#74 - Can Therapists Give Advice? How to Empower Clients While Staying Ethical
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Release Date: 06/25/2025
#77 AI, Ethics, and Therapy: What Every Clinician Needs to Know Right Now
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Is your therapy practice future-ready… or are your AI tools quietly writing your client notes — and maybe rewriting your ethics policy, too? If you’re a therapist trying to make sense of what the heck is going on with AI in our field right now, this episode is for you. Whether you’re using AI daily, avoiding it like a bad EHR platform, or somewhere in between, you need to hear this conversation. In today’s episode of Love, Happiness & Success for Therapists, I sit down with cyberpsychologist and licensed counselor Dr. Rachel Wood to talk about — and why we, as ethical...
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#54 Subpoenaed as a Therapist: How to Stay Legal, Ethical, and Sane
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
This one is SO important... we're doing it again. After originally posting this episode earlier in the year, I've had so many messages from therapist colleagues about how helpful and important this info was, I wanted to put it back at the top. Additionally, I have created a free cheat sheet with the changes that I made to my own disclosure statement after recording this interview (because I too, learned a lot) and I'm happy to share this with you. DM me on Linkedin or just shoot me an email (). xo, Lisa = There's something none of us want to deal with, but absolutely need to be prepared...
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#76 - Why Coaches Can Charge More Than Therapists
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Ever wondered how a coach with zero credentials is charging triple what you make—and people are lining up to pay them?! It's enough to make any seasoned, licensed, ethics-loving therapist want to throw their DSM across the room. In this juicy episode of Love, Happiness & Success for Therapists, I’m pulling back the curtain on why so often leaves therapist rates in the dust. Coaches are NOT more skilled or more capable of change work. They’re just playing an entirely different game. A game that rewards confidence, clarity, marketing savvy, and outcomes over credentials and...
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#75 - “Do You Take Insurance?” How to Talk to Clients About Self Pay Therapy
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Ever had a dream client vanish the second you said, “I don’t take insurance”? In this episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists, I’m breaking down one of the most frustrating, deflating, and pivotal conversations we have in private practice: and self-pay therapy (without spiraling, apologizing, or selling yourself short). I walk you through exactly how to handle that record-scratch moment with clarity, confidence, and integrity—so you can stop losing ideal clients and start owning your value. We’ll explore why the insurance model was never built for growth work,...
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#74 - Can Therapists Give Advice? How to Empower Clients While Staying Ethical
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Ever had a client look at you, desperate for help, and ask, “What should I do?” Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on a dilemma that I hear from therapists all the time: “My clients are stuck, they need direction, and they’re asking me for advice. But I’m supposed to stay neutral, right?” On one hand, we want to help, but on the other, we’ve been trained to stay neutral and let the client find their own answers. So What’s the right move when your client is stuck and clearly craving direction? In this episode of Love, Happiness and Success For Therapists, we're diving...
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#73 Fake Therapy: How 7 Cups Stole Real Therapists’ Identities to Scam Clients
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Therapists, what if I told you your photo, credentials, and carefully crafted bio might be sitting on a website you never signed up for—used to funnel therapy-seeking clients into ? I know you might be thinking, “That could never happen to me…” But it’s a rapidly increasing issue that’s affecting therapists across the country right this second. And it could happen to you too. In this episode of Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists, I’m digging into the disturbing world of fake therapy platforms, profile scraping, and the deceptive tactics being used by some online...
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#72 - Ethical Dilemmas: When Therapy Clients Refer Their Friends!
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Have you ever gotten that really sweet message from a client saying, “Hey, I told my friend about you—they’re reaching out!” and felt… conflicted? On the one hand, it’s a huge compliment. On the other? It throws you right into the middle of an ethical tightrope walk. , it can feel like walking a fine line between appreciation and professional chaos. In this episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists, I’ll share a behind-the-scenes story from my own practice where a client referred a friend—who happened to be their business partner—and how things unraveled when...
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#50 How Internal Family Systems (IFS) Can Revolutionize Your Therapy Practice with Dr. Dick Schwartz
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Ever felt like you’re missing that one tool in your therapy toolkit that could help your clients truly heal and reconnect with their best selves? Well, in today’s episode of Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists, I’m chatting with Dr. Dick Schwartz, founder of the , about the power of IFS and how it can be a game-changer for your clients. IFS is more than just a therapy model—it's a transformative approach that helps clients access their own core Self, heal their internal wounds, and lead their lives with compassion, confidence, and calm. It's about connecting with the...
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#71: Helping Therapy Clients (and YOU!) Find Career Clarity and Purpose ft. Suzy Welch
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
You’re a therapist, not a career strategist, right? That’s what I told myself for years—until the zillionth client sat across from me, looked me dead in the eye, and asked, “What should I do with my life?” Cue the record scratch. Let’s be real: we’re trained to hold emotional space, diagnose, treat, and heal — but when it comes to career development and professional identity? Most of us are flying blind. In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant Suzy Welch — NYU professor, bestselling author, and creator of the Becoming You methodology — to talk about how therapists...
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#40: Dr. Dan Siegel's New Approach to Attachment Therapy
Love, Happiness and Success for Therapists
Ever wonder how to truly help your clients build more secure attachment styles? This episode of Love, Happiness, and Success for Therapists is for you! I’m sitting down with the brilliant Dr. Daniel Siegel—one of the world’s leading experts in attachment science and childhood development. Together, we’re unpacking the latest research and ideas you can take straight into your practice. Dr. Siegel’s approach goes beyond the basics of attachment theory, blending personality, temperament, and attachment into a powerful framework that creates truly personalized client experiences. This...
info_outlineEver had a client look at you, desperate for help, and ask, “What should I do?” Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on a dilemma that I hear from therapists all the time: “My clients are stuck, they need direction, and they’re asking me for advice. But I’m supposed to stay neutral, right?”
On one hand, we want to help, but on the other, we’ve been trained to stay neutral and let the client find their own answers. So can therapists give advice? What’s the right move when your client is stuck and clearly craving direction?
In this episode of Love, Happiness and Success For Therapists, we're diving into the inner conflict therapists face between sticking to our non-directive, empathetic listening style and providing the more concrete guidance that many clients are asking for.
I’ll also show how evidence-based coaching can complement therapy in a powerful way and provide that direction in your sessions. You’ll get clear, actionable steps on how to navigate this tricky balance—without stepping outside of your ethical boundaries. You don’t want to miss this!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: The Therapist's Dilemma
02:49 - What Is the Role of a Therapist?
06:35 - Why Do Therapists Struggle to Be More Direct?
09:16 - How to Balance Client Expectations with Therapeutic Boundaries
15:19 - Is Coaching the Solution?
20:24 - What's the Difference Between Therapy and Coaching?
27:38 - How Can Therapists Become Certified Coaches?
34:29 - Resources for Therapists and Coaches
If you’re feeling inspired by what I’ve shared and you’re ready to give your clients the directive support that they need, I’d love to invite you to take the next step in your professional development with my BCC-Accredited Coaching Certification for Therapists.
This program is designed specifically for therapists like you who want to build coaching competencies while staying within the ethical boundaries of your practice. You’ll receive 30 CEU credits for completing the certification and walk away with the skills to deliver more actionable, client-centered guidance that will help your clients get the results they’re asking for.
👉 Transform your practice by learning how to coach.
If you want to stay updated on the latest podcast episodes, learn about upcoming free CEU webinars, and be a part of a supportive professional network, I’d love to connect with you on LinkedIn! Find me at Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby. I share research, training opportunities, and news updates to help you grow, develop new skills, and thrive!
Xoxo
PS: If you found this episode valuable, think about someone in your professional community who could benefit from this conversation. Share it with them, and let’s keep the discussion going!