Mastering Therapy

S5E2 What Community Psychology can teach every therapist | Dr Ron DodzroHow much of what brings someone to therapy can really be understood by looking at the individual alone?In this episode, Dr Natalie Stott is joined by clinical psychologist Dr Ron Dodzro, also known as The Accessible Psychologist on social media, to explore community psychology and what changes when therapists widen the lens beyond the person sitting in front of them.Drawing on his work in prisons and with young people affected by community violence, Ron discusses what it means to formulate the systems around a person, particularly when those systems may be contributing to their distress. He shares how his work has extended beyond individual therapy to include parents, teachers, prison officers and wider organisations.Natalie and Ron also explore power and trust in therapy, including a striking example where Ron’s attempt to protect a young man’s confidentiality inadvertently made him feel less safe.They discuss race and therapist identity, what our ideas about “professionalism” might communicate to different clients, and why sharing a demographic with someone doesn’t necessarily mean they will experience you as the right therapist for them.An episode about looking beyond the individual and becoming more curious about what sits around the therapy room as well as what happens inside it.Guest Information:Dr Ron Dodzro is a clinical psychologist whose work spans trauma, community psychology and community violence. He has worked within the prison system and now works predominantly in community, charity and private settings, including with children and young people affected by community violence.He is also co-founder of Psychologists the Streets Deserve (PTSD) providing psychological therapy, training and consultancy around trauma, PTSD and community violence.Ron shares his work online as The Accessible PsychologistFind Ron:Instagram: The Accessible PsychologistOrganisation/Website: Psychologists the Streets Deserve (PTSD)** Check out Mastering Therapy’s Youtube Channel for all podcast episodes **For notification on up coming episodes and for occasional summaries of tools discussed on the podcast sign up here: www.masteringtherapy.comTo recommend a topic you’d like to hear about, or if you’d like to appear on the podcast please get in touch at www.masteringtherapy.com/podcast*****Subscribe to the Mastering Therapy Podcast YouTube channelFollow Mastering therapy on instagramConnect with Dr Natalie Stott on LinkedInAIRNOTEAirNote is an affordable AI-powered note-taking app designed specifically for therapists in private practice. It securely transcribes sessions and creates professional clinical notes, without the price tag of many traditional AI scribes. Priced at only £14.99 per month. Available to mac users onlyDOWNLOAD AIRNOTE (1 month free trial using to code 30FREE)SUPERVISOR PLATFORMSupervisor Platform is an online directory designed for therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and other mental health professionals to connect with qualified clinical supervisors. It makes it easy for practitioners to browse, compare, and contact supervisors based on their expertise, approach, and availability, while giving supervisors a professional space to showcase their services.Supervisor Platform (with 3 months free trial code 'WELCOME3')To search for a new supervisor visit HEREFor free resources on supervision visit HEREDisclaimer: The Mastering therapy podcast and the information provided by Dr Natalie Stott (Dclinpsych, HPCP reg), is solely intended for informational and educational purposes and should only be used by qualified professionals. Mentioned in this episode:AIRNOTE | AI SCRIBE FOR THERAPISTSAirNote is an affordable AI-powered note-taking app designed specifically for therapists in private practice. It securely transcribes sessions and creates professional clinical notes, without the price tag of many traditional AI scribes. Early user price is at £9.99 p/m, no hidden costs. Available to mac users only DOWNLOAD AIRNOTE (FREE TRIAL available) AIRNOTE

S5E1: What if compassion makes a client feel worse? | Professor Paul GilbertWhat do you do when a client understands compassion perfectly well, but rejects it, distrusts it or feels worse when you introduce it?Professor Paul Gilbert developed Compassion Focused Therapy for precisely the clients who cannot simply “be kinder” to themselves. In this episode, he explains the three clinical shocks that helped shape CFT. This is for those moments when clients can produce more balanced thoughts but deliver them in a cold or hostile tone. Many people experience kindness as weak, undeserved or almost toxic. For others, receiving care might activate painful memories held within the attachment system.Dr Natalie Stott, Host and clinical psychologist discuss empathic bridging, the importance of social trust and why receiving compassion from others can be particularly difficult. Paul also revisits the familiar three circles model. He explains threat, drive and the system often called “soothing” through their evolutionary functions, including the role of connection in helping us return to a regulated state.The conversation finishes with practical ways to bring compassion into everyday behaviour. These include changing the emotional tone of self-talk, practising one compassionate skill at a time and validating the emotion underneath an immediate reaction.Guest Information:Professor Paul Gilbert is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Derby. He is the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy and the Compassionate Mind Foundation. His work has shaped clinical understandings of compassion, shame, self-criticism and threat.Website: https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/CFT TrainingsCFT conference** Check out Mastering Therapy’s Youtube Channel for all podcast episodes **For notification on up coming episodes and for occasional summaries of tools discussed on the podcast sign up here: www.masteringtherapy.comTo recommend a topic you’d like to hear about, or if you’d like to appear on the podcast please get in touch at www.masteringtherapy.com/podcast*****Subscribe to the Mastering Therapy Podcast YouTube channelFollow Mastering therapy on instagramConnect with Dr Natalie Stott on LinkedInSUPERVISOR PLATFORMSupervisor Platform is an online directory designed for therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and other mental health professionals to connect with qualified clinical supervisors. It makes it easy for practitioners to browse, compare, and contact supervisors based on their expertise, approach, and availability, while giving supervisors a professional space to showcase their services.Supervisor Platform (with 3 months free trial code 'WELCOME3')To search for a new supervisor visit HEREFor free resources on supervision visit HEREDisclaimer: The Mastering therapy podcast and the information provided by Dr Natalie Stott (Dclinpsych, HPCP reg), is solely intended for informational and educational purposes and should only be used by qualified professionals. Mentioned in this episode:AIRNOTE | AI SCRIBE FOR THERAPISTSAirNote is an affordable AI-powered note-taking app designed specifically for therapists in private practice. It securely transcribes sessions and creates professional clinical notes, without the price tag of many traditional AI scribes. Early user price is at £9.99 p/m, no hidden costs. Available to mac users only DOWNLOAD AIRNOTE (FREE TRIAL available) AIRNOTE

Mastering Therapy is back for Season 5.And this season we’re going quite a few places.We open with Professor Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused Therapy, getting very practical. We talk through how to work with clients that really dislike the very concept of compassion despite in therapy recognising they might really need itI’m talking to Dr Ron, The Accessible Psychologist, about community psychology, diversity, working in UK prisons and why he thinks being anti-diagnosis can sometimes be a position of privilege.There’s Dr Kelly Savery on working with survivors of sexual abuse, including the conversations about sex and intimacy that therapists can be reluctant to have.And we’re going beyond the clinical work too.Josephine Hughes joins me to talk about niching and finding the work you really want to do. Blake Roberts from Therapy with Blake talks about social media, visibility and why therapists find putting themselves online so uncomfortable. I also speak to Jo from Pear about building a therapy matching service, fundraising and moving into the business world.And, twelve months after our first conversation, ChatGPT is back. This time we get further into AI and therapy, safety, ethics and what we should be telling clients who are already using AI between sessions.There are also conversations on ACT, narcissism and plenty more.Have a listen to the trailer for a few clips from what’s coming.Season 5 starts Thursday 17th September, with a new episode every Thursday through to December.Follow Mastering Therapy now so you don’t miss the first episode and make sure you get yourself on the mailing list.

BONUS: When Clients Disappear: The Reality of Therapy Endings (PT2)Ever had a client vanish just before their final session? Or wondered why endings can feel so awkward sometimes for everyone in the room? This bonus episode of Mastering Therapy is a practical guide to therapy terminations, with a clinician’s eye on what really happens (and what goes unsaid). The conversation explores messy endings, why clients “ghost”, and how therapists can plan for sessions that fizzle or never happen at all.Expect practical tools on handling your own reactions, scripts for easing those tricky conversations, and fresh reflections on when saying “goodbye” does or doesn’t mean the work is finished. Useful whether you’re NHS-based or in private practice. No mention of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), but plenty to chew over all the same.The host is Dr. Natalie Stott, clinical psychologist, founder of Mastering Therapy and host of the Mastering Therapy podcast.TimestampsWhat Kind of Ending Is This? 2:56When Clients Ghost 7:00Planned Endings & Practical Options 13:10Therapist-Led Endings 20:07Resources mentioned:What to do when guide HEREClients' perspectives on therapy termination - PubMed6 Strategies for Ethical Termination of Psychotherapy | Society for the Advancement of PsychotherapyDo all therapists do that when saying goodbye? A study of commonalities in termination behaviors - PubMedTermination of psychotherapy: a systematic review - PMC** Check out Mastering Therapy’s Youtube Channel for all podcast episodes **For notification on up coming episodes and for occasional summaries of tools discussed on the podcast sign up here: www.masteringtherapy.comTo recommend a topic you’d like to hear about, or if you’d like to appear on the podcast please get in touch at www.masteringtherapy.com/guestFor private psychology services and therapy visit www.drnataliestott.com*****Subscribe to the Mastering Therapy Podcast YouTube channelFollow Mastering therapy on instagramConnect with Dr Natalie Stott on LinkedInSUPERVISOR PLATFORMSupervisor Platform is an online directory designed for therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and other mental health professionals to connect with qualified clinical supervisors. It makes it easy for practitioners to browse, compare, and contact supervisors based on their expertise, approach, and availability, while giving supervisors a professional space to showcase their services.Supervisor Platform (with 3 months free trial code 'WELCOME3')To search for a new supervisor visit HEREFor free resources on supervision visit HEREDisclaimer: The Mastering therapy podcast and the information provided by Dr Natalie Stott (Dclinpsych, HPCP reg), is solely intended for informational and educational purposes and should only be used by qualified professionals. Mentioned in this episode:AIRNOTE | AI SCRIBE FOR THERAPISTSAirNote is an affordable AI-powered note-taking app designed specifically for therapists in private practice. It securely transcribes sessions and creates professional clinical notes, without the price tag of many traditional AI scribes. Early user price is at £9.99 p/m, no hidden costs. Available to mac users only DOWNLOAD AIRNOTE (FREE TRIAL available) AIRNOTE

What really happens when a client goes blank in therapy?This episode dives into dissociation and distress in therapy sessions. Dr Natalie Stott helps make sense of those in-the-room moments where clients disconnect or shut down. Instead of offering set techniques, she shares what clients say actually helps, mistakes therapists often make, and how to understand what's really going on beneath the surface. There’s a strong focus on noticing before intervening, working collaboratively, and pacing sessions with care.Highlights include:01:15 What clients need when dissociating04:11 Perfectionism and the urge to fix10:13 Client quotes on what dissociation feels like14:05 Distress vs dissociation—key differences21:05 Therapist errors and how to avoid themResources mentioned:GET THE WHAT TO DO WHEN GUIDE....** Check out Mastering Therapy’s Youtube Channel for all podcast episodes **For notification on up coming episodes and for occasional summaries of tools discussed on the podcast sign up here: www.masteringtherapy.comTo recommend a topic you’d like to hear about, or if you’d like to appear on the podcast please get in touch at www.masteringtherapy.com/guestFor private psychology services and therapy visit www.drnataliestott.com*****Subscribe to the Mastering Therapy Podcast YouTube channelFollow Mastering therapy on instagramConnect with Dr Natalie Stott on LinkedInSUPERVISOR PLATFORMSupervisor Platform is an online directory designed for therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and other mental health professionals to connect with qualified clinical supervisors. It makes it easy for practitioners to browse, compare, and contact supervisors based on their expertise, approach, and availability, while giving supervisors a professional space to showcase their services.Supervisor Platform (with 3 months free trial code 'WELCOME3')To search for a new supervisor visit HEREFor free resources on supervision visit HEREDisclaimer: The Mastering therapy podcast and the information provided by Dr Natalie Stott (Dclinpsych, HPCP reg), is solely intended for informational and educational purposes and should only be used by qualified professionals. Mentioned in this episode:AIRNOTE | AI SCRIBE FOR THERAPISTSAirNote is an affordable AI-powered note-taking app designed specifically for therapists in private practice. It securely transcribes sessions and creates professional clinical notes, without the price tag of many traditional AI scribes. Early user price is at £9.99 p/m, no hidden costs. Available to mac users only DOWNLOAD AIRNOTE (FREE TRIAL available) AIRNOTE