• How Therapists Retire: Planning, Ethics, and Letting Go of the Work You Love – An Interview with Lynn Grodzki, LCSW and Margaret Wehrenberg, PsyD
    Nov 3 2025
    How Therapists Retire: Planning, Ethics, and Letting Go of the Work You Love – An Interview with Lynn Grodzki, LCSW and Margaret Wehrenberg, PsyD Curt and Katie talk with Lynn Grodzki and Margaret Wehrenberg about how therapists can plan for retirement with intention and integrity. They explore the emotional, ethical, and practical considerations of closing a practice, navigating readiness, and redefining identity after a lifetime of therapeutic work. About Our Guests Lynn Grodzki, LCSW-C, MCC is a pioneer in private practice development and the author of six influential books on therapy and coaching.Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D. is an internationally recognized expert on anxiety and depression and the author of 13 books, including The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques. Together, they offer a rare blend of clinical experience, practical strategies, and heartfelt compassion. Key Takeaways for Therapists Retirement is one of the most consequential transitions in a therapist’s professional life. Lynn and Margaret’s Readiness for Retirement Model helps therapists plan across four stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and action. Planning early supports ethical closure and a smoother emotional process for both therapist and client. Common barriers include guilt, grief, and identity shifts—as well as lack of business or financial planning. Creating a professional will and protecting intellectual property are essential parts of ending well. Therapists can honor their legacy by recognizing the lasting impact of their work and embracing new opportunities in retirement. For more information and full show notes Visit: mtsgpodcast.com Join the Modern Therapist Community Linktree Creative Credits Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    47 m
  • Modern Therapist’s Consumer Guide: SimplePractice
    Oct 30 2025
    Modern Therapist’s Consumer Guide: SimplePractice Curt and Katie talk with Jonathan Seltzer, CEO of SimplePractice, about how the company continues to evolve to meet the needs of independent mental health professionals. They discuss SimplePractice’s mission to empower clinicians with intuitive tools, transparency around investors, and the responsible use of AI to reduce administrative burdens while maintaining clinical integrity. This episode is part of our Modern Therapist’s Consumer Guide series, where we explore tools and services that help therapists and their clients thrive. Guest Bio Jonathan Seltzer is the CEO of SimplePractice, a software platform built to empower private practice clinicians to run thriving, independent practices. He leads a team of over 550 people supporting more than 225,000 clinicians who use SimplePractice to provide care. Jonathan is passionate about helping therapists operate with greater confidence, ease, and connection to the broader healthcare ecosystem. Key Takeaways SimplePractice remains focused on empowering independent and small-group clinicians. The company prioritizes transparency and clinician trust in how it handles data, investment, and innovation. AI tools are designed to **augment—not replace—**therapists, with high clinical and ethical standards. 🔗 Full show notes: mtsgpodcast.com 🎁 Special Offer: Check out current SimplePractice offers at simplepractice.com Join the Modern Therapist Community Patreon Creative Credits Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    1 h y 3 m
  • Protecting Clients Through Better Notes: An Interview with Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey
    Oct 27 2025
    Protecting Clients Through Better Notes: An Interview with Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk with Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey about how therapists can document ethically and protectively in a politically charged climate. They explore how to handle sensitive topics like gender identity, reproductive rights, and immigration status while keeping documentation accurate, ethical, and safe for clients. About Our Guest Dr. Maelisa McCaffrey is a licensed psychologist, nail design enthusiast, and author of the book, Stress-Free Documentation for Mental Health Therapists. Through her business QA Prep, she empowers therapists with training and consultation on clinical documentation. Maelisa focuses on the “why” behind the usual recommendations and encourages clinicians to think outside the box, while also keeping their ethics intact. Key Takeaways for Therapists Documentation can carry legal and ethical risks in today’s climate. Use clear but sensitive language when writing notes. Informed consent and collaboration with clients are essential. Focus on clinical themes rather than politically charged terms. Review your own forms and practices for unnecessary information. More Info and Full Show Notes Visit mtsgpodcast.com for the full show notes, transcripts, and resources from this episode. Join the Modern Therapist Community Linktree Creative Credits Voice Over by DW McCannMusic by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    42 m
  • How Conscious Awareness Shapes Leadership, Therapy, and Collective Healing: An interview with Pardis Mahdavi, PhD
    Oct 23 2025
    How Conscious Awareness Shapes Leadership, Therapy, and Collective Healing: An Interview with Pardis Mahdavi, PhD Curt and Katie chat with Pardis Mahdavi, PhD, about how consciousness and intentional awareness can transform therapy, leadership, and community. Pardis shares how cultivating our “inner state," moving from suffering to a “beautiful state,” impacts how we lead, connect, and heal collectively. She offers practical ways therapists can integrate mindfulness, breath mastery, and curiosity into their work to help clients (and themselves) live with greater awareness and alignment. About Our Guest:Pardis Mahdavi, PhD is an author, educator, and entrepreneur. She has written seven non-fiction books and two edited volumes, including Book of Queens (2023) and Riding (2024). A former university president and global human rights expert, Pardis now leads Entheon Journeys, focusing on consciousness, leadership, and transformation. Her work has been featured in Time, Ms. Magazine, Huffington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Key Takeaways: Consciousness work deepens mindfulness into an ongoing framework for intentional living and healing. Therapists can help clients identify and shift their inner “state” from suffering toward beauty, calm, and connection. Preventive practices such as meditation, journaling, and breath mastery support long-term wellbeing and resilience. Leadership and therapy are energetic processes: awareness of one’s own state affects how others experience us. Community healing grows when curiosity replaces critique and connection transcends identity barriers. More Info & Full Show Notes:https://mtsgpodcast.com Join the Modern Therapist Community: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined Creative Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    42 m
  • The Crisis in College Mental Health: An Interview with Pardis Mahdavi, PhD
    Oct 20 2025
    The Crisis in College Mental Health: An Interview with Dr. Pardis Mahdavi, PhD Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk with Dr. Pardis Mahdavi about the growing mental-health crisis among college students. Pardis shares insights from her years in higher education leadership—revealing how rising costs, outdated systems, and lack of purpose are driving student anxiety and burnout. Together they explore what therapists, universities, and communities can do to realign education with meaning, wellbeing, and real-world readiness. About Our Guest: Dr. Pardis Mahdavi, Ph.D. Pardis Mahdavi is an author, educator, and entrepreneur whose work spans human rights, education policy, and consciousness. A former university president and provost, she is the author of seven nonfiction books including The Book of Queens (Hachette Books, 2023) and Riding (Duke University Press, 2024). She currently leads Entheon Journeys and The Bondery House, fostering connection and expanded awareness. Key Takeaways for Therapists College students face unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression—driven by systemic disconnection, financial stress, and unclear purpose. Higher education often fails to evolve with societal change, leaving students feeling unprepared and unseen. Preventive supports like mindfulness and mentorship should be built into the college experience. Therapists can help students find meaning, manage uncertainty, and advocate for collaborative care across campus systems. Full show notes: mtsgpodcast.com Join the Modern Therapist Community Our Linktree Creative Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    41 m
  • Medical Necessity or Personal Growth? Why Documentation Matters in Therapy
    Oct 13 2025
    Medical Necessity or Personal Growth? Why Documentation Matters in Therapy Curt and Katie talk about medical necessity in therapy documentation – what it is, why it matters, and how therapists can navigate the tension between clinical care, insurance requirements, and personal growth. We explore how documentation protects therapists in utilization reviews and disciplinary processes, and how to ethically distinguish therapy from coaching or self-improvement. Key Takeaways for Therapists Why documenting medical necessity matters for insurance, ethics, and liability Risks of over-diagnosing or misrepresenting symptoms The role of treatment plans and progress notes in demonstrating medical necessity Navigating personal growth requests vs. clinical therapy Protecting yourself with clear, consistent documentation About Our Hosts Curt Widhalm, LMFT – www.curtwidhalm.com Katie Vernoy, LMFT – www.katievernoy.com Find the transcript and additional resources at mtsgpodcast.com. Join the Modern Therapist Community Linktree Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    35 m
  • Beyond Coping: Radical Healing in a World Not Built for Us – An Interview with José Rosario
    Oct 6 2025
    Beyond Coping: Radical Healing in a World Not Built for Us – An Interview with José Rosario Curt and Katie chat with José Rosario about radical healing, disability, cultural trauma, and intersectionality. José shares his story as a scholar, practitioner, and activist, and how his lived experience as a disabled person of color who is also queer informs both his clinical work and research. He discusses how healing must move beyond coping, the importance of community engagement, and how therapists can better support clients with marginalized identities. About Our Guest: José Rosario Born to young Puerto Rican parents, José Rosario developed Cerebral Palsy as a premature baby. His family's journey towards equity deeply impacted his mental health. Currently nearing his PhD in Clinical Psychology, his research focuses on cultural trauma in intersectional communities. He is an Interdisciplinary Minority Fellow for the American Psychological Association, member of the Congressional Diversity and Equality Advisory Board for Congressman James Langevin, and member of the Rhode Island Attorney General Community Advisory Board. He has been honored with the Chris Martin Humanitarian Award and the Victoria Lederberg Award for Excellence in Psychology. Key Takeaways for Therapists Radical healing means moving beyond coping to systemic change and community-based healing. Disability, race, and queerness intersect in ways that compound stigma and systemic barriers. Community is both a source of hope and a vital element of healing. Therapists must step outside the therapy room and engage genuinely with the communities they serve. For full show notes and transcripts, visit: mtsgpodcast.com Join the Modern Therapist Community Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    37 m
  • Navigating Food, Body Image, and GLP-1 Medications: An Interview with Robyn L. Goldberg, RDN, CEDS-C
    Sep 29 2025
    Navigating Food, Body Image, and GLP-1 Medications: An Interview with Robyn L. Goldberg, RDN, CEDS-C Therapists are seeing more clients struggling with confusing medical advice, new medications, and diet culture messages that impact their relationship with food and body. In this conversation, Curt and Katie talk with Robyn L. Goldberg, RDN, CEDS-C about how therapists can examine their own biases, support clients navigating restrictive medical guidance, and encourage healthier, more intuitive approaches to eating. About Our Guest: Robyn L. Goldberg, RDN, CEDS-C Robyn began her career at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles as the in-patient dietitian in the Department of Cardiology. Over the last twenty-eight years she has developed her own private practice in Los Angeles, CA. She is a contributing author and is a nationally and internationally known registered dietitian nutritionist. She has been quoted in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Vogue. She has been on national television as the eating disorder expert on The Insider. Robyn is the author of The Eating Disorder Trap: A Guide for Clinicians and Loved Ones, Co-author of the online course Your Recovery Resource, and the host of The Eating Disorder Trap Podcast. Key Takeaways for Therapists Therapists must examine their own food and body biases to avoid unintentional harm to clients. Many physicians have minimal training in dietetics and may give inadequate advice. Clients can advocate for themselves in medical settings, including refusing to be weighed. GLP-1 medications may reduce appetite but can cause malnutrition, fatigue, and bone/muscle loss. Intuitive eating offers a path back to a healthier, more trusting relationship with food. For full show notes and transcript: mtsgpodcast.com Join the Modern Therapist Community Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined Creative Credits Voice Over by DW McCann Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano
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    45 m