The Clinical Supervisor's Seat: Power, Ethics, and Burnout in Modern Therapy

What makes a clinical supervisor effective and what happens when the relationship fails to support growth? In this episode of Highly Therapized, host Jenny Petersen is joined by Dr. Ezra Lockhart, a seasoned supervisor, educator, and therapist, to unpack the ethical, personal, and systemic complexities of supervision in modern therapy spaces.

Together, they explore:

• What ethical and legal responsibilities supervisors hold
• The impact of personal challenges on clinical work
• Burnout, moral injury, and the realities of corporate therapy settings
• Supervision in the digital age (e.g., social media and TikTok dilemmas)
• How Haley’s Strategic Model and legal literacy enhance supervision

Whether you're a clinical trainee or associate therapist, a licensed supervisor, or someone navigating therapy work in today's changing landscape, this episode offers invaluable insight.

Guest Info: Connect with Dr. Lockhart

🌐 Books: https://easydoesitcounseling.com/books/

• Amazon Books https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dr.-Ezra-N.-S.-Lockhart/author/B0D2VCH8FZ?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=8c9ed083-3adb-4b98-a69d-f6d10437bdb4

⛓ Publication Links: https://easydoesitcounseling.com/meet-the-founder/

• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8SDzaLQAAAAJ
• Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4435-9053

🔗 LinkedIn: Ezra Lockhart, Ph.D., LMFT, LAC, ACS, CDCS, MAC, ACAS https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezralockhart/

🏢 Business: Easy Does It Counseling https://easydoesitcounseling.com/

• Dr. Lockhart is available for state licensure supervision in the following state: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, & Louisiana. Reach out if you are looking for clinical supervision!

🟥 YouTube: @easydoesitcounseling https://www.youtube.com/@easydoesitcounseling

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Mentorship and Clinical Supervision Through Haley's Strategic Model: A Composite Case Study in Legal Literacy https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/jsyt.2024.43.3.01

How to Avoid Burnout and Find Joy in Corporatized Care Settings https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/how-to-avoid-burnout-in-coporatized-care-settings

What makes a clinical supervisor effective and what happens when the relationship fails to support growth? In this episode of Highly Therapized, host Jenny Petersen is joined by Dr. Ezra Lockhart, a seasoned supervisor, educator, and therapist, to unpack the ethical, personal, and systemic complexities of supervision in modern therapy spaces.

Together, they explore:

* What ethical and legal responsibilities supervisors hold

* How to navigate difficult trainee-supervisor dynamics

* The impact of personal challenges on clinical work

* Burnout, moral injury, and the realities of corporate therapy settings

* Supervision in the digital age (e.g., social media and TikTok dilemmas)

* How Haley’s Strategic Model and legal literacy enhance supervision

Whether you're a clinical trainee or associate therapist, a licensed supervisor, or someone navigating therapy work in today's changing landscape, this episode offers invaluable insight.

📰 Referenced Articles:

* Mentorship and Clinical Supervision Through Haley's Strategic Model: A Composite Case Study in Legal Literacy – Journal of Systemic Therapies

* How to Avoid Burnout and Find Joy in Corporatized Care Settings – Psychotherapy.net

Guest Info: Connect with Dr. Lockhart

🌐 Books: [https://easydoesitcounseling.com/books/]

* Amazon Books [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dr.-Ezra-N.-S.-Lockhart/author/B0D2VCH8FZ?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=8c9ed083-3adb-4b98-a69d-f6d10437bdb4]

⛓ Publication Links: [https://easydoesitcounseling.com/meet-the-founder/]

* Google Scholar: [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8SDzaLQAAAAJ]

* Orcid: [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4435-9053]

🔗 LinkedIn: Ezra Lockhart, Ph.D., LMFT, LAC, ACS, CDCS, MAC, ACAS [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezralockhart/]

🏢 Business: Easy Does It Counseling [https://easydoesitcounseling.com/]

* Dr. Lockhart is available for state licensure supervision in the following state: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, & Louisiana. Reach out if you are looking for clinical supervision!

🟥 YouTube: @easydoesitcounseling [https://www.youtube.com/@easydoesitcounseling]

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Mentorship and Clinical Supervision Through Haley's Strategic Model: A Composite Case Study in Legal Literacy [https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/jsyt.2024.43.3.01]

How to Avoid Burnout and Find Joy in Corporatized Care Settings[https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/how-to-avoid-burnout-in-coporatized-care-settings]

🎧 Other places you can listen:

* RSS (podcast links): https://rss.com/podcasts/highlytherapized/

* YouTube: @highlytherapized https://www.youtube.com/@highlytherapized

#ClinicalSupervision #TherapistBurnout #MentalHealthEthics #SupervisionMatters #TherapistSupport #TherapistLife #MentalHealthProfessionals #TherapistCommunity #HaleysStrategicModel #LegalLiteracyInTherapy #EthicalSupervision #TherapistMentorship

📌 Subscribe for more layered mental health discussions.

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In this episode of Highly Therapized, I speak with Amberly Potter, LMFT, about her personal and professional journey through addiction, undiagnosed bipolar II disorder, and the path to renewal. Amberly vulnerably shares what it was like to navigate early trauma, substance use, motherhood, and mental illness—all while building a career as a therapist.

We discuss:

• The hidden struggles Amberly faced during grad school and early clinical work
• Living with untreated bipolar II disorder and the impact on identity, work, and relationships
• The normalization of burnout and perfectionism in the mental health field
• Amberly’s experience with hospitalizations and hitting multiple “rock bottoms”
• Navigating ethical fears and stigma as a therapist with a dual identity: healer and patient
• What real recovery, spirituality, and professional redemption look like
• How she reclaimed her story and her life on her own terms

This is a must-listen for clinicians, students, and anyone who wants an honest look at what it means to fall apart and put yourself back together in a system that often expects you to hide the mess.

Guest Info:

Connect with Amberly Potter, LMFT

🌐 Blog: Soul Centered Recovery: https://amberlypotter.substack.com

📸 Instagram: soulcentered_recovery: https://www.instagram.com/soulcentered_recovery/

🔗 LinkedIn: Amberly (Amero) Potter, LMFT: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberly-potter-lmft-a32a60283/

Explore resources mentioned in this episode:

The Recovery Blueprint for Professionals: A Step-by-Step Guide for Lasting Sobriety: https://app.typeset.com/play/DYJV6N

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Highly Therapized

00:32 - Meet Amberly Potter, LMFT

01:30 - Early career beginnings and passion for storytelling

03:00 - From writing to psychology: the shift to mental health

05:15 - Trauma, perfectionism, and the hidden cost of caring

07:30 - Grad school, substance use, and undiagnosed bipolar disorder

10:45 - Practicum experiences and trauma in the field

14:00 - The pressure of productivity and clinical burnout

16:30 - Early signs of alcoholism and mood instability

20:00 - Misusing medication and suicide attempt

22:30 - Recovery setbacks and cognitive dissonance

25:00 - Working in crisis care while unraveling personally

28:15 - Being a therapist and hiding addiction

30:30 - Supervision, stigma, and ethical fears

34:10 - The myth of "high-functioning" addiction

37:00 - Domestic violence, arrests, and rock bottom

41:00 - Inpatient hospitalization and surrender

44:00 - Losing everything: identity, relationships, and stability

46:30 - Healing, recovery, and reclaiming her story

49:00 - What therapists need to hear about suffering and support

52:00 - Final reflections and Amberly’s message to other clinicians

#MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #SubstanceUseRecovery #AddictionRecovery #TherapistBurnout #LivedExperience #TherapyJourney #MentalHealthPodcast #HealingNarratives #BipolarII #WomenInRecovery #TherapistLife #AddictionAwareness

In this episode of Highly Therapized, I speak with Amberly Potter, LMFT, about her personal and professional journey through addiction, undiagnosed bipolar II disorder, and the path to renewal. Amberly vulnerably shares what it was like to navigate early trauma, substance use, motherhood, and mental illness—all while building a career as a therapist.

We discuss:

* The hidden struggles Amberly faced during grad school and early clinical work

* Living with untreated bipolar II disorder and the impact on identity, work, and relationships

* The normalization of burnout and perfectionism in the mental health field

* Amberly’s experience with hospitalizations and hitting multiple “rock bottoms”

* Navigating ethical fears and stigma as a therapist with a dual identity: healer and patient

* What real recovery, spirituality, and professional redemption look like

* How she reclaimed her story and her life on her own terms

This is a must-listen for clinicians, students, and anyone who wants an honest look at what it means to fall apart and put yourself back together in a system that often expects you to hide the mess.

Guest Info:

Connect with Amberly Potter, LMFT

🌐 Blog: Soul Centered Recovery: https://amberlypotter.substack.com

📸 Instagram: soulcentered_recovery: https://www.instagram.com/soulcentered_recovery/

🔗 LinkedIn: Amberly (Amero) Potter, LMFT: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberly-potter-lmft-a32a60283/

Explore resources mentioned in this episode:

The Recovery Blueprint for Professionals: A Step-by-Step Guide for Lasting Sobriety: https://app.typeset.com/play/DYJV6N

#MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #SubstanceUseRecovery #AddictionRecovery #TherapistBurnout #LivedExperience #TherapyJourney #MentalHealthPodcast #HealingNarratives #BipolarII #WomenInRecovery #TherapistLife #AddictionAwareness #BehindTheCouch #BipolarAwareness

In this powerful and deeply honest episode of Highly Therapized, host Jennifer Petersen, LPCC sits down with Dr. Heather Gonzales—a behavior analyst, mental health advocate, and mother—to explore what it’s like to navigate motherhood while living with a mental illness. Heather shares her lived experience with bipolar disorder, including the harrowing reality of postpartum psychosis after the birth of her daughter.

This conversation moves beyond diagnosis to examine the nuanced challenges of parenting with a mental health condition—making decisions about medication during pregnancy, unpacking the myth of the “good mom,” and navigating occasional stigma from within professional spaces. With compassion and clarity, Heather invites listeners into the messy, beautiful, and resilient truth of being both a professional and a parent with a diagnosis.

Topics covered:

• Living with bipolar disorder as a mother

• Experiencing postpartum psychosis

• Medication decisions during pregnancy

• The pressure to be a “good mom”

• Navigating professional stigma and personal growth

Guest Info:

Connect with Dr. Heather Gonzales

🌐 Blog: https://mentallyillmotherhood.wordpress.com/

🔗 LinkedIn: Heather Gonzales, Ph.D. linkedin.com/in/heather-gonzales-ph-d-🪷-8a74a33a

🏢 Business: https://www.alamobehavior.com/

Explore resources mentioned in this episode:

• (PSI) Postpartum Support International:

https://postpartum.net/

• The Mental Illness Happy Hour: https://mentalpod.com/archives/7051

• Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C): https://postpartum.net/professionals/certification/

#HighlyTherapized #MotherhoodAndMentalHealth #PostpartumPsychosis #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAdvocate #ParentingWithAMentalIllness #MaternalMentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #BehaviorAnalyst #MentalHealthPodcast

In this powerful and deeply honest episode of Highly Therapized, host Jennifer Petersen, LPCC sits down with Dr. Heather Gonzales—a behavior analyst, mental health advocate, and mother—to explore what it’s like to navigate motherhood while living with a mental illness. Heather shares her lived experience with bipolar disorder, including the harrowing reality of postpartum psychosis after the birth of her daughter.

This conversation moves beyond diagnosis to examine the nuanced challenges of parenting with a mental health condition—making decisions about medication during pregnancy, unpacking the myth of the “good mom,” and navigating occasional stigma from within professional spaces. With compassion and clarity, Heather invites listeners into the messy, beautiful, and resilient truth of being both a clinician and a parent with a diagnosis.

Topics covered:• Living with bipolar disorder as a mother• Experiencing postpartum psychosis• Medication decisions during pregnancy• The pressure to be a “good mom”• Navigating professional stigma and personal growth

Guest Info: Connect with Dr. Heather Gonzales:🌐 Blog: https://mentallyillmotherhood.wordpress.com/🔗 LinkedIn: Heather Gonzales, Ph.D. linkedin.com/in/heather-gonzales-ph-d-🪷-8a74a33a📧 Contact: [email or contact form link]

Explore resources mentioned in this episode:• [Link to mental health support resource]• [Link to postpartum psychosis information]• [Any downloadable tools or blogs she shared]

#HighlyTherapized #MotherhoodAndMentalHealth #PostpartumPsychosis #BipolarDisorder #MentalHealthAdvocate #TherapistMom #ParentingWithAMentalIllness #MaternalMentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #BehaviorAnalyst #MentalHealthPodcast

In this eye-opening episode of Highly Therapized, I talk with Dr. Lockhart, LMFT-S, to unpack the growing corporatization of mental health services and its impact on therapists, clients, and the profession as a whole. We explore the systemic barriers mental health professionals face—such as licensure mobility challenges across states, the rise of unregulated coaching, and the exploitation of clinicians within corporate settings. Dr. Lockhart and I discuss real-world alternatives to coaching models, like Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) and skills workers, and examine how mental health professionals have little support or protection from organization. We offer some solutions on how corporations and organizations can assist in these issues. We tie these concerns to late-stage capitalism, shedding light on how systemic issues contribute to burnout, fear, and isolation among providers—and why many are choosing to leave the field entirely. Whether you're a therapist, organization, mental health advocate, or simply curious about the inner workings of the profession, this episode offers a candid and critical conversation on the future of mental health care in a corporatized world.

In this eye-opening episode of Highly Therapized, I talk with Dr. Lockhart, LMFT-S, to unpack the growing corporatization of mental health services and its impact on therapists, clients, and the profession as a whole. We explore the systemic barriers mental health professionals face—such as licensure mobility challenges across states, the rise of unregulated coaching, and the exploitation of clinicians within corporate settings.

Dr. Lockhart and I discuss real-world alternatives to coaching models, like Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) and skills workers, and examine how mental health professionals have little support or protection from organization. We offer some solutions on how corporations and organizations can assist in these issues. We tie these concerns to late-stage capitalism, shedding light on how systemic issues contribute to burnout, fear, and isolation among providers—and why many are choosing to leave the field entirely.

Whether you're a therapist, organization, mental health advocate, or simply curious about the inner workings of the profession, this episode offers a candid and critical conversation on the future of mental health care in a corporatized world.

Greta Van Ess and I discuss every day life as a mental health practitioner otherwise known as a skills worker. She offers her insights into a free community resource that benefits others. Adults, children, and adolescents all have access to this resource. She explains her own day-to-day work while managing work-life boundaries in a rural community. Additionally, we discuss sleep disorders, psychology education, and epilepsy.

If you found this episode helpful, insightful, or just interesting please give us a like, share, and follow as we continue to build a community of therapists communicating and sharing ideas. ❤️