Therapy Tea: Demystifying the Mental Health Profession

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Podcast by Jazmin Crookes, LPC and Karen Jennett, LPC

Therapy Tea: Demystifying the Mental Health Profession

Why, oh why, did I become a therapist? What was I thinking?!? Am I losing it? Or was I just misinformed?.... Join Therapy Tea hosts, Jazmin and Karen, two licensed professional counselors, every other Wednesday, as they, with the help of other mental health professionals, seek to find the answers to these deep, gut-wrenching, existential questions. Each episode, they interview fellow counselors and other professionals working in the mental health field to discuss mistakes they’ve made, career mis-steps, and those “ah-ha!” and “AHHHHHHH!!!!” moments that shift perspective. They cover the real-life practice of mental health work through a pretentious-free lens and reveal the out-of-the-textbook realities of counseling theories. All the while, they hope desperately to gain some hindsight insights on all the things they wish they had known before becoming counselors.
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Latest episodes

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17 September 2025

Mental Motherhood #1: Prepare for War (ft. Bobbie Melton, LPC)

This week we’re talking to Bobbie Melton about having her first baby and the sheer volume of planning she did before becoming pregnant and taking her maternity leave from her private practice.

Want more Bobbie? Check out our prior episode with her: Ep. #8: Petting a Cat Backwards and Asking Leading Questions (ft. Bobbie Melton, LPC)

Resources mentioned:

The Boppy pillow: https://www.boppy.com/

Thank you for listening!

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482

Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at therapyteapod@gmail.com

By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustainable for us. Use code tea50 at Alitu.com for 50% off if you want to try it yourself!

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.

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10 September 2025

Introducing our special series!: Mental Motherhood

This week we’re introducing our upcoming special 10 part series, Mental Motherhood. In this episode we’re sharing details about the series including why we’re doing this and what you can expect. We’re getting to the truth about being a mom and a mental health professional, just in case you think you want to try and do both.

Mental Motherhood starts next week with new episodes in the series released Every Week! YAY!

Prior guests making a reappearance in the series and the episodes you should catch up on first:

  • Ep. #3: Navigating Your “Trauma Season” and Prevailing Through Hard Days (ft. Kim Knox, LMFT)
  • Ep. #6: All the “Extra Work” and Self-Care Makes No Money (ft. Kelsea Puckett, LPC, LSOTP)
  • Ep. #8: Petting a Cat Backwards and Asking Leading Questions (ft. Bobbie Melton, LPC)
  • Ep. #9: From FBI Reject to New Therapist Incubator (ft. Britney Eglinton, LPC-S)
  • Ep #15: Owning Being a "Generalist" and Boring CEs (ft. Candice Fraser, LPC)
  • Ep. #22: Crashing Upwards and Pioneering Teletherapy (ft. Sena Moran, LMHC)
  • Ep. #23: Being Part of the Solution and Bridging Gaps in Communities (ft. Jonnie Wilson, LPC)
  • Ep. #24: Tearing up the House and Mastering the Scary Insurance Learning Curve (ft. Kelly Martin, LPC-S)
  • Ep. #26: Puking up Rocks and Treating Animals with Radical Acceptance (ft. Liz Stein, LPC)
  • Ep. #29: Loving Your Overhead Projector and Keeping Your Dream Alive (ft. Kristin Sharp, LCSW-S)
  • Ep. #35: Being the Outer Nesting Doll and the Adventure of Supervising (ft. Kate Walker, Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT-S)

Thank you for listening!

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482

Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at therapyteapod@gmail.com

By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustainable for us. Use code tea50 at Alitu.com for 50% off if you want to try it yourself!

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.

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03 September 2025

38. Aligning with Your Unique Energy and Blending Alternative Practices (ft. Shawna Lovin, LPC-S)

This week Karen shares some stuff she learned about in an interesting recent training. Check out the book if you're curious too! Personality and Wholeness in Therapy: Integrating 9 Patterns of Developmental Pathways in Clinical Practice by Daniel J. Siegel, MD, and the PDP Group

This week we are sharing our conversation with Shawna Lovin who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina and a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Shawna currently works with an EAP full-time and then also runs a private practice on the side where she offers counselor supervision. Shawna shares her extremely unconventional journey into becoming a counselor and how she adapted her practice after realizing that direct client work is just not her jam. Say what?!? Shawna also talks about how some personal experiences pushed her into exploring perhaps less-conventional wellness ideas and practices, which then led her to the theory of Human Design, which then shifted her decision making in all areas of her life. Shawna is so honest and clear about who she is and how she shows up - she’s unique and she knows it! Listen in and be inspired by her authenticity and creativity in how she navigates this profession.

Resources mentioned:

Connect with Shawna!

Thank you for listening! By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustainable for us. Use code tea50 at Alitu.com for 50% off if you want to try it yourself!

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at therapyteapod@gmail.com

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482

Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.

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20 August 2025

37. The Wrecking Ball Effect and Finding Breathwork (ft. Kimber Achorn, LPC)

This week Jazmin learned so much about balancing returning to school while being a practicing counselor. What she’s learning in school - all about applied behaviorism - is also dove-tailing into her counseling work with her clients because it’s enabling her to explain so much so differently than before. We should all learn our ABC’s! (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence)

Don't forget to check out The Couch Next Door podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285228/about We love Candice Fraser and you will too! Connect with Candice on Instagram @candicefraserlpc

This week we are sharing our conversation with Kimber Achorn who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Sports Science from Elon University in North Carolina and a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

Kimber currently runs her private practice, Achorn to Oak Counseling, where she focuses on working with adult individuals wanting to connect with their true self and find meaning. She also does biodynamic breath work and is working on creating a nervous system reset program. With Kimber we talk about having a deep sense that this work is exactly what she’s supposed to be doing.

Resources mentioned:

  • Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
  • What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
  • Where Should We Begin podcast by Esther Perel
  • Hidden Brain podcast
  • TED Radio Hour podcast
  • Ted Lasso (TV show)
  • Shrinking (TV show)
  • Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
  • Kimber’s social media: Instagram @achorn2oak
  • Kimber’s practice: www.achorn2oakcounseling.com

Thank you for listening! By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustainable for us. Use code tea50 at Alitu.com for 50% off if you want to try it yourself!

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at therapyteapod@gmail.com

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482

Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.

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06 August 2025

36. Disrupting the System and Decolonizing Mental Health (ft. Alyssa Cedillo, LPC-S, RPT-S)

This week Karen learned that she does not have a good way to re-calibrate to client work after a long vacation. We’ve talked about having transitions from client work back into home life, but what about the reverse? Let us know if you have any suggestions here because we both really wonder what are some options for how to transition back into therapeutic work-mode after being in vacation-mode.

Check out The Couch Next Door podcast! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2285228/about We love Candice Fraser and you will too! Connect with Candice on Instagram @candicefraserlpc

This week we are sharing our conversation with Alyssa Cedillo who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from St. Mary’s University.

Alyssa currently serves as the Clinical Director of Tree of Life Counseling Center and is the Founder and President of the nonprofit Root of It Foundation, all based in San Antonio, Texas. Alyssa’s passion for decolonizing mental health services is palpable in this conversation with her and her entire career is focused on advocating for clients facing oppression, trauma, and intergenerational challenges, in navigating systemic barriers.

With Alyssa we discuss the importance of getting out in your community, challenging yourself to expand your perspective, and embracing discomfort as a necessary component of growth and healing - both as an individual and for a system. Alyssa does not shy away from saying the things that need to be said and is a role model for how to professionally be a megaphone pushing for change at every level. Alyssa is an inspiration to all of us to get more involved and to be active advocates!

Resources mentioned:

Thank you for listening! By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustainable for us. Use code tea50 at Alitu.com for 50% off if you want to try it yourself!

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at therapyteapod@gmail.com

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482

Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.

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30 July 2025

Introducing Badass Therapists Building Practices That Thrive Podcast: Behind the Mic

This week we're sharing an episode of Kate Walker’s podcast! Badass Therapists Building Practices That Thrive podcast is a consistent, relatable, Crucial resource for any mental health professional trying to navigate private practice. Kate’s always got tips, tools, advice, and interviews about everything private practice related on her podcast and in her Facebook group. If you’re working in private practice or considering getting into that space, you absolutely need this podcast in your toolkit.

In the episode we’re sharing today, you’ll hear Jazmin and Karen's conversation during a live webinar with Kate Walker and her badass therapists about the raw truths of therapy podcasting and what it’s been like behind the scenes in creating a podcast.

Check out all the episodes of Badass Therapists Building Practices That Thrive podcast: https://texascounselorscreatingbadassbusinesses.buzzsprout.com/ Episodes drop every Thursday and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Get connected with Kate:

Thank you for listening! By the way, if you're curious about how we produce this show, we use Alitu. It's straightforward to use and has made podcasting actually sustainable for us. Use code tea50 at Alitu.com for 50% off if you want to try it yourself!

Thoughts? Questions? Email us at therapyteapod@gmail.com

Listen to us on YouTube!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmM3_WRulJpvstPLZiKOBQ

Follow us on social media:

Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482

Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/

Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.

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