On today’s important episode of The Be Ruthless Show, I address the targeted killing of a licensed mental health counselor inside her Orlando office and the uncomfortable truth the profession avoids. This was not random violence. This was intentional, and it happened in a space designed for healing.

I break down why this loss hits so deeply for clinicians, especially those in private practice, and why empathy, skill, and experience do not make someone immune to physical danger. I speak to the silence within mental health culture around workplace violence, the pressure to internalize risk, and the myth that better boundaries or better therapy could have prevented harm.

This episode challenges the idea that safety measures mean fear, that boundaries provoke violence, or that therapists are responsible for managing other people’s dangerous behavior. I name the ethical tension between duty to care and duty to self, and why being a “good therapist” should never require being a martyr.

This is a conversation about grief, anger, fear, and the collective impact incidents like this have on the field. It is also a call for ruthless honesty about risk, responsibility, and the right of mental health professionals to go home alive.

Content note: This episode discusses workplace violence and death. Listener discretion is advised.

If this episode stirred something in you, you’re not alone. You’re not weak. And you’re not overreacting.

Because compassion is not a bulletproof vest.

Remember, You can reach out anytime:⁠

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