Private Practice Skills

According to the latest issue of the APA Monitor on Psychology, the top two trending topics for 2026 are about how people are interacting with AI for therapy and for companionship (and yes, some people are marrying their AI companion).In this episode, we dive into these two APA articles to take a look at the positives and downsides of using AI in these "human-like" interactions.As always, you can expect a little snarky commentary from me as well :DArticles Mentioned:Article: "AI, neuroscience, and data are fueling personalized mental health care”https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/01-02/trends-personalized-mental-health-careArticle: "AI chatbots and digital companions are reshaping emotional connection”https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/01-02/trends-digital-ai-relationships-emotional-connectionLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

I intended for this to be a “what worked and what didn’t work” for my businesses in 2025, but it turned out to be more of a recap :D Oops. Either way, I hope you enjoy taking a look back at my 2025 with me, and wishing you well as you enter 2026!Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Video: "How my practice is showing up in AI recommendations (by accident)”https://youtu.be/mP-X_Vw0_5gVideo: "Encouragement for Therapists Having a Tough Time”https://youtu.be/JqP-gnll2uoLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

We know that the therapeutic alliance is super important. But, how do we go about actually building a strong therapeutic alliance?In this episode, we explore some of the variables that exist outside of the therapy session that can influence the therapy alliance.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Article: "The Therapeutic Alliance: The Fundamental Element of Psychotherapy”https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6493237/Article: "Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Relationship"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK608012/Article from last week’s episode: "Psychotherapy as investigation: cultivating curiosity and insight in the therapeutic process”https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1603719/fullVideo: "How to Make Your Initial Therapy Assessment More Conversational”https://youtu.be/UsKwQWsaE4gVideo: "The Therapeutic Aspects of the Initial Phone Screen”https://youtu.be/mXEciH3PZ5YVideo: "How to Build Trust During the Initial Therapy Session”https://youtu.be/3__u7dOLUdALINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

In today’s episode we talk about a core element of the therapeutic alliance that we rarely talk about in our field: curiosity.As a profession, we spend quite a bit of time honing in on specific techniques, but we don’t spend enough time talking about the most core element of therapy: the therapeutic alliance. We know from research that a strong, genuine connection with a therapist is the strongest predictor of therapeutic outcomes.So let’s talk about it more!Links from today’s episode:Frontiers in Psychology Article: "Psychotherapy as investigation: cultivating curiosity and insight in the therapeutic process”https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1603719/fullThe “Dodo Bird Effect” Definition:https://study.com/academy/lesson/dodo-bird-verdict-in-psychotherapy.htmlLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Today I'm taking you step-by-step through my process of why I'm updating one of my therapy services.I also share the checklist I use to bring my therapy website up to speed so that potential therapy clients can find me through search and AI recommendations and start to build trust with me.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Training: The Client Attraction Systemhttps://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/p/client-attraction-systemTraining: Website Copy in a Weekend:https://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/l/pdp/website-copy-in-a-weekendVideo: How my practice is showing up in AI recommendations (by accident):https://youtu.be/mP-X_Vw0_5gVideo: Super Basic SEO for Beginners:https://youtu.be/WQJI6_F9rEALINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Sharing some encouraging words in case the holidays are not exactly a super fun time for you. ❤️Sign up for my email list to stay informed on my Black Friday deal:https://mailchi.mp/f7be138b42ba/stay-in-touch

I discovered recently that potential clients are finding my practice through AI recommendations, even though I haven't had a "strategy" to market my practice through AI.So I decided to dig a little deeper, and I share with you what I'm learning so far about how to optimize our therapy practice marketing so that we can start getting recommended to our ideal clients....I was surprised by how much less complicated it was than I had assumed!Sign up for my email list to stay informed on my Black Friday deal:https://mailchi.mp/f7be138b42ba/stay-in-touchThank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Episodes on Finding your Niche:"Develop your Niche in Private Practice”https://youtu.be/bh6bJRb7iwQ"How to Find your Niche in Private Practice”https://youtu.be/CzlH8lCGPoM"5 Ways to Find Your Therapy Niche”https://youtu.be/FU1eHRDwkusLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

As I'm hearing more and more stories of therapists on the struggle bus right now, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my own personal self-care routine. Some of my takes are a bit unconventional, so they may not be the best fit for everyone. But I hope listening to this episode encourages you to reflect on your own self-care, so you can be intentional about building a sustainable, enjoyable life as a therapist. :)Video: “Redefining Self Care for Therapists”https://youtu.be/HQfPpe1XW4QLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Are any other therapists noticing their inquiries slowing down? Drops in your website and Psychology Today visits? No need to panic! In this episode, I share some straightforward, simple-to-implement strategies you can use to adjust your private practice marketing to be a bit more up to date.(And no, you don’t have to use AI or run ads!)Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Reddit Post:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1iqvbrm/diminishing_referrals_vent_and_advice_what_are/Episodes on Finding your Niche:"Develop your Niche in Private Practice”https://youtu.be/bh6bJRb7iwQ"How to Find your Niche in Private Practice”https://youtu.be/CzlH8lCGPoM"5 Ways to Find Your Therapy Niche”https://youtu.be/FU1eHRDwkusTraining: The Client Attraction Systemhttps://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/p/client-attraction-systemLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Article: "Do Psychotherapists Improve With Time and Experience?"https://scottdmiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Goldberg-expertise-jcp-2016.pdfLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Today we're diving into all your content creator questions. In this episode I cover your questions about the process, finances, and downsides of being a content creator (and so much more, it's a long episode!)So if you've ever considered pursuing content creation in the hopes of earning income from it, this episode is for you!Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Earlier Episode: "7 Years as a Content Creator...is it Worth it?"https://youtu.be/qoIFCUSXx_oPrivate Practice Skills Origin Story:https://privatepracticeskills.com/private-practice-skills/Video: "Building an Email List in Private Practice"https://youtu.be/quTlR3l7w64LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

In this episode, I explore the most Googled questions that start with: “Why does my therapist…?” This was a fun episode to make!Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links mentioned:Video: "Psychologist Answers Most Googled Questions About Therapists”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOj-u95pPz0Article: "When we cannot speak: Eye contact disrupts resources available to cognitive control processes during verb generation”https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010027716302360LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

I've been making content for Private Practice skills for seven years now, and content creation has been my main source of income for the past 5 years.In today's episode, I ask the question: Is being a content creator worth it?Spoiler: It depends. Spoiler part 2: It's totally been worth it for me (but it might not be for everyone).In today's episode, I break down some of the main pros and cons I've experienced as a content creator.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Video: “Reflecting on 14 Years of YouTubing”https://youtu.be/gq3YtfyVMbcVideo: “Passive Income for Therapists: My Honest Advice”https://youtu.be/TkAkAC_0ascVideo: “How Much Work It Actually Takes to Make Passive Income”https://youtu.be/0E7JsC7NI-8Video: "How I Make Six Figures as a Part-Time Therapist”https://youtu.be/sF3n7vRnAUYVideo: "The Problem with Anonymous Reviews for Healthcare Providers”https://youtu.be/J5Vt5W397kYVideo: "Week in the Life of a (Part-Time) Therapist Entrepreneur”https://youtu.be/7g0jWHtBoEQVideo: "A Day in my Life as a Private Practice Content Creator”https://youtu.be/L97cB8gF6WMLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Confronting clients can feel like one of the hardest parts of being a therapist. But in the context of a trusting therapeutic relationship, with the right tools gently confronting our clients can illuminate discrepancies they might not have seen themselves, and deepen the therapeutic relationship.In this episode, I share some of my go-to tools for confronting clients in therapy (nonjudgmentally, of course!).What are some of your favorite tips for confronting clients compassionately and effectively?Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

In this episode, we dig into what good supervision looks like, and I take a look at some examples of what bad supervision looks like and offer my thoughts.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Article: "Clinical Supervision of Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review of Supervision Characteristics and Practices Associated with Formative and Restorative Outcomes"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8146512/Reddit Post: "What should good supervision look like?"https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/117eh7t/what_should_good_supervision_look_like/Reddit Post: "Can we see some bad supervision stories?”https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1d5n9ou/can_we_see_some_bad_supervision_stories/Reddit Post: "Have you ever had a bad supervisor experience?"https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1bkp46o/have_you_ever_had_a_bad_supervisor_experience/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

Research shows that courage isn’t an innate trait, but more like a muscle that can be developed through deliberate practice.Though there is not a ton of research available on the topic of courage, I think it’s worth digging into a little deeper to see if we can learn how to teach our clients to be courageous as they move towards their treatment goals - whether it’s the courage to leave a harmful partner, to report a harmful boss at work, or to fully accept themselves for who they are.In this episode, we explore some of the concepts brought up in an article from the September 2025 issue of the APA Monitor on Psychology titled: "Courage: Why some people act despite fear.” You can follow along with the article here:https://www.apa.org/monitor/2025/09/courageWe also explore 6 types of courage, and how we might foster them in our therapy clients. For this portion of the episode, I referenced the Helpful Professor article titled: "The 6 Types of Courage – with Examples”:https://helpfulprofessor.com/types-of-courage/Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

I’m excited to share about all the ways I use metaphor in counseling as a therapeutic tool. I use metaphors a LOT in therapy, but I don’t always hear other folks share about how they use metaphors in therapy.This episode has two parts:Part 1: Therapeutic reasons for using metaphors in counselingPart 2: Types of metaphors to use in counselingThere was so much to cover that I decided to just release one longer episode this week. I hope you find it useful!FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling:https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8Links Mentioned:Video by Milton H. Erickson Foundation: "5 Minute Therapy Tips - Episode 15: Metaphor - The Use of Metaphor”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tss8D05eDF4Book: Metaphor in Practice: A Professional’s Guide to Using the Science of Language (2017) by Niklas Torneke, MD and Steven C. Hayes, PhDhttps://amzn.to/4mA6Wlr(This is an affiliate link)Book: Metaphor Therapy (1995) by Richard R. Kopp, PhDhttps://amzn.to/4n9pCsn(This is an affiliate link)Article: "How therapists in cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapy reflect upon the use of metaphors in therapy: a qualitative study”https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9235099/Article: “Metaphor in Professional Counseling”https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/metaphor-in-professional-counseling/Similar Past Episodes:"My go-to Therapy Tools as a Therapist”https://youtu.be/nO-TrbwJ0V8"More of my Favorite Therapy Tools”https://youtu.be/brTyHQ_hDH8LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

If you feel overwhelmed by all the information out there on how to start a private practice, this episode offers a simplified approach to get started.You do still need some elbow grease, but hopefully these tips help reduce some of the overwhelm :)Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Video: "Values-Based Approach to a Fulfilling Career”https://youtu.be/b9rxVgXDL4UFREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling:https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8Playlist: Private Practice Marketing Strategy:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi4iw1FZZYrAaqD-YMZm_Hc5WSZMq5WSB&feature=sharedMarketing Training: Client Attraction System (now $57 woo!)https://privatepracticeskills.teachable.com/p/client-attraction-systemLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

According to a poll I posted on Instagram, most therapists feel at least a moderate amount of pressure to have "breakthroughs" with their clients in therapy.It's common for us to talk about breakthroughs in therapy. In today's episode, I dive into questions like:-What is a breakthrough?-How much pressure is there to have breakthroughs in therapy?-Where does that pressure come from?-How important is it for therapists to focus on breakthroughs in therapy?Let me know if you know of available research or literature tracking the degree that breakthroughs are correlated with progress towards client goals in therapy. I'm so curious!Inkblot Article: "What Does Having a Breakthrough in Therapy Mean?"https://www.inkblottherapy.com/post/what-does-having-a-breakthrough-in-therapy-meanReddit Post: "What do you consider a breakthrough in therapy?"https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/comments/g8mu1x/what_do_you_consider_a_breakthrough_in_therapy/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

I used to stress, hard, about preparing for my therapy sessions. I thought I needed to brush up on any and all relevant information related to my clients' experiences and presenting issues, and I also felt the pressure that every session needed to one-up the last session's "ah-hah" moment.With time, I've built a routine that makes session prep a breeze. My current structure allows me not to sweat it anymore, while feeling prepared to support my clients.In today's episode, I share how I prepare for therapy sessions, in case some of my tips and tricks could be useful for you too.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links mentioned in today’s episode:Video: Therapist's Pre-Game Routine Before Seeing Clients:https://youtu.be/kIz0_dD6FKsVideo: How to Start a Therapy Session as a Therapist:https://youtu.be/EM7r6RWo-z0LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.