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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11 November 2026

62. Protecting the Beard and Being Funny in Therapy (ft. Glenn Malony, LICSW, LADC)

This week Karen learned that she’s ready to start the training to become an Supervisor! Let’s talk about some of the things to consider before making that decision. Also, it’s Kate Walker’s training all the way!: https://courses.katewalkertraining.com/supervisor-training

This week we are sharing our conversation with Glenn Maloney who is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Minnesota. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a Master of Social Work from The College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth. He currently works solo in his own private practice called Most Excellent Psychotherapy. In addition to his clinical work, he also does public speaking and training about the uses of humor in psychotherapy.

Resources mentioned:

PLEASE SUPPORT! If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consider giving us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SM42FSQD6C3GG

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 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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01:49:37

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28 October 2026

61. Rural Mental Health Work Realities and Dressing Up as Sasquatch (ft. Kira Lathrop, LPC-S)

This week Jazmin learned about what a federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC) is and the student loan repayment options available to mental health professional (and other professions) who are employed by these agencies. Check out options to make it more financially accessible to do this work, both nationally and in Texas specifically:

This week we are sharing our conversation with Kira Lathrop who is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Alaska and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Oregon. She holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Counseling/Bible/Deaf Studies from Central Bible College and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. She currently works as a clinical supervisor in southern Oregon at a community mental health center, but she only recently shifted from living and working in Skagway, Alaska - population 1,200!

Resources mentioned:

  • EMDR International Association: https://www.emdria.org/
  • No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering by Thich Nhat Hanh
  • Ted Lasso TV show (2020)
  • Get in contact with Kira by sending us an email! Once her website launches, we’ll update that info here.

PLEASE SUPPORT! If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consider giving us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SM42FSQD6C3GG

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 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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01:55:42

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14 October 2026

60. Smells Like Spreadsheets and Being a Behavior Detective (ft. Brittany Webb, LPC)

This week Karen learned about some really high quality FREE training options available online through the Uniformed Services University. There are great trainings out there! Yay! The CBT-SP training in particular is great and worth taking for all mental health professionals to increase awareness and treatment skills in suicidality and suicide prevention: https://cdp.usuhs.edu/training-schedule

This week we are sharing our conversation with Brittany Webb who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania. She is also licensed in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. She holds both a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Rosemont College. She currently runs a group practice in Philadelphia called Better Minds Counseling & Services. She manages all the nitty gritty of the practice itself - admin, networking, marketing, and supervision - while also specializing in OCD treatment.

Resources mentioned:

PLEASE SUPPORT! If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consider giving us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SM42FSQD6C3GG

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 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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01:41:05

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03 October 2026

59. Partnering with Nature and Setting Authentic Boundaries (ft. Jenna Burris, LPC, LCPC)

This week Jazmin learned about medical transportation options that support access to care - Wow, what a concept! Also, Karen and Jazmin shout out an organization called Phoenix Center (not House…): https://www.phoenixtx.org/ Check them out!

This week we are sharing our conversation with Jenna Burris who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois. Jenna holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Governors State University. She currently runs her own private practice in Wisconsin called The Trail Therapist where she practices eco-therapy, actively incorporates nature and the outdoors into all her work with clients.

Resources mentioned:

PLEASE SUPPORT! If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consider giving us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SM42FSQD6C3GG

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 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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01:32:54

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16 September 2026

58. Curious About Non-monogamy and the Non-Stop Loopty Loop (ft. Shawna Damiani, LPC)

This week Karen learned about how “therapy culture” might be impacting both society at large and individual people’s ability to tolerate and navigate through distress. What do y’all think? Article mentioned: https://www.thefp.com/p/therapy-culture-blame-victim-mentality

This week we are sharing our conversation with Shawna Damaiani who is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Abilene Christian University and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. Perhaps like a lot of us, Shawna has two jobs right now: she has a full-time job with a nonprofit and works part-time for a private group practice. In her work with the private practice - Love Let Out - the clients she works with are primarily LGBTQ+ and non-monogamous relationships.

With Shawna we have the funniest, most raw, fantastic conversation about her wild journey into her specialty working with consensually non-monogomas folks from a somatic and polyvagal lens.

Resources mentioned:

  • The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships & Other Adventures by Janet W. Hardy
  • Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy by Jessica Fern
  • The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation by Deb Dana
  • The Polyvagal Theory and Our Polyvagal World by Stephen W. Porges
  • Eat Dark Chocolate, Y’all!! (and go to HEB)
  • Love Let Out Therapy Practice: https://loveletout.com/

PLEASE SUPPORT! If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consider giving us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SM42FSQD6C3GG

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 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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02:11:17

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02 September 2026

57. Falling In Love in the Psych Ward and Having a Self-Care Song (ft. Christi Goll, LCSW)

This week Jazmin shares the very common automatic fear we often get in this profession that we will get our license revoked after some small dissatisfaction or complaint. It’s a perpetual fear of being reported that rears its ugly head even when we have not actually done anything wrong.

This week we are sharing our conversation with Christi Goll who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Texas and Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Arizona State University and a Master of Social Work from Texas State University. Christi works as a clinical manager at a recovery facility where she oversees outpatient clinical operations and supervises clinicians and direct care staff. She also runs her own private practice called Moonbeam Wellness where she focuses on working with adolescents and adults struggling with higher acuity mental health disorders.

With Christi we talk about how she balances her current work being both a clinical director and a private practice clinician, and how she moved into the way she works in this field. She shares some stories about working in a psychiatric hospital and how her experiences have shaped her capacity to work with high-acuity clients. With Christi we get into some things about picking theories in grad school and the core importance of the therapeutic relationship itself. Christi shares the most important concept: micro self-care!

Resources mentioned:

PLEASE SUPPORT! If you are so inclined to support the show financially, please consider giving us a donation here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SM42FSQD6C3GG

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 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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01:52:32

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