Podcast Summary

Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode 149: The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide for Life Beyond the Couch
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guests: Curt Whithelm, LMFT & Katie Vernoy, LMFT (Co-hosts of The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Podcast)
Date: August 17, 2019

Overview

In this vibrant, insightful episode, hosts Kate and Katie welcome Curt Whithelm and Katie Vernoy, two LA-based marriage and family therapists and founders of the Therapy Reimagined conference. The core topic revolves around what it means to be a “modern therapist”—addressing how mental health professionals are navigating life, authenticity, business, and social media beyond the traditional therapy office. The group discusses the unique challenges (“modern therapist problems”) today’s clinicians face and the importance of blending personal authenticity with professional boundaries in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Defining the “Modern Therapist” (04:00–06:00)

• Curt Whithelm explains the origin of their hashtag #ModernTherapistProblems, describing the tension between training rooted in 1970s models of therapist anonymity and today’s need for authentic, public visibility.
  • Quote (04:02): "Everything that we're taught in grad school has kind of this error of 1970s: You need to be hidden away from view therapy. And it really isn't being translated into the 21st century with things like social media."
• The difference between being a “blank slate” and being visible as an advocate for mental health is identified as a central modern challenge.

Real-Life “Modern Therapist Problems” (06:07–12:00)

• Katie Vernoy recounts technological headaches with telehealth—WiFi failures and the scramble to maintain sessions.
  • Quote (06:13): "If I have no WiFi, I have nothing. I can't call people. I can't do anything."
• Curt Whithelm shares integrating modernity in both teaching and clinical settings, including negotiating social media boundaries and adapting fun, nontraditional techniques (e.g., using Nerf guns to teach anxiety management).
  • Quote (09:03): "I now have parents sign a Nerf gun waiver to get where they allow me to shoot their kids with Nerf guns."
• The group shares the anxiety and creativity that comes with using technology in therapy and self-promotion while still being mindful of ethics.

Navigating Professional-Community Dynamics (10:03–15:10)

• Tensions arise not only with clients but with colleagues—many of whom are reluctant to embrace social media or modern branding.
  • Katie Vernoy (12:50): "It's our colleagues that sometimes are the ones that become our modern therapist problem, where when we step out in that way, all of a sudden we start getting these other conversations..."
• Nuanced discussion on testimonials and online interactions: When clients identify themselves publicly or leave positive comments, therapists wrestle with how to respond ethically.
  • Katie Lemieux (13:12) describes a client publicly posting about her on Facebook and the internal compliance panic it provoked.

Ethics, Generational Differences, and Social Media (15:10–16:10)

• Curt spotlights generational gaps in ethics writing, noting, "I don't want somebody who's 75 years old to be writing about social media as ethic..." (15:10).
• They discuss the evolving standards and the need for younger voices to contribute to legal and ethical guidance.

“Lifestyle” Conversations: Dating, Authenticity, and Humanizing Therapists (16:18–22:07)

• On being both professional and human, the group discusses handling lifestyle topics that resonate deeply with today’s audience—specifically dating as a therapist and running into clients on apps.
  • "Our audience just reacted so well to that... it's okay to have a sense of humor about our field." (16:37–17:47)
• They explore boundaries for online presence, how therapists curate personal/professional personas, and the misconception of strict separation.
• Digital natives and younger clinicians face special challenges cleaning up old social media and balancing real-life authenticity with privacy.

Authenticity, Stigma, and Relational Boundaries (23:00–26:50)

• The group emphasizes living authentically, the projections clients can have, and the awkwardness of community encounters.
  • Katie Lemieux (24:09): "A lot of times, clients, even though we might be very authentic, they project what they believe about us... I don't want to disappoint them if they see me out."
• Navigating grief and loss when clients die and finding authentic, safe community among therapist peers is explored.

Takeaways and Final Thoughts (27:49–29:47)

• Katie Vernoy: "Being a modern therapist is being yourself and not forgetting that you're still a therapist... find your own comfort level and brand, authentically grounding it in clinical efficacy and ethics."
• Curt Whithelm: "We're what makes therapy work. All of the evidence still ends up pointing to we're what makes it work... the better that we own that authenticity piece, the better we serve."

Conference and Community Resources (29:51–31:04)

• Announcement: Therapy Reimagined Conference, Oct 18–19 in Universal City, Los Angeles, with special promo code “STARTUP” for $40 off for listeners.
• Conference offers CE credits nationwide.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Curt Whithelm (05:09): "I no longer offer that I'm a therapist when I'm over."
• Katie Vernoy (20:41): "I think it's the same thing with social media, right? Like, if we all have personal profiles and we all have personal professional profiles... there's a little bit of like creating an online presence and a personal brand in every space that can be potentially public."
• Katie Vernoy (27:53): "Being a modern therapist is being yourself and not forgetting that you're still a therapist."
• Curt Whithelm (28:49): "We're what makes therapy work... It's how we sit in the room, it's how we interact with our clients that can't necessarily be translated through a SOAP note to somebody else."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:00–06:00: What is a modern therapist? Origins of #ModernTherapistProblems.
• 06:07–12:00: Technology, telehealth mishaps, adapting new therapy techniques.
• 12:16–15:10: Social media, ethics, and professional conflicts with colleagues.
• 16:18–22:07: Therapist lifestyle conversations—dating, online presence, and client encounters.
• 23:00–26:50: Authenticity, stigma, and the therapist as a human being.
• 27:49–29:47: Takeaway messages and advice on authenticity and professional identity.
• 29:51–31:04: Conference information and listener giveaway.

Tone and Style

The episode maintains a warm, candid, and humorous tone, with all guests and hosts embracing the complexities of therapy life. Real-world anecdotes, self-deprecating humor, and supportive encouragement for authenticity carry throughout the conversation.

Conclusion

This episode is a dynamic guide for therapists maneuvering life “beyond the couch”—blending authenticity, humor, and savvy in modern clinical practice. Curt and Katie invite fellow professionals to be real, ethical, and visible, and to build supportive communities both online and in-person. The Therapy Reimagined conference offers a further space for this evolution.

For resources, paperwork, and conference details, visit:
www.privatepracticestartup.com
www.therapyreimaginedconference.com

Listeners can use code STARTUP for $40 off the Therapy Reimagined Conference (October 18–19, 2019 in Universal City, LA).