Why Therapists Shouldn’t Be Taught Business in Grad School

Why Therapists Shouldn’t Be Taught Business in Grad School

Curt and Katie debate whether graduate school programs for therapists should include business education. We look at the pros and cons for including business education for students, specifically identifying a mismatched developmental level, bloated curriculums, and underutilized career resources. We also look at the responsibility graduate schools have to their students to be employable or to be able to create a sustainable business. 

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

In this podcast episode we talk about whether clinical grad programs should include business education

We have seen marketing that highlights that business isn’t taught in grad school (and have done a lot of it ourselves). We discuss whether it actually should be included.

What is already included in grad school for therapists?

• A large number of clinical courses required for graduation
• Career centers and other business resources may be available, but not used

What career or business resources should therapists get through graduate school?

• Career centers with up-to-date relevant employment resources
• Potentially an optional class or workshop for how to run a business

Why shouldn’t business education be added to clinical programs?

“The timing of it just isn't right. Like, yeah, these are ideas that can be introduced, but the practicalities of it, in my experience, just aren't developmentally where a lot of grad students are… I don't think that [teaching someone to run a business] at a developmental time when people aren't capable for it or aren't ready for it – or legally not allowed to put those things in place – it just ends up being so far off that it's not a practical sort of training thing.” – Curt Widhalm

• Accreditation bodies don’t access for employability, so programs won’t focus their attention
• The increasing number of credits required to become a therapist
• Developmentally inappropriate timing for what therapists are able to do when they graduate

What would business education look like if it were included in graduate programs?

“I'm not ready to let the grad schools off the hook for their responsibility to students. I feel like they are responsible to students to adequately prepare them for the job.” – Katie Vernoy

• Potentially lackluster participation due to overwhelm
• The importance of introducing what clinicians will actually face
• Seminar versus a full course
• Orientation to job options and business basics

Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance!

Saving Psychotherapy by Dr. Ben Caldwell