The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy Designing a Sustainable Therapy Career: Reflections on Burnout, Legacy, and Letting Go
Nov 17, 2025
This discussion dives deep into crafting a sustainable therapy career while reflecting on the challenges of burnout and professional identity. The hosts share insights from past interviews, emphasizing the importance of intentional career design and community support. They explore how burnout can tarnish passion and the need for routine introspection to realign values. The conversation highlights the necessity of planning for a graceful exit, addressing the financial and personal factors that influence therapists' career longevity.
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Intentional Career Design Matters
- Designing a therapy career requires deliberate choices; sustainability doesn’t happen by accident.
- Curt and Katie stress planning and intentionality to avoid burning out or crashing at the end.
Context From Recent Interviews
- Curt and Katie situate this episode amid recent interviews with Lynn, Margaret, and Ofra about varied retirement paths.
- They clarify they have no immediate plans to retire despite discussing endings.
Career Energy Fluctuates In Stages
- Career stages shift between enthusiasm and simply mustering enough energy to finish the week.
- Katie frames sustainability as design: choices, capacity, and inherent limits shape longevity.
