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

An interview with Debi Frankle, LMFT on how therapists can navigate when clients die. We look at what to do when clients die by suicide, die based on high risk lifestyles, or long-term illnesses. We also talk about the complicated emotions that therapists face in this isolated grief.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 Debi Frankle, LMFTDebi Jenkins Frankle is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Grief Specialist and Trainer. Debi has been working with grievers for over 25 years. She and husband, Mark Frankle LMFT, are the co-founders of the Calabasas Counseling and Grief Recovery Center. Debi is the founder of Private Practice Grief Workshops and Trainings for Mental Health Professionals as well as the FB group for therapists: Private Practice Grief.Debi’s areas of expertise are grief and trauma. Debi has led trainings for grief counseling professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Debi is a past president of San Fernando Valley chapter of CAMFT, past committee co-chair of the Crisis Response Network for SFV CAMFT and a member of the Association for Death Education (ADEC).In her spare time, she plays in dirt and hangs out with dogs (and her husband too!).In this episode we talk about: How therapists can handle when a client dies by suicide Legal and logistical considerations The importance of grounding yourself and seeking out consultation with a trusted colleague The stigma leading to therapists avoiding disclosing when clients die by suicide Considerations in contacting the family of the client and how to handle the conversation The complicated emotions that therapists can face as professionals and as grievers Deciding to go to the funeral The isolated grief that therapists face How grief can be different when a client dies by something preventable, or something they caused - disenfranchised grief or discounted grief The uniqueness of the therapist’s response The different types of losses and the reactions we have to them The emotional reactions that therapists should allow in treatment (and should not allow) The importance of doing your own work regarding your own losses How therapists can defer the conversations in treatment away from the necessary grief work How to manage the rest of the caseload when you’ve experienced a personal loss or a client has died The modeling we can do for our clients What happens when your therapy dog dies and how to manage that with your clients The work we need to do to be better at working with grief overall

Curt and Katie talk about therapists’ responsibility for mental health access and the (sometimes moral) decision about whether one focuses on income or providing treatment to all. We look at a living wage, the mental health system, entrepreneurship, and capitalism.     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: Is mental health access a universal right? Group Practice Owner’s Summit 2019 where Katie got some wild ideas, especially during the talk by Maureen Werrbach and Michael Blumberg: Mental Health Access as a Human Right The moral dilemma regarding raising your fees to the point that you are only working with people who can afford it The extremes of martyrdom and pure entrepreneurship/capitalism Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a place to assess where we identify human rights The distinction of the system providing mental health access and individuals providing this access Homelessness, mental illness, and addiction Where systems and social services are best able to take care of mental health and other concerns Larger mission and vision of how to impact the world Taking care of your needs as a therapist/person first before society The systemic issue of not providing all therapists a living wage and therapists needing to go into entrepreneurship to survive The potential impact of universal mental healthcare on entrepreneurship and the field The concern about stagnation and stifled innovation The power of passion and motivation in the work Finding creative ways to increase access, while not negatively impacting your bottom line How to make individual decisions about mental health access versus the therapist’s individual income Self-actualization - #topofthepyramid How the system impacts which therapists are able to continue practicing Draw bridge effect of later career therapists not treating newer therapists how they wished they were treated Locus of Control impacting decision-making The poor treatment of employees, low wages as contributing factors The system impacts on people at all levels Basic Needs - #bottomofthepyramid Profit First versus clients who do not bring revenue in Beyond Basic Needs - #middleofthepyramid The salary needs that connects to optimal happiness Questions about how to address these concerns and which to address first

An interview with Kristin Martinez, LMFT, about how trauma informed practices apply to the workplace. Curt and Katie talk with Kristin about her person-centered management, the benefits of treating employees well, and the risks of managing individuals as though they were cogs in a machine.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 Kristin Martinez, LMFT Kristin Martinez is a licensed therapist who developed a process of management coined: Person Centered Management. She developed Person Centered Management through her own experience and expertise in trauma informed psychotherapy and being a leader in several organizations. Kristin owns a consulting firm and a group therapy practice. Prior to being a business owner, Kristin spent over 10 years in the mental health field as case worker, therapist, and administrator in private, contracted, and government entities. She has experience as a Director in Logistics prior to entering the field of mental health and knows the power of good teaming. In this episode we talk about: The idea of best practices for workplaces – Trauma Informed Workplaces, Person-centered management How Kristin came to identify the need for trauma informed practices not just with clients, but with the therapists and workforce as well Looking at the community mental health perspective How current practices lead to burnout at all levels How to introduce best practices into public mental health The importance of treating employees as people and developing real relationships with employees A primer on trauma informed perspective Look at context of behavior in order to address things like timeliness The idea of “therapy for the work place” Best practices for supervising and managing The myth that this type of work that focuses on the individual takes more time The risk of burnout and turnover for workplaces that don’t take care of their people How to introduce these concepts into the classroom How to infuse hope into the option of working in community mental health The importance of boundaries, asking for help, understanding expectations The attempts of these agencies to improve employee engagement and supporting the staff to stay longer The danger of the silos that different clinicians can be in (i.e., community mental health, private practice, other types of treatment centers) The benefit of connection with other therapists How processing your own stuff, making sure to consult, and taking time for self-care needs to be incorporated into a trauma-informed workplace Suggestions for group or solo practice owners to incorporate these best practices How Kristin puts her money where her mouth is, in her group practice Looking at how the workplace can impact each individual, looking at trauma responses for everyone involved (every client, every employee, everyone) Kristin believes that therapists are too focused on behavior and symptom reduction The importance of training all staff within interdisciplinary teams, taking care of all staff at levels The hope of transforming workplaces to make our career more sustainable

Curt and Katie talk about generational differences in therapists, looking at perceptions (and misperceptions) about Millennials We look at how these differences impact therapy workplaces, supervision, and the future of our field.   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: Whether or not Curt is a Millennial Looking at how millennials show up as employees and entrepreneurs Generational differences in therapists Common complaint of millennials being entitled Living life now versus earning your stripes and waiting on retirement The Four-Hour Work Week Curt’s theory that Millennials have perfected the dream of the Gen X-ers The impact of technology on growing up in different generations Looking at the impact of the recession on the perspective on how to navigate work The “young upstart” mythology that gets under Boomers’ skin Gaining confidence earlier due to the access to immense amounts of data that wasn’t around when X-ers and Boomers were growing up Teaching as equals versus teaching as a superior, looking at collaborative learning The difference between therapy as work and other professions The further we remove the therapist from having creativity and ownership from the work, the less value they will get from the work. The importance of real application of concepts in our education The tension of enough structured guidance versus enough collaboration/empowerment Avoiding the helicoptering (supervision, management, etc.) How technology is impacting the work The importance of grounding innovation in laws, ethics, and clinical excellence How coaching might impact our profession, whether there is harm with people jumping to coaching without credentials or training Instagram Therapists Different goals for different generations, namely the scourge of selling out Whether or not Gen X-ers have actually sold old How things have changed in marketing and how that has impacted newer therapists When you can claim “expert” status How strong entrepreneurs can potentially harm the profession

An interview with Paul Puri, M.D., about how we can make therapy better. Curt and Katie interview Dr. Puri about how technology and better clinical training can improve therapy outcomes as well as the responsibility we have as experts to impact social change through education and art.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 Paul R. Puri, M.D., Psychiatrist, TV Writer, CMO of OOTifyDr. Puri is a psychiatrist, TV writer, and an entrepreneur. In his private practice in Los Angeles, he practices multiple forms of psychotherapy, including hypnosis, in addition to managing medications. He attended medical school at University of Rochester, and specialty training in psychiatry at UC San Diego. He is currently a clinical Assistant Professor at UCLA, and the president-elect of the Psychiatric Clinical Faculty Association. In his non-clinical time, he consults and writes for TV, and is the Chief Medical Officer for an online mental health hub, OOTify -- OOTify.comIn this episode we talk about: How Paul has found the different ways that he is helping transform mental health The history of psychotherapy and psychiatry and how training changed to match the reimbursement model How psychiatry training is shifting to reflect the modern needs How therapy is changing, how technology is entering into the picture, and what is driving research and evidence-based treatments The importance of therapist matching in the success of treatment (and how machine learning can help this process) The internal work that therapists have to do to improve their clinical work The importance of getting different perspectives to become the therapist you are supposed to be rather than becoming a duplicate of your supervisor How Paul is trying to represent our field accurately and well in his writing on Chicago Med The impact of entertainment on mental health stigma The social responsibility of having a larger microphone or platform How much to push beyond the current reality to effect social change How we make therapy and therapists better The noise that has developed in the “personal branding” era of private practice The responsibility we have to help potential clients find the best fit – and how we are frequently failing at it The problem with only seeking out “evidence-based” treatment without considering what the evidence means How to move outside the office and add your voice to the social landscape The Public Health responsibility we have to educate with the expertise we have The balance of making sure you’re not weighing in unsolicited, but rather strategically The nuance of talking about your knowledge without over-disclosing, breaking ethical and legal guidelines, or speaking outside your scope  Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

Curt and Katie talk about why mass shootings happen. We look at the complexity of the research and how solely blaming mental illness, doesn’t reflect the research and is stigmatizing. We also talk about how to identify risks and what to do to try to prevent violence. 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: Looking at why Mass Shootings happen Defining Mass Shooting The harm that blaming mass shootings on mental illness can cause – stigma, lack of seeking mental health treatment The limitations and complexity of the research The dehumanization of others and the role that it can play in the violence Attribution Model, low self-esteem, moving out to fringe groups, radicalization Developmental factors including parenting, culture, gender, coercion, history of violence The difficulty with learning from sound bites The role of violent media, video games The importance of differentiating correlation from causation The most important factor: access to guns “Aggrieved Entitlement” leading to seeking revenge in a violent way for a perceived or actual victimization Multi-systemic solutions and what therapists can do to address the situation Compassion, listening, and connection as a way to intervene prior to radicalization Seeing from a different perspective than what is “acceptable” for you, to help to build alliance and open opportunities for challenging violent beliefs Clarifying therapy versus threat assessment Fighting Fascism in the world and in the therapy room

Curt and Katie talk about how to take care of your clients, your communities, and yourself after a mass shooting. We look at the types of victims, the different stages of response, and treatment considerations.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: Responding to the recent Mass Shootings The different roles that therapists can be expected to play after a Mass Shooting incident The types of victims of these events (from victims radiating out to people who are learning about these events on social media) The different stages of trauma response – and the caution to not assume everyone will end up with PTSD Who is at risk for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder The different factors that can lead to an emotional response to the shooting, regardless of how close you are to the incident The importance of Psychological First Aid (and how Critical Incident Stress Debriefing can be harmful) Vicarious and Re-traumatization, triggers, no response The impact of previous traumas The importance of community supports and types of community interventions Looking at how to assess boundaries and be part in the community healing Post-Traumatic Growth and finding meaning, purpose How often those with mental illness diagnoses might feel stigmatized when they are scape-goated and should also be supported How the role that therapists play can impact therapists The careful assessment of how you can help and what you can offer to people impacted by these events Important self-care reminders for therapists

An interview with Jeff Guenther, LPC, about how therapy has been whitewashed and biased for a very long time. Curt and Katie talk with Jeff about his efforts to use his privilege to increase inclusion and diversity and to shine a light on biases that we all hold.  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 Jeff Guenther, LPCJeff Guenther, LPC, is a therapist in Portland, OR. He has been in private practice since 2005. Jeff is the creator and owner of Portland Therapy Center, a highly ranked therapist directory. He also hosts a podcast called Say More About That about trending mental health topics. Jeff has launched a new progressive therapist directory at TherapyDen that fights racism, homophobia, transphobia and all other forms of discrimination. Sign up for a profile at TherapyDen and get your first six months free.In this episode we talk about: Jeff’s entrepreneurship and his focus on creating access for mental health Therapy directories and how he came to identify the need to use the directory to fight against racism, transphobia, homophobia, etc. Using privilege for good and to support inclusion and access for mental health services Looking at the controversy in developing a progressive therapist directory The goal to be inclusive, not solely politically progressive White privilege and bias The problems with Psychology Today and how this directory is slowly seeming to respond and start addressing racial and gender diversity The white washing of therapy and the fight to increase access and diversity Understanding the bias that is being reinforced by Disney Movies How bias can show up in the therapy room, your marketing, and in your intake Addressing systemic bias The history of therapy and how it continues to influence bias Looking at how implicit bias can be addressed by individual therapists The biases that are less understood or addressed The responsibility of therapists to actively work toward societal inclusion The ability to change things in one generation

Curt and Katie talk about the different types of burnout. We look at the differences between employee and entrepreneur burnout, including how to prevent it and how to treat it.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 difference between burnout for employees and entrepreneurs How the different nature of how we work impacts how/why we burn out Employee burnout: cog in the machine, dehumanization, lack of agency Entrepreneur burnout: hustling for income, decision fatigue, facing change with rigidity How to prevent the different types of burnout The importance for putting systems in place to decrease the tendency for entrepreneurial burnout When passion and obsessive efforts can also cause burnout The danger of having a lack of balance between passion and rest or personal life Types of burnout – overload, underchallenged, neglect Moral Injury, locus of control, and the impact of unhealthy work environments The challenges of having to work outside of our “zone of genius” in starting a private practice Different types of shame related to impostor syndrome, “hobby practice,” charging too much How excuses can get in the way Ideas on how to address burnout

An interview with Patrice Douglas, LMFT, talking about mental health stigma in the Black Community. Curt and Katie talk with Patrice about how she is working to decrease stigma and increase access to competent treatment for African Americans. 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 Patrice N. Douglas, LMFT, CAMS-IPatrice N. Douglas is a licensed therapist, Certified Anger Management Specialist, and Certified Parent Child Interaction Therapist in California and Texas. She is currently a doctoral candidate at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. She is the owner of Empire Counseling & Consultation located in CA, NY, and TX where she specializes in anger management, men’s issues, minority mental health, as well as parenting. Patrice is passionate about decreasing stigmas in minority communities by curating initiatives such a t-shirt campaign that spreads awareness about mental health as well as uses the profits to pay for therapy for those who can’t afford it as well as low cost workshops. She has been featured in Bustle, HelloGiggles, Therapy For Black Girls, and other platforms discussing the various topics surrounding mental health.In this episode we talk about: Mental Health Advocacy within the Black Community Reducing Mental Health Stigma How awesome Patrice’s Instagram is The pros and cons about social media and how you can use it to decrease mental health stigma Patrice’s Infographics and how she has used them (and the response that she has gotten) The way Patrice has used social media to provide education and has gotten a lot of visibility Culturally specific impacts of mental health concerns – historical context, religion, lack of trust Barriers to Mental Health Treatment for African American Clients including cultural mistrust The impact of slavery, experimentation, institutionalization on access and perspective The importance of understanding cultural differences, stereotypes, privilege, bias Advice for Allies – hold space, consultation, understand required competence Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome – intergenerational trauma from slavery impacting the current generation of Black people The movement that Patrice is starting to increase awareness and decrease stigma – through t-shirts, infographics The importance of consultation, cultural humility, historical context