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

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 StartupThe Private Practice Startup is co-owned by Kate Campbell, PhD, LMFT and Katie Lemieux, LMFT. They’re two therapists with entrepreneurial spirits who are crazy about business, branding and marketing. They live, work and play in South Florida. They both built their 6-Figure private practices in less than 2 years from the ground up and inspire other ambitious mental health professionals to brand themselves, grow their dream private practices and live into their dream lifestyles. They have a hunger for business, branding and marketing.  They love helping private practitioners work with the clients they love, profit more in business, and create the freedom to truly enjoy a lifestyle business.  Kate is a food and wine aficionado who loves to travel and create new memories with her husband and son. She also loves the beach, pilates, riding horses, concerts, and of course the occasional “retail therapy”.Thanks to Kate, Katie is a wine snob in the making. Katie is an avid pitbull lover and has 2 of her own, she loves travel, new and fun adventures, reading, the ID channel, Halloween, sparkles, taking pictures, random silly things, family time and taking time to just be.  They are the creators of Private Practice Marketing E-Course and Coaching, provide FREE podcasts, and customizable Attorney Approved Private Practice Paperwork for therapists. Visit PrivatePracticeStartup.com for more info!    In this episode we talk about: The shear number of Kate/Katies that Curt had to deal with on the episode. The difference between marketing and branding The importance of marketing in developing a business Relationships, ownership as part of the branding process How to stand out, become distinctive What therapists should consider when developing a brand How your unique selling proposition relates to the development of your branding and marketing How therapists’ goals for their lifestyle and their individual picture impacts ideal client Niche and saying no to the clients who are not in your wheel house The challenge of being a generalist, fear of repelling too many clients Why you need to have a brand that clearly inspires your ideal clients The mistakes therapists often make in branding and connecting with your ideal clients Clear planning, following up, and tracking for your marketing Taking ownership of how you are perceived by your ideal clients How brands evolve, especially as you add businesses, business partners, side hustles, etc. How to become business partners and clarify how you work together The mission, values, and operations ties to the brand How your personal brand can be logistically experienced by the public (aka make sure you keep track of all of your websites)  Relevant Resources:We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links:Kate and Katie’s website = www.privatepracticestartup.com The A to Z Cheatsheet: Essentials for Building and Growing Your Dream Private Practice - https://a-z-cheat-sheet-download.gr8.com/ Donald Miller – Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen Jeff Walker - Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your DreamsRussell BrunsonGary Vaynerchuck  Connect with us:The Modern Therapists Group on Facebook Get Notified About Therapy Reimagined 2020 (and TR2019 Virtual Conference)Credits:Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

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, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.In this episode we talk about: Person of the Therapist training – addressing the whole person therapist The work of Dr. Harry Aponte at Drexel University Looking at how pulling from your own history can impact how you approach the work in the room The importance of finding your own personal themes and challenges, owning your own story Innovative classes that start graduate programs with personal growth and insight Normalizing reactions and individual differences from the beginning of our education How close the line can be between education and therapy The fallacy that therapists can be blank or neutral The drive toward Evidence Based Practices The depth of supervision that occurs when focusing on the person of the therapist The problem of siloed areas of the field and how bringing it back into the same room The vulnerability required for the depth of this work The ability to increase maturity of the therapist more quickly through this type of work The importance of structure and containment to do this type of work Teaching self-awareness and self-monitoring The power of building supportive community to do work more in the open, to decrease shame and perfectionism Learning how to give respectful, structured, effective feedback – exercising your empathy muscle How building resilience and connection can improve the profession as a whole Increasing distress tolerance and capacity for taking feedback Looking at the benefit of doing this work at all stages in your career  Resources mentioned:We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.Dr. Harry J Aponte Person of the Therapist Training Model by Dr. Harry Aponte Claudio & Watson: Perceived impact of the Person of the Therapist Training model on Drexel University Master of Family Therapy postgraduates’ clinical work Kissil, Carneiro, & Aponte: Beyond duality: The relationship between the personal and the professional selves of the therapist in the Person of the Therapist Training Watson: Doing it right: Branding the Person of the Therapist Training model in Drexel University’s Master of Family Therapy program Aponte & Ingram: Person of the Therapist supervision: Reflections of a therapist and supervisor on empathic-identification and differentiation  Relevant Episodes:Therapists in TherapyImpaired TherapistsThat’s UnethicalTherapist Haters and Trolls Connect with us!Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group Get Notified About Therapy Reimagined 2020 (and TR2019 Virtual Conference) Our consultation services:The Fifty-Minute Hour Credits:Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

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 as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.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. Interview with Michael Blumberg, LCPCMichael Blumberg is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and group practice owner in the Chicago suburb of Glenview. Michael founded and manages Glenview Counseling Group, a multi-disciplinary psychotherapy group practice, where he treats clients with OCD & complex anxiety and manages the daily operations of the practice. Michael also co-founded a business focused solely on the business aspects of group practice ownership called Group Practice Builders with his friend and colleague Maureen Werrbach. Together they plan and facilitate an annual conference called the Group Practice Owners Summit which draws attendees from across the US and abroad. In this episode we talk about: How Michael defines Mental Health Care as a Human Right The idea that all people, regardless of ability to pay, have the right to be emotionally and psychologically well Pushing back against mental health and wellness as an extravagance The conflict between access and running a private practice The concern that if this is a human right, clinicians might be conscripted into service If large organizations can’t make access available, how can small therapy practices do anything? Ideas for how small therapy practices can make a difference in providing mental health access How to make the choices in how much you make, how you increase access The importance of individuals making these decisions for themselves based on their own needs. Advocacy as another way to increase access and work in prevention The tension between access and time or financial stability for individual clinicians The Starfish Thrower How the education system promotes sacrifice by the therapist Do what YOU can do and be thoughtful about it How to get creative and dismiss preconceived notions of what SHOULD be done The balancing act if you open yourself to the idea that you should personally provide access How these principles fit into the #moderntherapist ideas

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 professionals.          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.In this episode we talk about: Therapist death by suicide The life and work of Dr. Gregory Eells The risk factors for therapist suicide: our own mental health concerns, highly challenging our work is, the changing work environments, burnout and isolation. The insufficiency of “self-care” as a solution and what it infers about the mental health professionals who are unable to employ it The systemic issues leading to poor mental health in the professionals University counseling centers – the increasing percentage utilization, a look at how access and services have been affected How new legislation that could improve the situation is still insufficient A call for early intervention, comprehensive services How caseloads are impacted by limiting services to clients with the highest level of need Moral injury in addition to “burnout” Suggested solutions for individuals and for systems The importance of assessing capacity and need What types of things to assess: (culture, demographics, etc.) Getting creative, while assessing true capacity (time, energy, personnel, space, mental/emotional, sustainability of effort)  Resources mentioned:We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Your Tango Article: Head of UPenn’s Mental Health Services Dies By SuicidePsychologist suicide: Incidence, impact, and suggestions for prevention, intervention, and postventionDr. Eells’ TEDx talk on Resilience Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2015 Annual Report AUCCCD Survey 2018 Who helps the caregiver? Penn counselor’s suicide highlights how experts aren’t immune from strugglesIt’s Not Burnout, It’s Moral Injury by Dr. Zubin Damania Center for Collegiate Mental Health 2018 – Clinical Load Index Penn Today: A Conversation with new CAPS Director Gregory Eells Relevant Episodes:The Burnout SystemAddressing the Burnout SystemAll Kinds of Burned OutImpaired Therapists Connect with us!Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group Get Notified About Therapy Reimagined 2020 (and TR2019 Virtual Conference) Our consultation services:The Fifty-Minute HourCredits:Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

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 people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.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. Interview with Dr. Rachna JainDr. Rachna Jain is a clinical psychologist and internet marketing expert who helps service professionals attract new clients from the internet. Her company offers website design, search engine optimization, and other marketing support for therapists- whether they want to build a thriving local practice or a bigger, national platform.Rachna has been quoted in more than 500 major media publications, including Fortune Small Business, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, has guested on NPR and other top radio, and has also appeared on NBC's Today Show. The author of five books, she is additionally an avid jewelry artist and digital photographer. Her jewelry and photography have been sold nationally. She can be reached at ProfitablePopularity.com. In this episode we talk about: How Rachna got into SEO The differences that need to be considered in creating an online presence when you’re a therapist versus other service-based businesses The importance of specialization How to decide whether you should do your own SEO The risk of getting a negative review and the importance of knowing what to monitor How SEO has changed, how the internet has changed The difference between organic and paid rankings, the current challenges in getting highly ranked organically Right-sizing your SEO efforts, setting reasonable expectations The reasons to avoid doing SEO when you’re a new business Why to get SEO: capacity, client retention capability, and high enough fee for ROI Things that positively impact ratings on google Pros and Cons of blogging Strategies for reputation management: Own your google results for your name Addressing Yelp (a high authority site) Reputation repair strategies Building profiles at least as place holders to manage reputation Where to invest money on online marketing (and where not to) The problem of the wrong visibility How much time to spend on SEO each week, decision-making on doing SEO or outsourcing When people can shift from looking locally to creating a larger platform (or aim toward thought leadership) What you need to launch a larger platform

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 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.In this episode we talk about: The origin story of the #therapymovement What needs to be changed in our profession The conversations we are having and need to continue having Conversations with #moderntherapists about education and therapist-ways-of-being How continuing education needs to shift to support the actual job The difference between what graduate programs teach and what the work actually looks like What do we do to improve the profession? The importance of a livable wage #postthepay The threat on our scope of practice if we don’t have adequate numbers The need to improve the quality of the therapists that come out of the educational system The importance of getting new voices into the conversation Looking at what therapy has been versus what therapy can be How to step into leadership in this #therapymovement The way to effect change, both in our office and the world The importance of being present to help keep our clients alive Now what?

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 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.In this episode we talk about: The definition of Impaired Therapist The lack of recent research on the topic The types of impairment: substance abuse, cognitive decline, mental health concerns, burnout Why and how therapists can become impaired Looking at how therapists are more likely to have these impairments The responsibilities and challenges of observing impairment of others (especially depending on the role, supervisor, supervisee, colleague) The ethical responsibility to pay attention to your own potential impairment The challenge of making a complaint related to an impaired therapist Looking at the ethics code, with the responsibility to approach impaired colleague first How the interaction in the Facebook groups is not necessarily taking care of this responsibility well. The harm of shaming therapists – and the importance of supporting each other The impact of the power differential on having these difficult conversations The negative impacts on clients and treatment team members from impaired therapists What is the difference between impaired therapists and bad therapy? The importance of the response and introspection related to impairment What we’re supposed to do when we identify an impaired colleague, supervisor, or supervisee Who are the gatekeepers? Why is it important? A strange foray into the thoughts on vigilante therapists and the #cardigancartel

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 about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.In this episode we talk about: The shift from avoiding politics, religion, etc. in therapy to having it be central in therapy conversations How Donald Trump’s presidency (and the impacts of his administration) show up in the room What can happen when therapists share their political views with their clients The fear, trauma, and grief that has become more present in the conversations about the world at large How an informed client population means that therapists need to be aware of both the events and the potential impacts on individuals (and groups). The importance clients have started placing on political similarity or safety to express their viewpoints, even in the intake phone call Research on political disclosure in therapy, perceived similarity of political views, and the impact on therapeutic alliance The risk of falsely assuming alignment or over-disclosing political views with clients Looking at when political/philosophical conversations are just fun and not helpful The different impacts of the events of the day based on demographics and identity Opening space, using caution, observing to continue to have these conversations be therapeutic How burnout can impact these conversations Counter Transference and whether your own reactions should come into the treatment room with your clients Looking at how true reactions can be used in treatment, the bias of remaining neutral The potential for complex conversations that can heal with our clients The instinct to try to “correct” clients with opposing viewpoints (and the damage that can do) How therapists should prepare for being in the room for these conversations, and take care of themselves in the process.

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 ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.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.Interview with Eliza Boquin, LMFTAs a Licensed Psychotherapist, Relationship & Sexuality Expert, Eliza Boquin works with couples & individuals to overcome past traumas, emotional pain, and destructive relationship patterns so they can begin to enjoy more healthy, satisfying, and pleasure-filled lives. You can find her working with clients at her private practice in Houston, TX, hosting workshops, and at public speaking events helping people gain the skills to reach their life & relationship goals.She is also an active mental health advocate & co-founder of Melanin & Mental Health, LLC which promotes mental health awareness in the Black & Latinx communities. She & her business partner, Eboni Harris, are changing the face of therapy with their website, national therapist directory, Between Sessions podcast and "Therapy is Dope" merchandise.She has also been featured in Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, Fatherly, Bustle, ThriveWorks, Good Therapy, Stylecaster, Business Insider, Houstonia Magazine, and on Houston's Amazing 102.5 FM, and KBXX 97.9 FM - The Box.EIn this episode we talk about: Eliza’s story and how she got into sex therapy How trauma, shame, misinformation can impact sexual health The importance of removing shame and judgment from conversations about sex How to address the absence of sex in relationship therapy Opening conversations that are safe and non-shaming about sex, in the assessment What therapists miss when they don’t bring sex up with their clients The problem with pathologizing sexual concerns Typical therapist training around sex The importance of education and normalization The types of life events that can impact sex life Additional training for therapists to understand all kinds of sex The types of phone calls a sex therapist might get The amount of misinformation, sexpectations The faulty expectation that partners should know what to do The challenge of not knowing what turns you on, being disconnected from one’s body Societal expectations that impact the sexual experience The shame about bodies entering the sexual relationship Exploring sexual education stories, cultural impacts, messages about sex How people respond to sex therapists What therapists get wrong about sex The impact of bias and the medical model Sex positivity, inclusion

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 hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.In this episode we talk about: Controversy about therapists wanting money What is expected of therapists - martyrdom and a vow of poverty? Financial stability and needs of therapists The consumer perspective – am I just a paycheck? Or do you really want to help me? The importance of your WHY The perspective of the profession based on how much money is charged by most professionals Providing a social/relational service for money - Are we “emotional prostitutes?” The difficulty in assigning monetary value on what we do The goodness of our hearts and the sympathetic plea of our clients The difficulty in demonstrating and describing the value of therapy The challenge of fee setting in private practice The dynamics of insurance or social service programs impacting the clinical relationship The common questions – Am I just a paycheck? Am I important enough to help? The danger of therapy becoming transactional, especially when you’re burned out and under compensated Therapist perspective on making money, especially given the lower paid and unpaid work at the beginning of the career How the profession’s current set up impacts therapists’ ability to make money Comparison to other similar professions (like doctors) – both in their training and career trajectory, looking at why they end up making more The sliding scale problem - Are we rescuing our clients? The shame of having financial needs Self-worth being conflated with fee-setting Exercise of thinking/feeling into your fee vs practical fee setting based on financial needs The need for therapists to figure this out, so they can become more comfortable with making sufficient money to sustain their careers!