There are so many ways, so many careers we can choose where helping people is the central thing.
And the type of helping that we are interested in and pursue says at least as much about us, if not more, than the fact that we want to help in general.
Yet, if you ask a therapist why we decided to get into this field, the answer you're most likely to get is to help people.
But what are some of the other deeper, more complicated, maybe less flattering answers to why we became therapists? And why is it important to look at those reasons up close?
Today I’m joined by Ben Fineman and Carrie Wiita, co-hosts of the Very Bad Therapy podcast, where they not only feature client stories about negative experiences with therapy, but they also call into question a lot of the conventional wisdom about what makes therapy effective and what makes therapists skillful.
We’re discussing the reasons we become therapists, consciously and unconsciously, and how that shows up in the therapy room for us and for our clients.
Ben Fineman is the co-host of the Very Bad Therapy podcast. He works as the Clinic Director of Sentio Counseling Center and the Chief Operating Officer of Sentio University, two new nonprofit organizations which use the emerging science of Deliberate Practice to improve the quality of therapist training and education. Ben is also an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of California.
Caroline Wiita is a marriage and family therapist trainee in Los Angeles, California. Her interests include the professional development of therapists, postmodern approaches to psychotherapy, and the finer points of cheap wine. She also runs MFT California, an online catalog of marriage and family therapy (MFT) programs in California, and offers personal coaching for anyone thinking about becoming an MFT.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
Learn more about Very Bad Therapy:
Learn more about Riva Stoudt:
Ep 3.3 - Unraveling Popular Ideas: Challenging Neuroscientific Narratives in Therapy with Kristen Martin
Ep 3.2 - Finding Our Place in the Lineage of Therapeutic Practice
Ep 3.1 - Between Mysticism and Modernity: Reclaiming the Jewishness of Therapy with hannah baer
Introducing The Kiln: Revolutionizing The Therapy Training Landscape
EP 2.12: 10 Things I Have Learned in 10 Years as a Therapist – Part 2
EP 2.11 - 10 Things I Have Learned in 10 Years as a Therapist – Part 1
EP 2.10 - Client Relationships in the Trenches: The Role of Self-Validated Intimacy
EP 2.9 - Immediacy in Therapy: Breaking the Fourth Wall with Dr. K Hixson
EP 2.8 - Paradox, Love, and the Therapeutic Journey
EP 2.7 - Let's Talk About Sex: A Humane Approach to Sexual Boundary Violations with Dr. Andrea Celenza
EP 2.6: The Vulnerability of the Therapist as Client
EP 2.5: Behind the Scenes: When Therapists Become Clients with Dr. Elena Herrera
EP 2.4: What Happens When Our Clients Encounter Our Humanity?
EP 2.3: Normalizing Vulnerability: The Power of Authenticity in Client Relationships with Onyx Fujii and Asher Pandjiris
EP 2.2 Deep Play: Exploring the Therapeutic Playground
EP 2.1: Balancing Goals and Healing in Therapy: Navigating the Tension with Silvana Espinoza Lau
Ep 18 - Therapists as Makers of Culture
Ep 17 - The Intimacy and Aliveness of Clinical Supervision with K Hixson
Ep 16 - Marketing With Integrity
Ep 15 - Is Ethical Marketing Possible? with Rachael Kay Albers
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