The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy
Curt Widhalm, LMFT and Katie Vernoy, LMFT
The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide: Where Therapists Live, Breathe, and Practice as Human Beings It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when clinicians must develop a personal brand to market their private practices, and are connecting over social media, engaging in social activism, pushing back against mental health stigma, and facing a whole new style of entrepreneurship. To support you as a whole person, a business owner, and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 23, 2017 • 34min
Navigating the Holidays as a Therapist
In this episode we talk about:
Whether you should decorate your office
What to do about gifts
Potential trauma, triggers, pitfalls, and challenges related to holidays for clients
Diversity of your clients, colleagues, and community
Navigating scheduling challenges during the holidays
Fluctuating caseloads
Deciding whether to eat with your clients
Helping clients to cope during the holidays
Thanking referral sources during the holidays
Nov 21, 2017 • 33min
Therapist Know Thyself
In this episode, we talk about:
How to assess ourselves
Identifying who are clients are and how they find us
How to screen clients appropriately
Using humor – when, how, and why
Being yourself while holding appropriate boundaries
Evaluating clinical efficacy
Talking about the therapeutic relationship with your client
The importance of community, consultation, supervision, and feedback
Nov 16, 2017 • 31min
In-Person Networking
Networking is an important skill for all therapists. In this episode we answer the following questions:
Why is networking important?
What are the common challenges that therapists face?
How to network effectively
Developing and talking about your niche
Becoming memorable to get more referrals – your personal brand
Giving out business cards and how to follow up
Strategies for effective coffee meetings
Developing a collaborative treatment team of referral partners
23 snips
Nov 14, 2017 • 31min
Self-Care, Self-Compassion, and Self-Awareness for Therapists
After healing her own burnout, Jamie Stacks, LPC began a crusade to help other clinicians with their self-care. In this episode, we address the following:
Self-care as an ethical imperative
A holistic approach to self-care
The importance of community
Why balance is B.S.
Self-compassion
Blocks to self-care including time and guilt
Jamie's burnout story and how she spends her days now
Jamie's coffee habit
Nov 9, 2017 • 32min
Social Media and Video Marketing for Therapists
We had a blast talking with Ernesto Segismundo Jr. M.S. LMFT, of Fylmit.com about all things social media and video marketing.
Creating a therapist social media presence
Legal and Ethical issues related to posting video content online
The importance of authenticity and genuineness for your personal brand
How to get visibility on Social Media
Creating community and engagement with referral sources and colleagues online
Nov 9, 2017 • 34min
What is a Modern Therapist?
In this episode:
How has psychotherapy changed?
What do modern clients, patients want?
Private, personal, and professional parts of life.
Living your personal brand
Can we take our clients further than we’ve gone ourselves?
Benefits of being a “whole person” or human therapist.
Self-assessment and clinical efficacy.
Challenges of the therapist/business-owner.
Self-care, boundaries, and avoiding burnout.
Katie and Curt talk about their worst sessions
Nov 9, 2017 • 22min
The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide Introduction
Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy have a brand new podcast, talking about how to navigate Modern Therapist Problems:
Private Practice building and business ownership
Social Media
Personal Branding
Authenticity - in your marketing and in the room
Moving away from being a blank slate and the medical model of mental health treatment
Self-care as a helper, therapist, social worker, or counselor
