Therapy Tea: Demystifying the Mental Health Profession

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: 

...

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! 

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ 

Follow us on social med...

This week we’re talking to Bobbie Melton about having her first baby and the sheer volume of planning she did before becoming pregnant and taking her maternity leave from her private practice.  

Want more Bobbie? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #8: Petting a Cat Backwards and Asking Leading Questions (ft. Bobbie Melton, LPC)

Resources mentioned: 

The Boppy pillow: https://www.boppy.com/

Thank you for listening! 

Listen to us on YouTub...

This week we’re introducing our upcoming special 10 part series, Mental Motherhood. In this episode we’re sharing details about the series including why we’re doing this and what you can expect. We’re getting to the truth about being a mom and a mental health professional, just in case you think you want to try and do both. 

Mental Motherhood starts next week with new episodes in the series released Every Week! YAY!

Prior guests making a reappearance in the series and the episodes you should catch up on first: 

This week Karen shares some stuff she learned about in an interesting recent training. Check out the book if you're curious too! Personality and Wholeness in Therapy: Integrating 9 Patterns of Developmental Pathways in Clinical Practice by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, and the PDP Group

This week we are sharing our conversation with Shawna Lovin who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina and a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Shawna...

This week Jazmin learned so much about balancing returning to school while being a practicing counselor. What she’s learning in school - all about applied behaviorism - is also dove-tailing into her counseling work with her clients because it’s enabling her to explain so much so differently than before. We should all learn our ABC’s! (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence)

Don't forget to check out The Couch Next Door podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285228/about We love Candice Fraser and you will too! Connect with Candice on Instagram @candicefraserlpc

This week we are sharing our co...

This week Karen learned that she does not have a good way to re-calibrate to client work after a long vacation. We’ve talked about having transitions from client work back into home life, but what about the reverse? Let us know if you have any suggestions here because we both really wonder what are some options for how to transition back into therapeutic work-mode after being in vacation-mode. 

Check out The Couch Next Door podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285228/about We love Candice Fraser and you will too! Connect with Candice on Instagram @candicefraserlpc

Thi...

This week we're sharing an episode of Kate Walker’s podcast! Badass Therapists Building Practices That Thrive podcast is a consistent, relatable, Crucial resource for any mental health professional trying to navigate private practice. Kate’s always got tips, tools, advice, and interviews about everything private practice related on her podcast and in her Facebook group. If you’re working in private practice or considering getting into that space, you absolutely need this podcast in your toolkit. 

In the episode we’re sharing today, you’ll hear Jazmin and Karen's conversation during a live webinar with Kate Walker and...

This week Jazmin wants to normalize the “summer slump”. It’s a real challenge for lots of mental health professionals in private and group practice and it’s not about you! Seasonal impacts are a little-discussed reality of this profession, particularly when you’re working outside of an agency or treatment center setting. Our recommendation, don’t take it personally, don't make big changes to how you do things during this time of year, and definitely don't Give a Mouse a Cookie!

Check out The Couch Next Door podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285228/about We love Candice Fraser and you...

This week we're sharing an episode of the Couch Next Door podcast! This particular episode is Jazmin and Karen's conversation with Candice Fraser on her podcast, The Couch Next Door, about the story and depth of our friendship, which is at the foundation of our own podcast. Listen in and hear more about us and our origin story! Also, check out the rest of the series that Candice has done on friendship as an experience and phenomenon that deserves more attention, particularly as a vital component of wellness.

Check out all the episodes of The Couch Next Doo...

This week Karen learned something the hard way: always actually check your license date online before you cram for your required CE hours. Yep. Learn from her complete and utter brainfart. Here’s the link to check your date: https://bhec.texas.gov/renewing-a-license/ Do it now, y’all!

Shout out!: Go Brewing Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer: https://gobrewing.com/ 

Check out The Couch Next Door podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285228/about We love Candice Fraser and you will too! Connect with Candice on Instagram @candicefraserlpc

This week we are sharing our conversation with Krist...

Warning: this episode contains discussions of cyberstalking, harassment, and trauma. 

This week Jazmin learned how fun it is to work with clients on writing and editing their text messages to others. It’s a perk of the job that we didn’t really learn in grad school, but it’s the opportunity to interrupt patterns and reinforce skills in real time. Perhaps only Jazmin and Karen think this sort of thing is fun in counseling…anyone else agree? 

This week we are sharing our conversation with Susan Stallworth who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, Lic...

This week Karen learned how much sex education is required in counseling work, especially in couples counseling. The truth is that sex, intimacy (and the difference between those two!), basic sexual functioning, and consent are regular and frequent areas of focus in sessions with clients. Grad school did not prepare us for this! So, learn the facts and get comfortable talking about this stuff, cuz it’s part of the work! Our recommended starting place: the book Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski

This week we are sharing our conversation with Lauren McKay who is a Li...

This week Jazmin learned about a unique career path in the mental health profession: a counseling consultant. What’s that, you say? We’re all learning together here, but it sounds like a cool job to be the expert customizing connector for treatment options, and we’re both intrigued! #flowchartmaker #rolodexmanager #treatmentmatchmaker

This week we are sharing our conversation with Lisa Kruse who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Counseling from St. Edwards University in Austin. 

Lisa...

This week Karen learned how important it is to continually remain attuned to and check in with your own bias and alignment with each person in the relationship (or lack thereof…) when you’re working with a couple, and shares some of the things she does to make sure she’s showing up ethically when working with clients who are more than one person. 

This week we are sharing our conversation with Sarah Osmer who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rhodes College and a Master of Educ...

This week Jazmin learned she might have a previously unrealized session number threshold level. We talk about paying attention to one’s own feelings and emotional reactions when working with clients and the lack of education and preparation around termination, which is another skill needed for private practice that we didn’t know we needed. 

This week we are sharing our conversation with Kristin Sharp who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Science in Social Work...

This week Karen learned about poverty. Karen shares details about her experience participating in a poverty simulation - which we learned about from Kaimi - including the emotions triggered and insights gained. We encourage everyone to find a poverty simulation near you to participate in because there’s a difference between intellectually getting it and experientially getting it.

In our interview, we talked to Kaimi Hideyo Mattila who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Family Services from the University of Northern Iow...