S5 Episode 25: Therapy Can Be Awkward with Nicole Arzt, LMFT

Nicole Arzt is a licensed marriage and family therapist, writer, and creator of the wildly popular Psychotherapy Memes platform; a space that blends sharp insight with raw, unfiltered honesty about the realities of being a therapist in the modern world. She’s also the author of Sometimes Therapy Is Awkward, a book that has resonated deeply with clinicians and clients alike, not because it promises perfection, but because it makes space for the mess, the doubt, and the deeply human experience of showing up for others while trying to make sense of yourself. Nicole’s work does more than just pull back the curtain on therapy, it rips the curtain down and invites us to look at what happens when the people doing the healing are still healing themselves. Nicole’s voice is one of radical transparency, compassion, and humor, reminding us that therapists aren’t gurus or flawless fixers, they’re people navigating their own fears, insecurities, and growth, and often in real time. Through her writing, memes, and advocacy, Nicole challenges the idea that therapists have to be blank slates or emotional superheroes, and she redefines what it means to be “professional” by honoring what’s real (the burnout, the awkwardness, the fear of not being enough) and by doing so, she gives permission to everyone in the mental health space to be whole, not perfect.

Connect with Nicole:

Instagram - @psychotherapymemes

Website - http://www.nicolearzt.com

Is there a guest you’d love to see on @notyourordinaryparts? Follow @notyourordinaryparts on Instagram and tag them.

If this episode resonated with you follow @notyourordinaryparts on Instagram and interact with the host, guests, and other listeners. Like, subscribe, follow, and share with anyone you think would find this helpful.

Life can be hard at times and if you’re like me, you may tend to think that you can handle it all on your own. Maybe you’ve done such a good job of “managing for so long” having to do something different or talk to someone can feel uncomfortable. The idea of therapy, to me, felt like I had to admit that there was something wrong with me or that I’d be showing the world that I was broken or didn't have it all together… but when my health started to suffer, and I was anxious 24/7… I realized my body was trying to tell me something was wrong and I learned that there is no “good health” without mental health. Therapy was the answer for me, it helped me put down all of the heavy things that I was carrying that didn’t belong to me. While therapy can provide so much relief, finding a therapist can feel so daunting. BetterHelp, the sponsor of today’s video, has done so much to make finding a therapist and starting therapy so much easier! BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform whose mission is making professional therapy accessible, affordable, and convenient — so anyone who struggles with life's challenges can get help. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist who is trained to listen and give you helpful, unbiased advice. Over 4 million people have used BetterHelp to start living a healthier, happier life.If you’re struggling, please visit - https://betterhelp.com/notyourordinaryparts for 10% off your first month.