7 Therapy Podcasts for Clinical Skill Growth
Podcasts are a hidden gem of growth.
I’ve got 3 kids, 2 businesses, 1 dog, and a spouse I like to spend time with…time is a major factor in my life. And yes, I know all about mindfulness and the myth of multitasking, but I still hunt for magical moments in which I can have double duty. One of the ways I have accomplished double duty is by listening to a variety of podcasts during my 1) morning walk (about 30 min) and 2) during chaufer duties (also about 30 min). Totalling up to approximately 4 hours per week! Here are the ones that are geared towards clinical skill building. Now, I don’t just listen to clinical skill podcasts. Some days I need music, some days I focus on business skills, other days I focus on finance, some days I go with personal growth. Go with what you need at the time-being rigid won’t serve you well (I should know). I will also create lists of the other podcasts I listen.
Very Bad Therapy.
This is a podcast that I both love and dread. Ben Fineman and Caroline Wiita interview clients on…you guessed it…very bad therapists. Each interview explores bad therapy experiences, and I promise you will relate to one of their stories…as a clinician. Eek, I’ve definitely said that/done that. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but also important to swallow it, stay humble people. It provides a client view which gives use clinicians wonderful opportunities from growth to improve the therapeutic experience for our clients. They also have a second interview in the episode with a therapist to explore ways to improve based upon the initial interview. These follow up conversations provide wonderful thought provoking explorations that are sure to improve how you run your practice.
Dear Therapists.
In this podcast, you will hear single sessions with well known therapists Lori Gottlieb (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone) and Guy Winch (Emotional First Aid). As you will soon see, I am a very big fan of single session podcasts, it’s a wonderful way for people to get an intro into therapy without having to step into a therapy room, AND it’s a great way for us clinicians to hear how someone else approaches interventions therapeutically. I frequently hear myself saying, “oh yeah, that’s what I would have said,” or “wow, I didn’t even think of taking it in that direction.” Plus, with this podcast you hear two therapists with two different approaches working together. That’s extra double duty for your time.
Where Should We Begin.
Is there anyone who doesn’t love Esther Perel? She has another podcast focused on work, but I prefer “Where Should We Begin” because it relates to sex and sexuality and therapists tend to avoid talking about sex with their clients. It’s like listening to the real life couch application of her book “Mating in Captivity.”
The Couples Couch.
Unless you’ve got a degree in Marriage and Family Therapist, most programs don’t spend more than one class in grad school on how to work with couples. This podcast interviews a variety of approaches to work with couples and various issues of working with couples.
Feeling Good.
If you know me, you know that I am a die hard David Burns fangirl. A psychiatrist by training, Burns will say he should have been a therapist all along. He trained under Beck himself in cogntive behavioral therapy and has now developed a model to address a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, addictive behaviors, and couples issues. Many of the episodes focus on using the TEAM model to treat clients, some are single sessions completed by Burns himself or several of his trainers using the model on therapists in training in the model. All in all, just a wonderful learning experience.
Light Up the Couch
This podcast is designed to help clinicians get CEs. Check the specifics of you license type, for LPCs in Georgia, we can use up to 10 hours of asynchronous CEs and up to 5 hours of self study. You can listen for free to learn and develop, if you do want CE credit, it costs $60 for unlimited CE courses for an entire year.
Digging Deep
This podcast is produced by the fabulous people at Motivo. Now, I’m a bit biased here because Dr Carla Smith and I go way back to our Peachford days. She is a wealth of knowledge, dually licensed as a LCSW and LMFT. #teamnofruit for episode “When Anger Comes out Sideways” on August 31, 2023.
Do you have a podcast I haven’t listed on this that helps you grow in your clinical skill? Let me know!
Updated 9/5/23.
