The Practice of Therapy Podcast – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

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Meet Dr. Terry Lynch

Dr. Terry Lynch is a fully registered medical doctor, a fully accredited psychotherapist and author. A leading figure in mental health in Ireland, Terry provides a recovery-focused mental health service in Limerick, Ireland. For over 10 years, Terry has been a passionate and an outspoken advocate for change, especially toward a deeper and more accurate understanding of emotional distress and mental health problems, and also toward the creation of truly recovery-focused mental health services.

Terry's first book 'Beyond Prozac' (2001 and 2004) was a bestseller in Ireland and was shortlisted for the MIND (UK) Book of the Year award in 2002. Terry's second book, 'SELFHOOD: A Key to the Recovery of Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and the Prevention of Mental Health Problems' was published in September 2011. SELFHOOD is the first book in a series - The Mental Wellness Book Series, which Terry will be writing over the coming years.

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Beyond the Diagnosis: The Stories That Shape Our Clients | Dr. Travis Heath | TPOT 454

Monday, October 19, 2026 • Duration 41:43

What do we miss when a diagnosis becomes the whole story?

Dr. Travis Heath joins Gordon Brewer to explore how narrative therapy helps us understand the stories clients tell about themselves—and the stories their families, communities, and culture tell about them.

Together, they discuss how labels can both offer clarity and limit understanding, why slowing down matters in therapy, and how curiosity can open up new possibilities. Travis also shares ways therapists can reflect on their sessions, question familiar assumptions, and move beyond simply listing a client's strengths to hearing the experiences behind them.

This conversation invites therapists to look beyond the diagnosis and make room for clients to feel more fully seen and known.

In this episode:
• How personal and cultural stories shape identity
• The benefits and limitations of diagnostic labels
• Slowing down and moving beyond either/or thinking
• Asking questions that invite richer client stories
• Staying curious about your own clinical work

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

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What Growing a Group Practice Really Takes | Whitney Owens | TPOT 453

Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 37:11

Growing a private practice takes more than adding clients and hiring therapists. It also means learning to delegate, trust your team, and let go of doing everything yourself.

In this episode, Gordon Brewer welcomes back Whitney Owens, founder of Water's Edge Counseling and Wise Practice Consulting. Whitney shares her journey from solo therapist to group practice owner, including the challenges of building a leadership team, navigating staff turnover, and creating systems that support growth.

Gordon and Whitney explore how confidence develops through experience, why clear values matter in hiring, and how faith shapes Whitney's approach to leadership. They also discuss taking risks, investing in professional relationships, and making room to enjoy the business you're building.

Whether you're considering your first hire or leading an established group practice, this conversation offers practical ideas for sharing responsibility and growing as a leader.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Meet Whitney Owens

Currently, Whitney owns a thriving group practice in Savannah, Georgia, called Water's Edge Counseling. When not running the practice, you can find her coaching, running, or drinking coffee while reading a book. She is married to a pastor and is the mother of two beautiful girls. She has walked the road of balancing work and family and continues to learn along the way.

How Therapists Can Practice What We Preach About Mindfulness | Debi Trent Brown | TPOT 452

Monday, October 5, 2026 • Duration 40:59

Therapists spend a lot of time encouraging clients to slow down, practice mindfulness, and become more aware of what they need—but practicing those same things in our own lives can be much harder.

In this episode, Gordon talks with Debi Trent Brown about mindfulness beyond meditation, the importance of creating small moments of joy, and what it means to live more authentically. They explore how the "rules" we pick up from family, culture, and society can quietly shape our choices, why pausing before we respond can help us better understand ourselves, and how consistency—not perfection—builds self-trust. Debi also shares practical ways therapists can become more grounded and intentional in everyday life while learning to practice more of what we preach.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Meet Debi Trent Brown

Debi Trent Brown is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who believes deeply in the power of human connection and the importance of creating a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard and supported.

How to Make More Impact Without Adding More Clients | James Marland | TPOT 451

Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 42:16

What happens when being "successful" in private practice starts to look a lot like burnout?

In this episode, Gordon talks with James Marland about the three traps that can keep therapists stuck in one-on-one work: the clock trap, calendar trap, and couch trap. They unpack why being fully booked isn't always the same as being free, and how tying your income, time, and impact entirely to client hours can eventually become exhausting.

James also shares practical ways therapists can begin thinking beyond traditional one-on-one work through workshops, courses, trainings, and other resources that allow their expertise to reach more people. The conversation covers protecting your calendar, testing new ideas without a huge upfront investment, and using the knowledge you already have in a way that creates more flexibility and impact.

If you've ever felt like your schedule is running your life—or wondered how to grow without simply adding more clients—this episode offers a different way to think about success in private practice.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Meet James Marland

James Marland helps therapists expand their impact beyond one-on-one clinical work by creating additional income streams through workshops, courses, and other scalable resources. He is the host of the Scaling Therapist podcast and works with therapists to turn their expertise into practical offerings that can reach more people without adding more hours to their schedules. Through Course Creation Studio, James also helps with the strategy and behind-the-scenes tech needed to launch and run workshops and courses.

Supporting Postpartum Moms Through Private Practice | Hannah Short | TPOT 450

Monday, September 21, 2026 • Duration 31:58

One of the things I've learned over the years is that the work we feel most drawn to often has some connection to our own experiences.

That doesn't mean our story becomes the center of the therapy room, but it can absolutely shape the populations we care about, the problems we notice, and the kind of practice we want to build.

In this episode, I talk with Hannah Short about how her own experiences with eating disorder recovery and postpartum helped shape her clinical niche. We also get into thoughtful self-disclosure, creating a practice where clients feel genuinely understood, moving from virtual work into an in-person office, and using systems and AI to make solo practice a little more manageable.

There's a lot here about finding meaningful work, building a practice around it, and remembering that sometimes the best clues about your niche are already part of your story.

Watch on YouTube

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Meet Hannah Short, LCSW, BCBC

Branding Your Private Practice: How to Stand Out and Get Found | Ritu Riedweg | TPOT 449

Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 38:08

When therapists think about branding, it's easy to immediately think about logos, fonts, colors, and websites. But your brand is so much more than what your practice looks like online. It is also the feeling people get when they encounter you, the story they associate with you, and ultimately, whether they feel like they can trust you.

In this episode of The Practice of Therapy Podcast, I had the pleasure of talking with Ritu Riedweg about personal branding, marketing, and what therapists can do to make their practices easier to find and easier to connect with.

Ritu brings an interesting perspective to this conversation because her career has crossed both the marketing and therapy worlds. She originally studied social work before building a career in marketing, branding, and design. Later, after experiencing the transformational impact of therapy in her own life, she trained as a therapist herself. Eventually, she realized she could combine those two areas of experience by helping other therapists become more effective at marketing and branding their practices.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Working With High-Risk Teens in Private Practice | Katie K. May | TPOT 448

Monday, September 7, 2026 • Duration 34:06

Working with high-risk teens can feel overwhelming, especially when self-harm, suicidal thoughts, emotional dysregulation, or repeated hospitalizations are part of the picture. So how can therapists provide both compassion and structure without letting fear drive the treatment?

In this episode, Gordon talks with Katie K. May about working effectively with high-risk teens and their families. Katie shares why validation matters, how therapists can provide strong clinical leadership, and why caregiver involvement is such an important part of the process.

They also discuss proactive safety planning, recognizing patterns before a crisis, helping teens build skills they can actually use outside the therapy room, and why therapists need clear frameworks and support when doing high-risk clinical work.

Katie also shares ideas from her book, Teen DBT in Practice, including how therapists can help teens move toward a life worth living while creating more confidence and sustainability in the work.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Why Rapport Matters More Than Ever in Private Practice | Nora Anger | TPOT 447

Monday, August 31, 2026 • Duration 40:54

Building rapport isn't just about helping clients feel comfortable. It can play a major role in whether they trust you, open up, and keep coming back.

In this episode, I sit down with Nora Anger, LPC, to talk about building stronger therapeutic relationships in private practice. We discuss what clients really want from their therapists, common reasons they leave therapy, thoughtful self-disclosure, creating safety and trust, and how to balance compassion with challenging clients when they need it.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Meet Nora Anger

Nora Anger, MS, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than a decade of experience in the mental health field. She specializes in trauma, grief, anxiety, and depression, helping clients navigate difficult life transitions and experiences. Known for her warm, direct, and down-to-earth approach, Nora has a particular strength in building rapport with clients who may have struggled with therapy in the past. She earned her master's degree from Chestnut Hill College and currently provides counseling in the greater Philadelphia area.

Is Your Private Practice Too Dependent on You? | TaVona Denise | TPOT 446

Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 33:21

What happens to your private practice when you step away?

In this episode, Gordon talks with TaVona Denise about what her Private Practice Vitality Report revealed about owner dependency, burnout, delegation, and the systems that keep a practice running. They explore why hiring more staff doesn't always create more freedom, how to tell if your practice still depends too heavily on you, and the simple 30-day question that can uncover exactly where your systems need work. If you want to build a practice that can grow without requiring you to be involved in every decision, this conversation is a great place to start.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free