What happens when a client expects therapy to “fix” them or assumes their therapist will always have the wise, perfect answer? In this episode, we explore how to set realistic expectations around the therapy process, the therapist’s role, and how change actually happens. How do we balance validating our clients’ hopes while grounding them in what therapy can (and can’t) do?

Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch or share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram @edgeofthecouchpod, email at [email protected], or voice note at speakpipe.com/edgeofthecouch.

We have partnered with Janeapp, an all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign up.

Alison McCleary
www.alpenglowcounselling.com
@alpenglow_counselling on Instagram

Jordan Pickell
www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca
@jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram

Edge of the Couch
www.edgeofthecouch.com
@edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

We’re so happy to be back after our holiday hiatus. We're starting the new season with a highly requested topic-- opening a private practice. Since we graduated, the landscape of the counselling field has changed tremendously. More and more clinicians are opening their own practices right after graduating and we know that can be extremely anxiety-provoking.

While we don’t share specific how-to tips, we hope that by sharing our stories, you can pick up some niblets of helpful information. We both acutely remember the intensity of the transition into private practice. Every decision is now all your own. The scheduling, finances, clinical stuff, it all falls on you and that can feel really big. We also hope that this episode helps you feel even a tiny bit more confident if you are thinking of opening a private practice.

Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch or share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram @edgeofthecouchpod, email at [email protected], or voice note at speakpipe.com/edgeofthecouch.

We have partnered with Janeapp, an all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign up.

Alison McCleary
www.alpenglowcounselling.com
@alpenglow_counselling on Instagram

Jordan Pickell
www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca
@jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram

Edge of the Couch
www.edgeofthecouch.com
@edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Being a Therapist in 2024 conference at the beautiful Jane Headquarters in North Vancouver. In this special episode, we dive into questions from the audience about niching, overcoming imposter syndrome, and working within organizations. We wrap up with messages to our younger selves, reflecting on what we wish we’d known when we were just starting out. We’re so grateful for our listeners and invite you to leave a review, follow us on Patreon to access a catalogue of bonus content, and stay connected as we prepare for our next season. As always, we love to hear from you, so please reach out with your thoughts and questions! See you in the new year!

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

How can we support clients in navigating the big life decisions, including to stay or leave relationships, choose career paths, or family planning? In this episode, we explore the therapeutic role of discernment. Often, people are grappling with the pros and cons of each choice. Some of these conversations are vital and productive, and other times, it feels like we are spinning our wheels. As the therapist, we can find ourselves frustrated or stuck not knowing where to go next. In the context of therapy, discernment isn't about finding the 'right' answer. Instead, it's about slowing down, exploring the layers of a decision, and really getting to the heart of what feels right for them. It’s about creating space for their values, fears, and desires to emerge— without rushing to solve it or decide immediately. 

How do you approach discernment in your own practice? Do you find yourself giving your opinions, or do you project a sense of 'neutrality'? What do you do when the client feels stuck in not being able to move forward?

Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch or share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram @edgeofthecouchpod, email at [email protected], or voice note at speakpipe.com/edgeofthecouch.

We have partnered with Janeapp, an all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign up.

Alison McCleary
www.alpenglowcounselling.com
@alpenglow_counselling on Instagram

Jordan Pickell
www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca
@jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram

Edge of the Couch
www.edgeofthecouch.com
@edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

Content note: This episode discusses suicide and abuse. 

Are therapists crisis workers? We believe that the role of the therapist and the role of the crisis worker are distinct, yet, in certain situations, we can still find ourselves pulled into that role. In this episode, we break down the crucial differences between emergencies, crises, and general distress, and explore where our responsibilities begin and end in a private practice setting. We discuss why it's essential to connect clients to appropriate crisis resources, the scope of our work as therapists, and what might be driving the urge to step in during critical moments. 

Are you clear on your own boundaries when it comes to crisis management, or do you sometimes blur the lines? 

Remember, we're speaking from the context of private practice in BC, Canada. Make sure to consult your own licensing body and legal requirements in your jurisdiction. This episode is not a substitute for supervision or legal advice, but rather a list of things to consider when navigating these complex situations. 

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

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Did you hear the phrase “follow the client” in graduate school and wonder what it really means in practice? In this episode, we dive into the nuances of this concept, exploring how therapists balance the art of staying present with the client’s story while holding the bigger picture in mind. We talk about how goals in therapy can shift over time and how we can support clients by being curious about what’s beneath the surface.

Join us as we reflect on what it looks like to trust the client’s process while still guiding them toward deeper healing. What does "follow the client" look like in your practice?

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

Have you heard the phrase 'The worst person you know has a therapist encouraging and validating their behaviour'? In this episode, we tackle a tricky line in therapy-- when compassion tips into complicity in a client's harmful, toxic, or otherwise unkind behaviour. We talk about the skill and risk involved in calling clients in when they’re not acting in alignment with their own or our shared ethics. We reflect on our own struggles and strategies for working with clients who might be stuck in what some might label as 'arrogance' or 'a victim mentality'— a phrase with terrible, belittling connotations, but it points to something real when clients can’t see the whole picture. We explore when a therapist should be more active versus more passive in holding clients accountable and how we help them orient toward change. Do you tend to confront or hold back too much? How can we support clients to break out of black-and-white thinking for their own benefit and the people around them?

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!

In this special episode, we watch and react to our first recording together, before Edge of the Couch, an unpublished episode of a podcast that would never be: 'Reel Therapy Talk' where we would talk about pop culture from the perspective of therapists. On April 6, 2020, we recorded our first and only episode. Love is Blind was having a cultural moment, and it inspired us to talk about the reality show characters, Jessica and Marc. In 2024, our rewatch brings up tender and surprising feelings. We laugh at ourselves, and compare our lives from then to now. Let us know what you think! 

**Follow us on Patreon to view this episode in video format.** www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

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In this special episode, Bhupie Dulay and Abby Chow come on the podcast to talk about how we can rather than rely on the reductionist approach to working with clients with marginalized identities, radically reimagine what relationality looks like in relationships inside and outside the therapy room. We talk about what it means to practice hope, how our work is essentially about love, and the immense responsibility and power we have as therapists.

To learn more about their upcoming summit, Leaning into Liberatory Practice: Bringing Love + Relationality Back Into Therapy, visit www.reflectingonjustice.com/summit.

Join us on February 26, 2025 from 6–8 PM Pacific for a live virtual workshop, Growing Into Your Own As a Therapist. Bonus Q+A at the end. We hope to see you there!

Sign up now on Eventbrite!