What do you do when your client's presenting issue hits too close to home? We talked to Ariana about her experience managing intense countertransference with a new client. Death, grief, imposter syndrome, and termination - we cover it all in this episode!

We are joined by Nicole Arzt, founder of Psychotherapy Memes and the author of Sometimes Therapy is Awkward. We talk all things relating to how we can be authentic in and out of the therapy room, as well as how it is okay to keep some parts of our lives off of social media.

Jon embraces his humanness and shares a story about how an embarrassing run-in outside of the bathroom ended up impacting the way he views the client/therapist relationship for the better! What starts with a lot of laughs ends with a surprisingly deep discussion about our humanness in the therapy room.

Madeline shares her experience of managing a homicidal threat that comes way too close to home. You won't believe everything she had to handle!

What happens when the therapeutic relationship is ruptured unexpectedly? Tatiana shares how a rupture came up in the therapeutic alliance with her very first practicum client and the complexities of self-disclosure in the therapy room.

Sonia shares how a situation involving delusions, kittens, and major countertransference resulted in her avoiding consultation and going above and beyond for a client. You won't believe how this one ends!

Nikki returns to the show to share her experience taking a yoga class next to a current client. She explores her options for protecting the client's confidentiality, as well as the personal cost of the situation.

Cate Edelstein, the therapist behind the super popular @therapist.memes.fordramaqueens Instagram account, reveals her identity for the first time in public! She shares her personal journey of creating and maintaining the humorous, and sometimes controversial, public social media account for therapists. We dive deep and discuss the impact of complex mental health information being explained in shorter and shorter clips on social media and how it can influence our client's perceptions of themselves.

Find out how Rob doubled down on his discomfort and used countertransference to launch his personal and professional growth. He shares how his experience during internship at an IOP rotation allowed him to grow in so many unexpected ways.

The hot seats are flipped when Allie and Kathryn are interviewed by Brighter Vision's Jocelyn Van Saun. They share the nitty-gritty details behind creating Am I a Bad Therapist, including their complimentary skill sets, unforeseen challenges and relatable fears.

Have you ever sat across from a client and saw yourself staring back? Samantha shares her experience of intense countertransference and what she learned from the experience.

Multiple revenue streams, anyone? Allie and Kathryn share their experiences and strategies for how to earn an income outside of the therapy room, as well as the ethics surrounding it all.

Hannah shares how an aggressive conflict over a diagnosis with a parent led to the discharge of her client who wanted to work with her. She discusses how she handled the aggression and how she would handle diagnoses differently in the future.

Jenna shares her story of how was forced to interact with a current client after having a few drinks at a festival. Listen in to see how she handled the situation, as well as the aftermath of interacting with her client while tipsy.

Chris shares his story about how a slow burnout and life changes led to soul searching and a major transition in his clinical practice. He shares his journey about how he found himself both personally and clinically. We hear how he was able to transition into his own style of therapy outside the box. We talk about embracing our weirdness and how to jump and trust that the net will appear.

Kathryn is back with another bad therapist moment! Today she shares how she handled her son becoming friends with one of her clients, as well as many other ethical dilemmas she navigates while living and working in her rural hometown.

You can find our more about our podcast, full transcripts, and apply to be a guest on our website!

www.abadtherapist.com

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teletherapistnetwork.com

https://www.instagram.com/teletherapist.network/

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www.cccs.care

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheJoyofTherapy

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Find out what happens to Lauren after a mole in her supervision group shares her confidential complaints about her organization with the state-level leaders. You won't believe how many layers there are to her experience. From Medicaid interviews to patient abandonment, Lauren's experience is unbelievable but also oh so relatable in the field of mental health.

Our very own Allie Joy is sharing another of her bad (art) therapist stories! Allie was having a breakthrough session with a very reserved young client by splattering paint on a canvas, only to later realize that the paint had covered the entire studio space, as well as her client and herself. We will hear how the client’s mom reacted when she walked in, how Allie was able to find humor in the moment, and the clinical decision making behind the messy masterpiece.

Liana shares her story about how she left an unsupportive group practice and the complications that came from terminating with her clients. We discuss the reality of termination, supervision, and navigating it all as a human therapist.

Jessica shares her story about trusting her clinical judgment and going against the recommendations of her upper management, a veteran psychiatrist, and the clinical quality team to advocate for a higher level of care for a new client. Despite the disagreement and strong pushback telling her she was wrong, she leaned into her clinical rationale and peer support to act in the patient’s best interest. She shares how she navigated this conflict with her superiors, advocated for her clinical skills, and managed her own feelings throughout it all.