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

Burnout Recovery in a Failing System – An Interview with Shaina Siber, LCSW

Therapists are navigating hiring freezes, wage stagnation, insurance instability, identity-level threats, and mounting systemic uncertainty — all while supporting clients experiencing the same instability. What happens when burnout isn’t just about workload, but about working inside a system that feels like it’s failing?

Curt and Katie talk with Shaina Siber, LCSW, about moral injury, burnout as a fawning trauma response, and how therapists can move from control strategies to agency using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT).

Shaina shares how psychological flexibility, compassionate prioritization, and values-based action can help therapists recover from burnout without abandoning their humanity.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Burnout as a trauma response
• Moral injury in modern mental health care
• The “K-shaped” labor market and therapist stagnation
• Moving from overcontrol to agency
• Sustainable contribution without collapsing

Guest Bio:
Shaina Siber, LCSW is the founder of Affirm Mental Health, host of The Affirming Minds Podcast, and author of the forthcoming Routledge book Using ACT and CFT for Burnout Recovery: The Beyond Burnout Blueprint (available for pre-order February 25, 2026). She brings over 15 years of clinical and leadership experience and specializes in trauma-informed, LGBTQ+, and culturally responsive care.

Full show notes and resources: mtsgpodcast.com

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Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:
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Should Texas Therapists Stop Treating Kids? Texas SB14, Gender-Affirming Care, and the Risks for Therapists

In this episode of the Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy discuss a new interpretation of Texas SB14 that may place therapists at risk for providing gender-affirming care to trans youth. They explore how a recent opinion from the Texas Attorney General could broaden the law’s reach beyond medical providers to include mental health professionals.

Curt and Katie break down what this interpretation could mean for therapists working with minors, including possible risks related to licensure, malpractice coverage, mandated reporting, and criminal liability. They also discuss the ethical tension between evidence-based care and compliance with state law, and the difficult decisions clinicians may face when considering whether to continue working with kids.

Key Takeaways:


A new interpretation of Texas SB14 may include mental health professionals as part of the “healthcare pipeline” facilitating gender transition for minors.


The legal term “facilitating” could potentially include referrals, letters, or even supportive therapy conversations.


Therapists may face risks related to licensure complaints, malpractice coverage exclusions, or legal consequences if their care is interpreted as supporting gender transition.


Mandated child abuse reporting requirements could create additional legal and ethical concerns.


Clinicians may need to assess their personal risk tolerance when deciding whether to continue working with minors.

Full show notes and additional resources will be available at:mtsgpodcast.com

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Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits

Voice Over by DW McCannhttps://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Manganohttps://groomsymusic.com/

The Licensing Racket: Therapist Licensing, Discipline, and Access to Care – An Interview with Rebecca Haw Allensworth

Who does licensing protect - the public or the profession?

Curt and Katie talk with Rebecca Haw Allensworth, law professor and author of The Licensing Racket, about how professional licensing boards actually function, and what that means for therapists, discipline, and access to care.

After attending licensing board meetings across professions and states, Rebecca identified a troubling pattern: entry requirements that continually “ratchet up,” while discipline decisions can lean toward giving professionals the benefit of the doubt. The result? Higher barriers to entry, workforce shortages, and inconsistent public protection.

This episode explores therapist licensing reform, self-regulation, professional turf wars, board funding structures, and the tension between prestige, professional identity, and public safety.

About Our Guest:Rebecca Haw Allensworth is the David Daniels Allen Professor of Law at Vanderbilt Law School and author of The Licensing Racket: How We Decide Who Is Allowed to Work and Why It Goes Wrong. Her research focuses on antitrust and professional licensing and has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Key Takeaways:
• Why licensing requirements tend to increase over time
• How self-regulation can create blind spots in discipline
• The impact of licensing barriers on workforce shortages and access to care
• Why complaints about unlicensed practice may be prioritized over client complaints
• How professional identity and funding structures shape board decisions

Full show notes and resources: mtsgpodcast.com

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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/

Training Therapists in the Age of AI: Preventing Deskilling and Teaching Clinical Judgment

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in mental health care, therapists, supervisors, and educators face a critical responsibility: integrating AI tools without eroding clinical judgment, reasoning, and skill development.

In this continuing education episode of the Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy examine how AI can create the illusion of competence while quietly undermining the processes therapists rely on to learn how to think clinically. They explore therapist deskilling as a systemic issue shaped by training models, supervision practices, and productivity pressures rather than individual failure.

This episode focuses on how supervisors, educators, and clinicians can preserve clinical mastery while using AI responsibly, emphasizing learning science, supervision ethics, and the importance of maintaining human judgment in an automated world.

In this episode, we discuss:


How AI can mask gaps in clinical reasoning


The competence paradox and automation bias in therapy


Why struggle and ambiguity are essential for learning


The role of supervisors and educators in preventing deskilling


How to use AI without outsourcing clinical judgment

Continuing Education:
This episode is eligible for 1 unit of continuing education (CE). To earn CE credit, go to moderntherapistcommunity.com, register for a free profile, purchase the course, complete the post-test and evaluation, and download your certificate.

Full show notes, transcript, and course details are available at mtsgpodcast.com.

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Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:
Voice Over by DW McCannhttps://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Manganohttps://groomsymusic.com/

Why Food Anxiety Is Not Always About Dieting: Understanding ARFID and Intuitive Eating - An interview with Robyn L. Goldberg, RDN, CEDS-C

Diet culture often dominates conversations about eating disorders, but not all struggles with food are driven by weight, body image, or dieting. In this episode, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk with registered dietitian nutritionist and certified eating disorder specialist Robyn L. Goldberg about Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), intuitive eating, and how therapists can recognize when food anxiety requires a different clinical approach.

Robyn explains how ARFID differs from more familiar eating disorders, why it is often mislabeled as “picky eating,” and when intuitive eating principles need to be adapted or set aside. This conversation offers therapists practical guidance for assessment, referral, and collaboration with eating-disorder-informed dietitians.

Key Takeaways


ARFID is not driven by weight or body image concerns and is often rooted in sensory sensitivities, trauma, or fear of aversive consequences


Intuitive eating is not a one-size-fits-all model and may require significant structure for some clients


Rigid food rules and avoidance can be protective for clients but may also limit functioning and quality of life


Exposure-based approaches are often central to ARFID treatment and require specialized training


Therapists should refer to eating-disorder-informed dietitians when food restriction significantly impacts health or daily life

Guest Bio
Robyn L. Goldberg, RDN, CEDS-C, is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified eating disorder dietitian and consultant with over twenty-eight years of experience. She is the author of The Eating Disorder Trap, host of The Eating Disorder Trap Podcast, and a nationally recognized expert featured in major media outlets.

Full Show NotesRead the full show notes and resources at: https://www.mtsgpodcast.com

Community and SupportJoin our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/therapyreimaginedSupport the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/mtsgpodcast

Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits

Voiceover by DW McCannhttps://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Manganohttps://groomsymusic.com/