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

Latest Episodes:

Beyond Selling the Couch Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

An interview with Melvin Varghese, Ph.D., on how he has created and nurtured three therapist-related businesses. Curt and Katie talk with him about how he decided what to create and how he manages these endeavors.

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 therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.

To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

Interview with Melvin Varghese, Ph.D.

Melvin Varghese, PhD is a psychologist in private practice (melvinvarghese.com) in Philadelphia where he works primarily with entrepreneurs and leaders. He's also the founder of Selling The Couch (sellingthecouch.com), a podcast and blog that helps mental health practitioners build careers in and out of the therapy room. He has also started a podcasting course and a community for helpers and healers who podcast, called the Healthcasters (sellingthecouch.com/the-healthcasters). He has also created the STC Directory (sellingthecouch.com/directory), a resource to help private practitioners better connect with one another.

In this episode we talk about:

How the podcast Selling the Couch got started
Additional options for therapists
The multiple income stream mindset for therapists
Melvin’s transition into being a father and how it impacted his businesses
Creating alternative revenue streams when life happens
Moving away from only being paid for “butt in seat time.”
The guilt when generating income without being present
Melvin’s immigration story and how it has impacted his business mindset
Deciding on income streams (it is profitable, is it scalable)
There is no such thing as “passive” income
How to sustain creative energy on new products or services
Thinking through the energy and time needed for the sustainability of the alternative income stream
Just because you have an idea, doesn’t mean it is a good idea (long-term and sustainable)
Building business around family (rather than fitting family in around business)
Thinking through how to start and then scale products
The upfront mental, emotional, and creative energy for launching alternative income streams
Setting an end goal
Focusing on one project at a time
Solidifying, streamlining, and delegating before moving to the next project
Time management, time blocking
How Melvin does market research
Testing products with Beta Testers
Where Melvin gets data, i.e., how do therapists get clients
Using and breaking down technology
Learning from mistakes
The difficulty in sustaining a lot of projects
Looking to make an impact and leave a legacy, rather than making money

Relevant Resources:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links:

Selling the Couch Podcast

Katie’s appearance on Melvin’s podcast

The Healthcasters Course

The STC Directory

Apple Insider (books on Steve Jobs)

Book: The One Thing

Book: 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

The Call for Speakers for Therapy Reimagined 2019

The Modern Therapists Group on Facebook

Therapy Reimagined 2019

Relevant Podcast Episodes

Open to Opportunities

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

Joining Your Association Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

Curt and Katie talk about why to join your professional organization, how to best take advantage of the benefits of your membership, and what associations actually do.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

Why to join your professional organization
What your membership fees go to
Advocacy efforts, legislation
Finding the cultural fit for your professional organization
Joining based on your license, the focus of the org, education
The tools that professional organizations provide to their members
The power of numbers in advocacy
Networking and getting referrals within your local chapter
Community building
Learning and growing
Relationship building
How to assess return on investment on joining
Opportunities for leadership, education, networking
Creating friendships
Differentiating yourself within your local community
Decreasing isolation
Gaining perspective on your work/business situation
Continuing Education
Making an impact on how your professional organization operates
Communication about the current state of affairs
Needed information for both pre-licensed and licensed individuals
Magazines, Scholarly Journals
How to get involved, show up consistently
Committees, projects, volunteering
How to approach the situation whether you’re an introvert, ambivert, or extrovert
Benefits to your business, network and community, education, advocacy, and fun
Vote for Curt Widhalm, LMFT for President-Elect of CAMFT

Managing Chronic Pain and Illness Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

An interview with Daniela Paolone, LMFT about how she treats clients with chronic pain and illnesses while navigating her own diagnosis. Curt and Katie talked with Daniela about how typical therapy doesn’t work for these clients, providing practical strategies for treatment and therapist self-care.

Interview with Daniela Paolone, LMFT

Daniela Paolone is a Marriage and Family Therapist who is licensed in California and Wyoming and offers support to those impacted by anxiety, depression, life transitions, chronic pain, chronic illness, and medical trauma. She provides online and in-person counseling to California residents and offers online counseling to Wyoming residents.

As a therapist with chronic health conditions, she utilizes her personal experiences and professional training in her counseling work. Daniela’s integrative approach helps her clients learn new ways of coping so that they can live more fulfilling lives and feel empowered as they move through life challenges, such as medical illness and chronic pain.

Daniela also offers workshops and consultation support for mental health professionals. She also provides community presentations focused on pain management, stress management, sleep solutions and more. If you want to learn about where she is presenting next, you can sign up for her newsletter here. When you sign up, you will also receive a free guided meditation as thank you gift.

In this episode we talk about:

Why Daniela decided that she wanted to go into working with chronic pain and illness as her area of specialty
What was missing in the treatment she had seen for chronic pain and illness sufferers
The need for structure and for understanding
How she has decided how to disclose about her own diagnosis, medical procedures, etc. based on relevance and relatability
The specific challenges of being a younger person who has chronic illness
Modeling needs and self-care to clients
Themes of isolation and not being understood
Being a Spoon-y
What therapists often get wrong when working with chronic pain sufferers
The need to do a good job of assessing functioning, what they can do in a typical day
Understanding the neuroscience of pain and how it impacts their ability to do deeper, insight-oriented work
The conversation about attendance, options when someone (client or therapist) are having a flare-up (like online services)
The need for a more flexible cancellation policy
Understanding their schedule of doctor’s appointments
The idea of consulting with the other medical professionals on their team
The work in session around navigating doctors, their illness
The need for a case management hat at times
Putting a focus on building skills and support
Looking at scope of practice when you have had your own medical journey and have knowledge.
How to share information through a psychoeducational lens

Relevant Resources:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links:

Daniela’s website: www.westlakevillage-counseling.com

Spoon Theory: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

7 Psychological Stages of Chronic Pain (and it also applies to chronic illness)

Functional Medicine defined: https://drhyman.com/about-2/about-functional-medicine/

Dr. Datis Kharrazian: https://drknews.com/about-dr-datis-kharrazian/

The Modern Therapists Group on Facebook

Therapy Reimagined 2019

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

On the APA Guidelines for Boys and Men Feb 04, 2019

Show notes

Curt and Katie talk about the 2018 APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men. We talk about the definition of masculinity and each of the guidelines, looking at what they explain well and where they miss the mark.

In this episode we talk about:

Discussing whether these guidelines would be created
The importance of teasing out the differences across demographics, genders, etc.
The complexity of men and what the guidelines address
The definition of masculinity and Curt’s problem with it
The concept of many masculinities
The shifting perception of masculinity and femininity
Toxic masculinity as the extreme
The places where the guidelines miss the mark
Comparing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Michael Cerra
The stuff that is “no duh.”
Discussing intersectionality, the impact of culture, sexism, power, privilege on how men develop
Biological, evolutionary, and societal impacts on sexism for men
Challenging the idea that we actually value all the different types of masculinity
How the educational guidelines miss the need to adjust how schools operate
What is missed or misrepresented about bullying
How the guidelines address violence
The problem with the data on violence – looking at convictions versus how many are committed
The concept of “boys will be boys”
Physical differences that lead to stand up and be protective
The thought that the Guidelines are not acknowledging the biological or physical differences between men and other genders
The types of responses men have toward taking care of their health
How to embrace masculinity as an element of diversity and not thinking that masculinity is bad
Differentiating toxic masculinity from masculinity (i.e., pathologizing masculinity)
How this can be perceived in the #metoo era
The shifting of what is acceptable for men and potential impacts of these shifts on boys and men
How advocacy is addressed in the guidelines, especially looking at intersectionality

Relevant Episodes:

When is it Discrimination?

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

APA Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men

Podcast: Hardcore History

Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group

Therapy Reimagined 2019: Sign up here to get notified when the details are released.

Our consultation services:

The Fifty-Minute Hour

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

Open to Opportunity Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

An interview with Anita Avedian, LMFT, CAMS-IV, about her ability to identify opportunities for entrepreneurship. Curt and Katie talk with her about how she has thrived as a therapist and a business owner, even though she doesn’t see herself as a “visionary” or “strategist.”

Interview with Anita Avedian, LMFT, CAMS-IV, Executive Director of Avedian Counseling Center, Executive Director of Anger Management Essentials

Anita Avedian is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has been practicing psychotherapy since 1996. She opened her practice in 2001 and continues to see clients in Sherman Oaks, Hollywood, Glendale, and Woodland Hills. Avedian Marriage and Family Therapy Corporation was formed in 2018, where Anita merged Anger Management 818 and her private practice into a group practice. Her specialties include working with relationships, anger, social anxiety, general anxiety, and addictions. Anita is the Executive Director of Avedian Counseling Center, with 8 locations, helping people work towards improving their daily lives and relationships.

Anita is very involved with the professional community. Anita is the co-Founder and President of the California Chapter of NAMA, and the Founder of Toastmasters for Mental Health Professionals. Anita is an active member of the Armenian American Medical Society (AAMS) and the Armenian American Mental Health Association (AAMHA). She also volunteers to help organize the mental health segment of the annual Glendale Health Festival.

In this episode we talk about:

How Anita started and succeeded at a number of different businesses
Learning about business and entrepreneurship
The importance of networking and building relationships
Following the path in front of her, toward leadership, business, entrepreneurship
The additional education she engaged in, so that she was able to learn what she needed to do
The path toward all the offerings she has created: a book, creating a curriculum and certificate program, multi-location group practice, managing office space, speaking and presenting, new endeavors
How collaboration and fun has led her into opportunities that she didn’t expect
Anita claiming that she doesn’t have vision, but has made herself available to the possibilities
How she now assesses opportunities for time, feasibility, etc.
How she is able to let go of ideas or projects that are not working
How she makes decisions and identifies needs in her communities
The strategy she takes to expand offerings
How and why she says no
How her work naturally progresses
Why some people miss out on opportunities
The ability to trust opportunities to be there when they are needed
Doing what she enjoys, building the relationships she wants, in order to live a good life (rather than just to get referrals)

Relevant Resources:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links:

Anita Avedian’s website

Anger Management 818

Anger Management Essentials

Shrink Sync

Avedian Counseling Center

Phone number: 818-426-2495

The Modern Therapists Group on Facebook

Therapy Reimagined 2019

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

When is it Discrimination? Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

Curt and Katie talk about how niche, safety considerations, or competence can be used by therapists to discriminate against specific classes of people. Specifically looking at therapists who decide to no longer work with men.

In this episode we talk about:

How therapists might be discriminating when they refuse to work with a specific gender
Niche, specialization, scope of competence (or scope of excellence)
How to assess whether you are discriminating or providing the highest level of care (i.e., referral)
Having a thoughtful process and clear conversation to help clients find the best match
Assessing safety in deciding who to take into your practice
The importance of good screening tools
The problem of refusing to see clients when you are fearful of a whole protected class of individuals
Marketing to your ideal client to help the clients you’re best suited to help call you
When there is a competence issue to be a therapist when you are not able to work professionally with specific protected classes
The role that past traumas and wounding experiences have on our ability to be effective therapists
Self-awareness versus discrimination
The argument about whether we “have to” serve everyone who reaches out to us for help
Options when you don’t feel capable of serving specific issues or specific classes of people
Referring out, learning more, working on your own triggers
The standard that therapists are held to
How not to discriminate – helping clients to make an informed choice, providing professional assistance (referring out)
When you must see clients according to the ethics codes
How to take care of yourself as a therapist
Respecting that we are human beings with limits, while still understanding the higher standard that we are held to

Let’s Talk About Race Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

An interview with Stevon Lewis, LMFT on Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Privilege and Bias. Curt and Katie talk with Stevon about how white therapists and therapists of color can (and should) open up conversations on these important topics, looking at why it is so hard and why it is critical we do so anyway.

To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

Interview with Stevon Lewis, LMFT

Stevon Lewis is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in Torrance, CA. He earned Bachelors of Arts degrees in Psychology and Afro-Ethnic Studies from California State University, Fullerton. He also has a Master’s of Science degree in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Long Beach. Stevon began his therapy career in 2007 as a therapist at a community mental health agency in Long Beach working with the families of adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system. Currently, Stevon is the Director of Counseling Services at Woodbury University, a small private university in Burbank, CA. There he oversees the psychotherapy for all students, supervises two licensed clinicians, two associates, and provides consultation to faculty and staff.

Stevon has a private practice in Torrance where he works with adults struggling with Impostor Syndrome, depression, anxiety and stress, and couples experiencing difficulty in their relationships as a result of poor communication and unmet expectations.

In addition, he is the Past President of the Long Beach-South Bay Chapter of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

You can learn more about Stevon at: www.stevonlewis.com.

In this episode we talk about:

Barriers that therapists of color face that white therapists do not
How the curriculums of our clinical programs are based on white norms (and thoughts on what we should put in these curriculums to address this bias)
The different perspectives that are missed when we rely on these white norms
The othering of people of color in these programs
How race and ethnicity come into the room
How to obtain the information that you need, seeing the world from other perspectives
The bias that can come up and turn into microaggressions
How to seek knowledge without putting the responsibility of teaching on the people of color around you
The value of curiosity and Google, cultural humility
Ideas for productive conversations about culture, race, ethnicity
How to identify what you are responsible for
The impact of historical trauma, racial injustice, and slavery on the conversations now
A deeper look at bias and the impact of individual and societal bias on our interactions
The pain of shame, defensiveness, and perceived divisiveness that might hinder our progress
The importance of white people talking about race, and of white allies
How to identify if your program is pushing you to be white-normed
Ideas to translate the lessons to apply to you as an individual and calling out “this isn’t going to work for me”
Encouraging the conversations about how we are perceived by society and how that can impact the relationship in the room
The idea that we can have feelings about the clients we see – the need to be conscious about it and releasing guilt about negative or neutral feelings about our clients

Take Action Like a BOSS Jan 07, 2019

Show notes

Curt and Katie talk about the difference between talking about what’s wrong and actually doing something about it. Katie shares her BOSS acronym for making decisions and taking action.

In this episode we talk about:

Taking action rather than just talking about what needs to change
Identifying what you want to take action on
Experimenting, finding what you’re motivated to actually do
The big goals that we have pursued and continue to act on
Making commitments to others can help move action forward
Vision, goals, and connecting to like-minded people to accomplish goals
Creating the structure to be able to accomplish big dreams
The challenges in our profession that warrant consideration for taking action
A call to action to think about the conversations you’re having and identify actionable steps for creating change
Katie’s acronym for making decisions: BOSS (Bold Objective Selective Strategic)
Finding your big bold vision
Creating your personal mission statement
Looking at logistics (time, energy, timing, etc.)
Saying yes also means saying no
Creating the plan – scheduling tasks, not creating a to do list
The importance of structure and support

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

Simon Sinek’s Start With Why

CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists)

#therapymovement

Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group

Therapy Reimagined 2019: Sign up here to get notified when the details are released.

Our consultation services:

The Fifty-Minute Hour

CYA for Court Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

An interview with Nicol Stolar-Peterson, LCSW, BCD, Expert Witness aka The Court Chick, on how to prepare for court, what to put in your court policy for your informed consent, and how she created an alternative revenue stream.

To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

Interview with Nicol Stolar-Peterson, LCSW

Nicol Stolar-Peterson, LCSW, BCD is an expert witness as it relates to child abuse, sexual abuse, CPS, family violence and child custody. She worked for CPS for over 11.5 years as an investigator, forensic interviewer and adoptions social worker. Nicol is the founder and director of Kids Court & Counseling Center, 501c3, that helps children prepare for court testimony and appearances if they are victims of crimes, witnesses to crimes, in foster care and/or going through a litigious custody battle where testimony occurs. Nicol is appointed as the court’s expert on family law matters as the designated child custody evaluator.

Nicol also enjoys speaking on the concept of “the permission to succeed and the risk of being happy.” Her book is coming out in 2019 and guess what the title is? “The permission to succeed and the risk of being happy.” Nicol also sells Rodan & Fields as an independent consultant and helps other’s build a business of residual income around their families and their lives. This is a complete departure from her “day job” and it brings her joy and inspiration helping other’s build their own business.

You can find Nicol at www.therapistcourtprep.com and www.nicol.live.

In this episode we talk about:

Nicol’s story of how and why she became interested in court
How Nicol created Therapist Court Prep
Court Policy to put into Informed Consent
What needs to be discussed at the beginning of treatment related to court, writing letters, etc.
Do NOT ignore your subpoenas
Setting fees for court-related activities (can do flat rate)
Going to court is not our job
Scope of practice, dual relationships related to court-requirements
Do not make a child-custody recommendation unless you are appointed by the court
The importance of getting clear on what you can do as a therapist, counselor, social worker, psychologist
How the therapeutic alliance causes bias in a legal setting
Observation versus Opinion – and how you can get in trouble when you add your opinion into custody cases
Imagine reading letter on the stand to determine what you should be putting in that letter
The threat of a bench warrant when you ignore subpoenas
Litigious times when clients weaponize therapists
Subpoena for records does not mean a treatment summary
When in court, don’t guess – say I don’t know
Don’t try to hide treatment information
How to set court rates, rates for writing letters
The value of preparation when going to court
What to wear for court
Success stories from court

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links:

Zynnyme

Sherry Shockey-Pope and Therapist Practice in a Box

Evidence Code 730

CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists) Legal Advice

Free Court Letter Cheat Sheet on Therapist Court Prep

Dr. Pamela Harmell

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

Modern Therapists Strike Back Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

Curt and Katie talk about union therapists and a strike in California. We look at antitrust, labor disputes, implications of striking, and how to improve working conditions, treatment, and outcomes.

In this episode we talk about:

A strike by the Union of Health Care Workers at Kaiser Permanente in California
Historical perspective on Kaiser Permanente
Union statement on why they are striking
The Union asks from Kaiser
Our desire to be objective
The ideas that we support: increased mental health access, improved mental health treatment, and positive work environments, fair wages, and sustainable work standards
How union workers increasing wages impacts nonunion clinics
The different perspectives on what the discussion is about and why the strike is happening
How change can happen, what conversations might be happening
Being adversarial, being productive, and when they are mutually exclusive
Things to consider while therapists are striking
The offer for crossing labor lines and why that can be problematic clinically
The current state of Kaiser mental health care and the possibility of what could be
The financial priorities that Kaiser has put on their required improvements
Reflections on how the strikers may be feeling or handling the situation