16. You Gotta Humble Yourself and Don’t Scare Easy (ft. Merrik Hetherington, LPC)

This week Karen learned how important it is to shut the dogs out of her office when she’s doing virtual sessions from home. It’s a cascade of challenges and unintentional self-disclosure when working from home as a counselor, so get ready for it!Today we’re sharing our conversation with Merrik Hetherington, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Texas San Antonio and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling, also from UTSA. Merrik currently works in a group practice in North Austin providing therapy services to children, teens, young adults, and families. She is certified in PCIT - Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and does a lot of counseling work with parents, in particular. With Merrik we discuss some challenges in the field like insurance payout and credentialing differences, the lack of standards for calling oneself a “specialist,” and the endless work shoring up boundaries with clients in real life. Merrik also has great advice on what clinicians who want to work with parents need to be prepared to do and reminds us of all the true grit it takes to be a mental health professional!Resources mentioned: Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover TawwabTransforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach by Howard Glasser and Jennifer EasleyThe Last Arrow: Save Nothing for the Next Life by Erwin Raphael McManusNedra Glover Tawwab’s Instagram: @nedratawwab https://www.instagram.com/nedratawwab/ Thank you for listening! To support the show and receive access to regular bonus episodes, check out the Therapy Tea Patreon community https://www.patreon.com/TherapyTeaPodcast.Follow us on social media: Facebook: Therapy Tea Podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552953196482 Instagram: @therapyteapod https://www.instagram.com/therapyteapod/ Thoughts? Questions? Email us at [email protected] Disclaimer: This podcast is not therapy and does not establish a professional, therapeutic counseling relationship. All statements made on this podcast by hosts and guests are their individual personal perspectives only and are not necessarily shared by anyone else. The hosts and guests on this podcast are not speaking on behalf of all mental health professionals or the profession as a whole.