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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25 June 2025

33. Creating Good from Rumination and Cyberstalking is Real, Y’all (ft. Susan Stallworth, LPC)

Warning: this episode contains discussions of cyberstalking, harassment, and trauma.

This week Jazmin learned how fun it is to work with clients on writing and editing their text messages to others. It’s a perk of the job that we didn’t really learn in grad school, but it’s the opportunity to interrupt patterns and reinforce skills in real time. Perhaps only Jazmin and Karen think this sort of thing is fun in counseling…anyone else agree?

This week we are sharing our conversation with Susan Stallworth who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Colorado, and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design and a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis is Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University.

Susan currently works in private practice where she primarily works within the LGBTQ+ community, with complex trauma, as well as with personality and mood disorders. After a harrowing experience of online stalking and harassment, Susan researched and has developed an expertise in online privacy and safety for mental health professionals.

With Susan we discuss some of what happened to her, how isolated she felt in trying to navigate the situation ethically and safely, and how she has turned her real-life experience into a resource for others. We all NEED to hear this. Everyone who is in this field, go take her training on online privacy RIGHT NOW at https://susanstallworthcounseling.thinkific.com/.

Resources mentioned:

Need more Susan?!? Of course you do! Contact her through this form to connect with her about giving a Presentation or Consulting about Online Privacy at your group/private practice: Protect Your Privacy Group Presentation Inquiry

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

Follow us on social media:

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

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

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

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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11 June 2025

32. Writing Strongly Worded Letters and "Paying your Dues" is Bullshit (ft. Lauren McKay, LPC)

This week Karen learned how much sex education is required in counseling work, especially in couples counseling. The truth is that sex, intimacy (and the difference between those two!), basic sexual functioning, and consent are regular and frequent areas of focus in sessions with clients. Grad school did not prepare us for this! So, learn the facts and get comfortable talking about this stuff, cuz it’s part of the work! Our recommended starting place: the book Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski

This week we are sharing our conversation with Lauren McKay who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas State University in San Marcos and a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Lauren is currently in private practice where she works with clients experiencing trauma and grief, and she is EMDR and IFS trained. Lauren has worked in a lot of different settings and ultimately found her way into treating trauma professionally through her own personal experiences with trauma and seeking treatment for herself. With Lauren we do a lot of mind-meld complaining about all the bullshit that we’ve encountered along the ladder of this profession - before and after grad school AND before and after licensure. Lauren is so passionate about calling out the hypocrisy in the profession and we are Here For It!

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

Follow us on social media:

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

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

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

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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28 May 2025

31. Popping Your Personal Bubble and Taking Your Time (ft. Lisa Kruse, LPC)

This week Jazmin learned about a unique career path in the mental health profession: a counseling consultant. What’s that, you say? We’re all learning together here, but it sounds like a cool job to be the expert customizing connector for treatment options, and we’re both intrigued! #flowchartmaker #rolodexmanager #treatmentmatchmaker

This week we are sharing our conversation with Lisa Kruse who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Counseling from St. Edwards University in Austin.

Lisa currently operates a private practice in the Dripping Springs area called Spark River Counseling where she focuses on working with adult individuals, women with ADHD, and trauma from a somatic-focus. Lisa’s story into the counseling profession is so vulnerable and refreshing because she took about 10 years to get fully licensed; as a full time parent, she eased into the profession gradually and we so appreciate her helping us to normalize that way of doing this! With Lisa we also get into a fun debate (or debacle? - you decide!) about the “magic” of counseling, which she appreciates with a sense of awe and wonder.

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

Follow us on social media:

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

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

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

To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Therapy Tea Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/TherapyTeaPodcast.

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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14 May 2025

30. Calling out Predatory Practices and Being Transparent About Money (ft. Sarah Osmer, LPC-S)

This week Karen learned how important it is to continually remain attuned to and check in with your own bias and alignment with each person in the relationship (or lack thereof…) when you’re working with a couple, and shares some of the things she does to make sure she’s showing up ethically when working with clients who are more than one person.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Sarah Osmer who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Rhodes College and a Master of Education from the University of Houston.

Sarah currently owns a medium-sized group practice in Austin, the Carlisle Collective, where she sees clients, supervises, and manages the practice itself. She wears a ton of different hats as a practice owner and has become increasingly passionate about helping clinicians in their early careers develop and thrive. With Sarah we discuss how, as a supervisor and mentor, she really focuses on filling in the gaps of what’s missing in young professionals’ education.

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/

To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Therapy Tea Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/TherapyTeaPodcast.

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 April 2025

29. Loving Your Overhead Projector and Keeping Your Dream Alive (ft. Kristin Sharp, LCSW-S)

This week Jazmin learned she might have a previously unrealized session number threshold level. We talk about paying attention to one’s own feelings and emotional reactions when working with clients and the lack of education and preparation around termination, which is another skill needed for private practice that we didn’t know we needed.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Kristin Sharp who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters of Science in Social Work also from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kristin currently runs her own private practice in Austin, Blue Psychotherapy, where she focuses on adolescents, young adults, and families with a very intentional attachment approach. She is also an Adjunct Faculty Professor at UT Austin where she teaches one semester a year.

With Kristin we discuss how she job hopped her way into her most satisfying job situation at present! She talks about how we as counselors are not responsible for “fixing” people, instead she emphasizes the importance of being with. Kristin is fun, engaging, and the kind of person we hope you feel just as comfortable with as we do!

Resources mentioned:

  • You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For: A New Approach to Intimate Relationships with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard C. Schwart
  • The Class: https://www.theclass.com/
  • The Notebook (2004 film/novel by Nicolas Sparks)
  • Kristin’s practice, Blue Psychotherapy: https://www.bluepsychotherapy.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/

To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Therapy Tea Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/TherapyTeaPodcast.

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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16 April 2025

28. Having Grit and Constructing the New System (ft. Kaimi Mattila, LCSW)

This week Karen learned about poverty. Karen shares details about her experience participating in a poverty simulation - which we learned about from Kaimi - including the emotions triggered and insights gained. We encourage everyone to find a poverty simulation near you to participate in because there’s a difference between intellectually getting it and experientially getting it.

In our interview, we talked to Kaimi Hideyo Mattila who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Supervisor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Family Services from the University of Northern Iowa and a Masters in Social Work from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Kaimi currently runs her own clinical supervision practice called Empowered Clinical Supervision where she provides supervision for social workers, even though that’s not what we focus on in this conversation. We highlight instead the real systemic change that Kaimi is a part of in her role as the Mental Health Court Administrator for the Hays County Mental Health Court. With Kaimi we discuss what a mental health court is and does, as well as what it is like to work with people with mental health issues who intersect with the justice system. Kami is so passionate about her work and the work of mental health specialty courts all over.

Disclaimer: All views included herein are solely Kaimi, Karen, and Jazmin’s personal views and do not represent the views of the Hays County Mental Health Court or Hays County.

Resources mentioned:

Thank you for listening! To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Therapy Tea Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/TherapyTeaPodcast.

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

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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