Thoughtfully Us

You finished school, earned your degree, and you're ready to enter the mental health field. Now what?

This week, we're answering a listener's question about navigating the transition into the profession and the challenges that can come with being a new therapist.

We reflect on our own experiences entering the field and discuss some of the emotional and structural challenges that new clinicians face, from navigating workplace expectations to managing complex clinical situations while still developing confidence in their skills.

We also explore the importance of supportive work environments, why settings like hospitals and schools can offer valuable opportunities for learning early in your career, and how clinical supervision, consultation, and connection with other professionals can make a difference in a field that can sometimes feel isolating.

And because we can't talk about becoming a therapist without talking about the responsibility that comes with it, we touch on the importance of ethical boundaries, professional conduct, and recognizing that while our lived experiences can deepen our empathy, they don't replace the need for formal education and clinical training.

Whether you're a student, a new therapist, or someone who's been in the field for years, this episode is a reminder that becoming a therapist is an ongoing process, and you don't have to figure it all out alone.

This week, we're joined by Brittany Moffitt, owner of Worthy to Live Therapy LLC, for a conversation about maternal mental health, trauma recovery, and the importance of community in healing.

We explore what it means to move beyond simply raising awareness about maternal mental health challenges and toward creating meaningful support. Brittany shares her perspective on how conversations about high maternal mortality rates, while important, can also create fear and helplessness when they aren't accompanied by resources, solutions, and opportunities for change.

We also dive into trauma recovery, including Brittany's passion for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and discuss the importance of connection and community alongside individual healing.

And we have something exciting to share! Brittany and Nelly discuss a new support group they're launching to create space for mothers to connect, process their experiences, and feel less alone.

From trauma-informed care to the power of community, this episode reminds us that awareness is only part of the conversation. What we do with that awareness matters just as much.

Connect with Brittany here: https://worthytolivetherapy.com/

Instagram: worthytolivetherapy

Recent conversations surrounding the Lindsay Clancy trial have brought perinatal mental health into the public conversation in a significant way. In this episode, we aren't discussing the outcome of the trial or attempting to analyze the case. Instead, we're talking about some of the larger conversations it has sparked for us as therapists and as women.

We explore just how complex the postpartum experience can be, the range of challenges that can occur during the perinatal period, and why greater education and specialized training in perinatal mental health matter. We also get to celebrate Morgan's recent certification in perinatal mental health!

We talk about the importance of listening to people's experiences, taking their concerns seriously, and making sure families know where they can turn for specialized support.

If you or someone you know needs perinatal mental health support:

• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262), available 24/7, free and confidential.

• Postpartum Support International (PSI) HelpLine: Call 1-800-944-4773 (#1 Spanish, #2 English) or text “HELP” to 800-944-4773 for support and resources.

This is a heavy conversation, and we encourage you to take care of yourself while listening.

This week, we're joined by Josie Albrecht, LCPC, co-founder of Take Care Collective, for an important conversation about community and networking for therapists.

If you know our podcast, you know that we often express the struggle with knowing we need to network and being scared of it. Josie provides us with her journey as a young therapist to co-founding the Take Care Collective, a mental health wellness collective focused on community building and providing quality care.

Josie also expresses the missing conversation pieces about accessible care, providing support to those experiencing domestic violence, intimate partner violence and sexual assault. Needed conversations as violence is often overlooked.

Connect with Josie by visiting takecarecollective.org or following on social media @takecarecltv and check out their wonderful support for clinicians and community members like you!

We thought we were done talking about rest. Turns out, we had more to say.

In this follow-up to our conversation about why rest can feel so difficult, we're digging deeper into what can actually get in the way of slowing down. We talk about the emotional discomfort of setting boundaries and how people-pleasing, conflict avoidance, and even our need for control can make saying "no" feel much harder than it sounds.

We also explore the idea that rest isn't something we should have to earn by being productive enough first. It's a biological necessity. Yet so many of us have learned to treat it like a reward we can only access once everything else is done.

And as therapists, we noticed an interesting contradiction: setting boundaries with clients can sometimes feel much easier than setting them with the people in our personal lives. So what changes when the role, expectations, and built-in limits of the therapy room disappear?

We're continuing our conversation about rest, but this time we're asking what we might have to say no to, let go of, or become a little uncomfortable with in order to actually get it.

Why can doing absolutely nothing feel so uncomfortable?

In this episode, we're talking about our complicated relationships with rest — why we know we need it, why we still feel guilty when we take it, and why sometimes being "productive" feels easier than simply slowing down.

We explore how our identities as women of color, therapists, and moms can shape the way we think about rest and productivity, and Maya challenges Nelly and Morgan to look a little deeper at why they tend to avoid resting in the first place. Because sometimes the question isn't just, "Why can't I rest?" It's also, "What comes up for me when I finally stop?"

Our conversation also takes us into the heaviness of consuming difficult stories in the news, including the Lindsey Clancy case, and the permission we may need to step away — particularly for therapists and people whose own postpartum experiences make certain stories especially difficult to hold.

That leads us to a larger conversation about empathy, listening, and remembering that we don't get to decide someone else's experience for them. Sometimes supporting another person means trusting that they are the expert on what their own life, body, and emotions have felt like.

From rest and productivity to motherhood, avoidance, empathy, and knowing when to unplug, this episode asks us to consider what might happen if we stopped treating rest as something we have to earn.

Sometimes we tell someone, “You should go to therapy,” as if going is the hard part. But what happens when someone doesn’t want to go? Or when they show up because a partner, friend, or family member wants them there, but they aren’t actually ready for therapy themselves?

That question took us into a much bigger conversation about what therapy actually is… and what it isn’t.

We unpack the stigma that still surrounds mental health care, the expectation that therapy should provide an immediate solution, and why simply getting someone into a therapist’s office doesn’t guarantee change. We also reflect on what it’s like moving through the world as therapists with a deeper understanding of human behavior, systems, and the many factors that shape a person’s experiences.

And because apparently we had a LOT to say this week, we turn the lens back on our own profession. We talk about the importance of the therapeutic relationship, choosing modalities intentionally rather than treating them as one-size-fits-all solutions, and some of the structural issues within the mental health field itself.

Basically, we started with “Can you make someone go to therapy?” and somehow ended up examining therapy as a whole. Come unpack it with us.

This week, we're joined by Kenya Crawford, LMHC founder of Cultivating Healers, for an inspiring conversation about what it truly takes to support the people providing mental health care.

Kenya shares the mission behind Cultivating Healers and her passion for creating more equitable, sustainable spaces for clinicians. We explore her anti-racist consultation work, the challenges therapists face navigating insurance systems, and why self-care alone isn't enough if the systems we're working within remain unsustainable.

Whether you're a therapist, helping professional, or simply interested in creating healthier communities, this conversation is a powerful reminder that caring for others begins with caring for ourselves and each other.

Connect with Kenya here:

• Grab your exclusive gift here: https://www.kenyacrawford.com/podcast
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultivatinghealers/

We're living in one of the most connected times in history… so why are so many people feeling lonely?

In this episode, we explore the paradox of modern connection. We discuss how social media has changed the way we build and maintain relationships, whether constant digital access has replaced meaningful in-person connection, and how being reachable at all times can actually leave us craving more space and solitude.

Together, we reflect on what genuine connection looks like today, how technology has reshaped our relationships, and how we can intentionally create moments of belonging in an increasingly connected world.

This week, we're joined by the incredible Bianca Hughes, Georgia-based therapist, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for helping high achievers and perfectionists build lives that feel just as fulfilling as they look.

Together, we explore the relationship between ambition, perfectionism, and mental health. Bianca shares how her own mindset around success shaped her journey as both a clinician and business owner, while also reflecting on the lessons she's learned about slowing down, setting boundaries, and caring for herself along the way.

We also discuss why perfectionism is often misunderstood, how it can quietly impact our relationships, careers, and self-worth, and why self-care isn't just a luxury—it's essential for those who spend their lives caring for others.

Whether you're a therapist, entrepreneur, high achiever, or simply someone trying to balance ambition with well-being, this conversation is one you won't want to miss.

Follow Bianca on social media:

• Websites: authenticallybeyou.com & soulfulclinician.com
• Instagram @authenticallybeyou