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The Therapist Thrival Guide

The Therapist Thrival Guide

By Ellie Mental Health

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to cover topics like burn-out, client retention, finding your niche, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.

Find the video podcasts here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1KQgI5Dc4Kkjvlzm1GtuA
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53. Clinicians in Leadership - LIVE from Ellie's National Conference

The Therapist Thrival GuideDec 20, 2023

00:00
46:23
 53. Clinicians in Leadership - LIVE from Ellie's National Conference

53. Clinicians in Leadership - LIVE from Ellie's National Conference

Hundreds of Ellie franchisees and clinicians from around the country came to Minnesota this fall for fun, learning, celebration, and community at our annual national conference. We were excited to connect with some of the incredible leaders at our clinics, and even convinced a few of them to join us for a live podcast recording! In this episode we are discussing how to be the best clinic director, including: - Characteristics of caring leaders - How to show recognition and appreciation for the clinicians at your clinic - The difference between empowering your employees vs. delegating to them Our panelists: Jacob Henry, LPC-MHSP - Clinic Director in Murfreesborro, TN Ellie Clinic Emily Coler Hanson, MS, LMFT - Clinical Operations Director in Minnesota Fabeain Barkwell, LCSW - Clinic Director in Pflugerville, Texas Dynisha Smith, MA, LCPC - Clinic Director in Boise, Idaho Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Dec 20, 202346:23
 52. Therapists' Favorite Children's Books

52. Therapists' Favorite Children's Books

Today's episode is a little unusual-- we brought Gina Young, LICSW back to discuss her favorite kids' books to use in therapy sessions with kids! We break down our favorite books about general feelings, self-esteem, anxiety, and separation anxiety. OUR FAVORITE BOOKS LIST: - A Little Spot of Emotions Box Set: https://amzn.to/467L6h6 - I'm Happy-Sad Today: https://amzn.to/45dRmm6 - You've Got Dragons: https://amzn.to/465OY1T - Invisible String: https://amzn.to/3PVDb0P - What Were You Thinking: https://amzn.to/456ERJa - Tough Guys Have Feelings Too: https://amzn.to/3ZwYlFE Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Dec 13, 202339:20
 51. Therapists Deserve to Be Compensated Well (+ Red Flag Employers)

51. Therapists Deserve to Be Compensated Well (+ Red Flag Employers)

This week we have the incredible Megan Cornish, LICSW joining us to discuss "red flags" and "green flags" for clinicians to watch out for in mental health companies and how therapists can advocate for themselves to get the pay that they deserve. Too often we hear about graduate or doctoral level clinicians with crushing student debt and barely making ends meet, and we believe this should NOT be the case. Megan Cornish is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in combining strategic communication and marketing skills with no-concession clinical messaging precision. She is passionate about marketing, mental health, and advocating for a more ethical mental health field for everyone (plus we're just really big fans of hers). More about Megan here: https://megancornish.com/ Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

Dec 06, 202347:56
 50. Healing the Soul Wound Book Review (& Working with Native American/Indigenous Clients)

50. Healing the Soul Wound Book Review (& Working with Native American/Indigenous Clients)

Rose Joiner, LMFT has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since November 2014 and a MN Board Approved Supervisor since 2018.  Rose has been trained in EMDR, to help people who have experienced trauma. Rose considers therapy to be a vital and intrinsic part of our journey in life. In a world that is continually changing, finding ways to adapt to life stressors can at times become overwhelming.  Rose believes therapy can be as lighthearted or challenging as client desires, allowing clients to find their desired path.


Link to "Healing the Soul Wound" book: https://amzn.to/3tv8iaq


Link to Rose's episode on "When Therapists Watch TV": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShXdoCVeHI4&t=1s


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

Nov 29, 202343:35
 49. Family Dynamics and Holidays - Setting Boundaries & Expectations

49. Family Dynamics and Holidays - Setting Boundaries & Expectations

How do you cope with the holidays, expectations from your family, and setting boundaries? Lucas, Miranda, and Letisha discuss how to navigate the holidays and help your clients set boundaries around this time of year. Letisha Harris Miller is a mental health practitioner with a passion for helping others see their full potential and value even with challenges they have face. She has experience with family, individual and play therapy. She has a compassionate and understanding heart and a love for all types of people that makes her a joy to work with. She is on track for getting her LPC soon! Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #holidays #therapy #mentalhealth

Nov 22, 202354:25
 48. The Whole Brain Child Book Review

48. The Whole Brain Child Book Review

In this episode, we are discussing "The Whole Brain Child" book by Dr. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson.

Link to the book: https://amzn.to/46fSGWG

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT.

Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Nov 15, 202348:51
 47. Can Men Have Postpartum Depression?

47. Can Men Have Postpartum Depression?

This month we are discussing men's mental health stigma, and in this episode we are specifically diving into postpartum depression in men. Subscribe for every episode! Laura Lammar-Binder, MA is a community based and outpatient therapist at Ellie Mental Health. Laura loves working with children of all ages and their families, and has special interests in maternal/paternal mental health, grief therapy, and working with the LBGTQ+ community. Check out Laura's previous episode about miscarriage and infant loss here: https://youtu.be/90Qw1-u2l4E Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Nov 08, 202354:48
 46. Discussing Men's Mental Health Stigma + Being a Male Therapist

46. Discussing Men's Mental Health Stigma + Being a Male Therapist

Over the next few weeks we are discussing men's mental health stigma: where this sigma comes from, what it's like to be a male therapist, and how to model emotional attunement. Subscribe for every episode! Matt Reed, MA has been working at Ellie for several years and has experience working in corrections and is our resident expert in anger management. Zach Eichler, MS, LPCC has spent time working in outpatient positions and has worked with many different ages, as well as many different mental health difficulties. Both therapists are passionate about the topic of men's mental health stigma and making mental health care more accessible for everyone. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Nov 01, 202301:11:31
 45. Working with Polyamorous & Non-Monogamous Clients

45. Working with Polyamorous & Non-Monogamous Clients

All month we are discussing everything about couple's therapy: methods, research, skills, and tools. Subscribe for every episode! This week we are diving into working with polyamorous and non-monogamous clients with John Lyon, MSW, LICSW. John specializes in the following areas: Anger management, relationship issues, Anxiety management, Depression, Complex PTSD, Consensual Non-monogamy, Attachment theory. He is client centered, well versed in both clinician driven techniques like EMDR for PTSD, but also very good with both psycho-educational techniques for things like Anger management. CBT is a core technique used to address problematic thinking and to help clients develop alternative coping strategies. John has been practicing as a therapist for several years and works out of the Moorhead, Minnesota Ellie clinic. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Oct 25, 202347:37
 44. Couple's Therapy, Intimacy, and Communication

44. Couple's Therapy, Intimacy, and Communication

All month we are discussing everything about couple's therapy: methods, research, skills, and tools. Subscribe for every episode! Erin Pash, LMFT (Founder and CEO of Ellie Mental Health) and Heather Reidinger, LMFT are back on the podcast this week to talk with Miranda about couples therapy, sex, intimacy, and communication. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Oct 18, 202356:23
 43. Gottman's Research + Methods for Couple's Therapy

43. Gottman's Research + Methods for Couple's Therapy

All month we are discussing everything about couple's therapy: methods, research, skills, and tools. Subscribe for every episode! This week we are diving into John and Julie Gottman's research and methods for couples therapy. Eva Greenwell, MA, CMHC, LPC, LCDC-I joins this episode to share her wisdom and experience as a Gottman Level 3 trained couple's therapist. Eva is the clinic director of a Ellie Mental Health franchise in Austin, Texas.

What Makes Love Last book: https://amzn.to/3PCco9j

7 Principles for Making Marriage Work: https://amzn.to/3rcT0GJ Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Oct 11, 202346:11
 42. How to Be a Kick-@$% Couple's Therapist

42. How to Be a Kick-@$% Couple's Therapist

Founder and CEO of Ellie Mental Health, Erin Pash, LMFT is back this week to discuss the nitty-gritty of couple's therapy and how to be a kick-@$# couple's therapist. Erin has more than ten years of experience working with couples in therapy, and she discussed what brings couples to see her, tools every therapist should know, and how to work with couples that are thinking about getting divorced. All month we are discussing everything about couple's therapy: methods, research, skills, and tools. Subscribe for every episode! Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth

Oct 04, 202348:02
 41. Early Intervention, Suicide Loss, + Making Mental Health Care Accessible

41. Early Intervention, Suicide Loss, + Making Mental Health Care Accessible

Saroni Kandu joins this episode to discuss how her difficult experiences with navigating the mental health system for her family and then the loss of her sister after suicide drove her to open an Ellie Mental Health location in her community. Saroni's franchise is located in Concord, MO.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and we are highlighting this important topic throughout the podcast this month. As we work together to de-stigmatize the societal beliefs around therapy and increase access to outpatient care, we recognize there's a LOT we can do to bring this often taboo topic into a new light while raising awareness about suicide as a public health concern, educating about prevention, and by supporting the healing of those affected by suicide.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.


RESOURCES:

- Podcast episode about talking about suicide with clients

- Three Tips for Asking Someone about Suicide Blog Post

- Episode about how to cope when you lose a client or supervisee to suicide here.

- Why is Ellie franchising and what does that mean? Check out our episode with founder and CEO, Erin Pash, LMFT, here.


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

Sep 27, 202336:41
 40. How to Talk About Suicide with Therapy Clients + Safety Plan (Rerun)

40. How to Talk About Suicide with Therapy Clients + Safety Plan (Rerun)

This episode is a re-release for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Suicide is a topic that can be difficult to talk about-- and sometimes it's even hard for therapists to talk about this with their clients! Instead of shying away from this topic, we brought suicidologist Brittany Miskowiec, LICSW on as a guest to discuss how to talk about this with clients and what to do if a client says that they are suicidal.  

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  

TIPS FOR ASKING ABOUT SUICIDE:

1. Show them the evidence: Tell them what you’ve noticed and why you’re asking about suicide. 

2. Normalize it

3. Ask them directly: When asking someone about suicide, it’s important to be direct. We want to show the person that we’re comfortable talking about suicide and that we’re there to listen. This is why it’s important to be direct and say “Are you thinking about suicide?” or “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”  

To read more tips and examples, check out Brittany's blog post: https://elliementalhealth.com/three-easy-steps-to-asking-someone-about-suicide/

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health, hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving, and this is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.   

Find this episode on your favorite podcast platform here: https://anchor.fm/therapist-thrival-g...   

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.   

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. 

LINKS: 

- Common myths and facts about suicide, another video from Brittany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIF3BbpI-p8  

- Ellie Mental Health: https://elliementalhealth.com/  

- Mental Health Crisis Line: https://988lifeline.org/   

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).  #normalizeit #suicideprevention #mentalhealthawareness #therapists

Sep 20, 202348:13
 39. Complicated Grief and Suicide Loss

39. Complicated Grief and Suicide Loss

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and we are highlighting this important topic throughout the podcast this month. As we work together to de-stigmatize the societal beliefs around therapy and increase access to outpatient care, we recognize there's a LOT we can do to bring this often taboo topic into a new light while raising awareness about suicide as a public health concern, educating about prevention, and by supporting the healing of those affected by suicide.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Erin Opoku, LMFT obtained her Master’s degree in Adlerian Psychotherapy with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Adler Graduate School. Erin has worked in multiple different mental health settings over the years and has found herself loving the balance of therapeutic and director work at Ellie since 2017. Erin enjoys specializes in grief and loss with her clients.Jennifer Keehn, LPCC has worked in the human services field for over 15 years providing care to children, adolescents, adults and families in a variety of settings including schools, hospitals, treatment programs, and outpatient clinic. Her main areas of focus have been with grief/loss and supporting families through challenging times.

RESOURCES:

- Episode about talking about suicide with clients: https://youtu.be/Uqc9Xm3qOdA

- Three Tips for Asking Someone about Suicide Blog Post: https://elliementalhealth.com/three-easy-steps-to-asking-someone-about-suicide/

- Episode about how to cope when you lose a client or supervisee to suicide: https://youtu.be/xOlkZS6hIko

- "The Dinner Party" organization that Erin shared: https://www.thedinnerparty.org/ Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

Sep 13, 202347:58
 38. How to Cope When You Lose a Client or Supervisee to Suicide

38. How to Cope When You Lose a Client or Supervisee to Suicide

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and we are highlighting this important topic throughout the podcast this month. As we work together to de-stigmatize the societal beliefs around therapy and increase access to outpatient care, we recognize there's a LOT we can do to bring this often taboo topic into a new light while raising awareness about suicide as a public health concern, educating about prevention, and by supporting the healing of those affected by suicide. This week Keith Myers, LPC joins the podcast to discuss his personal experience with losing therapy clients and a clinical supervisee to suicide. He provides advice for how he coped with these losses and offers support to therapists that might be going through similar experiences. Keith Myers has worked in clinical mental health for almost 20 years. He received his PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision at Mercer University and his Master’s in Community Counseling at Southeast Missouri State University. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Approved Clinical Supervisor. Much of his clinical practice and research is about traumatic stress and military issues and resulted in his first book, Counseling Veterans: A Practical Guide (2021). He works with couples, survivors of interpersonal violence, and trauma therapists who are experiencing secondary trauma. He is an adjunct professor with both Walden University and Richmont Graduate University. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

Sep 06, 202331:09
37. Sand Tray Therapy with Kids and Adults

37. Sand Tray Therapy with Kids and Adults

We are continuing our children's mental health series this week by discussing sand tray therapy! We are joined by Neal Petersen, LPCC, RPT and Jenni Kahmeyer, MA, LPCC. Neal is a registered play therapist and his main therapeutic interests include play therapy, sand tray, and using tabletop games in therapy. Jenni is one of the Clinical Operations Director at Ellie, and she enjoys using the sand tray with adult clients and clinical supervisees. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Aug 30, 202335:30
36. Principles of Building Attachment

36. Principles of Building Attachment

We are continuing our children's mental health series this week by discussing attachment-building strategies for therapists and parents! Sara Feld, LGSW joins our episode this week to discuss this topic and why attachment is important. Sara Feld is a licensed graduate social worker with 2 years of experience working with children and families at a school based outpatient mental health clinic. Sara has experience using play-based and relational therapies to help children and families who are struggling with a variety of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and trauma. Sara’s area of specialty is attachment-based therapies. She believes that rebuilding strong connections and healthy attachment bonds between caregivers and children is crucial to the well-being of all family members. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Aug 23, 202346:59
 35. Working with Teenagers

35. Working with Teenagers

Sara Livingston-Burke, LPCC (director of Ellie's community based services program) and Emily Weidenbacher, BA, MA (manager of Ellie's school-based therapy program) join the podcast today to talk all about building rapport with teenagers, issues that teens face, and how to do the best therapeutic work with this population.

Emily graduated with her Master’s in counseling and is working towards being independently licensed with her (LPCC). Emily has previous experience working in local day treatments, school settings across metro districts, and college campuses. Emily has been in the mental health field since 2012, and she specializes in seeing children and teens, and also has a niche for working with maternal mental health.

Sara spent several years working in domestic violence shelters, and then teaching clients skills-based work through the ARMHS and In-Home Therapy program as well as helping her clients discover their best selves through a client-centered approach in a therapeutic setting. Sara practices as an Adlerian therapist with CBT techniques. Sara also works with individuals in the ARMHS program by teaching coping skills, daily routines/activities, medication management, and healthy living activities.

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Aug 16, 202342:37
 34. Using Play Therapy with Kids

34. Using Play Therapy with Kids

We are BACK with a whole new season and all-new content! This month we are focusing on children's mental health and bringing on therapists that specialize in working with kids. Today we are discussing play therapy methods, modalities, tools, and interventions. We are joined by Neal Petersen, LPCC, RPT. Neal is a registered play therapist and his main therapeutic interests include play therapy, sand tray, and using tabletop games in therapy. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Aug 08, 202350:12
33. Talking About Culture in Therapy (Rerun for BIPOC Mental Health Month)

33. Talking About Culture in Therapy (Rerun for BIPOC Mental Health Month)

It's BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, so we are re-sharing one of our favorite episodes!

How much did graduate school *actually* teach you about culture and how to talk about culture in our sessions?  We are joined again by Xoel Gonzalez, LPCC to discuss this important topic, why this is hard to talk about, self-disclosure, and how to approach culture and religion in therapy sessions with clients.

- Watch the video episode ⁠here⁠.

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.       

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.       

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.     

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).  #normalizeit #therapists #mentalhealthawareness #therapists #therapy

Jul 11, 202356:43
 32. Bonus Episode: Using Technology in Therapy with Kids - Interview with Mightier

32. Bonus Episode: Using Technology in Therapy with Kids - Interview with Mightier

Earlier this season we discussed how technology can be used in therapy and as an intervention for kids struggling with ADHD, ASD, or anger. As a continuation of that episode, Miranda had a conversation with Jessica Ragnio, MSW, LICSW, Associate Clinical Director at Mightier to discuss how this technology was developed and exactly how this works! - Link to episode about Technology in Therapy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb8zhO4c0Bc&t=253s - Link to Mightier: https://www.mightier.com/?gclid=Cj0KC... Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. Find more info about Ellie here: https://elliementalhealth.com/ #therapy #tech #therapy

Jun 28, 202324:41
 31. Therapy Modalities: Somatic Experiencing

31. Therapy Modalities: Somatic Experiencing

We have had numerous listeners ask that we begin covering more therapy modalities in depth, so we are starting off with a trauma therapy called Somatic Experiencing (SE)! Tracy Blad, LMFT is a certified SE practitioner and she joins this episode to share all about this modality, what it's helpful for, what the research shows, and how to get trained in this practice.


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week.

Jun 21, 202340:44
 30. We Don't Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder

30. We Don't Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder

We want to be clear -- as therapists we don't seek to treat the ASD as much as we treat the SYMPTOMS of neurodivergence that create DISTRESS for the kids. In this episode kid therapist Kelly Pieper, LICSW and child psychiatrist Dr. Claire Garber are discussing symptoms of ASD in kids, therapeutic treatments for distressing symptoms, and common medications prescribed for this population. We also talk about how therapists and prescribers can work together to serve clients, professionals can best support family members of clients, and tips for how families can be supporting their autistic loved ones. Please note that you might be used to hearing about “person-first language,” which is typically the best practice when referring to others. (For example, this means saying “person with epilepsy” instead of “epileptic person.”) However, some of our autism experts and therapists discussed that “identity-first” language is typically what autistic folks prefer. You'll hear us using both in this episode.According to Raising Children, “Many autistic people and autism experts and advocates prefer identity-first language because it indicates that being autistic is an inherent part of a person’s identity, not an addition to it.” Sources: https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/learning-about-autism/about-autism/autism-language-on-raisingchildren.net.au "How To Support Your Autistic Loved One" blog: https://elliementalhealth.com/how-to-support-your-autistic-loved-one/ Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Jun 14, 202344:41
 29. Resist/Refuse Dynamics and Attachment: Working with Court-Involved Families

29. Resist/Refuse Dynamics and Attachment: Working with Court-Involved Families

Deb Link, LMFT is back to talk about working with couples and families that are in high conflict divorces or navigating the family court system. She dives into attachment work, parent alienation, and reunification therapy. Deb is a licensed marriage and family therapist and professional clinical counselor specializing in high-conflict family therapy and reunification therapy. She is also a mediator, early neutral evaluator, parenting coach, parenting consultant, and custody evaluator. She works most often with parents to help them better the lives of their children through a safe a cooperative co-parenting relationship. She is THE expert when it comes to working with these families! LINKS:

- Deb's previous episode where she dives into topics like: what to do if you receive a subpoenas, important terminology, and how to keep yourself out of the triangulation while keeping the kids' needs center:


- How To Deal With Divorce: 10 Helpful Books: https://elliementalhealth.com/how-to-...


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Jun 07, 202301:06:36
 28. Levels of Care in Mental Health Treatment

28. Levels of Care in Mental Health Treatment

What are all of the different levels of care in mental health treatment, and how do I know if my client is in the right level for them? There are PHPs, IOPs, day treatment, outpatient services, inpatient services, and residential treatments and sometimes it's hard to know when a client needs to step up and step down. Dr. Suzanne Jasberg joins this episode to discuss what these different levels of care mean and how to be assessing client progress. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

May 31, 202341:55
 27. Understanding Perinatal & Postpartum Mental Health Disorders

27. Understanding Perinatal & Postpartum Mental Health Disorders

In this week's episode we are covering perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, postpartum anxiety, and OCD. Our guests, Amanda Davis-Scott, MS, LPC and psychiatric nurse practitioner Twilight Florido-Bergad, DNP, APRN, CNP, PMHNP-BC, are passionate about this topic and making sure that new parents feel supported and cared for. RESOURCE LINKS: The Post-Adoption Blues: Overcoming the Unforseen Challenges of Adoption book by Karen Foli: https://amzn.to/3MU5nj8 Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers book: https://amzn.to/3OGCvfz Finding Time for Fatherhood: Men's Concerns As Parents book: https://amzn.to/3oA7i2G Postpartum Support International: https://www.postpartum.net/ Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale for screening: https://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/pediatrics/downloads/edinburghscale.pdf Virtual rounds at the MGH Center for Women's Mental Health: https://womensmentalhealth.org/educational-programs/virtual-rounds-at-the-cwmh/ Amanda's bio: https://elliementalhealth.com/team-members/amanda-davis-scott/ Twlight's bio: https://elliementalhealth.com/team-members/twilight-florido-bergad/ Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week.

May 24, 202356:37
 26. Miscarriage and Infant Loss: Supporting Clients & Loved Ones

26. Miscarriage and Infant Loss: Supporting Clients & Loved Ones

Most of us have loved ones or clients that have experienced miscarriage or infant loss. In honor of Maternal Mental Health Month, we invited Laura Lammar-Binder, MA to join and share her own experiences with loss and postpartum depression. This episode is for therapists supporting loved ones or clients that have experienced miscarriages or infant loss OR that are looking for support through this themselves.


LINKS:

Find the video podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1KQgI5Dc4Kkjvlzm1GtuA

Postpartum Support International: https://www.postpartum.net/
Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week.

May 17, 202301:00:33
 25. Infertility and Mental Health: Support and Advice for Therapists

25. Infertility and Mental Health: Support and Advice for Therapists

This episode is for therapists that are experiencing infertility themselves or supporting loved ones or clients that are walking through infertility. In honor of maternal mental health month and infertility awareness week, Sara Livingston-Burke, LPCC and Jennie Karnish, LPCC join to discuss the impact of infertility on one's mental health, how to support loved ones or clients walking through infertility.


RESOURCE LINKS:

- "Fighting Infertility: Finding My Inner Warrior Through Trying to Conceive, IVF, and Miscarriage" book by Samantha Bucsh: https://amzn.to/3ppfQK2

- "Infreakinfertility: How to Survive When Getting Pregnant Gets Hard" book by Melanie Dale: https://amzn.to/3Mc2Ekv

- "Queer Conception: The Complete Fertility Guide for Queer and Trans Parents-to-Be" by Kristin Liam Kali: https://amzn.to/3pfj8zh

- "Baby Making for Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents" by Marea Goodman and Ray Rachlin: https://amzn.to/42KfxI9

- "The Joy of Later Motherhood" book by Bettina Gordon-Wayne: https://amzn.to/42Y8jR1

- "It Starts with the Egg" book by Rebecca Fett: https://amzn.to/42n4Dbn


Find it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/W2uCMbekqFU


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week.

May 10, 202345:05
 24. Why Ellie Mental Health is Franchising: Episode with Founder & CEO Erin Pash

24. Why Ellie Mental Health is Franchising: Episode with Founder & CEO Erin Pash

Founder and CEO of Ellie Mental Health, Erin Pash, LMFT joins the episode this week to discuss Ellie's rapid growth and how they are filling gaps in mental health care in new ways. Erin talks about the history of Ellie, why they chose the franchise model rather than corporate growth, and how she sees Ellie's continued growth in the future. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week.

May 03, 202347:06
 23. Best Practices for Clinical Licensure Supervision

23. Best Practices for Clinical Licensure Supervision

Every therapist has to do clinical supervision when they first enter the field, but not every therapist has a great supervisor. This can make all the difference when learning practice management, diagnosing, and how to navigate ethical dilemmas. In this episode, we are joined by Karna Boynton, LMFT and Gina Young, LICSW to discuss attributes of the best and worst supervisors they have had and what clinical supervisors can do to support their clinicians when they are first starting out as therapists. Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #clinicalsupport #therapy #mentalhealthpodcast

Apr 26, 202340:37
 22. Therapists React to "Shrinking" Part 2: What We Can Learn About Grief, Boundaries, and the Duty to Warn

22. Therapists React to "Shrinking" Part 2: What We Can Learn About Grief, Boundaries, and the Duty to Warn

We promised a part two, so here it is! Lucas and Miranda are back to discuss and review the show that is making a splash in the therapy (and non-therapy) world: Shrinking. We are joined with two special guests: Licensed Clinical Psychologist and movie-lover, Dr. Terri Bly, and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, BJ McElrath.

This show brings up the topics of grief, work-life boundaries, trauma, duty to warn, and all sorts of ethical questions for therapists, so we couldn't wait to talk more about it all. If you love this type of episode, then you'll love Terri's brand-new podcast, When Therapists Watch TV, and what they had to say about this show for non-shrinks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpzzcOBU4rI
Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #shrinking #therapistsreact #therapistreacts

Apr 19, 202355:58
 21. Can Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders Be Cured?

21. Can Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders Be Cured?

Today we are bringing Dr. Suzanne Jasberg back to the podcast today with Claire McGinn, LCSW to talk about symptoms of psychotic episodes, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder and the best ways to treat people with psychotic disorders, including through CBT-P, medication, and family support. They challenge our assumptions about treatment, progress, and remission of symptoms with research and stories from their own experiences in the mental health field. Throughout the episode, the guests share TONS of great resources that are linked below, so check out those if you're interested in diving more into this topic!


Dr. Jasberg is the Senior Director of Adult Psychiatry at Ellie and leads our TMS and First Episode Psychosis Programs. Link to her previous episode all about treating depression with TMS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k-X_7M7C3Y&t=1015s

Claire McGinn, LCSW is the Clinic Director of Ellie Mental Health Birmingham, Michigan, and she is CBTp certified and EMDR trained. She specializes in working with individuals who have experienced psychosis and with their family members.


RESOURCES/LINKS:

  • "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness" book by Elyn Saks: https://amzn.to/411rl8f
  • "I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help! How to Help Someone Accept Treatment" book by Xavier Amador: https://amzn.to/41m6a0E
  • "The Three Christs of Ypsilanti" book by Milton Rokeach: https://amzn.to/3GAPL08
  • Elyn Sak's Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6CILJA110Y

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week.

Apr 12, 202351:50
 20. How to Treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

20. How to Treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Dr. Robyn Janssen, PsyD and Dr. Justin Gerstner, MD join the podcast this week to discuss one of their favorite topics: how to treat OCD. They describe the symptoms of OCD, common misconceptions about the diagnosis, and what the research says works best, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy, CBT, and common medications.


Link to our episode about technology in therapy.

Link to Y-BOCS Assessment Tool.


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture. Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber. Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #ocd #therapy#obsessivecompulsivedisorder

Apr 05, 202338:08
 19. Family Systems Therapy

19. Family Systems Therapy

It's common for students in Marriage and Family Therapy programs or other types of counseling programs to learn about the importance of family therapy. They might even hear the term "cybernetics" thrown around, but many fail to really understand why this concept is so important, and how it actually relates to psychotherapy. In this episode, Kile Minnis, LMFT joins us to break down this topic and make the argument that every therapist should be doing this systemic work, whether they work with individuals, couples, families, or groups.


  • Find the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/xQhY-7DV4W4


  • A book we recommend on this topic: https://amzn.to/3KiMVPW


Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. Find more info about Ellie here: https://elliementalhealth.com/

Mar 29, 202351:07
 18. Using Technology in Therapy

18. Using Technology in Therapy

Last week we were joined by LJ Taugher, MA to discuss how virtual reality is being used as a digital therapeutic tool, and we felt like we only scratched the surface! We invited LJ and Dr. G back to talk about how we are seeing technology being used in therapy and as an intervention for kids diagnosed with ADHD and Autism, or that are struggling with anger and outbursts.  

- Find the video podcast here

- Watch last week's episode all about virtual reality in therapy

- Interested in virtual reality treatment? Find it at an Ellie here (only in Minnesota at this time): https://elliementalhealth.com/service...   

- Link to EndeavorRx gameplay video

- Link to Mightier

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT.   Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.     

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.      

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.  

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. Find more info about Ellie here: https://elliementalhealth.com/ #therapy #virtualreality #tech #therapy

Mar 22, 202349:23
 17. Using Virtual Reality in Therapy

17. Using Virtual Reality in Therapy

We are continuing our conversation all about innovation in therapy and mental health treatments by talking about Virtual Reality Therapy with Austin Jacobson, MA and LJ Taugher, MA! Using VR, we bring the outside world into the therapy space. With the use of VR, we create an immersive environment to be used in therapy to bridge the gap between learning and practicing therapeutic interventions in an office and feeling like you are doing them in “the real world .” 

- Find the video podcast on YouTube here

- Read the blog post "8 Reasons Why You Should Consider Virtual Reality Therapy for Overcoming Your Fears" here

- Interested in this treatment? Find it at an Ellie here (only in Minnesota at this time) here

- Link to "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" book

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT.   Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.     

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.      

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. 

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide, with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #virtualreality #virtualrealitytherapy #therapy

Mar 15, 202357:34
16. Exploring Psychedelic Assisted Therapies

16. Exploring Psychedelic Assisted Therapies

We are continuing our conversation all about innovation in therapy and mental health treatments by talking about Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, and more specifically ketamine assisted therapy. We are joined by Intero's Senior Director, Kyle Ross, LPCC, and Ellie Mental Health's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Justin Gerstner, to talk about this innovative therapy tool and FAQs about using psychedelics in therapy.

Find the video content here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1KQgI5Dc4Kkjvlzm1GtuA 

Interested in this treatment? Find it at an Ellie here (only in Minnesota at this time): https://www.intero-psychedelic.com/ 

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT.   Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.   

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.    

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.     

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #psychedelics #psychedelictherapy

Mar 08, 202301:05:28
 15. What is TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) & How Does it Work?

15. What is TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) & How Does it Work?

We are starting an ALL NEW series this month all about innovation in therapy and mental health care. We are kicking this series off with Dr. Suzanne Jasberg (Psychiatrist and Certified Brainsway TMS Provider) and Kayla Lindeman (TMS Coordinator at Ellie Mental Health) to discuss Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). TMS is an effective, evidence-based, non-invasive brain stimulation method that utilizes pulsating magnetic fields to stimulate the frontal lobe of the brain to improve symptoms of depression. In this episode, Dr. Jasberg discusses the differences between ECT and TMS, how TMS works, who is the ideal patient, and the research behind this exciting mental health treatment.  

LINKS:

Find the video on YouTube here: hhttps://youtu.be/6k-X_7M7C3Y

The Whole Brain Child Book: https://amzn.to/3ZvLySs 

Interested in this treatment? Find it at an Ellie here (only in Minnesota at this time): https://elliementalhealth.com/services/transcranial-magnetic-stimulation/ 

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by ellie MENTAL HEALTH. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT.   Each episode features a therapist at ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.   

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.    

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.     

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #tms #psychiatry  #therapists #mentalhealthpodcast #mentalhealthawareness #brainsway

Mar 01, 202337:11
 14. Therapists React to "Shrinking" Part 1: Where Did the Therapist Cross the Line?

14. Therapists React to "Shrinking" Part 1: Where Did the Therapist Cross the Line?

We are back to review a new show that is making splashes in the therapy (and non-therapy world): Shrinking. We are joined with two special guests today: Licensed Clinical Psychologist and movie-lover, Dr. Terri Bly, and our resident grief expert, Erin Opoku, LMFT. What do therapists think of this show (so far) and what are the ethical issues we see? Watch to find out!  

If you love this type of episode, then you'll love Terri's brand-new podcast, When Therapists Watch TV: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMR0yDaO94IU4efXlaGzrg   

Find the episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/ykBqgX2XAPs 

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.     

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality and Innovation at Ellie Mental Health... also working towards becoming a professional YouTuber.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a nearly two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.     

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 22 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).

Feb 21, 202359:55
 13. We Need to Talk About Culture in Therapy

13. We Need to Talk About Culture in Therapy

How much did graduate school *actually* teach you about culture and how to talk about culture in our sessions?  We are joined again by Xoel Gonzalez, LPCC to discuss this important topic, why this is hard to talk about, self-disclosure, and how to approach culture and religion in therapy sessions with clients.

- Watch the video episode here.

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.       

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.       

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.     

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).  #normalizeit #therapists #mentalhealthawareness #therapists #therapy

Feb 15, 202356:43
 12. Therapists Need to Take Care of Their Mental Health too!

12. Therapists Need to Take Care of Their Mental Health too!

Clients may often assume that therapists live a life of pristine, unwavering mental health. Anyone who knows a real-life therapist personally, knows the absurdity of this assumption. Therapists aren’t expected to reach an unattainable standard of mental health, but the personal psychological health of the therapist undeniably shows up in their clinical practice. This episode explores the dynamics circulating around the relationship between a therapist’s personal health and its impact on how they show up with clients.

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.     

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.     

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.   

LINKS:   

* Find this episode on YouTube here. 

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).  #normalizeit #therapists #mentalhealthawareness #therapists #therapy

Feb 08, 202301:02:50
 11. Group Therapy, Support Groups, & Figuring Out How to Run a Group

11. Group Therapy, Support Groups, & Figuring Out How to Run a Group

It can be scary to think about diving into group work and having so many clients in the room at one time, but it can be really powerful! Groups give clients the opportunity to support one another and practice skills or process together. We brought back Dr. Brittany Miskowiec, LICSW and are joined for the first time by Brad Crnobrna, LICSW LADC to discuss how to facilitate support groups and therapy treatment groups. They address common fears that therapists have about facilitating groups and even share about previous groups that have failed.  

In this video, Brad shares about the ROPES strategy for structuring therapy groups:  

- R: Review 

- O: Overview 

- P: Presentation 

- E: Exercise 

- S: Summary  

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.   

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. 

LINKS: 

* Lucas' favorite book, Irvin Yalom's The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy 

* Ellie's Psychedelic Therapy Program, Intero 

* Find this episode on YouTube here

* Virtual Conversation Cards for Groups: Link here

Use the code VCC-THRIVAL20 for 20% off your membership!!


The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.   

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).  #normalizeit #grouptherapy #mentalhealthawareness #therapists #supportgroup

Feb 01, 202301:01:60
 10. How to Talk About Suicide with Therapy Clients + Safety Plan

10. How to Talk About Suicide with Therapy Clients + Safety Plan

Suicide is a topic that can be difficult to talk about-- and sometimes it's even hard for therapists to talk about this with their clients! Instead of shying away from this topic, we brought suicidologist Brittany Miskowiec, LICSW on as a guest to discuss how to talk about this with clients and what to do if a client says that they are suicidal.  

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  

TIPS FOR ASKING ABOUT SUICIDE:

1. Show them the evidence: Tell them what you’ve noticed and why you’re asking about suicide. 

2. Normalize it

3. Ask them directly: When asking someone about suicide, it’s important to be direct. We want to show the person that we’re comfortable talking about suicide and that we’re there to listen. This is why it’s important to be direct and say “Are you thinking about suicide?” or “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”  

To read more tips and examples, check out Brittany's blog post: https://elliementalhealth.com/three-easy-steps-to-asking-someone-about-suicide/

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health, hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving, and this is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.   

Find this episode on your favorite podcast platform here: https://anchor.fm/therapist-thrival-g...   

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the VP of Clinical Quality at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.   

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. 

LINKS: 

- Common myths and facts about suicide, another video from Brittany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIF3BbpI-p8  

- Ellie Mental Health: https://elliementalhealth.com/  

- Mental Health Crisis Line: https://988lifeline.org/   

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).  #normalizeit #suicideprevention #mentalhealthawareness #therapists


Jan 25, 202348:13
 9. Tips for Tough Conversations with Supervisees and Clients

9. Tips for Tough Conversations with Supervisees and Clients

Today we are diving into what compassionate accountability looks like from a therapist's perspective, a client's perspective, and a supervisor's perspective. We are joined with Kathryn Jargo, LPCC to discuss how to navigate tough conversations and holding people accountable. When we hold people accountable in a compassionate way, it should motivate, inspire, and make them to feel cared for: so how do we do this? 

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships. 

Watch the video version on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1KQgI5Dc4Kkjvlzm1GtuA 

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the Senior Director of Innovation at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer. 

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. 

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).

Jan 18, 202301:06:21
8. Subpoenas, Court, and Working with High Conflict Families

8. Subpoenas, Court, and Working with High Conflict Families

In this episode, we are joined by Deb Link, a licensed marriage and family therapist and professional clinical counselor specializing in high-conflict family therapy and reunification therapy. She is also a mediator, early neutral evaluator, parenting coach, parenting consultant, and custody evaluator. She works most often with parents to help them better the lives of their children through a safe a cooperative co-parenting relationship. She is THE expert when it comes to working with these families! We are diving into everything you need to know about working with court-involved families: what to do if you receive a subpoenas, important terminology, and how to keep yourself out of the triangulation while keeping the kids' needs center. 

LINKS:

How To Deal With Divorce: 10 Helpful Books

AFCC Practice Guides

Bridging Parental Conflict Class

Divorce and the Five Stages of Grief

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships. 

Watch the video version on YouTube here!

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the Senior Director of Innovation at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer. 

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care. 

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).

Jan 11, 202301:04:57
 7. Tips for Becoming More Efficient with Clinical Documentation

7. Tips for Becoming More Efficient with Clinical Documentation

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’ll get to a point of enjoying clinical documentation. We get it, documentation is NOT why you became a therapist! Convincing yourself to love documentation is not required in order to love your job, but it does require becoming more efficient. This episode breaks down how you can get there with guests Erin Opoku, LMFT and Alicia Exsted, LPCC. 


The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.

Watch the video version on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE1KQgI5Dc4Kkjvlzm1GtuA 


Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the Senior Director of Innovation at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.


Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.


Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).

Jan 04, 202348:45
6. Therapists React and Review Jonah Hill's Film "Stutz"

6. Therapists React and Review Jonah Hill's Film "Stutz"

In this podcast episode, we interrupt our regularly scheduled episodes to discuss Jonah Hill's new film, Stutz. We are joined with Licensed Clinical Psychologist and movie-lover, Dr. Terri Bly. What do therapists think of this film and Stutz's unconventional way of doing therapy? Watch to find out!  Terri's brand-new podcast, When Therapists Watch TV, will be premiering in January 2023.   

Find the video podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9NEKU8Al2k 

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.     

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the Senior Director of Innovation at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.     

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.     

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).

Dec 28, 202256:54
5. Is Telehealth Ethical? (Plus Other Common Therapy Ethics Questions)

5. Is Telehealth Ethical? (Plus Other Common Therapy Ethics Questions)

Ethics aren’t the enemy—they’re our friend. And when properly understood and utilized as a guiding framework in our clinical practice, they ultimately serve the bilateral of function of protecting the public from harm, as well as protecting the therapist from lawsuits. Mark Wilde, LMFT joins Lucas and Miranda to discuss how we can move from a fear-based view of regulatory boards and making the wrong decisions, to practicing ethically and with confidence. In this episode we dive into the most common ethical mistakes, plus the pros and cons of telehealth practice.

Find the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/@therapistTHRIVALguide

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.   

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the Senior Director of Innovation at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.   

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.   

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).


Dec 14, 202249:51
4. Navigating Tragedies with Clients and as a Therapist

4. Navigating Tragedies with Clients and as a Therapist

In this podcast episode, we are joined by Kyle Ross, LPCC to discuss navigating tragedies with clients as a therapist and in our personal lives. Therapy is an environment intended to solicit the disclosure of people’s most painful experiences, but tragedies don’t always occur prior to the first session. How do therapists manage an acute tragedy that happened in the off-week of therapy? More so, how do therapists manage tragedies in their personal lives that may likely challenge their ability to stay present with clients? This episode breaks down the complexity of tragedy across aspects of the therapeutic process. 

Find the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/@therapistTHRIVALguide

The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast from Ellie Mental Health. We want to take therapists from just surviving to thriving. This is everything you didn't learn in graduate school! This podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT. We'll have a different therapist guest for each episode to talk about what they've learned and what they want to teach other therapists. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, client retention, session structure, and balancing professional relationships.   

Dr. Lucas Volini, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. He has worked as a couple's therapist, a graduate and undergraduate professor, researcher, author, and now as the Senior Director of Innovation at Ellie Mental Health...But he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer.   

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for a little over a year. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.   

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is an outpatient mental health clinic that began in St. Paul, Minnesota and has continued to expand to over 20 clinics in Minnesota and a growing number of franchises across the country (we'll be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide in the near future!!).

Nov 30, 202252:37