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Therapy collaboration gets praised constantly, yet most people never hear what it actually costs, what it risks, and what it can unlock for clients when it’s done with care. I sit down with Essence and Emily Deming-Rivers, two married licensed psychologists who collaborate inside the same practice, to talk through the real mechanics of integrated care: trust, confidentiality, informed consent, and the daily choices that keep therapy ethical and human.

We dig into why collaboration feels easier in residential treatment settings and why it can get messy in private practice. They name the practical barriers most clinicians feel but rarely say out loud: non-billable coordination time, financial pressure, and the fear that collaboration turns colleagues into competitors. From there we get concrete about how they do it differently, including transparent conversations with clients, asking permission before consulting, and even inviting the other therapist into a session for one targeted concept when it genuinely improves treatment.

Because they live and work together, they also share what happens when client crises hit and both partners carry the weight, plus the boundaries that protect their relationship and their clinical judgment. We talk about ethics as guardrails rather than handcuffs, why “playing telephone” can steal growth from clients, and how their combined perspectives support couples and families navigating ADHD differences, chronic illness, LGBTQ identity, and other intersectional realities. We close with where you can find them at Customized Behavioral Health Care and their organizational consulting work at Deming River Social Club focused on psychologically safe workplace culture.

If you care about better therapy outcomes, sustainable mental health work, and collaboration that doesn’t compromise consent, hit subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review. What boundary or collaboration practice has helped you most?

This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area.

If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: https://forms.gle/ooy8QirpgL2JSLhP6

Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com

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If you’re great at therapy but secretly uneasy about money, marketing, or the sheer logistics of running a practice, this conversation is for you. We sit down with Nicole Liloia, LCSW, to talk about what actually makes a private practice sustainable, not just inspiring on paper. Because “I didn’t get into this for the money” can be true, and it can still lead straight to burnout if your business can’t support your life.

We dig into the practical foundations: how to know your numbers, set an income goal that accounts for taxes, business expenses, health insurance, vacation time, and retirement, and calculate what your average session rate really is (especially if you take multiple insurance plans). We also talk about why so many therapists avoid tracking revenue and time, how ADHD and time blindness can amplify overwork, and why outsourcing tasks like billing can be a smart sustainability move rather than a luxury.

Then we shift into modern therapist marketing strategy. Algorithms change, directories change, and what worked during the pandemic may not work now. Nicole shares how to pivot without chasing every shiny tactic, why you should never rely on a single referral source, and how one small intake form tweak can reveal exactly where your best clients come from. We also make the case for a clear niche and client-word messaging so the people you’re meant to help can immediately recognize themselves.

If you want a therapist business that lasts, listen through, join the conversation, and then subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review so more clinicians can build sustainable private practices without burning out.

This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area.

If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: https://forms.gle/ooy8QirpgL2JSLhP6

Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com

Support the show

www.bethtrammell.com

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Most of us were taught to talk about emotions with the same six words, then we wonder why conflict keeps repeating and connection feels hard. I sit down with licensed marriage and family therapist Tatiana Rojas to slow the whole thing down and get practical: what’s the difference between emotions, feelings, and moods, and why does that difference change the way we communicate, parent, and handle stress?

We dig into how emotions show up as fast body-based signals, how feelings are the labels and meanings we attach, and how moods can linger like emotional weather. Tatiana shares why vague language can sabotage relationships (like saying “I want to feel loved” but not being able to name belonging, nurture, or being seen), and why mislabeling what’s happening often leads to reactions that feel “out of nowhere” like shutting down, snapping, people pleasing, or numbing out.

We also talk parenting and partnerships: how to model emotional vocabulary out loud, how to ask better check-in questions, and why reflective listening can help more than advice. One of my favorite takeaways is simple but powerful: having an emotion doesn’t mean you have to fix it, and it definitely doesn’t have to become your identity.

If you want more emotional intelligence, clearer communication, and realistic emotion regulation tools you can use today, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who “is fine,” and leave a review so more people can find the show.

This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area.

If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: https://forms.gle/ooy8QirpgL2JSLhP6

Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com

Support the show

www.bethtrammell.com