Vulnerability, Mistakes, and The Impostor Syndrome

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.

To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about vulnerability, mistakes and the Imposter Syndrome:

Vulnerability, self-judgment and the Impostor Syndrome
Being a human being in the room, while holding boundaries
How to cope with clients responding to you, not just “therapy” or “mental health stigma”
Handling mistakes and making repair (and avoiding blaming your clients)
The scourge of perfectionism
Claiming your whole self (even the goofy parts)
What boundaries you should hold related to telling your own story
Inviting feedback from your clients
How being available 24/7 has increased vulnerability

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

No specific resources were mentioned in this episode because we’re just plain lazy. Want to read about vulnerability? Try anything by Brene Brown – she is fabulous!!

Who we are:

Curt Widhalm is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is a Board Member at Large for the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, a Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, Adjunct Faculty at Pepperdine University, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making “dad jokes” and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby.

Katie Vernoy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant. As a helping professional for two decades, she’s navigated the ups and downs of our unique line of work. She’s run her own solo therapy practice, designed innovative clinical programs, built and managed large, thriving teams of service providers, and consulted hundreds of helping professionals on how to build meaningful AND sustainable practices. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt’s youthful energy, so that she can take over the world.

A Quick Note:

Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves – except when Katie is speaking for Curt – which, let’s face it, is in everyone’s best interest.