The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

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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.

Recent Episodes
  • Going No Contact, Relationship Recovery, and the NY Times: An interview with Patrick Teahan, LICSW
    Nov 18, 2024 – 46:45
  • How Do Therapists Manage Intense Caseloads?
    Nov 11, 2024 – 40:35
  • Bipolar Disorder - How Can Therapists Support Clients and Their Families?: An interview with Dr. David J. Miklowitz, PhD
    Nov 4, 2024 – 42:33
  • Is Your Informed Consent Based on Magical Thinking?
    Oct 28, 2024 – 35:17
  • Is Artificial Intelligence Bringing Bias into Mental Health Treatment?
    Oct 21, 2024 – 01:05:38
  • Why Are So Many Adults Getting Diagnosed with ADHD and Autism? An interview with Dr. Monica Blied
    Oct 14, 2024 – 48:26
  • AI Therapy is Already Here: An interview with Dr. Ben Caldwell
    Oct 7, 2024 – 43:55
  • Growing Antisemitism in the Therapy Profession: An interview with Halina Brooke, LPC
    Sep 30, 2024 – 33:53
  • Exploring the Danger, Trauma, and Grief for a Palestinian Therapist in the United States: An anonymous interview
    Sep 30, 2024 – 34:51
  • Navigating Religious Trauma, Spiritual Abuse, and Lies About God: An interview with Dr. Jamie Marich
    Sep 23, 2024 – 45:38
  • Do Therapists Lie to Their Clients?
    Sep 16, 2024 – 41:11
  • Welcome to Therapist Grad School!
    Sep 9, 2024 – 39:15
  • Are Therapist Conferences Elitist? An interview with Linda Thai, LMSW
    Sep 2, 2024 – 43:18
  • How Much is Too Much? Thoughts on therapists being too branded, niched, and political
    Aug 26, 2024 – 32:33
  • How Can Therapists Help Politically Divided Families: An interview with Angela Caldwell, LMFT
    Aug 19, 2024 – 40:48
  • Beyond Being a Therapist is Hard Work: Curt and Katie respond to listener feedback
    Aug 12, 2024 – 33:25
  • What is Working Now in Online Marketing: An interview with Katie Read
    Aug 5, 2024 – 43:03
  • What to do when supervision goes bad? A guide to supervision ruptures and repair
    Jul 29, 2024 – 01:17:32
  • Should We Stop Badmouthing Evidence Based Practice? An interview with Jessica Tappana, LCSW
    Jul 22, 2024 – 36:08
  • Two Years In: Is 988 Actually Helping People Facing Mental Health Crises?
    Jul 15, 2024 – 37:33
  • Don’t Let TikTok Fool You – Being a Therapist is Hard Work: An interview with Sandra Kushnir, LMFT and Anita Avedian, LMFT
    Jul 8, 2024 – 42:41
  • No Cap: It’s Time to Glow Up Your Teen Therapy Skills
    Jul 1, 2024 – 38:56
  • More Than Cogs in the Machine: Bringing trauma-informed principles into the workplace
    Jun 24, 2024 – 01:09:39
  • Pursuing Happiness as a Therapist: An interview with Stevon Lewis, LMFT
    Jun 17, 2024 – 39:05
  • On The Move: How Run Walk Talk Therapy Reshapes Mental Health An interview with Sepideh Saremi, LCSW
    Jun 10, 2024 – 39:01
  • What Can Therapists Do About the Loneliness Epidemic?
    Jun 3, 2024 – 32:43
  • When Doing “No Harm” Isn’t Good Enough: Bringing beneficence to your clients
    May 27, 2024 – 01:07:14
  • Is Seeking an “Abundance Mindset” Toxic?
    May 20, 2024 – 41:13
  • How to Navigate Shifts in the Mental Health Field and Your Career Path: An interview with Dr. Melvin Varghese
    May 13, 2024 – 41:55
  • Are Therapy and Coaching All That Different?
    May 6, 2024 – 36:16
  • Are You Too Burned Out to Work? An ethical assessment of therapist burnout and impairment
    Apr 29, 2024 – 01:10:34
  • What Therapists Need to Know About Menopause and Perimenopause: An interview with Dr. Sharon Malone, MD
    Apr 22, 2024 – 42:04
  • Conscious and Trauma-Informed Leadership: An interview with Kelly L. Campbell
    Apr 15, 2024 – 33:18
  • Is It Worth It? Analyzing return on investment for your therapy practice
    Apr 8, 2024 – 39:09
  • Don’t Forget to Pay Yourself and Other Money Planning Strategies: An interview with Carla Titus
    Apr 1, 2024 – 38:53
  • An Expert Witness Weighs in on Therapist Malpractice: An interview with Dr. Frederic Reamer
    Mar 25, 2024 – 45:07
  • Are You Burned Out or Are You Bored?
    Mar 18, 2024 – 36:00
  • Seeking Purpose Beyond Accomplishment: An interview with Kasey Compton
    Mar 11, 2024 – 39:43
  • When Your Clients are Wealthy and Well Known: An interview with Dr. Holly Daniels, LMFT
    Mar 4, 2024 – 39:39
  • When Your Client is a Little Bit Famous: The unique needs and perspectives for working with content creators in therapy
    Feb 26, 2024 – 01:12:40
  • The Power and the Peril of Pop Psychology
    Feb 19, 2024 – 38:46
  • Is AI Really Ready for Therapists? An interview with Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey
    Feb 12, 2024 – 42:27
  • Are Therapists to Blame for Ineffective Workplace Wellness Programs?
    Feb 5, 2024 – 43:04
  • When Your Client is a Super Fan: Exploring parasocial relationships and their effects on mental health
    Jan 29, 2024 – 01:11:23
  • What Is It Like To Be a Medicare Therapist? An interview with Gabrielle Juliano-Villani, LCSW
    Jan 22, 2024 – 38:03
  • What Can Therapists Do When They Get a Life-Threatening Diagnosis? An interview with Patricia Ravitz, LMFT
    Jan 15, 2024 – 43:08
  • Want to Fix Mental Health Workforce Shortages? Speed up the Licensing Boards: An interview with Dr. Ben Caldwell
    Jan 8, 2024 – 43:09
  • REPLAY Structuring Self-Care
    Jan 1, 2024 – 43:15
  • REPLAY Therapists Are Not Robots: How We Can Show Humanity in the Room
    Dec 25, 2023 – 41:15
  • What Do Therapists Need To Do About Medicare? Opting in or out for 2024: An interview with Joy Alafia, CAE
    Dec 18, 2023 – 48:41
Recent Reviews
  • KiwiWithUmbrella
    Superb.
    In a sea of spaces that place talking points and agendas over people and impact, Curt and Katie got it right about the antisemitism and anti-Palestinian experiences of therapists in these communities. They covered both lived experiences so well, and showed that one does not erase or obscure the other. Well, done. Truly.
  • Smfish
    Resourceful podcast
    I have been listening to The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide for a few years since I started my small practice. I have generally found their podcasts to be insightful, educational, and a great free resource. I am surprised by some of the negative reviews. I will say that most PP therapists will find this podcast interesting and educational. I have enjoyed about 95% of all the podcasts I’ve listened to. I have found a couple unhelpful but that is just me. I really appreciate the topics covered here and would recommend this podcast to all of my therapist friends!
  • JCunningham24
    Great podcast
    As a independent practitioner, it’s helpful to hear perspectives and conversations on current/modern issues and situations. Grateful for this podcast
  • Tara Mont
    So helpful as a new therapist!!
    As a relatively new therapist, I’ve learned so much from this show. I appreciate how open-ended Curt and Katie are and how they touch on important modern topics for all mental health professionals. Their vulnerability and humor add to every conversation. I look forward to new episodes!
  • CAKCCTH
    Great resource
    This podcast is full of real life details that every mental health clinician would benefit from listening.
  • Aim5055
    Great for students
    As a nascent student in Masters of Counseling desiring to become a competent colleague, I find this podcast educational, informative, challenging, and enjoyable. It's a favorite workout background! Beyond the books and syllabus are the carefully curated real-world experiences that bring balance and nuance to practicing. I find their attitude, expertise, humor, and sensitivity as professionals to professionals refreshing. Thanks for producing this content!
  • PODDoisseur
    Enjoyable
    I really enjoy listening to this podcast! The hosts are not only knowledgeable and insightful, but also entertaining. I appreciate the way they approach psychological topics with an openness, making the subject matter both engaging and accessible to the professionals and regular people who also tune in. Curt has a particularly interesting sense of humor that always manages to make me smile. I read a review that misunderstood Curt’s tone as condescending. I have found that often people who are not very intelligent mistaken sharp wit and humor as condescending 🤷‍♂️. I highly recommend this podcast to anyone interested in psychology and looking for an informative listen.
  • algrams
    Frustrated by condescension
    I used to love this podcast and still think there is really good information here, but I am increasingly bothered by Curt’s tone/approach at times. I get the sarcasm, but it often feels condescending to Katie and to the audience. There’s a way to be instructive without talking down to us.
  • lospellslove
    Glad I found this!
    I’m a seasoned therapist and I’ve really enjoyed the episodes I’ve heard (social media and supervision especially!) since I found this podcast! I will say that I’m sometimes uncomfortable with the tone Curt uses with Katie- it can sound demeaning, sometimes by putting words in her mouth or by talking over her. This might be a banter the two hosts have developed off air; I think I’d enjoy the flow even more without it.
  • Vitaliya McElveen
    Impostor syndrome episode
    Great topics however I am giving this podcast only 3 stars... bc the episode about the impostor syndrome was super important to me … but it felt like podcasters were constantly laughing at the struggles of people who deal with it :( Perhaps it would be a great idea to be more sensitive to consider listener's feelings.
  • w@@t
    I enjoy this podcast
    I really love the diverse topics and thoughtful commentary!
  • CapeElizRunner
    Great podcast for therapists
    Great podcast for therapists at any stage in their career! Compelling topics and guests. Great cohosts who live the modern therapist experience and tell about it!
  • megangunnell
    Deep dive
    If you’re searching for a podcast with brilliant hosts who ask thought provoking questions and aren’t afraid to take a deep dive into sometimes controversial and complex topics, this is it!
  • NeMo0328
    Amazing influence on my practice!
    I’ve been following Curt and Katie for years and have put A LOT of their advice into building my practice. Their stuff is solid!
  • tswizzly22
    Doesn’t grab your attention
    Alright topics but when it comes down to it the podcast is awfully slow with the monotone voices and the boring script that never seems to have a twist to it, just feels like the same type of episode each time. Not the type of podcast to bring you back for more
  • Seth15994267
    Amazing intro to the field
    As someone currently in grad school for counseling, it has been so informative and helpful to hear Curt and Katie’s discussions about the things that often aren’t mentioned in the classroom. Thank you for galvanizing therapists-to-be with the knowledge required to keep improving this field!
  • Locolauren9190
    Always learning something
    I'm not a therapist or in that world but I look forward to this podcast every Monday. Just like all media, I use it as one perspective - taking and leaving what I find helpful or interesting. Overall I enjoy that they make me think about subjects which I otherwise would not think on.
  • Rika Star
    Nothing modern about it
    This podcast may be fine if you only serve clients who are cisgender and white, but the hosts have enormous blind spots such that they don’t ask their guests questions when they say things that are harmful to people of marginalized identities. The DSM V episode was especially hard to stomach.
  • ChrisfromNC
    Love this podcast!
    I have been a long term listener and feel so connected with the energy Katie and Kurt bring. They bring up sometimes difficult and controversial topics with grace. I also love how they have such a wide variety of guests and topics not found elsewhere. I even used the episode When Clients have to manage their Therapist as a teaching tool with my Supervisees. Thanx for all u do and I look forward to more amazing content!
  • cats19932010
    Such a valuable podcast
    Honestly god bless this podcast. I first found out about the No Surprises Act and the DSM 5 updates from this podcast. Such a great resource for therapists.
  • Rachem615
    Educational and fun!
    This is a great podcast for therapists trying to learn and stay on top of their game as well as enjoy listening to fun but educational banter and topics!
  • allyinez1992
    Love this podcast!
    Love this podcast! As a therapist in private practice, I find these conversations super validating and humanizing. Our field is changing so much, and it’s great to hear this being talked about. I also love the feeling of camaraderie I get when listening, as PP can be so lonely at times!
  • vinyldash
    Disappointed
    Just finished the episode on firing your clients & while I generally find this podcast interesting & helpful (thus the 3 stars), I’m often disappointed by the lack of including what (to me) are obvious, tho more nuanced issues in the discussions (in many of the episodes). In the case of firing your client, the only issues that were discussed were when therapists feel unsafe or threatened. As a private practice therapist, the far more common scenario where I have to consider premature termination comes from clients (usually with BPD traits) doing what they call in DBT “therapy interfering behaviors” or just repeated boundary violations (after addressing them in session & attempting to help the client gain awareness about these behaviors outside of the therapy relationship). These are far more nuanced situations, that don’t make me feel unsafe but do ultimately make it sometimes impossible to continue seeing the client, with clients who are often already struggling with abandonment issues & i’d have liked to have heard at least some mention of this in the podcast. Maybe another episode could address this issue on its own?
  • Halls G
    LOVE!
    I love this podcast and the hosts! It is a very refreshing and much needed take on counseling. I’m glad that I’m not the only one who thinks like this :) I’m thankful that my graduate program taught me more in line with the hosts counseling philosophies- it truly does make a difference both in the counselor’s and client’s life!
  • Soraya10001
    Informative and enriching!
    I look forward to this podcast every week! As a therapist, this is a must listen to podcast because you learn so much and can really enrich the clinical work you are doing with clients. Highly recommend!
  • 7annie4
    ♥️ Marissa Esquibel
    Thank you so much for having Marissa on to share her story! I am one of those therapists who have one foot on the bottom rung of the path to private practice. So grateful to hear Marissa’s experience. She is so authentic and truly insightful regarding her steps from community mental health. Very relatable and stands in her power.
  • MarciPHR
    Quarantine Self-Care for Therapists
    Just listened to this episode during my morning walk in the sun. Another invaluable contribution to an issue that impacts us all. Thanks, Curt & Katie for the reminders to take care of ourselves, too. Katie: you are welcome to join us anytime at a San Diego North County CAMFT chapter event! Curt: Yes. You ARE funny.
  • Mari.jbp
    Life-Changing For Therapists
    I’m OBSESSED with this podcast! I started listening in September 2018 and have been a loyal listener the past two years. THIS PODCAST CHANGED MY CAREER TRAJECTORY. I was able to start my journey into private practice years before I would have had I not listened. I resonated with podcasts about the burnout cycle, toxic work environments, and compassion fatigue then was able to get out of the grind that is community mental health. This podcast is thought provoking and demands that I think critically about myself as a clinician, a client, and advocate in the mental health community. Attended the conference in 2019 and looking forward to 2020!
  • RLLombardi
    Growth Opportunities
    Katie & Curt do such a great job at talking about difficult topics related to therapy practice with the goal of inspiring their listeners to grow. I always feel like I walk away with some new from each episode.
  • Maria_R2
    A Home for Therapists
    This podcast provides much-needed consultation and support; a safe space that validates -- rather than judges -- therapists. I always learn something new and feel cared for so that I can be a better therapist.
  • JHFairfax
    What I need
    This is so helpful- they are real, challenging, and supportive. It’s a growth experience to listen.
  • Nicole Burgess
    Refreshing resource
    Love how Katie and Curt keep things real. They have such great topics and so many of them are not taught in grad school!
  • lisa mustard
    As real as it gets
    Every time I listen I feel as though I’m sitting in a peer consultation group..getting exactly what I need to be a better therapist. Thank you Katie and Curt for being real, honest and relatable. Appreciate the content you put out!!
  • Michael-HomeEnergyCoach
    Great Podcast for Therapists!
    Katie and Curt have created a warm, professional and easy-to-listen to show. It's informative and smart while providing down-to-earth and applicable information for therapists.
  • Elizabeth Cush, LCPC
    Wow! This podcast has it all!
    Katie and Curt are having some great conversation with each other and their guests! The depth and breadth of the content of the Therapy Reimagined podcast is amazing! From SEO to supporting first responders, and so many more great topics for therapists! I look forward to tuning in to hear more! I’ll definitely recommend this to colleagues!
  • mr cashew
    I have to give it to them
    It’s not always comfortable to hear them. It’s not always easy to agree with them. But they keep hitting it exactly right. Sometimes I feel called out, but it’s what helps me grow as a therapist.
  • Amy VanSlam
    Therapist mind & soul readers
    Katie and Curt have their finger on the pulse of what’s really going on inside of the hearts, minds and practices for therapists. More importantly they’re not afraid of bringing all of that out in the open in a generous way in every episode. Definitely a must-listen!
  • Fanci!
    Changed. My. Life.
    Curt & Katie have changed the way I do my practice. I have bought into being a #moderntherapist and have embraced how to be a therapist over what I do as a therapist.y clients have loved it!!!
  • Hennabrook
    Thank you!
    As a modern therapist early in my career, I really appreciate this podcast!
  • Dbelleti
    So happy to have found this!
    I’ve found my tribe. Curt and Katie are smart, funny, real, and know their stuff. This is a movement you want to get behind, and that’s LONG overdue. Can’t wait to devour all of the episodes!
  • KevinV87
    Absolutely love this one
    I love Katie and Kurt. This is my favorite therapy podcast. I went to their first conference and loved it too. It’s very well produced. I would definitely recommended it to anyone in a mental health profession. They demonstrate inspiring courage with every episode.
  • F - one - fity
    Appreciated the progressive discussion!
    I really appreciated the episode Therapy of Tomorrow! Thank you for that and I hope there are more like it to come.
  • VFEDChris
    SO grateful
    - that this drops on Monday for me. This podcast centers me and gets me excited to be myself while being a therapist. Smart guests. Beautiful philosophy. And- we get to meet their guests in October!
  • kkirson
    Love this podcast
    This podcast has been immensely helpful to me as I establish myself as a young clinician in a new state. Curt and Katie always choose relevant topics to discuss, and infuse fun and humor into the work. I love this podcast!!
  • BadAlibi
    Highly recommend
    Curt and Katie are not afraid to talk about the hard stuff. Every episode I listen to, I learn valuable information I can apply to my work as a therapist immediately. Thanks for this podcast!!
  • Caroline Wiita
    Highly recommend for graduate students!
    Found this podcast during my first year as a graduate student (I'm going into my second year now). Covers *a lot* of things that my program simply doesn't have time to get into. I highly recommend this for students as a supplement to the standard graduate program curriculum!
  • Not a therapist
    Fun and educational
    I love listening to Curt and Katie and their guests dive into the realistic issues facing therapists today. They have a stellar energy and fun way to play off each other. As a non-therapist, I still relate to many of the issues they discuss each week. Keep up the great work!
  • Just Pattie
    Great!
    Curt & Katie are the future of our profession!
  • Possum jenkinsss
    Great podcast!
    Curt and Katie, you have done a wonderful job helping all of us be aware of the ways we can bring ourselves and our brand into our work. I'm excited to continue listening!
  • Dr. Carmen Roman
    Informative and fun
    I highly recomend this podcast to therapist who want to thrive in their private practice in the modern time. Curt and Katie are very informative and fun to listen to.
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