329 - Therapists Can't Fix Everything with Sivie Suckerman, Therapist Unchained
“I firmly believe that in order for us to be able to sustainably do this work, we have to be able to take care of ourselves." ~ Sivie Suckerman
Releasing the pressure to have all the answers, confronting broken mental health systems, and reclaiming the art of being present.
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What a gift my conversation with Sivie Suckerman turned out to be! From our performing arts backgrounds to the similarities of our early-career experiences in Chicago, and on through the books we love, every tangent aligned perfectly. Even down to the date we recorded. More on that in the episode.
Beyond Sivie’s formidable credentials as a practice owner, podcaster, and creator of the Therapists Unchained community, her compassion for mental health providers shines through. She built Therapists Unchained as a resource hub to empower professionals amid a tidal wave of changes to our field. Sivie and I offer guidance on increasing our capacity for uncertainty, leaving the restrictive role of “expert” behind, and embodying the position as witness for our clients more fully.
“When you feel compelled to jump in and fix or solve, you end up right in the mud with your clients,” observes Sivie. She understands the urge, especially among newer mental health practitioners. But no word, phrase, or modality will make the suffering magically go away for good. Life keeps on life-ing between sessions. “We don't allow space for people to move through stuff. It forces people to shove stuff down because we have to just keep going,” Sivie says. “I feel like we've lost the roots of, like, sitting with people.”
Reclaiming the art of being requires some doing. Insurance companies, VC-backed tech platforms, and cumbersome government systems are driven by efficiencies, not therapeutic effectiveness. Their narrow focus motivated Sivie. “I really started to see the impact of systems on everything,” she says. “The lens that I have for that is kind of what organically grew into the podcast of Therapists Unchained, where I'm really breaking down the systems that mental health clinicians are facing right now.”
Everything will eventually collapse––the insurance industries, the outdated systems, even the ways we train to become mental health professionals. Sivie is providing space for practitioners to co-create what comes next. And here’s the good news: no one has to have all the answers. Instead, Sivie asks, “What do we have that we can contribute to the whole, because everybody does bring something different?”
GUEST CONTACT & BIO
Sivie Suckerman is a licensed mental health counselor, approved clinical supervisor and group practice owner of Playful Minds Counseling in Seattle, WA. She is also the host and founder of Therapists Unchained, a podcast and community that is centered around educating, empowering, and inspiring MH clinicians across the country within this ever-evolving and changing mental health landscape.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
ALS Association of Greater New York
Going To Pieces Without Falling Apart
The NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)
RECOMMENDED EPISODES
Data, Dollars, and the Future of Therapy with Sharon Harper (Therapists Unchained | Sivie Suckerman)
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