Why Therapists Quit

Curt and Katie chat about the systemic reasons that therapists leave the profession. We look at the work environment, the infrastructure of community mental health, as well as the frequent ways that therapists set up their own private practices. We also identify changes on a systems level as well as calls to actions for individuals who would like to continue as a therapist.
It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.
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Show notes: therapyreimagi...
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In this episode we talk about:
Challenges in the mental health system leading to therapists quitting the profession
Why therapists don’t stay therapists when they wanted to stay therapists
Obstacles and lack of opportunities
The lack of quality of supervision or inadequate training for other elements of the job
The lack of research on therapist workforce issues
Not a lot of empathy for therapists as we “chose” to do this
Caseload sizes, the weight of carrying the challenges of many people
Niche fatigue and hearing the same story over and over
The challenge of holding the hope for clients and communities
The heaviness and the boredom of hearing so many similar conversations
The full workload including paperwork and other consultations, case management and advocacy
Who is drawn to the work, the desire for deep and meaningful work, and the problems of the bureaucratic system in providing meaningful work
The training doesn’t match the actual job
The status quo and inertia in the work, while at the same time that all the changes that happen in the other pieces of the profession
Productivity standards and billing, differences in philosophy
Systemic problems with under and unpaid services and requirements
What we’re asking from the professional organizations and the challenges that professional organizations may have in advocating for these types of systemic changes
What could actually move forward in legislation
The issues related to antitrust
People are more concerned about our patients than about therapists
Why clinicians in all settings (including community mental health, private practice, etc.)
The sameness of the workload when you’re in private practice
The isolation as a therapist
Increased demands with higher demand, less delineated work/life balance
The appeal of a job where you can just show up
The weight we carry as business owners, including decision-making and responsibility to generate income
The benefit of diversifying your caseload
Calls to action: advocating for quality workplaces, finding peer support, setting boundaries for yourself throughout your professional journey, what we can do if enough of us make these changes
The time is now to address mental health systemic problems - shining a light on how we are well-situated, making sure we are paid, and sharing messages to support the community
Our Generous Sponsor for this episode of the Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide:
Heard Bookkeeping and Tax
Who we are:
Curt Widhalm, LMFT is in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is the cofounder of the Therapy Reimagined conference, an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and CSUN, a former Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, former CFO of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making "dad jokes" and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: www.curtwidhalm...
Katie Vernoy, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant supporting leaders, visionaries, executives, and helping professionals to create sustainable careers. Katie, with Curt, has developed workshops and a conference, Therapy Reimagined, to support therapists navigating through the modern challenges of this profession. Katie is also Past President of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt's youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: www.katievernoy...
A Quick Note:
Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves - except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We’re working on it.
Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren’t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don’t want to, but hey.

[@delmarmaclean1111]

I am a therapist and my caseload is usually around 80 clients or so. I am feeling burned out and I could relate to everything you guys wer talking abuut1

[@cns7404]

Thanks for sharing this topic!! This is why I see a shortage of therapists. I have to meet a quota to meet with a certain amount of clients a week. All I'm doing overall is paying to run someone else practice.

[@ericbray4286]

Therapists are asked to work with people to solve problems that are caused by systemic failures, i.e. poverty, racism, stigma, lack of opportunity. All the therapy in the world will not make the failures of capitalism go away. We need to stop blaming the individual and using therapy like the police/compliance agents.

[@et1016]

Personal failures, not systemic failures. Anyone can be successful in this country if they are willing to do the work and stop whining. Blaming others and whining about OUR failures is never a recipe for success. Grow up, assume some responsibility and stop blaming everyone else.

[@willhunting8733]

@@et1016Individuality and free markets are the answer as collectivism and centralization caused most of the issues the guy you responded to said. Problem is, the markets aren’t free and haven’t been for a long time. This, along with corruption, disregard for life and property (specifically of the poor), and abuse create a web that is VERY difficult to get out of. The best way to solve this is up for debate, but there will always be people that fall through the cracks (probably a higher proportion that watch a video like this than the general population), and I don’t want to hear a damn thing about people saying they want to help others (especially evangelicals) if this will not be addressed.

[@videt7459]

Someone really needs to crack the antitrust issue. Unless they do, insurance companies are going to continue to REDUCE reimbursements every year. This is the only profession in which wages are actively going DOWN every year. All we hear is how bad the MH crisis in America is, yet insurance companies are allowed to bottom out payments to providers to the point where we're eventually forced to change professions because we can't live on what we earn as therapists 😡

[@mariahshepherd2609]

Thank you for this. ❤️

[@et1016]

I am preparing to walk away, and I have never been happier!! hallelujah amen!! it is unethical for any therapist to see 40 patients a day. That is beyond ridiculous, and nothing more than modern day slavery.

[@ladymich-j2e]

im preparing to walk away too the high caseloads and ever increasing complexity- ive had enough

[@et1016]

@@ladymich-j2e God bless you. It’s the best thing you can do for your physical/mental and spiritual well-being.

[@ladymich-j2e]

@@et1016 God bless you too- its so hard walking away from something that you worked so hard for but honestly i cant do it anymore- im going back to my occupational therapy profession which is not emotionally draining like being a talking therapist

[@ladymich-j2e]

however im still looking for new opportunities unrelated to healthcare

[@jasonjones4036]

Thank you so so much

[@JulietCrowson]

GMC?

[@JulietCrowson]

Hcpc?

[@belindabezuidenhout8056]

Wow, if this is how much a therapist hates their job, do you realize how you are messing up your clients???? Please rather quit

[@ladymich-j2e]

therapists are human too- you can still care about your clients and do a good job but it is exhausting!