The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

Why Therapists Stop Working with Kids and What It Takes to Stay: Sustainability, Boundaries, and Pivots for the Long Haul

Curt Widhalm, LMFT, and Katie Vernoy, LMFT push back on the field's quiet stereotype that working with kids is the "starter home" of private practice, the place clinicians put in time before graduating to a cardigan and a wing-back chair. Working with kids and teens is not entry-level work. It is some of the most clinically and physically demanding work in the profession, and it has a sustainability problem that rarely gets named honestly.

Curt and Katie examine why so many therapists who work with kids and teens hit a wall around the five-year mark, and why that wall is rarely about clinical depth. They unpack the sensory toll, the parent communication load, the school and provider coordination, the cost of running a play therapy room, and the way a child caseload can quietly distort a clinician's sense of what is developmentally typical.

They also talk about how to build a long-haul career working with kids, teens, and families without becoming, in Curt's words, "a cynical, glitter-covered shell of a human being." This is a conversation for therapists in private practice, supervisors of clinicians who work with minors, and anyone weighing whether to keep working with kids, scale back, or pivot.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why working with kids is not a lesser clinical specialty

Why the work is hard to sustain, and why "burnout" alone does not fully explain it

How shifting from kid sessions to family work and parent work extends the clinical impact

The sensory, physical, and administrative load of working with kids

Why parents contact child therapists more than adult clients contact their own therapists

The financial and logistical reality of running a play therapy room

How a clinical caseload can distort a therapist's sense of typical development

When a pivot to adult, family, or parent work is healthy, and when it is avoidance

Timestamps:

00:15 — The "starter home" stereotype, and the five-year wall

06:03 — The 167-hour problem and why kid work is family work

10:08 — The sensory and physical toll

12:58 — Caseload diversification and structuring the day

19:41 — The unpaid hours: parents, schools, and the village

23:43 — The play therapy industrial complex

27:59 — Keeping up with kids' culture without losing yourself

30:19 — How a clinical caseload distorts the sense of typical development

33:09 — Expectations, moral injury, and what "fix my kid" really costs

35:01 — When a pivot is survival, and when it is avoidance

Full show notes and resources: mtsgpodcast.com

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Voice Over by DW McCann — https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano — https://groomsymusic.com/

When Good Moms Feel Bad: Supporting Mothers in Therapy with IFS and the Mom Parts Method – An Interview with Jessica Tomich Sorci, LMFT

Jessica Tomich Sorci, LMFT, creator of the Mom Parts Method, on IFS, maternal mental health, mom shame, and why "bad mom" parts are protectors, not problems.

Curt and Katie talk with Jessica Tomich Sorci, LMFT about what therapists often miss when working with mothers, and how Internal Family Systems (IFS) can be adapted for the real conditions of motherhood. Jessica is the creator of the Mom Parts Method and author of When Good Moms Feel Bad: An Empowering Guide for Transforming Guilt, Anxiety and Anger into Compassion, Confidence and Connectedness (Balance, 2026).

Drawing on more than fifteen years of clinical work in maternal mental health, Jessica translates IFS into accessible, motherhood-native language. The Mom Parts Method gives mothers simple tools to identify their parts, access their Inner Mom, and approach guilt, grief, rage, and overwhelm with curiosity instead of correction.

This is a useful conversation for therapists working with mothers, perinatal mental health clinicians, and anyone interested in more affirming, non-pathologizing approaches to maternal mental health.

In this episode, we discuss:

What therapists often get wrong when working with mothers

How the Mom Parts Method translates IFS into motherhood-native language

The role of patriarchy, under-resourcing, and matrescence in maternal distress

Why "bad mom" parts (rage, panic, perfectionism, the inner critic) are protectors

The five-step Mom Parts Method, from triggering event to remedy

How therapists' own parts show up in this work

Why healing in maternal mental health is wholeness, not elimination

Full show notes and transcript: mtsgpodcast.com

Timestamps:

03:30 - What therapists get wrong with mothers

04:47 - Shame and the "bad mom" taboo

10:45 - Patriarchy, matrescence, and the systemic context

17:42 - The five-step Mom Parts Method

29:56 - Healing is wholeness, not elimination

33:48 - When to bring parts work into session

35:27 - When Good Moms Feel Bad and Mothercentered training

Guest Bio:

Jessica Tomich Sorci, LMFT is a Level 3 Certified IFS Therapist, IFSI Approved Clinical Consultant, and a Certified Perinatal Mental Health therapist (PMH-C) with advanced training in IFIO. She is the creator of the Mom Parts Method and author of When Good Moms Feel Bad (Balance, 2026). She trains clinicians through her Mothercentered certification program. Learn more at www.momparts.com.

Join the Modern Therapist Community

Podcast: mtsgpodcast.com
Patreon: patreon.com/c/mtsgpodcast
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therapyreimagined

Modern Therapist's Survival Guide Creative Credits
Voice Over by DW McCann: https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano: https://groomsymusic.com/

Why Fixing Teens Doesn’t Work and What Actually Helps Youth Mental Health: An Interview with Dr. Will Dobud

Curt and Katie talk with Dr. Will Dobud about what therapists often get wrong when working with teens, why adolescent behavior is so often overpathologized, and how connection, play, risk, and mastery can better support youth mental health. They also explore the so-called youth mental health crisis, the impact of overmanagement and disconnection, and what therapists can do to better engage young people in meaningful, developmentally appropriate ways.

About Our GuestDr. Will Dobud is a social worker, researcher, and educator who has worked with adolescents and families in the United States, Australia, and Norway. He is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Charles Sturt University and an award-winning researcher focused on improving therapy outcomes for teenagers and promoting safe, ethical practices. His work has also examined America’s Troubled Teen Industry, especially wilderness therapy.

Key Takeaways

Teens are often overpathologized when they may be showing developmentally normal behavior.

Youth therapy should focus on engagement, interaction, play, and doing things together, not just sitting and talking.

Social disconnection, fewer third spaces, and less unstructured play may be contributing to youth distress.

Young people will seek connection wherever they can find it, including online and through AI relationships.

Therapists can help teens build resilience by supporting autonomy, mastery, and meaningful participation.

Find the full show notes and transcript at mtsgpodcast.com.

Join the Modern Therapist Community:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/mtsgpodcast
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Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therapyreimagined
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined

Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:
Voice Over by DW McCann: https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano: https://groomsymusic.com/

The Burden of Potential: Therapy for Gifted Adults Navigating Burnout, Identity, and 2e Considerations

Gifted adults do not usually come to therapy naming giftedness as the issue. More often, they present with burnout, anxiety, depression, underperformance, identity confusion, relationship strain, or existential distress. In this continuing education episode, Katie Vernoy and Curt Widhalm explore how gifted adults show up in therapy, how to distinguish giftedness from high achievement, and how 2e considerations can complicate assessment and treatment.

Curt and Katie discuss the hidden cost of success, including masking, perfectionism, chronic overfunctioning, executive functioning workarounds, code-switching, and the pressure of living up to potential. They also look at what helps in therapy: deeper assessment, intellectual attunement, self-compassion, sustainability, accommodations, and values-aligned treatment.

In this podcast episode, we discuss:

common presenting concerns for gifted adults in therapy

the difference between giftedness, achievement, and eminence

burnout, perfectionism, and chronic overfunctioning

masking, self-editing, and existential loneliness

2e considerations and hidden neurodivergence

treatment strategies that go beyond basic coping skills

This episode is eligible for 1 CE credit through the Modern Therapist Learning Community. To receive CE credit, listen to the episode, register for your free profile at moderntherapistcommunity.com, purchase the course, pass the post-test, and complete the evaluation.

Full show notes, transcript, and episode resources will be available at mtsgpodcast.com.

Join the Modern Therapist Community:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined
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Podcast Homepage: https://www.mtsgpodcast.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therapyreimagined

Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:
Voice Over by DW McCann: https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano: https://groomsymusic.com/

How Therapists Can Help Clients With IBS, Chronic Nausea, and Gut-Brain Disorders: An Interview with Dr. Ali Navidi, PsyD

Curt and Katie talk with Dr. Ali Navidi, PsyD about disorders of gut-brain interaction, including IBS, chronic nausea, and other GI conditions that therapists may see more often than they realize. They explore how the gut-brain axis works, which clients may be more likely to struggle with these concerns, how therapists can stay within scope, and why specialized behavioral health treatment can directly improve symptoms rather than only helping clients cope with them.

About Our GuestDr. Ali Navidi, PsyD is a licensed clinical psychologist and co-founder of GI Psychology, a national telehealth practice specializing in the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and chronic pain. In addition to providing patient care, Dr. Navidi oversees clinical training and outreach initiatives at the practice.

He has presented on GI disorders and chronic pain to organizations across the country, including the American College of Gastroenterology, UNC School of Medicine, George Mason University, Georgetown University (Grand Rounds), INOVA, as well as through podcasts, television appearances, and multiple State Academies of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Key Takeaways

Therapists are in a strong position to notice GI issues, especially in clients with anxiety, trauma histories, autism, or eating disorders.

Disorders of gut-brain interaction are not just “in someone’s head.” The pain and symptoms are real, even when there is no visible structural problem.

Therapists should encourage appropriate medical evaluation and collaborate with gastroenterologists rather than trying to diagnose IBS or other GI disorders on their own.

Specialized CBT and clinical hypnosis can directly treat gut-brain disorders, not just the anxiety that surrounds them.

Dr. Navidi, PsyD describes a treatment model focused on hypervigilance, catastrophizing, and visceral hypersensitivity.

When diet questions come up, therapists should be cautious and refer to GI-focused dietitians when appropriate.

Therapists should also be careful about overconfident claims related to the microbiome, SIBO, and other popular gut-health conversations.

For full show notes and the transcript for this episode, visit mtsgpodcast.com.

Join the Modern Therapist Community
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined
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Podcast Homepage: mtsgpodcast.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therapyreimagined

Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits
Voice Over by DW McCann: https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano: https://groomsymusic.com/