Therapy Tea: Demystifying the Mental Health Profession

This week Karen learned about some really high quality FREE training options available online through the Uniformed Services University. There are great trainings out there! Yay! The CBT-SP training in particular is great and worth taking for all mental health professionals to increase awareness and treatment skills in suicidality and suicide prevention: https://cdp.usuhs.edu/training-schedule

This week we are sharing our conversation with Brittany Webb who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania. She is also licensed in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. She holds both a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of...

This week Jazmin learned about medical transportation options that support access to care - Wow, what a concept! Also, Karen and Jazmin shout out an organization called Phoenix Center (not House…): https://www.phoenixtx.org/ Check them out!

This week we are sharing our conversation with Jenna Burris who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois. Jenna holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Governors State University. She currently runs her own private practice in Wisconsin called The Trail Therapist wh...

This week Karen learned about how “therapy culture” might be impacting both society at large and individual people’s ability to tolerate and navigate through distress. What do y’all think? Article mentioned: https://www.thefp.com/p/therapy-culture-blame-victim-mentality

This week we are sharing our conversation with Shawna Damaiani who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. Perhaps like a lot of us, Shawna has two jobs right now: she has a full-time job with...

This week Jazmin shares the very common automatic fear we often get in this profession that we will get our license revoked after some small dissatisfaction or complaint. It’s a perpetual fear of being reported that rears its ugly head even when we have not actually done anything wrong.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Christi Goll who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Texas and Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Arizona State University and a Master of Social Work from Texas State University. Christi works as a clinical ma...

This week Karen learned that when it comes to practice management styles, she prefers the “unbundled” approach. When it comes to managing a solo private practice there are almost Too many different ways to do it; it becomes another place for decision fatigue to sink in. But one thing Karen’s using and loving is Ivy Pay. You can use this magic link to get $1000 in free charges: https://app.talktoivy.com/rTeVsZhSu5b (The link has Karen’s code.)

This week we are sharing our conversation with Lori Stelzer who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas...

This week Jazmin learned that her habits really do keep happening, even though she’s made some big changes. She shares what she’s been noticing about how taxing “small” "thoughtless" daily tasks can be and what impact it’s having on her to shift out of those as her work changes. How do you manage mundane, monotonous soul-sucking tasks?? How often are you checking your work email when you’re not *technically* working??

This week we are sharing our conversation with Rabbi Shlomo Slatkin who is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland. He holds both a Bachelor o...

This week Karen learned it’s an absolute pain and the as to switch EHRs/practice management software systems in private practice. Karen shares about how it’s been a black hole of research, trial runs, and repetitive work trying to find a system that does just what she wants and not a ton more than that. She’s still undecided and taking applications for virtual assistants…more to come as the decision-making saga unfolds!

This week we are sharing our conversation with Jeremy McCall who is a Licensed Master Social Worker and Certified Mental Health Performance Coach in...

This week Jazmin learned that it’s a lot of work changing jobs as a counselor: ethical termination is tough! She shares how it’s been as she is transitioning out of the group practice she has been with for awhile as she is working through that transition thoughtfully with her clients. For her, it’s been more intense all around. What’s job change been like for you as a mental health professional?

This week we are sharing our conversation with Caitlin DeWeese who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Science...

We’re sharing how we broke the show, fixed the show, and confronted our morals and values to arrive at the same place we had originally started: full-length conversation episodes every other week with no ads at all. Fuck the corporate attention miners! Choose where you personally put your attention and support! That’s what we’re all about and want to keep doing. If you agree and want us to keep the show going, please consider directly supporting our efforts in whatever way you can.

If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consid...

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with Megan Silvestri who is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, originally, but she is also licensed in Virginia, South Carolina and Kentucky. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Education and Humanities from University of Central Florida, and a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling from Webster University. She also has a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Florida Southern College.

Resources mentioned:

This week Karen shares how she learned about discernment counseling and what it is and why you should learn about it too if you want to work with couples!

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Megan Silvestri who is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, originally, but she is also licensed in Virginia, South Carolina and Kentucky. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with...

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with Shanaz Ikonne who is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Texas-Dallas and a Master of Science in Counseling from University of North Texas. She currently has a private practice based in Texas where she focuses on working with high-functioning, driven individuals like moms, entrepreneurs, business professionals and leaders specifically on things like stress, burnout, and emotional overwhelm.

Resources mentioned:

This week Jazmin learned that she can make changes in her home-based work environment to help her thrive by adding a walking pad and a rolling desk to her virtual counseling set up. Being more active while working as a burnout prevention tool and Getting Those Steps In! LOVE IT! Grab one for yourself on Ebay (non-affiliate link): https://www.ebay.com/shop/walking-pad?_nkw=walking+pad

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Shanaz Ikonne who is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts...

Warning: this episode contain discussions of death, dying, and grief.

Therapy Tea Podcast is still taking a BREAK! That’s right y’all, we’re practicing what we preach and taking a much needed self-care break. Don’t worry though, we’ve got some great oldie but goodies to re-release for y’all in the meantime.

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with the lovely Summer Sahd! She’s a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Tyler and a Master of Ar...

Warning: this episode contain discussions of death, dying, and grief.

Therapy Tea Podcast is still taking a BREAK! That’s right y’all, we’re practicing what we preach and taking a much needed self-care break. Don’t worry though, we’ve got some great oldie but goodies to re-release for y’all in the meantime.

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Summer Sahd. She’s a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Tyler and a Master of Arts in Profes...

Therapy Tea Podcast is still taking a BREAK! That’s right y’all, we’re practicing what we preach and taking a much needed self-care break. Don’t worry though, we’ve got some great oldie but goodies to re-release for y’all in the meantime.

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with Felicia Segura. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Marriage, Family and C...

This week Therapy Tea Podcast is taking a BREAK! That’s right y’all, we’re practicing what we preach and taking a much needed self-care break. Don’t worry though, we’ve got some great oldie but goodies to re-release for y’all in the meantime.

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Felicia Segura who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. Felicia holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Marriage, Family and C...

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with Katie La who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Houston Baptist University and a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Katie owns a group practice called Cognitive Revival in Frisco, Texas, which provides a wide range of counseling and clinical services. Katie is trained in EMDR, somatic therapy and brainspotting and works as a clinician and a supervisor with a decolonized approach.

Resources mentioned:

This week Karen learned the American Counseling Association is updating their Code of Ethics and wants feedback from you! Better late than never, we always say, so, please join us in participating in moving our profession into the modern era! ACA Code of Ethics | Counseling Nexus: ACA’s Digital Press, Elevating Access to Counseling Knowledge

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Katie La who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Houston Baptist University and a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from So...

Today, in honor of our 2nd (what!?!) anniversary, we’re re-releasing our very first ever interview with the fantastic Alason Polanco, who has been down for whatever with Therapy Tea Podcast from the start! We hope you enjoy hearing from her again because what she talks about is still relevant today. We also hope you revel in how far we've come...sound quality, editing, it's all getting super professional over here, but we're still just having a blast with our friends!

Alason is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology fr...

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with Tatyana Gustafson who is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Human Development from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Nursing with a certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, and a Post Masters certificate in Psychiatric/Mental Health. Tatyana is the owner of Sol Psychiatry with offices in the Austin area where she offers medication management and ketamine assisted psychotherapy.

Resources mentioned:

This week Jazmin learned that she’s changing her therapeutic style as she’s moving through her ABA (applied behavior analysis) program. Have you ever noticed your style change as you work in this field? What have been the triggers for that for you?

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Tatyana Gustafson who is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Family Studies and Human Development from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Nursing with a certification as a...

This week we are sharing the rest of our conversation with Nicole Uhlenbrock Garcia who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A&M University Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Texas State University in San Marcos. Nicole currently works part-time as a school counselor in the San Antonio area and PRN (on an as needed basis) as a case manager and group counselor at an inpatient hospital for adults.

Resources mentioned:

This week Karen learned that effective networking is just about being yourself, answering genuine questions, and talking about what you actually care about in public with others, even strangers! You never know where it will lead or who needs to know about you and your work!

This week we are sharing Part 1 of our conversation with Nicole Uhlenbrock Garcia who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A&M University Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Texas State University in San Marcos. Nicole currently works part-time...

Warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and trauma.

This week Jazmin learned that shifting where she works so that she’s more comfortable makes a huge difference in the way she feels about working and the quality of counseling she provides. It’s like a revelation to Karen to consider that maybe it’s okay to meet virtually with a client from the privacy of one’s own back porch.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Beth Cortez-Naevel who is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Fami...

This week Karen learned more about the different boundaries to set around texting/emailing/talking with clients between sessions. It’s not cut and dry! We’d love to hear from y’all how you navigate these things in your practice. Also, Jazmin recommends the show Shrinking and shares how it connects to this topic.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Lisa Baker who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor in Texas, and a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Massachusetts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Massachusetts Amherst and a...

Warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide.

This week Jazmin learned about environmental and biological correlates of SIB in children. One of the most fun aspects of our profession is getting to learn new stuff as we strive to teach others!

This week we are sharing our conversation with Jeana Martin who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and a Spiritual Director. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Angelo State University, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Master of Arts in Counseling from...

This week Karen learned that BEHC is the boy who cried wolf. Let’s all get together and advocate for quarterly bulletins instead of sporadic, non-specific, and often error-laden emails from our licensing board regarding “rule updates.”

This week we are sharing our conversation with Kealan Muth who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. He has a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology from University of Oklahoma and a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University - Central Texas.

He works as the Clinical Director of Alchemy Collective, a group practice located...

This week we’re dropping a very silly conversation between Jazmin and Karen all about closing out another year! 2026, here we come! This one is light and fun: we discuss both terrible and beloved Christmas movies, the particular trauma that has been 2025, and how we’re both really looking forward to this year just ending already. We’ve also got podcast changes happening in 2026 and we need your feedback!

Thank you for listening! By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustai...

This week Jazmin learned that not only are worksheets not *all bad*, but also, she actually kinda likes them. [Gasp!] That’s right y’all - done properly and with intention, worksheets in therapy can be really useful and helpful. Just don’t use them wrong (which is really easy to do).

This week we are sharing our conversation with Robin Burleson who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas and a certified Perinatal Mental Health Counselor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Texas and a Master...

It’s the final episode of our special series and we’re closing it out on a high note with a silly bonus! We’re chatting about being dog moms -- the most dismissed and underappreciated of the motherhood experiences! We’re going into how it’s not as easy as it looks and no one even tries to give us a Mother’s Day card for our efforts. It’s a thankless job, but somebody’s gotta do it.

Resources mentioned: 

This week we’re talking to the incomparable Jonnie Wilson about being the matriarch of her family and getting all the way into great-grandparenthood! Jonnie’s kids are so grown that they’re starting to try to take care of her now! Jonnie is still as full of spunk and as independent as ever, but everything is on the cusp of another big relational shift and it’s still about keeping solid boundaries while prioritizing connection. As always, Jonnie shares her wisdom about how to remember what really matters in life - FAMILY. 

Want more Jonnie? Check out our p...

This week we’re talking to the inspirational Kate Walker about being in that dreamed about phase of motherhood: they’re independent adults and you’ve got an adorable grandbaby! Quite frankly, it sounds like Kate’s doing it right. She’s sharing how this stage of motherhood still really connects with counseling work: constant awareness of countertransference and boundaries!

Want more Jonnie? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #35: Being the Outer Nesting Doll and the Adventure of Supervising (ft. Kate Walker, Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT-S)

This week we’re talking to Kelly Martin about the pros and cons of getting into the teens stage with your kids! Now they’re more independent and able to take care of themselves, but we’re also in the thick of bigger, scarier emotional and life altering issues. Setting the groundwork early is necessary for your kids’ success at this stage. 

Want more Kelly? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #24: Tearing up the House and Mastering the Scary Insurance Learning Curve (ft. Kelly Martin, LPC-S)

This week we’re talking to Candice about having middle schoolers now - with all the awkwardness and hilarity that that includes - and how she’s changed her work focus because of it.

Want more Candice? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #15: Owning Being a "Generalist" and Boring CEs (ft. Candice Fraser, LPC)

Resources mentioned: 

This week we’re talking to Britney Eglinton about the grey area of motherhood: stepmotherhood. For her it’s a privilege and joy, but also often tricky to navigate and lonely. Britney has always been a career-oriented, driven individual who then fell in love with and married a father of two girls, and now structures her life choices around her instant family, while simultaneously struggling to feel like she fully fits into the unit. This one’s all about being both in and out, and the pressure to do both things really well and at just the right moment!

W...

This week we’re talking to Kristin Sharp about what it’s like to be a divorced co-parent, struggling to navigate the boundaries of sharing parenting when not living together. There’s so much loss of control and grief in the divorce experience and when it’s happening in-tandem with trying to parent a small child, it’s really tough -- we’re grateful that Kristin gets vulnerable and goes into it all with us!

Want more Kristin? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #29: Loving Your Overhead Projector and Keeping Your Dream Alive (ft. Kristin Sharp, LCSW...

This week we’re talking to Sena Moran about terrible twos and threenagers! It’s that joyful time of being a parent where they still need you all the time and they’ve also got big opinions! Plus, they’re enrolled in daycare and school, but they still seem to be home sick more than they aren’t. Sena talks about learning how different each kid can really be and about adjusting her own boundaries and expectations around trying to work from home with small children.  

Want more Sena? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #22: Crashing Upw...

This week we’re talking to Kelsea Puckett about having more kids than adults in the house and the extra challenges (and trauma!) that comes with having an infant (or two!) with medical issues right from the jump. 

Want more Kelsea? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #6: All the “Extra Work” and Self-Care Makes No Money (ft. Kelsea Puckett, LPC, LSOTP)

Resources mentioned: 

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This week we’re talking to Kim Knox about her new baby girl, her miserable pregnancy, and then the mess of trying to return to work while still nursing. 

Want more Kim? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep.#3: Navigating Your “Trauma Season” and Prevailing Through Hard Days (ft. Kim Knox, LMFT)

Resources mentioned: 

Thank you for listening! 

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