access and therapist financial stability. We look at ideas to support access while being thoughtful about your own financial needs. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves...

Curt and Katie talk about a recent news story related to Dr. Gregory Eells, the Executive Director of the Counseling and Psychological Services at University of Pennsylvania, who died by suicide in September 2019. We talk about how the understanding of risk factors, the changing face of our profession, and calls for self-care are insufficient to address the mental health needs of mental health pro...

An interview with Dr. Rachna Jain, of Profitable Popularity, talks with Curt and Katie about SEO best practices as well as things to consider when deciding what level of SEO to employ. We also look at how to proactively protect your online reputation and how to repair it. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole...

Live Podcast: Curt and Katie are live at Therapy Reimagined 2019. We talk about what the #therapymovement aspires to accomplish. We talk about the broken educational system, the need for a livable wage, the ways we can improve our profession, and stronger ways that we can show up for our clients.           It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whol...

Curt and Katie talk about therapists who become impaired – by substance abuse, cognitive decline, their own mental health concerns, burnout, etc. The challenges of addressing impaired therapists given the ethics codes, the lack of effective means to make complaints, and the difficulty in finding effective solutions.         It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To sup...

Curt and Katie talk about how politics have started coming into the therapy room. We look at how the election of Donald Trump seemed to increase clients (and therapists) actively bringing world events into the therapeutic work.        It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk...

An interview with Eliza Boquin, LMFT on what therapists miss when they don’t talk about sex with their clients. Curt and Katie talk with Eliza about how judgment, shame, and discomfort can come into the therapy room and create barriers for patients talking about their sexual health. It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselve...

Curt and Katie talk about money. We look at the financial needs of therapists, the perspective of clients and the public that we charge too much OR that we should not want money; the common martyrdom expectation that can negatively impact therapists and the profession.        It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your...