Intentional Therapist: Putting You In Your Schedule

They unpack belief misalignment and how the stories we tell ourselves amplify work stress. They map common unhelpful beliefs that drive over-functioning and burnout. They outline simple experiments: reality checks with colleagues, weighing evidence for beliefs, and asking “what is actually mine?” to reframe responsibility and protect self-care.

A practical mini-series on learning to spot the real source of workplace struggles. Short takes on four discernment categories: beliefs, boundaries, values and seasonal capacity, and truly toxic work environments. Stories about career shifts and lived experience. A simple self-care experiment invites tracking your default explanations to target support more precisely.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Why does self-care feel harder right now, even though I’m doing all the right things?”, you’re not alone. For many therapists, the struggle isn’t a lack of discipline or commitment, but a mismatch between what we’re asking of ourselves and the season we’re actually in.Our energy, capacity, and needs aren’t fixed—they shift over time, just like the seasons do. That’s why in today’s episode, we’re inviting you to pause, step out of self-improvement mode, and intentionally check in with what this season is asking of you, so your self-care can feel more aligned, supportive, and sustainable.Episode Highlights:Why seasonal self-care check-ins matterA 5-step seasonal check-in practiceWhat's standing out for each of us in this seasonSelf-care experiments:Assess your self-care needs in this specific seasonShare your self-care assessment with a trusted colleague or loved oneTake some baby stepsConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you think, “Wait, didn’t I already do this yesterday?  And all the days before?”  Same alarm.  Same email inbox.  Same clients with eerily familiar struggles.  Same promises to yourself that next week will be different.  If that resonates, you’re not alone — and you’re definitely not failing.Today, we’re taking inspiration from the movie Groundhog Day to talk about self-care, burnout, and why so many therapists feel stuck in patterns that don’t seem to change — even though they’re working so hard to make things better.Episode Highlights:How the movie Groundhog Day relates to therapist self-careWhy insight alone isn’t enough to make changes - and what helps insteadWhy being human is better than being perfectSelf-care experiments:The Ned Ryerson The Let’s Drink to World Peace The Nice Young Man From the Motor ClubThe GroundhogConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to talk about self-care with our clients, and how incredibly hard it can be to actually practice it in our own lives? As therapists, we can quote the research, share the strategies, name the patterns. And yet, when it comes time to recognize our own needs, something in us hesitates and our own needs quietly slip to the bottom. But what if self-care isn’t something extra to squeeze in — what if it’s something to build everything else around?In this episode, we’re wrapping up a very special journey — one that’s been all about rewriting the stories we tell ourselves about self-care. Over the past 8 episodes, we’ve been rethinking the myths, guilt, and cultural expectations that have shaped how we care for ourselves. And today, we’re bringing it all together — to reflect, to re-anchor, and to remind ourselves that tending to our own well-being isn’t indulgent.  It's integral.Episode Highlights:Recap of the 8 belief upgradesWhich belief resonates most for you?We can each help shift the culture of care in our fieldSelf-care experiment:Meet old beliefs with curiosity and compassion when they creep back inConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

What if the strongest form of self-care isn’t what you do by yourself… but who you allow in? As therapists, we spend our days holding space for others. We encourage our clients to lean into support, to reach out, to know they don’t have to carry it all alone. And yet — how often do we allow the same for ourselves?In this final episode of our Upgrade your self-care belief system mini-series, we’re exploring the powerful truth that self-care isn’t meant to be a solo project. Real self-care grows in community — through connection, accountability, and the gentle presence of people who remind us that we matter, too.Episode Highlights:Self-care belief system upgrade #8:  Self-care needs community.Why the old view doesn't serve us: Thinking that we don't need support and that we can 'do this on our own' keeps us disconnected from each other and reinforces shame.The new view: Self-care is relational; it thrives with support.  Seeking and accepting support makes us more resilient.Self-care experiments:Identify one area of your life or work where you've been 'going it alone'Reach out intentionallyReflect on how receiving support feelsConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

How often do you intentionally sit down to reflect on your self-care?  If you are like most of us, probably not very often!  Even if you are a regular listener of this podcast, and hopefully check in with your self-care more often than not, you are also human!  The reality is that it takes energy and awareness to make our self-care a priority.  And we can do this, but it won’t happen automatically.      That’s why in this episode, we’re talking about what might be the most important belief shift of all: that self-care requires our intentional attention. In other words: self-care doesn’t just happen by accident. It happens because we choose to bring it into focus, and trust that we will be better off for it.  So stick around as we share how to bring more intention to your self-care too.Episode Highlights:Self-care belief system upgrade #7:  Self-care needs our intentional attention.Why the old view doesn't serve us:  Self-care rarely magically fits itself into our lives, yet we rely on hope that it will.  Which leaves us constantly depleted, because hope without intention results in inaction. The new view:  Self-care with intention sends a clear message that we matter.Self-care experiments:Anchor check-inCalendar commitmentEnd-of-week reflectionConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

How many of you remember the ‘set it and forget it’ rotisserie oven infomercials from the 1990’s?  Even if that doesn’t ring a bell, the fact is that as humans we love the idea of only having to do something once, and then not having to think about it again.  In this episode, we’re talking about how this allure creates a sneaky but very common belief: that self-care is also something you can just check off once and be done with. Maybe it’s the spa day. Or the weekend away. Or the one good routine you set up years ago. And while those things can help in the moment, the truth is: self-care doesn’t work like a kitchen appliance that you can just ‘set and forget’. But we are here to convince you that this can be a good thing!Episode Highlights:Self-care belief system upgrade #6:  Self-care needs to be personalized and revisited often.Why the old view doesn't serve us: We feel disappointed and even ashamed when a one-size-fits-all, one-time fix doesn't address all our self-care challenges. The new view: Self-care is a living practice that evolves with us, and needs to fit our own needs as well as our season of life.Self-care experiments:Self-care inventoryMicro-pivotSeasonal resetConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

When you think about why self-care is hard, what comes to mind? Maybe not enough time, or feeling guilty, or just forgetting until you’re completely burned out. The dominant story says: if you can’t manage your self-care, you’re not disciplined enough. You’re not resilient enough. Maybe you’re just not cut out for this work.But here’s the twist: what if these struggles aren’t actually personal failings at all? What if they’re the result of how we’ve been socialized — shaped by gender expectations and professional norms — in ways that make self-care feel unnatural, even wrong?  This really important point, and how we can counter it, is what we are diving into in this episode.Episode Highlights:Self-care belief system upgrade #5: Self-care challenges are shaped by gender and professional socialization – NOT personal failings!Why the old view doesn't serve us: It turns self-care into a moral failing, so then we blame ourselves for struggling.The new view: Gender norms and professional socialization are powerful forces working against our self-care.  When we recognize this we can release the shame and reclaim our agency.Self-care experiments:Name the scriptFlip the praiseTry a micro-boundary experimentResources Mentioned:Episode 5: You are a human being, not a human giver: 3 ways the self-care game is rigged for women and how you can fight backVisit our website to get your own copy of our FREE 4 C's Self-Care Assessment:  https://www.intentionaltherapist.caConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.  

How many times have you said — or thought — ‘I’d love to take better care of myself, but I just don’t have the time’? Or, ‘I’m way too tired.’ Or maybe, ‘I can’t afford it right now.’  These are probably the three biggest roadblocks therapists and other caring professionals name when it comes to self-care: time, energy, and money.  And we get it — those are real constraints.  But here’s the thing: when we define self-care as something that requires extra time, energy, or money, we actually make it harder to sustain.  We set ourselves up for a cycle of guilt and avoidance.  So in this episode, we are here to convince you of a better way of dealing with these very real but ‘overcome-able’ constraints. Episode Highlights:Self-care belief system upgrade #4: Self-care doesn't have to cost a lot of time, energy, or moneyWhy the old view doesn't serve us: We wait for 'perfect' conditions — which never occur — that instead make us feel like we are falling shortThe new view: Sustainable self-care happens by weaving it into our daysSelf-care experiments:Anchor to what you already doThe one-minute resetReframe endingsResources Mentioned:Visit our website to get your own copy of our FREE 4 C's Self-Care Assessment:  https://www.intentionaltherapist.caConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapistReady to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study  Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.