Private Practice Skills

Hosted by Private Practice Skills

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125

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

If I have long-form content for my YouTube channel, I'll share on here too for those who prefer to listen to the mp3 version :)

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60 recent

June 12, 202626 min

Big Tech Therapy is Making Headlines

The land of Big Tech Therapy has been making headlines. I cover some of them in this episode.*The links shared below are a reference only and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Marie Fang, Private Practice Skills, or its sponsors.If you’d like a great summary of all that I covered, check out ZynnyMe’s article:https://www.zynnyme.com/blog/alma-headway-and-the-big-questionIf you feel compelled to do something, this r/therapists post links to several options at the systemic level:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1tvzpov/support_and_advocacy_for_therapists/Build Better Health’s Mental Health Insurance Reform Task Force’s Petition (if you’d like to sign):https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/we-demand-a-system-that-reflects-the-true-value-of-mental-health-careThank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:⁠https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0⁠*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Citations:Alma has investments from Cigna and Optum:https://cignaventures.com/alma-raises-130m-in-series-d-funding-led-by-thoma-bravo-to-advance-its-mission-to-simplify-access-to-high-quality-affordable-mental-health-care/Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of several Blue Cross Blue Shield programs, invests in Headway:https://www.hcsc.com/newsroom/news-releases/2023/strategic-investment-headway-behavioral-healthReference: HCSC is parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield:https://www.hcsc.com/who-we-areRula backed by Blue Venture Fund:https://bhbusiness.com/2024/09/17/digital-mental-health-platform-rula-health-expands-to-50-states/Reference: Blue Venture Fund invests on behalf of Blue Cross Blue Shield:https://blueventurefund.com/Headway and Alma announce 30 percent cut in Optum Rates, January 2025:https://clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2024/11/2-digital-mental-health-platforms-cut-pay-rates-for-therapists-with-unitedhealths-optum-stirring-anger/Aetna cuts rates with Alma-contracted therapists:https://bhbusiness.com/2026/05/21/aetna-cuts-rates-with-alma-contracted-therapists/r/therapists megathread on Aetna’s rate cuts through Alma:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1tj1bl1/megathread_aetna_alma_reimbursement_changes_90837/APA urges Aetna to halt rate cuts:https://updates.apaservices.org/apa--american-psychiatric-association-urge-aetna-to-pause-reimbursement-rate-cuts-for-behavioral-health-cliniciansAetna Launches Aetna Mental Health on Demand:https://www.aetna.com/insights/news/aetna-launches-mental-health-on-demand.htmlCVS Announces Aetna Mental Health on Demand:https://www.cvshealth.com/news/condition-management/aetna-launches-aetna-mental-health-on-demand-to-provide-real-time-access-to-care-and-ongoing-support.htmlProof News Article: "Woman’s Talkspace Therapy App Sessions Exposed in Court"https://www.proofnews.org/womans-talkspace-therapy-app-sessions-exposed-in-court/FTC Sues Amazon for Monopoly Power:https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/09/ftc-sues-amazon-illegally-maintaining-monopoly-powerClass Action Lawsuit Against Headway:https://www.classaction.org/news/headway-hit-with-class-action-over-alleged-disclosure-of-patient-info-to-googleClear Health Costs Article: "Therapists have misgivings on the platforms: Alma, Headway etc. and the business of therapy”https://clearhealthcosts.com/blog/2025/11/therapists-have-misgivings-on-the-platforms-alma-headway-etc-and-the-business-of-therapy/Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comThis podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

June 5, 202629 min

Is it Okay for Therapists to Charge for Therapy in Advance?

After a consult call with a new potential therapist who charged the morning of the therapy session, I found myself in a deep dive seeking the answer to this question: is it ethical for therapists to charge in advance of session?Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email and forms easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://hubs.la/Q04k58tL0*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:r/therapists: "Do you charge your clients before or after the session?"https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1dilgg3/do_you_charge_your_clients_before_or_after_the/Quora: "What are the ethical implications of paying for therapy sessions in advance?”https://therapistsexposed.quora.com/What-are-the-ethical-implications-of-paying-for-therapy-sessions-in-advanceQuora: "Do all therapists require their clients to pay up front before starting treatment/therapy sessions?"https://www.quora.com/Do-all-therapists-require-their-clients-to-pay-up-front-before-starting-treatment-therapy-sessionsQuora: "Should a therapist ask for payment up front or at the end of the session?"https://www.quora.com/Should-a-therapist-ask-for-payment-up-front-or-at-the-end-of-the-sessionEthical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conducthttps://www.apa.org/ethics/codeAAMFT’s Code of Ethics:https://www.aamft.org/AAMFT/web/Action-Advocacy/Code-of-Ethics-New.aspxLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

May 29, 202632 min

Therapy Starts Before the Initial Session

I recently reached out to a therapist for myself and realized how much the entire intake process sets the tone of the therapeutic alliance.In this episode, I share some suggestions for how we can hold a therapeutic frame with potential clients before the therapy starts. Not only will it improve the client experience, but setting accurate expectations can help clients make an accurate decision before consenting to therapy, and clients are less likely to cancel before the first session (like I did!). Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Article: "Premature discontinuation in adult psychotherapy: a meta-analysis"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22506792/Article: “The Nature, Timing, and Symptom Trajectories of Dropout from Transdiagnostic and Single-Diagnosis Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8531532/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

May 22, 202637 min

The Most Fundamental Therapy Skills Explained: Active Listening

It’s the start of a new series: The Most Fundamental Therapy Skills Explained. Woo! Today we’re kicking off the series by talking about active listening.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Video: My Story of Sudden Hearing Loss:https://youtu.be/DYQJKKnbxFkAPA’s Definition of Active Listening:https://dictionary.apa.org/active-listeningRogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1987). Active listening. In R. G. Newman, M. A. Danzinger, & M. Cohen (Eds.), Communicating in business today (pp. 580–593). D. C. Heath & Company.https://books.google.com/books/about/Communicating_in_Business_Today.html?id=PJ24PAAACAAJArticle: “Active Listening”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK442015/Article: "Coregulation of therapist and client emotion during psychotherapy”https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7233481/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

May 15, 202636 min

Social Media is a Hot Mess. We can do Better

We all know that social media is messy. In this episode, we explore two questions that have been taking up space in my brain lately:How much pseudoscience is spread by respected therapists with HUGE platforms, even amongst fellow therapists (think: psychologists with longstanding bestsellers)How harmful we are to each other in the comments. Why do we dogpile on each other so hard? Why are therapists just as culpable of piling on each other? Is speaking to each other this way online effective? And importantly: is there a better way?Thank you to Loretta J. Ross’ for her work on Calling In - links to her work referenced below!Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links Mentioned:Loretta J. Ross’ TED Talk: "Don't call people out -- call them in”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw_720iQDss&t=850sLoretta’s book: "Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel"https://amzn.to/439WHfC(this is an affiliate link)Article: "Addressing misinformation about mental health with patients”https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-mental-healthArticle: "An experimental online study on the impact of negative social media comments on anxiety and mood”https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-10810-8Article: "Online disinhibition mediates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and uncivil communication"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-81086-7Article: "The online disinhibition effect”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15257832/Article: "Calling IN: A Less Disposable Way of Holding Each Other Accountable”https://www.bgdblog.org/2013/12/calling-less-disposable-way-holding-accountable/LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

May 8, 202630 min

Big Tech & AI Won't Replace Private Practice

Lots of private practice therapists are seeing a drop in referrals lately due to an array of factors, including the ongoing growth of big tech therapy and AI-based services. It raises the question: is private practice still sustainable?In this episode, I share my personal take: private practice isn’t going anywhere. And, if we can stay grounded in our roots of offering specialized, individualized, dynamic therapy, we can differentiate ourselves from big tech therapy.I share my take on this in this episode. What do you think? What pieces did I miss?Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Related Episodes:"Trying AI Therapy (I'm a Psychologist)”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqpxi_oCpYc"Beat Big Tech Therapy by not Playing Their Game”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKrlL6oxUX4LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

May 1, 202632 min

Why Do Therapists Do That?

I typed into Google "why do therapists..." and let Google autosuggest what it thought I wanted to ask. The suggested questions were interesting! Sometimes curious, sometimes controversial, I tackled these questions in this episode.Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Links mentioned:Prior Episode: "Why Does my Therapist Do That?”https://youtu.be/rN3MYbFwWLMNPR: "Finding a therapist who takes your insurance can be nearly impossible. Here's why"https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/08/24/nx-s1-5028551/insurance-therapy-therapist-mental-health-coverageAverage Therapist Salary on Indeed:https://www.indeed.com/career/therapist/salaries"Certified Life Coach: What It Means and How to Become One"https://www.coursera.org/articles/certified-life-coachReddit Post on Life Coaches:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/1pqc60p/for_fun_i_obtained_details_on_how_much_life/?force_seo=1LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

April 24, 202644 min

Psychologist Reacts to Positive Therapy Stories

Here's a little dose of positivity for you :)Sometimes we can get so deep into the parts of our profession that are messy that I'm helped by reminders of all the meaningful work we're doing too. Enjoy!Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

April 17, 202634 min

Therapists' Biggest Struggles in 2026

Does anyone else feel like things have been extra hard for therapists in 2026? In this episode, I asked therapists to share their top struggles of 2026, because I wanted to know if something different is going on lately.I was surprised to find a much wider gamut of top therapist struggles reported compared to when I made similar episodes in the past.What do you think? Does it feel extra difficult to be a therapist? Or, are these just the same struggles we’ve experienced before but just in slightly different packaging?Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!Episodes Mentioned:Private Practice Marketing Playlist:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi4iw1FZZYrAaqD-YMZm_Hc5WSZMq5WSB15 Alternative Career Options for Therapists:https://youtu.be/jdsKse4Yf1wWhat if you Get Bored as a Therapist?https://youtu.be/FqxBN8DaxsE5 Tools That Help Me Avoid Therapist Burnout:https://youtu.be/ujI6bHACnFUThe Therapeutic Aspects of the Initial Phone Screen:https://youtu.be/mXEciH3PZ5YLINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.

April 10, 202644 min

Psychologist Reacts to Therapists on Reddit

It's been over a year since I took at the top posts on the r/therapists subreddit. Since I've been living under a rock, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the top posts from the therapists subreddit from the last year. Check out the r/therapists subreddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/Thank you to Paubox for sponsoring this episode. Paubox makes HIPAA-secure email easy and streamlined. Check them out here:https://bit.ly/pps_paubox_spotify*Get $250 off your first year with Paubox with coupon code "SKILLS"*Bonus Deal:* If you add the Paubox badge to your website you get an extra $100 off your first year - that means you can get your whole first year free if you apply both deals!LINKS:*Some links are affiliate links. A percentage of purchases come back to me and help my channel immensely!👉 FREE Guide: Start a Private Practice in Counseling: https://tinyurl.com/y9ek9en8👉 All my filming gear: https://kit.co/privatepracticeskills/all-my-gearThis podcast is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field. Welcome to Private Practice Skills! I’m Dr. Marie Fang, psychologist in private practice. I post videos offering tools I learned the hard way about starting and growing private practice so that you don’t have to.Website: www.privatepracticeskills.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/privatepracticeskillsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/privatepracticeskills/This podcast is not intended as professional or legal advice. Be sure to seek the services of a professional if you are in need of them.