The holidays bring joy, connection, and celebration, but for therapists, caregivers, and parents, they can also bring exhaustion, overwhelm, and unrealistic expectations. In this 20-minute episode, we’ll explore tangible, research-informed tools to help you protect your peace, set boundaries, and truly care for yourself this season.You’ll learn how to:Reframe self-care as essential maintenance, not indulgenceSet and communicate boundaries with confidence and compassionCreate simple, meaningful rituals that restore energy and connectionRecognize early signs of burnout and practice quick, 5-minute resetsGive yourself permission to rest, recharge, and say “no” without guiltWhether you’re managing a busy caseload, caregiving around the clock, or trying to make the holidays magical for everyone else, this episode will help you return to yourself with intention and grace.💭 Takeaway: You can’t pour from an empty mug — but you can refill it, one mindful choice at a time.Previous episodes mentioned:Combatting Compassion FatigueProtecting Your PeaceFinding the GoodTherapists React to Unknown NumberThe Burnout is REALThoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram at Instagram.com/coffeeandtheratea
If you haven't seen this viral Netflix documentary, you are truly missing out! Join Alyssa, Noa, and Sarah for a roundtable discussion of this HORRIFIC rollercoaster ride of emotion and dissect some of what could be going on behind the scenes.Stay tuned for more viral reviews coming soon! Keep the conversation flowing and follow us on Instagram @coffeeandtherateaQuestions, thoughts, ideas? Email us! coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com
After years of using music as their work, Alyssa and Noa open up about rediscovering the spark that first drew them to being creative arts therapists.If you’ve ever felt burnt out, uninspired, or like the joy of your passion has slipped away, this conversation is for you. Together, we’ll explore:How to reconnect with your “why”Ways to reignite creative joyThe balance between art, work, and well-being🔥 Love this episode? Queue up these listener favorites next:The Burnout is Real – A candid conversation with Stephanie Leavell about the realities of burnout, quality supervision, and strategies for long-term sustainability.Combatting Compassion Fatigue – Explore what compassion fatigue is, how it shows up in helping professions, and the tools we can use to care for ourselves.Mental Health & Burnout – Alyssa, Noa, and the team share their go-to practices for protecting mental health in demanding, heart-centered work.✨ Share this episode with a friend who needs a little spark, and let’s keep the joy alive together.Keep the conversation flowing and follow us on instragram @coffeeandtherateaQuestions, thoughts, ideas? Email us! coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com
Where Values, Ethics, and Neutrality Collide“Neutrality is a privilege—not every therapist gets to claim it.”Can therapy ever truly be apolitical? Or does staying “neutral” simply mean taking the side of the status quo?In this thought-provoking roundtable, we unpack one of the most debated questions in mental health today: Should therapy be political?From clients fearing deportation to navigating racial trauma, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and unequal access to care, politics already shape the therapy room. But what does that mean for the therapist sitting across from you?✨ What we dig into in this episode:🔥 What does “political” even mean in therapy?⚖️ Is neutrality a clinical strength or a cop-out?🏳️🌈 How should therapists respond when clients bring politically charged pain or harmful beliefs into sessions?📜 What do ethical codes say about advocacy, bias, and boundaries?🌍 Can a therapist in 2025, or at any time ever, really stay “neutral”?This isn’t just an academic debate—it’s personal. And the personal is political.Join us for a candid conversation with diverse voices as we explore the messy, complicated intersection of values, ethics, and identity in therapy today.We want to hear from you: Has politics ever come up in your therapy—on either side of the couch? DM us, email us, or leave a voice note for a chance to be featured in an upcoming episode!Want to keep the conversation flowing? As always, follow us on Instagram or email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com!
Being a therapist is... a LOT, and it's SO good sometimes! Today, the gals are relishing in the joy, the good, and the memorable moments that help sustain the passion we have for what we do.Want to keep the conversation flowing? As always, follow us on Instagram or email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com!
After a whirlwind of an Autism Acceptance month, new CDC statistics, and a lot of dialogue from the US government, the gals thought it was high time to sit down and talk about it!Join us for an off-the-cuff conversation surrounding autism acceptance and how we're continuing to hold out hope for the communities we support.This episode has a few ad breaks from our very own Noa and Alyssa! Noa's company, Spectrum Creative Arts, is hiring for a July start date. You can learn more at spectrumcreativearts.org/employment/ AND Alyssa's company, Dynamic Lynks, is hiring for an August start date. You can learn more at dynamiclynks.com/careersWant to keep the conversation flowing? As always, follow us on Instagram or email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com!
This week Alyssa and Courtney sit down & sip coffee with their younger selves! Sparked by the social media trend, Alyssa and Courtney explore questions their younger selves would ask them today because Alyssa & Courtney have known each other a looooong time.Previous episodes mentioned:Combatting Compassion FatigueKeep the conversation flowing and follow us on Instagram @CoffeeAndTheraTea or email us, coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com
This week Alyssa, Noa, and Sarah talk all things compassion fatigue and burnout: What is it? How do we combat it? AND the realities of therapeutic work in the long-term sustainability of a career. Like this topic? You might love: The Burnout is REAL with Stephanie Leavell of Music for Kiddos Mental Health and Burnout The Work/Life Balancing Act Allison Thomas' Unveiling Private Practice - the creator of the compassion fatigue and burnout definition Alyssa shared on today's episode!Keep the conversation flowing and follow us on Instagram @CoffeeAndTheraTea or email us, coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com
What can we say? The world is chaos and we're just living in it. Sit down with the gals to have a laugh, have a cry, and check in at the start of this never-ending new year! Keep the conversation flowing and follow us on Instagram @CoffeeAndTheraTea or email us, coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com
Join the gals for a quick review of 2024, a recap of 3 years of podcasting together, and their goals for the year ahead! Episodes to tide you over until 2025: Our top episode of all time Our first episode! Our most popular episode of 2024 We can't wait to spill, sip, and share with you in 2025. Thank you to all of our listeners and top fans who have supported us this year! Keep the conversation flowing and follow us on Instagram @CoffeeAndTheraTea or email us, coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com
This week that gal's talk all about Dan Siegel's Window of Tolerance! If you are unfamiliar with Window of Tolerance, it is all about navigating optimal arousal levels. The gals talk more about how to support them, confront them, and navigate them in therapy sessions. Window of Tolerance Resources: https://www.psychologytools.com/resource/window-of-tolerance https://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Education/ID%20The%20Window%20of%20Tolerance%2020%2006%2016.pdf https://westmidlands-vrp.org/app/uploads/2020/06/1.A-Dr-Dan-Siegel-Window-of-Tolerance.pdf Previous Episodes Discussed: Life in the NICU Unveiling Private Practice The Work/Life Balancing Act Children are Not Small Adults Creating Safe Mental Health Spaces for Children If you want to learn more about Window of Tolerance and see Alyssa present on self-regulation at the Music for Kiddos Symposium on Friday, November 8th, you can grab your tickets here! Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
Today Alyssa sits down with Allison Thomas from Running Your Practice and Mainstay Music Therapy to talk ALL things private practice!Allison was inspired by a recent podcast episode, Red Flags of Music Therapy Business to talk about the pros, cons, and qualms of small-business private practice.In this episode, we will:Explore topics in Allison's new e-book which is loaded with resources for navigating private practice as a prospective employee and as an employerDive into the differences between agencies and private practiceDiscuss salary vs. hourly and what that means for you as a therapistAnd get transparent with what it means to be a private practice owner This episode is brewing with resources and Allison has even more in her e-book. Yes, we are fangirling, it is that good! You can get 20% off Allison's Unveiling Private Practice e-book for the month of October ONLY by using code MainstayBrew at https://mainstaymusictherapy.com/product/private-practice-unveiled/ Link will be active as of 10/1/2024Not only do you get the 40-page resource, but you also get fillable templates for analyzing wages with a video walkthrough of how to use the template from Allison herself.Want to learn more from Allison? Check out her socials!Running Your PracticeMainstay Music TherapyLearn with MainstayYou can join Mainstay's free resource list with monthly private practice tips, music therapy intervention ideas, and AAC information from a previous Coffee and TheraTea guest, Shelley Anderson!Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
It's back to school season which means time for ALL the evaluations! Join Alyssa and Courtney as they take a drive through the Evaluation Station and give you tips, tricks, and tangible tools to implement play-based, neuro-affirming evaluations across settings. MT Assessments of Note (ba-dum-chuh): New McCallum-Davis Assessment Discussed SEMTAP Nordoff-Robbins Musical Engagement Scale Alternative ABA Assessments: Socially Savvy JASPER Early Start Denver Model Additional Resources Discussed: Music Therapy Joy - Big Yellow Bag CMTE MeRT Therapy Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
The gals are spilling the tea on the challenges of life as a therapist. What else is new? This episode has: A lot of banter around what's happening in daily life A reflection on why the podcast has been a bit more irregular lately Takeaway thoughts & tips for you to not feel so alone in the hard! If things are feeling hard and you wish they weren't, you are not alone! Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
You voted and we made it happen! This month's topic was chosen by our listeners who follow us on instagram. We spill the theraTEA on all things supervision! What is required of supervisors? What should they bring to the table? Why is supervision imortant? Where do I find a supervisor? We get into it all! Supervision is a topic that is important to us. 3/4 of the Coffee and TheraTea table are supervisors in their day to day work. Creating strong relationships with our supervisees and ensuring their success means the world to us. We hope we empower you to level up your supervision game or find an amazing supervisor! Previous episodes mentioned: SUPERvision The Work/Life Balancing Act Peer support resources: Peer Support Network Music for Kiddos Creative Therapy Umbrella Do Better Collective Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
This week the gals talk all about the realities of money management as therapists. In the world of inflation in which we currently live, money matters more than ever. We share some of our tips, experiences, and perspectives on navigating the absolutely gloriously high salaries of therapists (can you taste the sarcasm? ha!) Unfortunately, Courtney's audio did not work for this episode so you will have to wait until our next episode to hear her dulcet tones! Links and Resources from this Episode: MIT Cost of Living Calculator Middle-Class Assessment Website Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
Alyssa and Sarah spill all the theraTEA on therapy business ownership! What is it really like? Why is it a must do? Why is it a must not do? Get your philosophical questions answered! If you liked this Alyssa and Sarah episode, check out these previous episodes: Non-Traditional Therapists Work/Life Balancing Act Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
In this episode, the gals explore the value and challenge of repetition in therapy sessions. You will gain insight from Noa, Alyssa, and Sarah's diverse perspectives on how they approach session planning and leading. You will walk away with tips on how to effectively use repetition and how to make it less redundant to best support the people you serve! Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
This week Alyssa, Courtney, and Sarah sit down to discuss the pros & cons of app-based therapy, telehealth, and in-person therapy! Not wanting our beautifully chaotic banter? Skip ahead to 15:45 to dive into the topic. Check out the Kinder World app Alyssa was talking about in the episode! Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea
It's not how you want your coffee, but the gals are spilling the tea this week in an unfiltered, unhinged episode. This week is all about the joys of podcasting, parenthood, and celebrating life's wins & challenges with your therapeople! Shout out to one of our therapeople, Matthew Moody, who's episode we mention: 9-8-8 Crisis Mental Health. Thoughts, questions, ideas? Email us at coffeeandtheratea@gmail.com and keep the conversation flowing on Instagram @coffeeandtheratea