Libsyn Directory

Dana McNeil & Nancy Ryan | Getting Confident For Successful Couple's Practices | TPOT 142

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Release Date: 08/24/2020

How Therapists Can Use Social Media Without Feeling Fake | Jazzmyn Proctor | TPOT 424

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Marketing can feel uncomfortable for a lot of therapists. Most of us were trained to be neutral, private, and to keep the focus on the client. So when someone tells you that you need to show up on social media or talk about your work publicly, it can feel a little strange. But visibility matters more than ever when it comes to building a private practice. In this episode, I’m joined by Jazzmyn Proctor, a therapist, podcaster, and marketing mentor who helps clinicians show up online in ways that feel authentic and sustainable. Jazzmyn shares how she started building her presence while still...

Scaling a Private Practice with Intensives, Classes, and Conferences | Dr. Wyatt Fisher | TPOT 423

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Couples therapy can be some of the most rewarding work we do as therapists, but it can also be one of the most challenging. Many couples don’t reach out for help until things feel like they’re falling apart. By the time they sit down in your office, there are often years of resentment, hurt, and miscommunication built up beneath the surface. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Wyatt Fisher, a psychologist and couples therapist who has spent years refining his approach to helping couples work through those deeper issues. Wyatt shares how his own personal and professional experiences shaped...

Doing Couples Therapy as a Husband-and-Wife Team | Kiana & Andrew Joyner | TPOT 422

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

If you’ve ever thought about offering couples therapy in your private practice but felt intimidated by the complexity of it, you’re going to love this conversation. In this episode, I’m joined by Kiana and Andrew Joyner, a married duo who run their practice together and specialize in couples work. Kiana is a licensed therapist, and Andrew is a certified professional coach, and together they bring a really unique dynamic into the therapy room. We talk about what it actually looks like to do couples counseling as a husband and wife team, how they divide roles between therapy and coaching,...

Diversifying Your Income Without Burning Out | Jenny Melrose | TPOT 421

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be a way to make money in my private practice besides just seeing more clients,” this episode is for you. In this conversation, I’m joined by Jenny Melrose, host of the Practice to Profit podcast, and we dive into what it really looks like to diversify your income as a therapist. We talk about moving from one-to-one work into one-to-many offers, creating resources based on the same questions your clients ask over and over, and building income streams that do not require you to be in the therapy room 40 hours a week. Jenny shares practical ideas...

Private Practice Profit Margins: What’s Healthy (and What’s a Red Flag) | Gretchen Roberts | TPOT 420

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

Running a private practice usually means you did not set out to become a numbers person. You are trained to help people, not to read profit and loss statements or stress about tax projections. But the reality is this. If you own a practice, you are running a business. In this episode, I sit down with of to talk about the financial side of private practice in a way that feels practical and doable. We unpack how to use your financial reports as a management tool, what healthy profit margins actually look like, and the payroll mistakes that can quietly drain your profit. We also talk about cash...

Treating Neuroplastic Pain in Therapy and Private Practice | Dr. Melissa Tiessen | TPOT 419

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

What if chronic pain isn’t a sign that your body is broken—but that your nervous system is trying to protect you? In this episode, Dr. Melissa Tiessen, a clinical psychologist and neuroplastic pain specialist, joins the show to unpack a paradigm-shifting way of understanding chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms. Drawing on neuroscience, trauma-informed therapy, and real-world clinical experience, Melissa explains how pain can exist without tissue damage—and why that realization can actually be good news. You’ll learn how neuroplastic pain develops, why symptoms can move,...

Diversifying a Private Practice Through Couples Work | Erin Valente | TPOT 418

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

What if couples therapy isn’t about fixing the other person at all? In this episode, Gordon sits down with Erin Valente, a couples therapist based in Los Angeles, to talk about one of the most common mistakes couples make when they come to therapy—and why real change doesn’t live with one partner, but in the relationship itself. They explore why couples work can feel intimidating for therapists, how regulation and co-regulation shape meaningful conversations, and what it really takes to help couples move out of blame and into connection. Erin also shares how she’s structured her...

Free Continuing Education for Therapists | Tobin Richardson | TPOT 417

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

In today’s episode, I’m excited to introduce you to Tobin Richardson, the founder of a platform called Save the Therapist. When I first learned about what Tobin is building, I knew this was something many of you would want to hear about. Continuing education is a requirement for all of us, but let’s be honest. It can be expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes hard to fit into an already full schedule. Tobin saw that problem firsthand and decided to do something about it. He created a platform that offers high-quality, accredited continuing education for therapists that is completely...

Preventing Burnout in Private Practice | Dr. Julie Merriman | TPOT 416

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

There are some conversations you record where you know right away that they’re going to land differently. In today’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Julie Merriman, a therapist, professor, and longtime advocate for helpers who are quietly burning out. We talk about something that hits close to home for many of us in this profession: what happens when we’re really good at helping everyone else, but don’t know how to receive ourselves. Julie shares how so many therapists become what she calls “floating heads of competence.” We’re full of knowledge, skill, and clinical insight, yet...

When Narcissism Walks Into Your Therapy Office | Dr. Anthony Mazzella | TPOT 415

The Practice of Therapy Podcast with Gordon Brewer

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Why is this client so hard to reach?” or “Why does every conversation turn into a power struggle?” this episode is for you. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Anthony Mazzella, a psychoanalyst who specializes in working with narcissistic dynamics. We go far beyond surface-level conversations about narcissism. This isn’t about labels, buzzwords, or quick fixes. It’s about what’s actually happening underneath the behavior and what truly helps. We talk about why arguing over “reality” never works, why confrontation often backfires, and how...

More Episodes

In this episode, Dana McNeil and Nancy Ryan speak about how to be a successful couple's therapist. A couple's therapist needs to be compassionate and connect with the pair. Plus, a couple's therapist has to control the room and not be afraid to make mistakes. If you're looking for a private practice niche, couple's therapy can be an excellent tool for your practice. However, if you find out that couple's therapy is not your specialty, please refer to another therapist. Tune in for more tips about couple's work!

Meet Dana McNeil, LMFT

Dana McNeil is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is the founder of a group practice called The Relationship Place located in San Diego, California. Dana’s practice specializes in couples’ therapy and utilizes an evidence-based type of couples’ therapy which is known as the Gottman Method. Dana is a certified Gottman Method therapist and Bringing Home Baby instructor. Dana’s practice works with all types of relationship issues from pre-marital counseling, dealing with the aftermath of extramarital affairs, partners working through addiction recovery, the military deployed families, parents of special needs children, LGBTQ, and polyamorous clients.

Dana has been featured on many relationship podcasts and in publications such as the Business Insider, Authority Magazine, Eat This-Not That, Parade, Oprah Living, Martha Stewart Living, Ladders, AARP and is the resident relationship expert on the Cox Communications show “I Do”.

Meet Nancy Ryan, LMFT

Nancy Ryan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is the founder of a group practice called The Relationship Therapy Center in Roseville and Fair Oaks, California. Nancy's practice specializes in couples therapy and she is a Certified Gottman Therapist. Nancy's practice works with all types of relationship issues from pre-marital counseling, all types of couples, divorce, and uncoupling, affair recovery, sexual issues, and codependency. Nancy has been featured in the media and in publications such as the Psych Central, Bustle, Elephant Journal, Marriage.com, KFBK News Radio, Fox 40 Sacramento, and Cox Media "Main Street Living".

Client Ambassadors

Do you want to talk about money while you're in the session? It is better to have someone else talk about business aspects with your clients. That way, the therapists do not need to ask their clients for the money. When you go to medical practice, the doctor doesn't ask you for the money; there is a separate person. Having a buffer is enormous.

Handle The Room In Couple's Therapy

You have to be the presence that carries hope and the demeanor. Internally, therapists could be thinking that it's a mess. However, it should never come out in the room. Both partners need to be able to feel like you're on their side. There is a way for you to get the couple to talk to one another. It would help if you were a therapist for the relationship, not for each individual. When one person is talking and sharing, look at the other partner's face, and see how they react.

Call Out Emotions

If someone is aggressive, there needs to be a pause, so you remain in control of the room. When someone is aggressive, then they are not tuned in to the other person's body language. As a therapist, you need to show them what is happening with their partner. A therapist needs to be brave enough to call out emotions. It's a talent that you have to learn because sometimes you get it wrong. It would help if you were comfortable with correcting yourself and making mistakes. There's a dance that happens when you're a perfect couple's therapist.

Normalize Couple's Therapy

Couples aren't in therapy because they can't figure things out. Couples are in therapy because no one teaches them about the couple's communication. Couples should be in therapy because they need to learn the tools. A therapist should also relate to their clients – we all have struggles. A therapist can talk about conflict at their house. That way, the couple will start to feel safe.

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