The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy Special Series: Becoming a Therapist - From Corporate Leadership to Counseling Advocacy: An Interview with Iris Wilson-Farley
From Corporate Leadership to Counseling Advocacy: An Interview with Iris Wilson-Farley
Special Series: Becoming a Therapist
In this special Becoming a Therapist series episode, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy welcome back Iris Wilson-Farley for a second-year check-in on her journey through graduate school. Iris reflects on how her expectations of training have shifted, what the internship search was really like in an online program, and how she’s preparing to move into primarily in-person clinical work. She also shares how her background in corporate leadership informs her approach to professional development, advocacy, and research, with a growing focus on sexual wellness and gender-affirming care.
About the Guest
Iris Wilson-Farley is a second-career counselor-in-training and graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at The Chicago School. After a 33-year career in corporate Human Resources and executive leadership, Iris is now focused on sexual wellness, gender-affirming care, and advocacy within the counseling profession. She is actively involved in professional organizations including ACA divisions focused on sexology and LGBTQIA+ identities and is working toward sex therapist certification through the Sexual Health Alliance.
Key Takeaways
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How expectations often shift between the first and second year of graduate training
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What the internship search can look like in online counseling programs
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Preparing to transition from virtual learning to in-person clinical work
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How prior professional experience can shape identity and leadership in training
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The value of early involvement in advocacy, research, and professional organizations
You can listen to Iris’s first interview in the Becoming a Therapist series here:
https://therapyreimagined.com/modern-therapist-podcast/finding-alignment-in-a-second-career-special-series-becoming-a-therapist-an-interview-with-iris-wilson-farley/
Find the full show notes and resources for this episode at:
https://mtsgpodcast.com
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Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits
Voice Over by DW McCann – https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano – https://groomsymusic.com/