Katie Vernoy - Therapist, Coach, Consultant, Speaker

What if the exhaustion you’re feeling isn’t something you can self-care your way out of?

When suffering is collective, healing may need to be collective too.

In this episode, Curt and I talk with psychiatrist and medical anthropologist Dr. Suzan Song about what more than two decades of working with survivors of war, trafficking, displacement, and mass violence has taught her about healing.

We explore why functioning isn’t the same as healing, and how belonging, ritual, meaning, and even small acts of agency can help us stay grounded during uncertain times.

Episode 488: Suffering Is Collective, and So Is Healing: Belonging, Ritual, and Meaning in Uncertain Times

Listen now: tinyurl.com/mtsgpodcast488

Image: Episode artwork for The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide, Episode 488, titled “Suffering Is Collective, So Is Healing.” The background shows a group of people gathered closely in a supportive embrace. A portrait of guest Dr. Suzan Song, smiling at the camera, appears in the lower right. Text identifies the episode as an interview with Dr. Suzan Song and includes the website mtsgpodcast.com.

Suffering Is Collective, and So Is Healing: Belonging, Ritual, and Meaning in Uncertain Times - An Interview with Suzan Song, MD Curt and Katie talk with Suzan Song, MD, a psychiatrist and medical anthropologist, about why so much of what therapists are feeling right now cannot be resolved inside the four walls of an individual session. Drawing on more than two decades of global mental health work with survivors of war, traff...

What if therapist burnout isn't a personal failure?

What if it's a predictable outcome of practicing in systems that make sustainability harder every year?

In this week's episode, Curt and I begin a new series exploring one of the guiding principles behind the Modern Therapist's Survival Guide:

Sustainability is a fundamental responsibility.

We unpack the difference between burnout and moral injury, why self-care alone isn't enough, and why building a sustainable career requires looking beyond the individual therapist to the systems shaping our profession.

If you've ever wondered why so many clinicians feel exhausted despite doing "everything right," this conversation is for you.

Listen to Episode 487: Sustainability Is a Fundamental Responsibility: Therapist Burnout, Moral Injury, and the Systems We Practice Within tinyurl.com/mtsgpodcast487

Image: Episode 487 artwork for Modern Therapist's Survival Guide titled "Sustainability is a Fundamental Responsibility." The graphic features a small green seedling growing from rocky soil, symbolizing resilience, growth, and building a sustainable therapy practice.

Sustainability Is a Fundamental Responsibility: Therapist Burnout, Moral Injury, and the Systems We Practice Within Nine years into the show, Curt and Katie return to a question they keep circling back to. If burnout is a systemic problem, why does the responsibility for solving it keep landing on individual clinicians? They talk honestly about martyrdom, moral injury, and the seductive corporate language now sha...

AI tools are showing up in more therapy practices every day. But how many of us actually know what happens behind the scenes?

In this episode, Curt and I sit down with Ian Knox and Megan Toomey from SimplePractice to explore how AI features are developed, what "training the model" really means, how client data is handled, and what therapists should consider before adopting new AI tools.

Whether you're already using AI or just beginning to evaluate it, this conversation offers practical guidance on balancing innovation with ethics, transparency, and clinical responsibility.

Listen here: tinyurl.com/mtsgpodcast484

Image: The graphic features the Modern Therapist's Survival Guide branding with the title "Episode 484: How AI Tools Are Built." A blurred close-up of hands typing on a laptop serves as the background. Headshots of Megan Toomey and Ian Knox appear in the lower right alongside text identifying them as guests from SimplePractice. The podcast website appears at the bottom of the graphic.

Your clients are probably already using AI.

They may be asking ChatGPT questions between sessions, bringing chat transcripts into therapy, using AI to draft difficult conversations, or even turning to chatbots for emotional support.

So what does that mean for therapists?

In this episode, Curt and I explore how AI is changing the therapeutic relationship, why understanding how clients use AI matters more than whether they use it, and practical ways clinicians can respond with curiosity, critical thinking, and sound clinical judgment.

Whether AI is acting as a brainstorming partner, a relationship coach, or something closer to a companion, this conversation offers practical guidance for navigating this new reality in the therapy room.

Listen here: tinyurl.com/mtsgpodcast483

Image: Episode artwork for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide, Episode 483, titled "When Clients Bring AI to Therapy." The background shows a person using a smartphone to interact with an AI chatbot. The title appears prominently over the image with Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide branding.

When Clients Bring AI to Therapy: Working with ChatGPT, Sycophancy, and the New Third Wheel in the Room - Therapy Reimagined Curt Widhalm, LMFT, and Katie Vernoy, LMFT take on a question they hear constantly from listeners and audiences: what happens when clients bring their own AI into the therapy room? The profession has spent real energy building ethics guidance for when therapists direct clients toward AI, but it has....

A lot of therapists are talking about the legal implications of *Chiles v. Salazar*.

This episode focuses on something different:

The people living with the impact.

Curt and I welcome back Samuel Nieves, board member of the Conversion Therapy Survivor Network and a conversion therapy survivor himself, for a conversation about what survivors are experiencing right now, how therapists can better support them, and why understanding SOGIECE (s*xual orientation and gender identity or expression change efforts) matters more than ever.

One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is hearing how community, boundaries, and intentional q***r joy can become acts of healing.

If you work with LGBTQ+ clients, trauma survivors, or anyone navigating identity-based harm, this is an important conversation.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/mtsgpodcast480

Image: Podcast artwork for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Episode 480, “Supporting Conversion Therapy Survivors After Chiles v. Salazar.” The graphic features a rainbow flag background and a headshot of Samuel Nieves, who joins Curt and Katie to discuss supporting survivors and the impact of the Supreme Court ruling.

Supporting Conversion Therapy Survivors After Chiles v. Salazar: SOGIECE, Clinical Care, and Community Response – An Interview with Samuel Nieves Curt and Katie welcome back Samuel Nieves, board member of the Conversion Therapy Survivor Network and a survivor himself, to talk about what survivors are experiencing right now and what clinicians can actually do about it. This is a follow-up to their earlier conversation on the lasting harm of co...

This week’s episode is a big one.
We’re talking about Chiles v. Salazar, conversion therapy bans, protected speech, and what this ruling could mean for therapists, LGBTQ+ youth, and the future of the profession.

And honestly… this conversation is heavy.

The ruling does not say conversion therapy is safe, ethical, or effective. But it does raise serious questions about what happens when talk therapy is treated as protected speech instead of professional conduct.

If you work with LGBTQ+ clients, support LGBTQ+ youth, or care about ethical mental health care, this is a conversation worth making time for.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/mtsgpodcast479

Image: Podcast artwork for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Episode 479 titled “Should Conversion Therapy Be Protected Speech?” The image shows the U.S. Supreme Court building in the background with the episode title in large white text.

Should Conversion Therapy Be Protected Speech? What Chiles v. Salazar Means for Conversion Therapy Bans and the Future of the Profession On March 31, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Chiles v. Salazar, ruling 8 to 1 that Colorado could not stop a licensed counselor from using talk therapy to attempt to change a minor's s*xual orientation or gender identity. As applied to that talk therapy, the Court held, the state's conversion t...

This week’s episode tackles a question a lot of therapists have wrestled with:

What happens when an LGBTQ+ client needs support… and there isn’t a specialist readily available?

The usual advice is to refer out. And sometimes that’s absolutely the right call.

But what about when the waitlist is months long? When virtual therapy isn’t safe at home? When access is limited? Or when you’re the therapist sitting across from someone who needs help right now?

In this Pride Month episode, Curt and I explore what it means to be a "good enough, safe enough" therapist, and how clinicians can support LGBTQ+ clients with humility, intention, and a commitment to continued learning.

Because sometimes showing up thoughtfully is better than stepping away out of fear of getting it wrong.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/mtsgpodcast478

Image: Podcast artwork for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Episode 478 titled “Good Enough, Safe Enough: Affirming LGBTQ+ Clients When You're Not a Specialist.” The graphic features a Progress Pride flag waving against a dark blue background with the episode title displayed prominently in white text.

Good Enough, Safe Enough: Affirming LGBTQ+ Clients When You're Not a Specialist When an LGBTQ+ client lands in your office and you are not a specialist, the standard advice is to refer out. That advice is well-intended, and sometimes it is exactly right. But it is not always available, not always safe, and not always honest about what is actually happening in the room.

This week’s episode tackles something a lot of therapists quietly struggle with:

What happens when you genuinely WANT to be a good ally… but you still get things wrong?

Because honestly, allyship can feel awkward.
Especially when discomfort, defensiveness, fear of saying the wrong thing, or “trying too hard” starts showing up.

In this episode, Curt and I talk about what ally work actually looks like in real life, not just in theory. The missteps. The repair. The discomfort. And why awkwardness isn’t failure… it’s part of the process.

If you’ve ever worried about messing up in conversations around identity, culture, privilege, or difference, this conversation is probably going to resonate.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/mtsgpodcast477

Image: Podcast cover artwork for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Episode 477 titled “Allyship is Awkward.” The image shows a diverse group of hands forming a circle with fists touching together in the center against a soft neutral background.

Allyship Is Awkward: How Therapists Can Keep Showing Up Anyway - Therapy Reimagined Curt Widhalm, LMFT, and Katie Vernoy, LMFT explore what it actually looks like to do ally work as a therapist when you hold majority identities the people around you do not share. The conversation moves across three zones where this work plays out: with clients in the therapy room, with colleagues a...

This week, we’re talking about q***r relationships, q***r s*x, and all the things therapists are often NOT trained to talk about comfortably.

And honestly… that discomfort shows up more than people realize.

One thing Tom Bruett said that really stood out was how many q***r couples come into therapy saying they liked their previous therapist… but their therapist seemed uncomfortable talking about s*x.

Not because the therapist was trying to cause harm.
Usually because nobody actually trained them for these conversations.

This episode gets into what therapists often miss when working with q***r couples, the idea of a “second q***r adolescence,” and why traditional relationship models don’t always fit q***r experiences.

And honestly, there are a lot of conversations in here that apply outside the therapy room too.

Listen here:
https://bit.ly/mtsgpodcast476

Image: Podcast cover for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Episode 476 titled “The 7 Stages of Q***r Love.” Background shows two people holding hands in a close-up image with dark blue tones. A headshot of Tom Bruett, LMFT appears in the lower right corner. Text reads: “An interview with Tom Bruett, LMFT” along with the website mtsgpodcast.com.

The Seven Stages of Q***r Love: Therapy with Q***r Couples, Q***r S*x, and the Developmental Model - An Interview with Tom Bruett, LMFT Curt and Katie talk with Tom Bruett, LMFT, about what therapists often miss when working with q***r couples, how the Developmental Model of Relationship Therapy can be expanded to include the realities of q***r relationship development, and why a “second q***r adolescence” deserves a place in an...

Most therapists know they’re supposed to use HIPAA compliant email.

But if we’re being honest… a lot of people don’t actually know what that means behind the scenes.

This week, we sat down with Hoala Greevy, founder and CEO of Paubox, to talk about secure communication, encrypted email, privacy concerns, and why so many “secure portals” create frustration for both therapists and clients.

One thing that really stood out:
The conversation around building tools based on actual customer feedback instead of just checking compliance boxes.

Because at the end of the day, security tools only work if people can realistically use them.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your current systems are actually protecting your practice and your clients the way you think they are… this episode opens up a really important conversation.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/mtsgpodcast-paubox

Image: Special Consumer Guide episode cover for Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide featuring Paubox. Background has a blue and orange gradient with the Paubox logo centered prominently. A headshot of Hoala Greevy appears below the logo. Text reads: “An in-depth interview with Hoala Greevy, Founder and CEO of Paubox” along with the websites paubox.com and mtsgpodcast.com.

Modern Therapist's Consumer Guide: Paubox. HIPAA Compliant Email, Secure Communication, and Practice Privacy. An Interview with Hoala Greevy, Founder and CEO of Paubox Curt and Katie talk with Hoala Greevy, Founder and CEO of Paubox, a HIPAA compliant email security company built to deliver encrypted messages straight to the recipient's inbox, without portals, plugins, or extra clicks. This episode is part of our Modern Therapist's Consumer Guide series.