Intentional Therapist: Putting You In Your Schedule
Self-care shouldn’t be another task on your to-do list! This is the show that helps you as a busy and dedicated female mental health therapist to redefine your approach to self-care. Because we need so much more than bubble baths and breathing exercises!
Hosted by Dr. Karen Dyck and Dr. Melissa Tiessen, clinical psychologists, founders of Intentional Therapist, and self-care advocates, our mission is to help you build a life where you thrive right alongside your clients, without guilt and without burning out. Join us as we explore practical strategies grounded in our 4 C’s model – Connection, Compassion, Courage, and Creativity – to help you create more space for yourself while continuing to support your clients.
Whether you work in a solo private practice, within a large organization, are a new grad, or are nearing retirement, this show has something for you. Tune in for short but valuable episodes filled with relatable and insightful new perspectives, actionable ‘self-care experiments’, and the encouragement and permission you need to put more of you back in your schedule and create a life from which you don’t need to escape.
To learn more about Intentional Therapist and our 4 C’s model of self-care, visit us at: www.intentionaltherapist.ca
[Please note: This podcast was previously called Thrivival 101, and you can continue to find our original interview episodes in this podcast feed.]
Episodes
64 episodes
E32: The Power of Discernment, Part 3.2 – Seasonal capacity misalignment and the importance of values and value domains for sustaining ourselves in the long term
Have you ever had a point in your career where it felt as though something shifted for you, and not in a good sense? Maybe it was a general sense of feeling more drained or perhaps noticing a shift in your ability to keep up with the myri...
E31: The Power of Discernment, Part 3.1 - Values misalignment, or, why, as competent therapists, we can enjoy our work and yet still feel drained
Have you ever been good at something (like your work), and still felt drained by it? It might sound strange, but it is not unusual to be competent and even excellent at what we do, and still feel that something about our work feels heavy,...
E30: The Power of Discernment, Part 2 - Boundary misalignment and the art of balancing yes with no
If you’re anything like us you probably remember times in graduate school where you told yourself something like “This won’t last forever, once I graduate I’ll have more time for myself.” And, at the time, it made sense, you truly beli...
E29: The Power of Discernment, Part 1 - Belief misalignment and the stories we tell ourselves about our work and self-care
Pop quiz: How many of these beliefs resonate for you?If I’m not exhausted, I must not be working hard enough.My schedule reflects my value.My clients’ outcomes are my responsibility.
E28: The Power of Discernment & the Importance of Knowing Where to Target Your Self-Care Efforts
If you’re like most therapists, there have undoubtedly been times in your career when you’ve found yourself struggling with work and trying to figure out why. Figuring out the “why” to our struggles can be a great step towards finding way...
E27: Why and how to do a seasonal self-care check-in
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Why does self-care feel harder right now, even though I’m doing all the right things?”, you’re not alone. For many therapists, the struggle isn’t a lack of discipline or commitment, but a mismat...
E26: What the movie Groundhog Day can teach us about therapist self-care
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you think, “Wait, didn’t I already do this yesterday? And all the days before?” Same alarm. Same email inbox. Same clients with eerily familiar struggles. Same promises to...
E25: Upgrade your self-care belief system wrap-up: The ongoing practice of believing differently
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to talk about self-care with our clients, and how incredibly hard it can be to actually practice it in our own lives? As therapists, we can quote the research, share the strategies, name the pattern...
E24: Belief system upgrade #8: Self-care needs community
What if the strongest form of self-care isn’t what you do by yourself… but who you allow in? As therapists, we spend our days holding space for others. We encourage our clients to lean into support, to reach out, to know they don’t have to carr...
E23: Belief system upgrade #7: Self-care needs our intentional attention
How often do you intentionally sit down to reflect on your self-care? If you are like most of us, probably not very often! Even if you are a regular listener of this podcast, and hopefully check in with your self-care more often tha...
E22: Belief system upgrade #6: Self-care needs to be personalized and revisited often
How many of you remember the ‘set it and forget it’ rotisserie oven infomercials from the 1990’s? Even if that doesn’t ring a bell, the fact is that as humans we love the idea of only having to do something once, and then not having to th...
E21: Belief system upgrade #5: Self-care challenges are shaped by gender and professional socialization – NOT personal failings!
When you think about why self-care is hard, what comes to mind? Maybe not enough time, or feeling guilty, or just forgetting until you’re completely burned out. The dominant story says: if you can’t manage your self-care, you’re not disciplined...
E20: Belief system upgrade #4: Self-care doesn't have to cost a lot of time, energy, or money
How many times have you said — or thought — ‘I’d love to take better care of myself, but I just don’t have the time’? Or, ‘I’m way too tired.’ Or maybe, ‘I can’t afford it right now.’ These are probably the three biggest roadblocks therap...
E19: Belief system upgrade #3: Self-care can be uncomfortable (but worth it!)
Here’s something that might surprise you: some of the best self-care doesn’t feel good in the moment. Think about it — how many times have you dreaded going for a run, having that hard conversation, or finally making the dentist app...
E18: Belief system upgrade #2: Self-care is NOT selfish & is NOT just about treating ourselves
When was the last time you said ‘no’ to someone? And we don’t mean a playful no, or a no with an apology attached, but a real, solid, unapologetic ‘no.’If you’re anything like most therapists — especially women in our field — that questi...
E17: Upgrade your self-care belief system! Upgrade #1: Self-care is PART OF our work
If you’re a therapist who feels like self-care always comes last, you’re not alone. Most of us were trained—implicitly or explicitly—to treat our own needs as optional, something to squeeze in after clients, paperwork, and family demands. But w...
E16: Check-in on your self-care along with us! The importance of seasonal self-care check-ins
What if your to-do list isn’t the problem — but rather a quiet signal that one of your self-care pillars is out of balance? As therapists, we’re trained to notice these signs in others, but we often overlook the gentle nudges from within: ...
E15: Experimenting With Experiments: Season 1 Self-Care Experiments Round Up
What if the real secret to sustainable self-care isn’t about working harder—or even trying to be “better”—but simply about noticing, connecting, and giving yourself permission to take small, imperfect steps? In today’s episode, we’re taking a s...
E14: Why can’t I actually put myself in my schedule?! 3 ways to more intentionally protect your self-care efforts
Have you ever looked at your schedule and wondered why everyone else’s needs made the cut—but yours didn’t? In this podcast episode, we’re exploring a question we hear all the time: Why can’t I actually put myself in my schedule?...
E13: This is your brain on breaks: 3 benefits of incorporating breaks into our days
What does your typical day look like? Does it include regularly occurring breaks or do you often find yourself constantly on the go? If you’re like most of the female mental health therapists we’ve spoken with, most of your days pro...
E12: Therapists have rights too! 3 personal rights to embrace for better self-care
Have your sessions with clients ever incorporated the topic of assertiveness and its related benefits? If so, then you’re likely familiar with the “Personal Bill of Rights” and how eye opening this resource can be to clients, particularly...
E11: Self-care sabotage: 3 types of beliefs that may be hurting your self-care from the inside out
How often do you take time to reflect on your beliefs and the ways they might be influencing your self-care? If you’re like most female mental health therapists, you’re likely so busy tending to your professional and personal roles and re...
E10: Connection in a post-pandemic world: 3 ways connecting with others can change the self-care game
As a mental health professional, you undoubtedly know the significant role our relationships can have on our overall well-being. In fact, it’s probably something you discuss with most, if not all your clients at some point during therapy....
E9: Documentation is not the enemy! How to use the 4 C’s to make documentation your self-care ally
Have you ever thought of documentation as a form of self-care? Of course, probably not! We know that more likely, documentation often feels like a time-consuming, mentally draining task that takes away from the work you truly care a...
E8: How to use our values to work for our self-care, instead of against it
How often do you think of values when you think about self-care? If you’re like many of us, probably not very often or at all. Yet the reality is our values can play a huge role in our self-care, whether we think about them or not.&...