124: Sustaining the Therapist Self: Values-Based Self-Care and Why Your Netflix Binge Isn't Working with Lorain Moorehead

In this episode of A Simple Therapy Podcast, Sindee Gozansky welcomes Lorain Moorehead, LCSW—psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, EMDR consultant, and host of the Self Careapist Therapist Podcast—for a conversation about burnout, perfectionism, and why most therapists are doing self-care all wrong. Lorain shares how she reverse-engineered her own self-care after realizing her TV binges left her feeling worse, not better.

Together, Sindee and Lorain explore how childhood wounds of "be the role model" drive our over-functioning, why competitive athletes can't just "work out" and feel restored, and the difference between self-care that fills you up versus self-care you think you're supposed to do. Lorain breaks down her detective approach to finding what actually restores you and why video supervision is the most powerful (and most avoided) tool for growth.

This conversation is full of real examples, practical tools, and permission to stop doing self-care that doesn't work for your system. Lorain's warmth reminds us that sustaining ourselves as therapists means knowing what truly replenishes us, embracing imperfection, and getting curious about what actually resonates—not what we're told should.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

01:18 - Meet Lorain Moorehead: Therapist, Supervisor, and Self Careapist

03:22 - How a Book About Bellevue Led to a Career in Mental Health

06:32 - Early Experience: From Retirement Homes to Twin Research Labs

09:10 - The Self Careapist Model: Reverse Engineering Self-Care That Works

12:16 - Values-Based Self-Care vs. What You Think You Should Do

16:27 - Rest Can Be Values-Driven Too: Puzzles, Patterns, and Repetition

20:18 - Perfectionism, High Achievement, and Childhood Wounds

24:27 - The "Role Model" Trap: When Fun Feels Like Failure

30:25 - Supervision as Development: Beyond Just Meeting Requirements

37:44 - The Power of Video: Why Watching Yourself Is the Best Teacher

44:15 - Podcasting as Connection: The Self Careapist Origin Story

47:58 - Final Message: Examine Your Self-Care with Hope and Curiosity

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