Shrinking Heads

In this episode, Shannon joins us once again as we navigate a difficult and often unspoken part of the jungle of mental health: the double standards faced by mental health professionals when it comes to seeking care for themselves.As therapists, social workers, counselors, and other providers spend their careers supporting others through trauma, burnout, and emotional struggle, many quietly face a painful reality of their own—the fear that seeking help could impact how they are perceived professionally, or even threaten their license and career.Together, we explore questions like:Why is there still stigma around mental health treatment for mental health providers?How does fear of professional consequences become a barrier to care?What messages do clinicians internalize about vulnerability and competence?How can the field move toward a healthier, more sustainable culture for providers themselves?This conversation examines the emotional toll of carrying others while feeling pressure to appear endlessly stable, capable, and unaffected. We also discuss the importance of creating systems where clinicians can access support without shame, fear, or professional risk.Whether you’re a mental health professional, student, or someone curious about the realities behind the therapy room, this episode offers an honest look at the humanity of the people tasked with caring for others.Tune in for a thoughtful discussion about therapist mental health, burnout in helping professions, stigma in mental healthcare, clinician self-care, licensing fears, professional identity, and navigating the mental health jungle from both sides of the couch.#shrinkingheads #prismaticcounseling #mentalhealthpodcast #mentalhealthstigma #burnout

What happens when one of our hosts gets left to fend for themselves in the jungle? Chaos? Adventure? A few too many bug bites? All of the above. In this wild episode of Shrinking Heads, we swing from the trees of survival to the branches of therapy as our stranded host shares her favorite lessons, tips, and insights from the therapy room. Expect laughter, reflection, and practical mental health wisdom—delivered straight from the jungle. It’s therapy, unplugged…and slightly untamed.

This week, we’re venturing into the therapy jungle to take a hard look at ourselves—not our clients. Even the most experienced therapists carry assumptions and stereotypes about the people who come throughout doors: the “one with the pumpkin spice latte”, the “resistant” client, the "perfectly self-aware” client. In this episode, we’ll explore where these mental shortcuts come from, how they can shape our work, and why challenging them is essential for authentic, effective therapy. Along the way, we’ll share insights, stories, and maybe even a few laughs at the traps we’ve all fallen into in the therapy jungle.

In this week's episode, join your Shrinking Heads hosts Shannon and Elizabeth as they take you deep into the tangled jungle of mental health, where every vine looks like a hashtag and every branch carries a label waiting to stick. In this episode, they hack through the overgrowth of social media’s illusions and the traps of being defined by labels. Are these tools helping us navigate the terrain, or are they quicksand in disguise? Grab your machete of curiosity—we’re cutting through the noise to find a clearer path.

Therapists may help you hack through the tangled vines of your own mind, but don’t be fooled—they’ve got their own wild undergrowth to navigate too. In this episode of Shrinking Heads, tag along as Elizabeth and Shannon trek into the jungle of mental health to explore the fact that therapists are people just like us: sometimes lost without a map, sometimes swatting at emotional mosquitoes, and occasionally stopping to admire the rare bloom of self-awareness. Strap on your boots—it’s not just your head that needs shrinking.

Join your hosts Elizabeth and the freshly retuned Shannon as they explore the jungle of what it means to be a social worker AND a human. Being a social worker means you are part advocate, part therapist, part paperwork warrior. But guess what? Social workers are also human. In this episode, we unpack the beautiful chaos of caring for others while remembering to care for yourself. Expect honesty, humor, and maybe a few therapeutic deep sighs.