Self Careapist Therapist: Expert Insights & Practical Therapy Skills

A couple sits across from you saying they both want to repair after an affair,  but you're not sure either of them, or you, agrees on what "infidelity" actually means.

Dr. Talal Alsaleem is an infidelity researcher and therapist who developed Systemic Affair Recovery Therapy (SART) after realizing none of his clinical training was built for the couples flooding his practice — the ones in crisis over current or past infidelity. He's the author of three books on infidelity recovery and has spent over 15 years researching and treating it.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- A working, transferable definition of infidelity built around the idea of a "relationship contract" and exclusivity — not a fixed list of behaviors
- Why men and women tend to define infidelity differently, and the "double shot hypothesis" explaining why women are more upset by emotional affairs and men by sexual ones
- The three root causes of infidelity: relationship deficits, individual factors, and environmental factors (including cultural norms and power dynamics)
- Two of the seven milestones in Dr. Alsaleem's recovery model — getting the story, and acknowledging the impact and why a real apology has to name specific damage, not just say "I'm sorry"
- Why he counts helping a couple find clarity that they should separate as a treatment success, not a failure

Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome & Meet Dr. Talal Alsaleem
0:19 What He'd Avoid: Confusing Infatuation with True Intimacy
1:24 How He Built the Systemic Affair Recovery Therapy Model
3:25 The Real Recovery Stats: 33% National Average vs. 85% With This Model
6:27 How to Actually Define Infidelity (The Relationship Contract Framework)
16:17 The 3 Root Causes of Infidelity (Relationship, Individual, Environmental)
20:49 Why Men and Women Define Infidelity Differently
29:52 The 7 Milestones of Infidelity Recovery
40:07 Why "Acknowledging the Impact" Requires a Real Apology
49:39 His 3 Books, Explained
51:39 Self-Care for Clinicians Doing This Work

If you liked this episode, check out this episode comparing different styles of couples therapy with Dr. Mari Feuerman https://youtu.be/WBDfdBRo5_g?si=QlFRqy-0DEPhf0KL.

Resources mentioned:
- Dr. Alsaleem's website: talalasaleem.com
- His docuseries, Infidelity Chronicles (real, unscripted session footage)
- His upcoming podcast, Resurrecting Cupid (not yet released as of this recording)
- His three books: "Infidelity: The Best Worst Thing That Could Happen to Your Marriage," "Unfaithful and Unrepentant: Affairs Beyond the Hope of Repair," and "Deconstructing Infidelity: Causes and the Myths"

This episode covers topics relevant to CE/CEU for LCSW, LMHC, LPC, LMFT, NCC.
Free CEU available for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

Subscribe for weekly clinical training you can use in your next session.

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

Dr. William R. Miller was a developer of motivational interviewing. Ricardo Muñoz ran the first randomized controlled trial ever built to prevent depression before it starts. Fifty years ago, as grad students sharing a rickety office at the University of Oregon, they wrote the first version of a book that would go on to prove something the addiction field didn't believe: that self-help alone, with no therapist, could cut problem drinking by the same margin as live counseling. They joined today to talk about what has changed in the research, including what has led to fewer people drinking in 2026 than 1976.

Dr. William R. Miller, Ph.D., is an internationally known psychologist and emeritus professor at the University of New Mexico — the originator of Motivational Interviewing (MI), now used worldwide across mental health, medicine, and dentistry. He's published more than 60 books.

Dr. Ricardo F. Muñoz, Ph.D., is an emeritus professor of psychology at the UCSF School of Medicine, where he was based at San Francisco General Hospital for 35 years and Chief Psychologist for 25. His work on preventing depression, including the Mothers and Babies Course / El Curso Mamás y Bebés for perinatal depression — is now used internationally and cited by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Fifty years and five editions later, their new book, Rethinking Drinking, is out now.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why the field's old "alcoholic vs. social drinker" binary was wrong, and what Miller's original dissertation proved instead
- Why people who were given nothing but the self-help book — no therapist — sustained their drinking reductions as well as people who got live counseling, replicated across studies
- The "Healthy Management of Reality" framework (Chapter 12), built on Miller's mentor Albert Bandura's concept of self-efficacy
- The real story behind Motivational Interviewing: why "sit down and shut up, I'll tell you what's wrong with you" was the field's default approach before MI, and what changed it
- Muñoz's Mothers and Babies Course, shown to help prevent 53% of new perinatal depression cases
- The 8 characteristics of therapists whose clients actually get better and a study where the most empathic therapist had a 100% success rate against 25% for the least empathic, using the identical treatment manual

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:40 Meet Dr. William Miller & Dr. Ricardo Muñoz
0:53 What's changed in the alcohol science since 1976
2:43 The surprising research: self-help book vs. therapy
6:47 Ricardo's own decision not to drink (the Stanford dorm story)
10:48 The real reasons people reach for alcohol
18:36 The Drinker's Checkup — a free self-assessment model
21:15 Healthy Management of Reality: the Bandura-inspired framework
23:03 From Bandura's lab to San Francisco General Hospital
30:10 Preventing depression before it starts
39:51 Free clinical manuals, in English and Spanish
44:51 The origin story of Motivational Interviewing
52:21 The 8 characteristics of therapists whose clients get better
56:36 Why giving people just the book kept them changing
59:42 Closing thoughts

Resources mentioned:
- Rethinking Drinking (Guilford Press, available now):
- Dr. Miller's site and full list of books.                                                                                 
- Free depression prevention/treatment manuals (English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Greek, Persian) developed by Dr. Munoz and team.
- "Giving Psychology Away" (referenced ~41:54 in this file) — George A. Miller's 1969 APA presidential address, published as "Psychology as a Means of Promoting Human Welfare" (American Psychologist, 1969). Note: this is George A. Miller, not guest William R. Miller.
- Effective Psychotherapists: How They Develop and Practice, by William R. Miller & Theresa B. Moyers (Guilford Press) — the book behind the 8 therapist characteristics / empathy-outcomes research discussed at 52:21

This episode covers topics relevant to CE/CEU for LCSW, LMHC, LPC, LMFT, NCC.

Subscribe for weekly clinical training you can use in your next session.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com
Instagram: @selfcareapist
Podcast: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2512198

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

You clock out, but your brain doesn't. You're still short with your kids, still numb through your own weekend, still running on a threat response that never got the memo the workday ended and you're not sure self-care is actually touching it.

Shaina Siber, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, integrative therapist, and founder of AFFIRM Mental Health, a continuing education company for mental health professionals. She's the author of "Using ACT and CFT for Burnout Recovery: The Beyond Burnout Blueprint" and host of The Affirming Minds Podcast.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- Christina Maslach's 6 systemic drivers of burnout — and why most of them have nothing to do with willpower or self-care
- How Compassion-Focused Therapy's threat/drive/soothing model explains why "well-intentioned" coping (a workout, a glass of wine) often doesn't actually calm your nervous system
- Why venting has a real physiological upside in small doses — and how it backfires when it becomes reflexive ("the dose makes the poison")
- Two steps from Shaina's Beyond Burnout Blueprint: creating a compelling vision, and identifying your unique strengths
- What she'd change first as an employer to prevent burnout on a team — starting with psychological safety

Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome & Meet Shaina Siber, LCSW
0:53 The Martyrdom Baked Into Helping Professions
3:34 What Burnout Actually Is (Beyond "Being Tired")
6:59 Christina Maslach's 6 Systemic Drivers of Burnout
28:31 Compassion-Focused Therapy: Old Brain vs. New Brain
33:01 The 3 Systems of Emotional Regulation (Threat, Drive, Soothing)
38:44 Step 1: Creating a Compelling Vision
44:35 Step 3: Watch Your Words (Venting, Complaining, Reassurance-Seeking)
49:27 Step 4: Identify Your Unique Strengths
54:29 Step 5: Be Kind to Yourself and Others
59:49 What Leaders Can Do to Prevent Team Burnout
65:44 Where to Find Shaina Siber

If you liked this episode, you might want to check out this episode on Perfectionism education and research.

Resources mentioned:
- Shaina's book: "Using ACT and CFT for Burnout Recovery: The Beyond Burnout Blueprint"
- The Affirming Minds Podcast (Shaina's podcast)
- AFFIRM Mental Health 
- Christina Maslach's burnout research (6 systemic drivers)
- Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion-Focused Therapy
- Kristin Neff's self-compassion research (restorative and fierce compassion)

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

You're lying awake trying to think your way to certainty; running the same worry in circles, getting nowhere, but unable to stop. If a client's "careful thinking" has quietly become compulsive reasoning, exposure and response prevention alone won't fix it. This episode shows you what will.

Dr. Lisa Levine, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist and owner of the OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center of Maryland. After 23 years specializing in OCD treatment, she developed non-engagement response strategies for clients whose ERP work was being quietly undermined by compulsive reasoning and rumination happening entirely in their heads; often clients who looked like they were doing everything right.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- How to tell compulsive reasoning apart from real problem-solving, intrusive thoughts, and obsessing
- The "urgency and desperation" litmus test for spotting when reasoning has become compulsive
- Why suppression and reassurance-seeking backfire — and what a non-engagement response actually sounds like
- The "rumination bully" framework and how strategic agreeing defuses it
- Why this shows up constantly in high-achieving clients who'd never be diagnosed with OCD

Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome & Meet Dr. Lisa Levine
3:03 What Makes Reasoning "Compulsive"? The Urgency & Desperation Test
9:04 Compulsive Reasoning vs. Intrusive Thoughts vs. Obsessing
12:00 Why Suppression and Reassurance Backfire
18:03 The Toddler Tantrum Analogy: Why It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
24:07 When Deep Thinking Is Healthy — And When It's a Trap
30:00 The Rumination Bully and the Power of Strategic Agreeing
39:04 Real-World Exposure Examples: Driving, Parking, Everyday Risk
48:00 What a Non-Engagement Response Actually Sounds Like
54:00 Why This Work Takes Courage — Giving Clients (and Yourself) Credit

If you liked this episode, watch "Why OCD is Not an Adjective" next.

Resources mentioned:
- Dr. Levine's article on compulsive reasoning
- "How to Stop a Bully"- Brookes Gibbs
- Dr. Levine's mentor, Charlie Mansueto, credited with teaching her the "dead man's rule" framework

This episode covers topics relevant to CE/CEU for LCSW, LMHC, LPC, LMFT, NCC.
Free CEU available for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

Subscribe for weekly clinical training you can use in your next session.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com
Instagram: @selfcareapist
Podcast: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2512198

#therapist #mentalhealth #continuingeducation #therapisteducation #CEU #LCSW #LPC #LMFT #LMHC #evidencebasedtherapy #therapisttraining #clinicalskills #counseloreducation #OCD #ERP #rumination #compulsivereasoning #anxietytreatment

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

You're lying awake trying to think your way to certainty — running the same worry in circles, getting nowhere, but unable to stop. If a client's "careful thinking" has quietly become compulsive reasoning, exposure and response prevention alone won't fix it. This episode shows you what will.

Dr. Lisa Levine, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist and owner of the OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center of Maryland. After 23 years specializing in OCD treatment, she developed non-engagement response strategies for clients whose ERP work was being quietly undermined by compulsive reasoning and rumination happening entirely in their heads; often clients who looked like they were doing everything right.

In this episode, you'll learn:
- How to tell compulsive reasoning apart from real problem-solving, intrusive thoughts, and obsessing
- The "urgency and desperation" litmus test for spotting when reasoning has become compulsive
- Why suppression and reassurance-seeking backfire — and what a non-engagement response actually sounds like
- The "rumination bully" framework and how strategic agreeing defuses it
- Why this shows up constantly in high-achieving clients who'd never be diagnosed with OCD

Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome & Meet Dr. Lisa Levine
3:03 What Makes Reasoning "Compulsive"? The Urgency & Desperation Test
9:04 Compulsive Reasoning vs. Intrusive Thoughts vs. Obsessing
12:00 Why Suppression and Reassurance Backfire
18:03 The Toddler Tantrum Analogy: Why It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
24:07 When Deep Thinking Is Healthy — And When It's a Trap
30:00 The Rumination Bully and the Power of Strategic Agreeing
39:04 Real-World Exposure Examples: Driving, Parking, Everyday Risk
48:00 What a Non-Engagement Response Actually Sounds Like
54:00 Why This Work Takes Courage — Giving Clients (and Yourself) Credit

If you liked this episode, watch "Why OCD is Not an Adjective" next.

Resources mentioned:
- Dr. Levine's article on compulsive reasoning
- "How to Stop a Bully"- Brookes Gibbs
- Dr. Levine's mentor, Charlie Mansueto, credited with teaching her the "dead man's rule" framework

This episode covers topics relevant to CE/CEU for LCSW, LMHC, LPC, LMFT, NCC.
Free CEU available for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

Subscribe for weekly clinical training you can use in your next session.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com
Instagram: @selfcareapist
Podcast: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2512198

#therapist #mentalhealth #continuingeducation #therapisteducation #CEU #LCSW #LPC #LMFT #LMHC #evidencebasedtherapy #therapisttraining #clinicalskills #counseloreducation #OCD #ERP #rumination #compulsivereasoning #anxietytreatment

The Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly conversation with Lorain Moorehead, LCSW a therapist in private practice.  With guests ranging from expert psychologists, therapists, researchers and authors, each episode offers a deep dive and keeps listeners from intern to advanced supervisor  in mind while dropping gems and aha moments for everyone who loves to learn! If you love learning and want to keep track of some future learning opportunities, grab your personal curriculum here!

If you liked this episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us be a top mental health podcast and resource.  See you next week!

David Archer, MSW, MFT — EMDR therapist, EMDRIA-approved trainer, and author of "Anti-Racist Psychotherapy" breaks down how EMDR therapy can be used to treat racial trauma and complex trauma in clinical practice.

In this episode of the Self Careapist Therapist Podcast, Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, sits down with David to explore anti-racist psychotherapy as a science-based framework that integrates EMDR therapy, trauma-informed therapy, and an understanding of how systemic racism creates lasting neurobiological harm. David shares his Rhythm and Processing (RAP) approach,  a somatic, rhythm-based method rooted in EMDR principles and explains how therapists can apply memory reconsolidation techniques to help clients heal from racial trauma, complex trauma, and the intersection of both.

Whether you're an EMDR therapist, a trauma therapist, or a clinician working with diverse populations, this conversation offers practical clinical tools for addressing race and racism in the therapy room.

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 — Introduction: Who is David Archer?
02:30 — What Is Anti-Racist Psychotherapy?
08:15 — The Overlap Between Racial Trauma and Complex Trauma
15:42 — How Systemic Racism Creates Neurobiological Harm
22:18 — EMDR Therapy and Racial Trauma: The Clinical Connection
29:05 — Rhythm and Processing (RAP): A Somatic Approach to Healing
36:50 — Memory Reconsolidation and Conflicting Client Beliefs
44:12 — Working with Clients' Nervous Systems and Allostatic Load
51:30 — Practical Clinical Applications for Therapists
58:20 — Accessibility and Making Healing Available to All
1:05:00 — David's Books and EMDR Training Programs
1:08:00 — Final Reflections and Takeaways for Clinicians

📌 TOPICS COVERED
• Anti-racist psychotherapy as a clinical framework
• EMDR therapy for racial trauma and complex PTSD
• Rhythm and Processing (RAP) — David Archer's somatic approach
• Racial trauma vs. complex trauma: overlaps and distinctions
• Memory reconsolidation in trauma therapy
• How allostatic load and nervous system dysregulation manifest as racial trauma
• Conflicting beliefs and cognitive dissonance in trauma processing
• Trauma-informed therapy across cultural and racial identities
• Practical EMDR therapy techniques for diverse client populations
• Accessibility in mental health care

🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS
📚 David Archer's book — "Anti-Racist Psychotherapy: Confronting Systemic Racism and Healing Racial Trauma"
Available on Amazon (US & Canada) and BIPOC-owned bookstores:
https://archertherapy.com/books/anti-racist-psychotherapy/

🌐 David Archer's website (therapy services, consultation, blog):
https://archertherapy.com/

🎓 EMDR Training & RAP Approach (EMDRIA-approved, online):
https://archertherapy.com/training/emdr-basic/

📚 David's other books:
• "Black Meditation" — https://archertherapy.com/black-meditation/
• "Racial Trauma Recovery" — https://archertherapy.com/racial-trauma-recovery/
• "Black Mountain" — https://archertherapy.com/black-mountain/
• "Transforming Complex Trauma" — https://archertherapy.com/transforming-complex-trauma/

📧 Contact David Archer:
https://archertherapy.com/contact/

📚 ABOUT  SELF CAREAPIST THERAPIST PODCAST
Hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDR Certified Consultant, and Clinical Supervisor Self Careapist Therapist Podcast delivers conference-level clinical training between sessions. Each episode features in-depth clinician interviews and practical technique walkthroughs covering EMDR, CBT, DBT, RO-DBT, ACT, IFS, play therapy, and trauma-informed approaches.

Whether you're a practicing therapist, social worker, clinical psychologist, or counselor, you'll find assessment strategies, case conceptualization frameworks, and evidence-based interventions you can apply in your very next session.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly clinical training episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@selfcareapist
💬 Join the conversation leave a comment with your clinical questions or reflections

The Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly conversation with Lorain Moorehead, LCSW a therapist in private practice.  With guests ranging from expert psychologists, therapists, researchers and authors, each episode offers a deep dive and keeps listeners from intern to advanced supervisor  in mind while dropping gems and aha moments for everyone who loves to learn! If you love learning and want to keep track of some future learning opportunities, grab your personal curriculum here!

If you liked this episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us be a top mental health podcast and resource.  See you next week!

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDR Certified Consultant & Clinical Supervisor, sits down with Dr. Laurie Bruce, clinical psychologist (25+ years), mindfulness coach, host of "From Both Sides of the Couch," in a cross-show conversation recorded for both podcasts.

They unpack the gap between CEUs and real clinical consultation, what happens when a client triggers something personal in session, and the barriers that keep therapists from finding their own therapist. If you found our episode on EMDR consultation requirements useful, this conversation goes further into the blurry territory between supervision, consultation, and personal therapy.

Timestamps:
 0:00 — The problem with supervision ending at licensure
 1:14 — How other countries require ongoing consultation and the US doesn't
 2:16 — Why CEUs should partially be replaced with consultation hours
 3:16 — Learning a new modality means starting over, and why that demands supervision
 11:04 — Lorain's experience with EMDR consultation requirements
 12:47 — Dr. Bruce on DBT consultation teams, RO-DBT, and DART training
 17:26 — The deep self-exploration required in IFS training
 18:29 — The blurry line between therapy, supervision, and consultation
 22:00 — Naming it as a form of informed consent and emotional regulation
 23:39 — Administrative vs. clinical supervision: why they're not the same
 27:10 — Barriers to therapists seeking their own therapy
 34:06 — Structured vs. organic supervision: two different philosophies
 42:01 — Why the intake process is the clinical work, not just a formality
 43:23 — Individual vs. peer consultation: the role of trust and vulnerability
 45:09 — How to find a therapist when you're a therapist yourself
 49:32 — Dr. Bruce's upcoming virtual community for therapists and caregivers
 52:05 — Where to find Lorain's work on perfectionism, burnout, and anxiety

Episode Highlights:
 Supervision is treated as a finish line tied to licensure instead of an ongoing clinical need.
 Several countries require monthly consultation to maintain licensure, while the US relies on CEU hours alone.
 Specializing in a new modality puts a clinician back at square one, requiring the same level of supervision as early training.
 Administrative supervision and clinical supervision serve different functions and should not be conflated.
 Naming what is happening in the room functions as both informed consent and a regulation tool.
 The biggest barriers to therapists seeking their own therapy are financial, the conditioning to be the expert, and the difficulty of finding someone outside their professional circle.
 A strong intake is not a formality. It is where the clinical work and the supervisee's core skills are actually built.

Host: Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDR Certified Consultant & Clinical Supervisor. Private practice supporting high-achieving adults and therapists with perfectionism, burnout, anxiety, and irritability.

This episode covers topics relevant to CE/CEU for LCSW, LMHC, LPC, LMFT, NCC. Free CEU available for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

Subscribe for weekly clinical training you can use in your next session.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com
Instagram: @selfcareapist
Podcast: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2512198

#therapist #mentalhealth #continuingeducation #CEU #LCSW #LPC #LMFT #clinicalsupervision #EMDR #DBT

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

New episodes every other Wednesday. If this episode was useful, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other therapists find the show.

The LCSW exam is not primarily asking clinicians to memorize more content.

In this episode of The Self Careapist Therapist, I talk through how I think about LCSW exam prep, including why the exam is better understood as a reasoning test than a content test.

I share what I learned from sitting on the other side of ASWB question writing, what supervisees have taught me about the resources that actually help, and why the two-answer problem is where many clinicians start to lose confidence.

If you are preparing for the LCSW exam, supporting supervisees through the process, or trying to understand why exam prep can feel so different from clinical work, this episode offers a more grounded way to study.

Listen to this episode of The Self Careapist Therapist: Thinking Like a Clinician: Preparing for the LCSW Exam

Resources Mentioned:

Therapist Development Center: https://therapistdevelopmentcenter.com/?srsltid=AfmBOopLgdvYtqe1tHbVX9ifTs-8bErGjygcQf97MGC3WqoZD_-wDWSs

Dawn Apgar book and resources: https://www.springerpub.com/author/apgar?srsltid=AfmBOoqXWbqFe6N4483-eRAPrtwYmo7NBSv9TE6tgHUr1UhbzKArYGHf

Dr. Pam Turner: https://www.youtube.com/c/PamTurner

RayTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAfjBzlKPCtVUsJzE8KQhlA

ASWB app and practice tests: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pp.aswb&hl=en

Lorain Moorehead is a therapist, consultant, and EMDR Certified, EMDRIA‑approved consultant specializing in trauma‑informed care and EMDR integration. She works with high‑achieving adults navigating anxiety, perfectionism, identity loss, and relational stress through depth‑oriented, evidence‑based approaches. Lorain brings advanced training in DBT and certification in Perinatal Mental Health, grounding her work in safety, attunement, and nervous‑system awareness. She also supports clinicians through supervision, consultation, and training, with a strong focus on ethical practice and clinical decisionmaking. In 2025, she launched The Self Care‑apist Therapist Podcast, creating space for therapists to explore innovative, research‑backed modalities—including emerging conversations around KAP and trauma treatment.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com/   

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorainmoorehead/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfcareapist/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theselfcareapist   

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjS1AkQopGeVq6eP-1j7Y4i-oloOPSJmw  

The Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly conversation with Lorain Moorehead, LCSW a therapist in private practice.  With guests ranging from expert psychologists, therapists, researchers and authors, each episode offers a deep dive and keeps listeners from intern to advanced supervisor  in mind while dropping gems and aha moments for everyone who loves to learn! If you love learning and want to keep track of some future learning opportunities, grab your personal curriculum here!

If you liked this episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us be a top mental health podcast and resource.  See you next week!

What does DBT look like when it is truly LGBTQ+ affirming?

In this episode of The Self Careapist Therapist, I sit down with Dr. Kiki Fehling to talk about DBT for LGBTQ+ mental health, minority stress, queer joy, self-love, emotional resilience, and what it means to apply skills in a way that actually honors context.

We talk about why being queer is not the source of mental health harm, how anti-queer environments shape emotion dysregulation, and why DBT can be especially helpful when clinicians understand the transaction between identity, biology, environment, invalidation, and safety.

If you are a therapist working with LGBTQ+ clients, or if you are trying to deepen your affirming practice beyond good intentions, this conversation offers a thoughtful clinical lens. Listen to the full episode of DBT for LGBTQ+ Mental Health: Self-Love, Emotional Resilience & Queer Joy With Dr. Kiki Fehling.

Dr. Kiki Fehling, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and Linehan-Board-certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) expert therapist. She specializes in emotional sensitivity, borderline personality disorder, self-harm and suicide, trauma, and LGBTQ+ mental health. She is the co-author of Self-Directed DBT Skills: A 3-Month DBT Workbook and regularly shares mental health tips and DBT-related posts through her @dbtkiki social media accounts. Her work focuses on making DBT skills more accessible and affirming for LGBTQ+ people, especially around self-love, emotional resilience, minority stress, and queer joy.

Website: https://www.kikifehling.com/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dbtkiki/ 

Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkikifehling/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/drkikifehling/ 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dbtkiki

Lorain Moorehead is a therapist, consultant, and EMDR Certified, EMDRIA‑approved consultant specializing in trauma‑informed care and EMDR integration. She works with high‑achieving adults navigating anxiety, perfectionism, identity loss, and relational stress through depth‑oriented, evidence‑based approaches. Lorain brings advanced training in DBT and certification in Perinatal Mental Health, grounding her work in safety, attunement, and nervous‑system awareness. She also supports clinicians through supervision, consultation, and training, with a strong focus on ethical practice and clinical decisionmaking. In 2025, she launched The Self Care‑apist Therapist Podcast, creating space for therapists to explore innovative, research‑backed modalities—including emerging conversations around KAP and trauma treatment.

Website: https://lorainmoorehead.com/   

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorainmoorehead/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theselfcareapist/  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theselfcareapist   

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjS1AkQopGeVq6eP-1j7Y4i-oloOPSJmw  

Not sure where you're stuck clinically? Take the free Stuck Point Quiz at lorainmoorehead.com/quiz and get resources matched to your answers.

Self Careapist Therapist Podcast is a biweekly, therapist-to-therapist conversation hosted by Lorain Moorehead, LCSW, PMH-C, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Guests include psychologists, researchers, and the developers of the clinical models they teach, with practical takeaways for every level, from intern to clinical supervisor. Many episodes offer a free CEU for Arizona licensure through the Board of Behavioral Health Examiners.

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