Therapy Chat Podcast Episode 497 Summary

Finding the Authentic Therapist In You with Stefanie Klein

Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Laura Reagan, LCSW-C
Guest: Stefanie Klein, LCSW, SEP — Assistant Training Director and Faculty at the Complex Trauma Training Center and co-creator of the SPACE program

Overview

In this episode, Laura Reagan welcomes Stefanie Klein to discuss the importance of therapists finding authenticity within themselves, particularly when working with complex and developmental trauma. The conversation centers on how a therapist’s self-awareness, ongoing self-work, and connection to self enhance therapeutic presence and support both clinical effectiveness and personal satisfaction. Stefanie introduces the SPACE program, a unique offering focused not on clinical technique but on nurturing the therapist’s inner experience across personal, relational, and transpersonal dimensions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Centrality of the Therapeutic Relationship

• Both Laura and Stefanie highlight that research consistently shows the therapist-client relationship as the most important factor influencing outcomes.
• Emphasis is placed on presence, self-awareness, and the willingness for therapists to work on their own “blind spots” as vital to this relationship.
• Ongoing clinical consultation and supervision—even after independent licensure—are underscored as essential.
  • "Sometimes you're just not going to see what you don't see." (Laura, 01:23)

2. Stefanie’s Journey Toward Somatic and Complex Trauma Work

• Stefanie began as a psychodynamic, “neck-up” therapist and only later discovered the body’s importance through somatic experiencing.
• She details her shift when she realized many clients presented with complex, developmental trauma rather than (or in addition to) shock trauma.
• This led her to specialize in NARM (NeuroAffective Relational Model), which focuses extensively on shame and the relational dimensions of trauma.
  • “I veered more toward NARM because I really wanted to learn how to work with the shame that’s sort of the glue that holds all these patterns together.” (Stefanie, 09:18)

3. Introduction to the SPACE Program

• The SPACE program (created by Stefanie Klein and Brad Kammer) is designed to support therapists—especially those working with complex trauma—by fostering deeper connection to self and revitalizing professional fulfillment.
• It differs from training in clinical models:
  • Focus is on the way of being a therapist, not just techniques or interventions.
  • Emphasizes “inside-out learning” by connecting with the self on three experience levels:
    • Personal: Knowing and relating to one’s own needs and wounds
    • Interpersonal/Relational: Deepening presence and authenticity in session
    • Transpersonal: Exploring notions of community, collective belonging, and, for some, spirituality
• The program is structured around reflective exercises, conversations, and group exploration, rather than didactic skills instruction.
  • “It’s not a training—it's a program... We are supporting a way of being in the role that is rooted in connection to the self.” (Stefanie, 12:25)

4. The Themes and Patterns Common in Therapists

• Stefanie and Laura explore the inherited or learned patterns therapists bring into the profession:
  • Pressure to perform, fix, or have answers ([25:31])
  • Over-responsibility or efforting to make things happen
  • The pull to help as an unconscious (often child-originated) adaptation
• They discuss how these strategies often stem from developmental wounding and can paradoxically undermine therapeutic effectiveness and satisfaction.
  • “Pressure is a big strategy of disconnection—a lot of therapists use it.” (Stefanie, 25:31)

5. The Risk of Burnout and Disillusionment

• The high rate of burnout and feelings of helplessness among therapists, especially those working with trauma, is a recurring focus.
• Laura and Stefanie note that common advice like “just get your own therapy” or “find a spiritual practice”—though helpful—fails to address how difficult it is for therapists to prioritize their own care due to habituated patterns.
  • “So many of us became therapists because helping others at the expense of our own needs was a way of surviving our early circumstances.” (Stefanie, 18:29)

6. Working with Countertransference & Enactments

• SPACE reframes countertransference as a vital resource for understanding oneself and the therapeutic relationship—rather than a problem to manage or hide.
• The program encourages therapists to explore and share their authentic reactions to clients (e.g., feelings of resentment, boredom, helplessness), which, when relationally held, facilitate deeper therapeutic work:
  • “If we can’t be with that stuff inside us, it’s very hard to support somebody else in their complexity.” (Stefanie, 21:34)
  • The plan for future SPACE cohorts includes exploring “enactments,” those unconscious relational patterns that arise in therapy, and how to use them as opportunities for growth.

7. Societal and Training Factors That Perpetuate Disconnection

• Discussion covers how training often teaches self-reliance at the expense of self-care, and discourages therapists from bringing their own humanity into the work.
• Laura highlights how messages received during training (“don’t need help; if you do, that’s your problem”) create further isolation ([43:56]).
  • “We’re kind of rewriting that — we’re saying, no, it is about you.” (Stefanie, 46:02)

8. The Structure and Impact of the SPACE Program

• SPACE is delivered online as a series of bi-monthly Friday/Saturday workshops, each with a central theme and opportunities for reflection, small group breakout sessions, and large group processing.
• Intended as a “community of practice,” SPACE allows therapists to reconnect with their “why” for joining the profession and to experience greater ease and joy.
• CEUs are (likely) provided for participants ([51:00]).
• Going forward (2026), SPACE will become a year-long cohort to foster deeper community bonds.

Notable Quotes

• On Countertransference as Resource:
  “We look at countertransference as the road to knowing ourselves better and the road to knowing our clients better, and such a rich territory for exploration.”
  — Stefanie (44:44)

• On the Therapist’s Humanity:
  “We are so in the room. We are so much a part of it. And I think it’s a privilege to support people to get to prioritize that part of the experience.”
  — Stefanie (46:16)

• On Burnout and Disillusionment:
  “I am a huge supporter of therapists and our important work... sometimes people leave the field before they even really get their feet under them. And that’s tragic because they went into this because they really cared.”
  — Laura (56:41)

Memorable Moments and Timestamps

• [12:25] Stefanie explains the three levels of self-connection in SPACE: personal, relational, transpersonal.
• [25:31] Insights into the most common therapist struggles: pressure, responsibility, efforting.
• [30:02] Discussion on the evidence-based movement vs. the universal art of healing.
• [37:37] Laura’s candid reflection on becoming a therapist seeking to be heard, not just to help.
• [44:44] Upcoming SPACE session on countertransference reframing.
• [49:25] The inevitability and importance of enactments in therapy.
• [52:03] Description of SPACE’s format, rhythm, and goals.

Conclusion & How to Get Involved

The episode concludes with details on how therapists can try out upcoming SPACE sessions or join the full cohort starting in 2026. Emphasis is given to SPACE as an essential and much-needed resource to preserve the vitality and authenticity of therapists in a challenging field.

To Learn More or Register:
Visit complextraumatrainingcenter.com and click on SPACE.

Episode Summary Prepared by Podcast Summarizer — Ideal for Clinicians and Listeners Seeking Depth