Yoga in the Therapy Room: Tips for integrating trauma informed yoga

What are some of the scientifically proven benefits of yoga? Why is it important to find the correct yoga instructor for you and your mental health needs? Can you practice yoga in session with your client? MEET KRISTINE WEBER Kristine Weber, MA, C-IAYT, eRYT500 is a leading world authority on the neuroscientific benefits of slow, mindful yoga and an advocate for the use of these practices as an integral part of the solution to the healthcare crisis. She is leading the charge to get slow, mindful practices to people who desperately need them through her Subtle® Yoga Revolution series of online courses and training for yoga teachers - which have been praised by thousands all over the world. She has been training mental health professionals to use yoga in their clinical practices for over a decade at the Mountain Area Health Education Center which is associated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Find out more at www.subtleyoga.com IN THIS PODCAST: Benefits of yoga for anxiety and depression Yoga as a whole is not defined by one teacher Benefits of clinician self-care with yoga for clients BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION The German researcher Holger Kramer has conducted numerous meta-analyses and reviews of the benefits of yoga through a scientific lens to prove its effectiveness to the Western world. [Holger Kramer conducted] systematic reviews on looking at yoga for depression, for anxiety, for mental health in general, for addiction recovery … one of the things he says in one study is the best yoga is the kind of yoga that you'll do. (Kristine Weber) It has been concluded that slow, mindful yoga is one of the best treatments for depression. The world is beginning to move towards an evidence-informed practice of proving the efficiency of new treatments, which is necessary, but the yoga world does need to push more for more research credibility. There are still many people who discredit the benefits of yoga, but that is simply because science needs to find the correct tools on how to prove yoga's benefits. YOGA AS A WHOLE IS NOT DEFINED BY ONE TEACHER Many people have been put off by yoga or discredit the entire practice of yoga when they encounter a misinformed or brash instructor. It takes many hours of teaching a certain kind of person to lead a yoga class with patience and calmness. One cannot bring aggression or tension into the yoga space. The yoga space is the place where those things are worked out of the body, and it is not possible to relieve tension with even more tension. First of all, there is tons of good yoga going on out there, even if the teacher hasn't been trained in trauma-informed practices they could still be really good. It's more about going to classes and finding who you feel like is safe … and then refer [them]. (Kristine Weber) For trauma-informed yoga practices, it is vital for yoga instructors that assist patients with anxiety and depression to be correctly trained. It is also important for doctors who refer patients to yoga instructors to know who they are sending patients to, and if this instructor will be good for guiding them on their treatment. BENEFITS OF CLINICIAN SELF CARE WITH YOGA FOR CLIENTS There is certainly a parallel process going on … what we hear over and over again is clinicians saying to us "I can't believe how good I feel when I do some yoga with my client" because we recommend that. We don't recommend that you just sit there [and instruct]. (Kristine Weber) As the clinician it is sometimes better for the client, and for you, to practice yoga in-session with your client. This creates not only a deeper connection between you and the client, but it creates a shared space of accountability. You can encourage the client to let go and be an active part of their healing by being an active member alongside them. You can use two to five minutes – brief interventions – at the beginning of the session, maybe another five in the middle of the session when there has been some traumatic sharing, and then another few minutes to close the session. In the clinician and mental health profession, self-care – as a counselor and general care provider – is imperative. Can you make your self-care as daily and as important as brushing your teeth? Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A

Have you heard of qigong? What are some important lessons that you can learn from Chinese medicine? Are there benefits to adding embodied healing into talk therapy? MEET NICK LOFFREE Nick Loffree teaches Bioenergetic health practices - Using Qigong, biohacking, functional training, and dietary therapy to bring people to their highest potential. Nick started on this path while healing from paranoid psychosis and chronic skin and gut disease that began in adolescence. He now helps thousands of people around the world to achieve optimal health through his videos, coaching, workshops, and programs. Find Nick on Youtube or head to his website Nickloffree.com for more. Visit his website. Connect on Instagram, Facebook and subscribe to his YouTube channel. Access Nick's online courses here. IN THIS PODCAST: Lessons from Chinese medicine Nick's experience with Qigong healing mental health Benefits of qigong in counseling Advice to listeners starting their holistic journey LESSONS FROM CHINESE MEDICINE The underlying philosophy of Chinese medicine is that the notion of chi, life energy, is supporting the body's structures. There's a balance between structure and energy so when you have good structure, say in Qigong [pronounced chi-gong], you have good posture or in diet, giving your body the right building blocks, then those structures support the flow of energy and when that energy is flowing, it supports the structures of the body in maintaining themselves. (Nick Loffree) Alongside the philosophy of good posture and a healthy diet to provide good energy flow and building blocks for the body, there are other lessons we can learn from Chinese medicine: The idea that stress is a "natural" part of being in a high-energy process is not found in Chinese medicine. In Chinese medicine, stress gives you a temporary boost of energy that ultimately depletes your energy over time, causing you to crash or become fatigued far quicker. If you have low stress, you are able to better manage your energy consumption over time: you can think more clearly, your emotions are stable and everything you do becomes more efficient. NICK'S EXPERIENCE WITH QIGONG HEALING MENTAL HEALTH It's amazing how much control we have. I could basically choose whether I want to be depressed, anxious, or even full-blown paranoid psychotic, or go to the total other end and feel totally blissful, loads of energy, relaxed, happy, and you can really choose that based on just lifestyle stuff, based on just how you move, how you breathe, how you organize your life, what you are eating. You can go from one end of the spectrum to completely the other just based on your actions. (Nick Loffree) Using the philosophy and principles from Chinese medicine, yoga, and other lifestyle changes, Nick was able to completely turn around where he was years ago and create a life that gave him energy and health. Once we come to understand how our bodies work, and how we can serve them correctly and adequately, we can biohack our way into heath and wholeness because by taking care of our mind, health, diet, and body we are able to build the foundational blocks we need to create a life that brings us joy and possibility. BENEFITS OF QIGONG IN COUNSELING Talk-based therapy is good and helpful to patients who need to mentally and verbally process their experiences, however, when therapists can incorporate body-based wellness and healing into counseling, it opens up more holistic and wholesome healing possibilities for the patient. Providing physical cues and physical healing practices to help patients "reset" on their own provides them with agency, and empowers them, by bringing their actions into their own healing. ADVICE TO LISTENERS STARTING THEIR HOLISTIC JOURNEY Start small. Pick one or two things that you would like to add to your life and start slow and small. It can get confusing, especially finding the nutritional balance in your diet that suits your body best. If you need any nutritional advice, Nick recommends cutting out poly-unsaturated fatty acids such as canola and sunflower oil. Use coconut oil, olive oil, and butter as alternatives – not all animal fats are good for you. Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

What are some top marketing tips that can help you to expand your client base? How can Google My Business help you to grow your business? MEET jADI FERGEN Jadi Fergen is a counselor and the owner of a private pay group practice named Altitude Counseling. They are located in Colorado Springs, CO. They offer a collaborative approach to healing. Visit her website. IN THIS PODCAST: Tips on marketing a holistic group practice SEO and online marketing TIPS ON MARKETING A HOLISTIC GROUP PRACTICE 1: What is the pain point that you speak to within your clients? This is an important first step to take because it is very clear on what you provide to your clients in order to help them on their healing journey that you make important business decisions. 2: What is it about your group practice that makes it holistic? What are some specific modalities that you offer, or an approach to counseling and healing, that is unique to you and to your group practice? 3: Encourage your practitioners to market themselves Encourage your therapists to market themselves as well, to put their unique skillsets forward, so that the group practice and each therapist involved is marketed to their ideal clients. 4: Connect with other health practitioners As a holistic group practice that offers therapy with a multitude of other modalities, it is always a good idea to network, and to become business acquaintances with other medical centers around you that could be places where your ideal client may go it. One thing I found with marketing my practice as a holistic practice … as far as marketing goes, I always try to look at where do they turn to for people that I may be connecting with … I do connect a lot with other holistic providers in the area. (Chris McDonald) Networking is also a good way to encourage other medical centers to refer patients to you for therapy. By building relationships with other medical centers around your business, you foster a mutually beneficial relationship where you can both refer out to one another if and when needed. Building those relationships with other therapists … I would just focus on that because that brought me the most referrals because we all connect with these other therapists in the area … especially people who are just like us because when they get full, and you have a dip, then they can refer to you and vice versa. (Chris McDonald) SEO AND ONLINE MARKETING Working on your online marketing can bring in a lot of potential clients and works passively for you online: SEO Google My Business Use Google My Business and place content for your business on there so that Google can see that you are active and can then make your website more visible. Ask your clients to give you reviews on Google as well, as this all adds to building your online presence and visibility. Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

Are you looking to incorporate new treatment modalities into your counseling practice? How can you assess a new modality to make sure that it would be beneficial to your clients and to your practice? Can you incorporate your new modality alongside medical care? MEET SHERY CLARK Shery has had a long career in healthcare. Before training in counseling, she worked in several areas other than mental health for large hospitals and trauma centers in the Triangle. That diversity gave her a unique understanding of how biopsychosocial factors interact in our lives. In addition to private practice, Shery volunteers with the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health, prior to Covid she was an active founding member of the Raleigh chapter of Death Cafe and Drag Queen Story Hour. She also shares her life with 3 purebred Labrador Retrievers that she shows in AKC competition obedience and confirmation. IN THIS PODCAST: Assessing new treatment modalities Do research ASSESSING NEW TREATMENT MODALITIES You can look at a wide range of empirical evidence: Is this treatment modality working for your clients? Read a range of online reviews from both practitioners and clients, Do some research into how long this modality has been around, How long has this modality been in the counseling field? How much experience does the mentor who would teach you about this modality have? Asking others. I just feel like talking to people … asking questions and getting more information from people [to figure] that out. Networking is important … [to find] other people that might be trained in that, but if you can't find anybody trained in that, I might be a little hesitant. (Chris McDonald) DO RESEARCH If you are looking to add another or new treatment modalities into your counseling practice, do as much research as you can. Look at books, check out online reviews and testimonies, network and find other counselors who have used it before. Grounding yourself in the available research will enable you to make a clear decision as to how you want to incorporate this modality into your practice. You can discuss them with your clients as well to see if these new modalities might be something that they would like to incorporate into their therapy with you. Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

What can counselors do when they are feeling fatigued? Is there a way for counselors to find a balance between helping their patients and helping themselves? How do you know when to turn off the faucet? MEET JACLYN FORTIER Jaclyn has clinical experience working with anxiety, family conflict, and domestic violence recovery. She specializes in working with women, adolescents, and families. She works with techniques that are evidence-based and proven to alleviate issues such as relationship conflict, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Jaclyn has extensive experience working in a clinical recovery setting with trauma, addictions, and domestic violence prevention. Jaclyn is the practice owner of Carolina Counseling Wellness Associates, PLLC. Which offers outpatient mental health care and private practice office support for licensed counselors practicing at our Center. Jaclyn offers business consultation services to mental health counselors with coaching for private practice services. Jaclyn also offers clinical supervision for North Carolina associate counselors working towards full licensure and is a qualified supervisor through the NC-BLCMHC. Visit her website. IN THIS PODCAST: Finding balance between healing others while evading burnout What can you do to break up your day a little more? When do you turn the faucet off? FINDING BALANCE BETWEEN HEALING OTHERS WHILE EVADING BURNOUT I think that's where it starts: looking at your day and structuring it … when I created my private practice many years ago, I created it around my self-care, so I don't work Monday nights because that's my yoga time, and I don't work Wednesday and Friday because that is my other workout time. (Chris McDonald) By working 12-hour days without a break, non-stop, you will run right into fatigue. That is why structuring your day is important, even if it is a delicate suggestion of when you will take a break and pencil in a cup of tea by yourself in the midst of the deadlines. Through creating a structure, you can begin to place boundaries around your time. The work is to try to stick to them as much as possible because your rest is as important as your work. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BREAK UP YOUR DAY A LITTLE MORE? Ask yourself how you can add breaks into your day. These could range from: Eating your lunch away from your desk, or Taking a walk around the block for 10-minutes, or Having coffee with a friend in between clients. Make time in between clients so that you have time to release energy and emotions from the first client before heading right into the next session with another. What can you do in between your sessions, besides going to the bathroom? … do whatever you connect with to take those minutes [for yourself]. (Chris McDonald) Think about your movement throughout the day. If you are sitting a lot or for most of the day, try taking moments to do some light physical activity such as walking around, doing quick yoga, or stretching at your desk. If you work through telehealth, take eye breaks away from the screen as well to give your eyes a chance to refocus and rest because your eyes are also muscles. WHEN DO YOU TURN THE FAUCET OFF? People all have different signals that their body sends them for when they need to slow down and take some time to rest and recuperate. For most people, this comes in the form of fatigue, both mental and physical. Do you feel mental fog? Do you feel the tension in the back, neck, or shoulders? Are you feeling overly emotional or irritable? You [have to] turn that awareness in to ask "what is my sign? How do I know?" because sometimes if you are not focused on that, you are not really going to pay attention and you are going to push yourself too far. (Chris McDonald) It is important to have the awareness first, of your bodily sensations, because when you are aware of your fluctuations then you can act accordingly at the right time. Books mentioned in this episode: Chris McDonald – Self-Care for the Counselor: A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

How can you use holistic therapy in an environment where prescribing medication has become the norm? What should you explain to a client when they are misinformed and think that medication can be used as a substitute to therapy? How can you approach the topic of medication to a client who is nervous about it? MEET SABRINA BASQUEZ Sabrina Basquez is a therapist and consultant specializing in burnout, secondary/vicarious trauma, trauma-sensitive mindfulness, and self-compassion. After a decade of working with vulnerable populations, Sabrina personally experienced burnout and secondary traumatic stress. In the final year of her master's degree, she lost her best friend, in part due to burnout. Over the years Sabrina has observed the personal suffering of countless professionals as they over-dedicated themselves, to often noble work, without realizing the damage they were doing to themselves or their professional efficacy. These experiences reinforced within Sabrina a passion to collaborate with other professionals in high-demand careers to learn to self-manage burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and workplace bullying through healing past traumas, cultivating self-compassion, interpersonal skills acquisition, conflict resolution, and cognitive mastery. Visit her website. Connect on Facebook and Instagram. IN THIS PODCAST: It goes back to psychoeducation Educating your client about medication What to do when a patient nervous about medication IT GOES BACK TO PSYCHOEDUCATION In the counseling world, there can be differences in approach: although between the holistic counseling approach and the medical-scientific community approach there can not only be differences but even some conflicts. This comes down to psychoeducation and some damaging myths that holistic counseling does not use any medication whatsoever, and this is not true. When [a patient] is that severe, I'm going to talk to them about [medication] and see if it is something [they] are open to, always considering what they want to do with their treatment, and going from there. I believe medication can be helpful as a part of a holistic treatment regime because … some holistic strategies, think of them as complementary … they are part of the greater package. (Chris McDonald) Holistic therapy uses medication alongside other strategies in a way so that they complement one another, and they do not privilege one above the other as a primary treatment option for a patient. The medical model and open-mindedness do not need to be mutually exclusive. They can work together and be used together in order to provide the highest quality treatment to a patient. I think as holistic providers we are open-minded that we don't want to eliminate medication totally … even if you are totally against it, what is in the best interest of this client? To ask yourself that. (Chris McDonald) EDUCATING YOUR CLIENT ABOUT MEDICATION This starts in the first session. If a client is new to therapy then it is important to fully explain to them how the medication works and what they can expect from it. Explain to your client that some people need medication and that, if the client would like, it can be an option for them should they feel it is necessary alongside your diagnosis. Although, some clients do not want medication and then that is alright as well. I do talk about [that] sometimes if you do need medication, the best course of treatment research shows is if you have medication and therapy for the best outcomes, and to keep in mind that some people will start medication and stop therapy … but that is only part of it. (Chris McDonald) Some people think that the medication will help them more than the therapy, or they think that the medication can work in place of the therapy. Therefore, it is important to explain to your clients that the best results come from a joint practice between taking medication – if necessary – and going to therapy regularly. WHAT TO DO WHEN A PATIENT IS NERVOUS ABOUT MEDICATION If you have a patient that may need medication in your opinion, but they are afraid of it, you can gently approach the topic with them. Let them know that they do not have to take it now, and in the meantime, you can try other treatment modalities that they feel comfortable with to build them up to feeling confident to try medication. Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you

What is the connection between consciousness, energy, and blood? How deep does the connection go between the physiological and the psychological? Is talk therapy not be enough in the long run when achieving holistic recovery and long-term healing? MEET DR. ALISON KAY Dr. Alison J Kay has secrets no one else uses to upgrade, inspire & disrupt old paradigms within her community & the collective. She is an Award-Winning, #1 International. Best Selling Author and the Founder of the Vibrational UPgrade™ System. She is an experienced subtle energies practitioner and natural healer with a holistic approach towards helping others thrive in mind, body, and spirit. This is reinforced by her ten years in Asia studying subtle energies & ancient wisdom. With 20+ years working in & teaching Yoga, Meditation, Energy Medicine, MindBody Fitness, Longevity, and Holistic Health with a specialized focus on the Chakra System, Dr. Alison brings a unique perspective that facilitates massive change. Dr. Alison's mission is to support the next higher evolution of the collective & create change for the health of this planet and those who are ready to unleash every part of the magic within them. Backed by the potency of her Vibrational UPgrade™ container, she hosts a wildly popular Activate Your Magic monthly program synced with the potency and support of the moon. and offering Group Clearings & Activations. Her signature program, Magic, Manifestation & Money Flows facilitates massive money, health, spiritual & life-enhancing shifts to 100's of clients worldwide. While her advanced clients are supported by her Vibrational Upgrade™ Mastermind Group, Certification Program & International Retreat Programs. You don't need to believe in this in order for it to work… that's the beauty of what Dr. Alison accesses – as soon as you experience her work, you will feel the shift within you. Visit her website. Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Book a 45 min call with one of Dr. Kay's team members. IN THIS PODCAST: Where energy goes, blood follows How talk therapy can cement trauma Intuition Advice to listeners WHERE ENERGY GOES, BLOOD FOLLOWS If where vital life force energy [energy] goes, blood follows, meaning where energy goes then the physical manifests in that form, in that place, and for anything to exist in matter is has to first exist in energy. What moves the energy? And that is the focus of our consciousness, and that is where meditation comes in. (Dr. Alison Kay) The combination of meditation and energy work is what can lead to a serious change in one's health. By spending time moving your body and moving the energies in your body through the connection you have between your mind and your physical being, you can learn a lot about what your body holds – by becoming in tune with your intuition. By becoming in touch with your intuition and focusing your consciousness you are better able to understand and navigate the choices that you make because you are no longer, or less so, acting unconsciously, or without awareness. HOW TALK THERAPY CAN CEMENT TRAUMA I don't believe that psychotherapy is very functional because from what I see the talk therapy just reinforces energy: it just locks down more energy into the same pathway, the same neurological pathway [which is] therefore the same physiological pathway and that is the same energetic pathway. So we carve something in stone even more … [making] it even more solid and real and harder to redirect through meditation practice. (Dr. Alison Kay) Energy healing is focused on breaking up what has already materialized whereas talk therapy simply cements what was materialized that you are trying to undo. To break up and heal trauma takes a lot more subtle energy healing than only talking about it. Through incorporating subtle energy healing practices such as exercise, meditation, energy healing itself can have much more of a holistic healing influence on the body and mind than only practicing talk therapy. By moving our bodies in conjunction with moving through a painful trauma, exercise can help us release these stored or stuck energies. INTUITION Following one's intuition has become a foreign concept for many people in the current generations, although it is a powerful and meaningful tool that people can use and become familiar with to guide their lives, or to seek guidance in it. Coming into flow with one's intuition comes from a place of trust: trusting yourself and your heart, but many people have been taught to doubt, rather than trust, themselves and so this leaves everyone seeking external validation and not believing in their own abilities. This also leads to people not knowing how to approach their intuition and so they follow external prompts when they may need something different. These [posts] that make people think "I just have to let go of control more" … hell no! You need to be front and center, be conscious, mindful, in your body, and leading your life. Absolutely in control but i

How can you create an effective magnet to attract your ideal clients? What are some marketing mistakes that holistic counselors make when trying to market their practices? Why is your 'why' more important than your 'how'? MEET MICHELLE HARDMAN Michelle is a "unicorn" in the clinical world - with an MBA in strategic management AND as Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor/Private Practice owner - she is kinda unique!! Plus, as a Certified Daring Way Facilitator, teaching curricula based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown, her business coaching and productivity tools incorporate powerful components of this body of work. She is SO passionate about helping you FLOURISH because she KNOWS you went into private practice with your own passion for creating a healing space for others!! Michelle coaches clinicians, just like you, with a vales-based approach to business ensuring your practice's marketing and branding efforts are authentic and effective! This way, you can be sure to attract YOUR ideal clients and build a thriving practice you love. Visit her website. Book a free 20-minute chat by clicking here. Email Michelle at [email protected] Get 15% off with the promo code 'hcp15' on the Get Out Of Your Own Way' marketing course IN THIS PODCAST: Differences between marketing for holistic group practices and other group practices Talk about your 'why', not the 'how' Some mistakes holistic therapists make when marketing their practices How to connect to your ideal client DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MARKETING FOR HOLISTIC GROUP PRACTICES AND OTHER GROUP PRACTICES The main difference between the marketing strategies of holistic group practices and other more conventional group practices is that they will both market to two different kinds of ideal clients. It may not be the same client who is reaching out to a CBT clinician … so I think that being keenly aware of who your dream client is, what they're going to look for and language that resonates with them is probably one of the first things to think about when you're marketing a holistic private practice. (Michelle Hardman) As a holistic counseling practice, be aware of: Who your ideal client is, What the language is that you can use to connect with them, and What their unique pain points are that you can help them with. This is because these aspects may be different from how a CBT clinician will market to their ideal clients, and when you can become clear on these aspects you are then able to weed out the people that you may not work well with and find the people that will fit in well with your treatment modalities. tALK ABOUT YOUR 'WHY', NOT THE 'HOW' Often people who are coming in for treatment do not always care much for the medical or holistic jargon behind your practice. Some terminology will be beneficial, but often what a client really wants to hear is your 'why' and why this work will benefit them. It resonates more with people on an emotional level to talk about why you are passionate about the work, and why holistic is the approach and the modality of your practice because I think that's when we get that real connection and that spark with somebody who might be reading a brochure or the copy on your website and that is going to feel a lot more genuine and authentic. (Michelle Hardman) By owning what you do and why it is important to you, it flows from a genuine and sincere place. Therefore, when you write your copy or talk about your work on podcasts and so forth, people can feel the energy you have behind the work you do when you explain 'why' you enjoy it, work with it, and believe in it, instead of only using medical jargon. Here in your marketing, you can talk about your core values as the overlay of your practice. Authentically being you is a really great thing and that means, by definition, you are not going to treat every single person that calls you or reaches out … it can be painful and that's where I love the idea as a holistic practitioner, peeling off that clinician piece and overlaying it on building your business. How can you do it metaphorically in a holistic way, just as you would tell your clients, how can you talk to yourself in that same fashion so that you don't feel like you have to take on every client that calls. (Michelle Hardman) Be mindful of networking and referral sources because this builds on and brings in the ideal clients that you want your practice to work with. SOME MISTAKES HOLISTIC THERAPISTS MAKE WHEN MARKETING THEIR PRACTICES 1 – "Ugh, I can't market myself": Sales does not equal marketing and marketing does not equal sales. When you market your practice, that is about the client, not about you. Sales is about me as the business owner. Sales is about 'I met this many new clients, I hit these targets, these are my goals. Sales is about me'. That is why when we think about trying to talk to people from that perspective it feels so gross because it's not about them, it's about me … because sales are about my goals. Mar

What stops you from achieving healing? Why do some people hold onto their trauma? Is the spiritual and path of awareness more difficult? Ronen Divon speaks about finding out who the healer is MEET RONEN DIVON Ronen Divon had been walking spiritual and holistic paths for well over three decades. Born in Israel, educated in New York, and currently residing in Cary, North Carolina, Ronen had traveled the world, spending time with teachers, masters, healers, and guides. With wisdom that spans multiple traditions, including the Far-East, India, Israel, Brazil, Peru, and Indigenous America, Ronen remains a student, learning and adding modalities that will best serve his clients; each according to their own unique needs. Ronen is a Reiki Master, a channeling healer working in mediumship, and a Yoga and Tai Chi instructor. He is also an ordained minister with the Sanctuary of the Beloved, a non-denominational church in the Order of Melcheizedek. In his Plant Medicine work, he is a Medicine Carrier affiliated with the CA-based Church of the Celestial Heart. Other than his work as a healer, Ronen is also a published author, a Yoga, Meditation, and Tai Chi instructor Visit his website. Connect on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. IN THIS PODCAST: What stops you from giving true healing to someone? What can slow you down from achieving your own healing? WHAT STOPS YOU FROM GIVING TRUE HEALING TO SOMEONE? Something to be wary of when it comes to that is the notion of "I'm here to heal the world" and really the first thing that anybody on this path needs to realize is that you have to start with work on yourself. Don't do for anybody else what you are not ready to do for yourself. (Ronen Divon) If you have the urge to save and heal others always, have you evaluated that urge? For many people, even though they have benevolent intentions, the want to heal others does come from an egotistical place. I really want to encourage people [working in therapy] to ask these questions, always ask permission before [giving advice]. (Ronen Divon) Making sure that you receive consent, and that the person knows you are trying to help them, allows them to understand that you are doing the work to help them and that they are taking an active role in doing the work as well. WHAT CAN SLOW YOU DOWN FROM ACHIEVING YOUR OWN HEALING? We are the biggest [saboteurs] of our own healing … I find that every single situation that we face we create, and it's not resolved until we're ready to let it go. (Ronen Divon) We can only grow and expand into better, wiser, and stronger people through experiencing suffering. When everything is smooth, calm, and stable we can enjoy it but we remain stagnant in our progression. Therefore, there is friction between our comfortable, ego-centered selves that seek comfort and predictability and the people who we want to become, the lessons we need to learn, and ultimately the healing that we need. Our healing lies beyond the limit of our comfort zone. In this way, you remaining in your comfort zone is what slows you down and stops you from achieving healing. If we can really understand that, then the issue is going to get resolved. If we do not, then it's going to continue. (Ronen Divon) You have to release the "dirt" that gathers at the bottom of your mind and heart so that you can "clean" what you have within you. "There is a modern misperception that when one walks a Spiritual path, life is smooth, good, easy, and joyful; it may be more accurate to say that today's Spiritual path is changeable, dynamic, rugged, challenging, and sometimes chaotic. It is your choice whether to walk this path with grace, love, joy, and power." *SOURCE UNKNOWN Words from Kai Karrel's Medium's Creed "May my words and actions reflect my inner beauty and the personal journey of my own healing." "I ask that if I make mistakes or if I am unaware of acting in disharmony, please God, inspire others to instruct me and bring this to my attention. I ask that you give me the humility to accept correction and criticism so I can keep on shining within this light." Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

Have you come into contact with energy work? Do you know what reiki and healing touch are? Are you aware of the mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits? I speak with Sarah Granahan about the benefits of energy work. MEET SARAH GRANAHAN Sarah Granahan is the Founder of Color My Spirit, LLC -an organization she created in 2012 to offer inspiration, motivation & self-healing to people by helping them explore the messages their bodies are sending them. Sarah is an Energy & Intuitive Coach with training as a Holy Fire® Reiki Master/Teacher (RMT), Healing Touch Practitioner Apprentice (HTP-A), Hypnotherapist, Integrative Health Coach trained at Duke Integrative Medicine and Healy Practitioner. Her gifting includes being an Intuitive Empath, Shaman, Medium, Animal & Child Messages & Energy Worker, and Wellness Coach. Sarah treats people with sleep disturbances, anxiety, pain, grief, wound healing, fatigue, or side-effects from medication and chemotherapy. She also offers sessions for people who want to explore their shadows and clear old energy to support their general well-being. In 2020, Sarah expanded her practice and opened Color My Spirit Wellness - a place where alternative & holistic practitioners can gather to treat clients on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels to encourage alignment and balance. Visit her website. Connect on Facebook and Twitter. IN THIS PODCAST: Reiki and Holy Fire definition Healing touch Combining energy work with therapy Detoxing after energy work Taking on other people's (negative) energy rEIKI AND HOLY FIRE DEFINITION Reiki is a Japanese-based energy modality that works with resetting life force energies and promotes healing and helps you recenter and reground so that you can move forward more clearly. Holy fire is a different energy that came through reiki a couple of years ago. It's basically a higher vibrational current of the same energy modality. Anybody can become trained in reiki and you then become attuned to that healing energy. When somebody comes in for a session, you're just a conduit holding that energetic space for the client and the client is going to heal for their highest good. HEALING TOUCH Everybody is walking around with baggage. Healing touch is a heart-centered modality. You're holding an intention that you're going to help your clients heal for their highest good from one heart to another. It's a different energy current. But it does the same amount of work that reiki does. However, with reiki, your detox period will be 5-7 days. With healing touch, it will be 3-4 days. Healing touch is great for clearing baggage, as well as for removing things in the mental, spiritual and emotional field. COMBINING ENERGY WORK WITH THERAPY Mental health isn't looked at as closely as it should be. But, taking care of your emotional and mental health is so important. People report feeling lighter and more at peace after reiki sessions. Sarah would definitely recommend combining this with counseling. Although the client should be ready to do this. Energy work works well on, not just your mental state, but your physical, emotional, and spiritual work as well. dETOXING AFTER ENERGY WORK The effectiveness of energy work relies on the client's readiness to receive it. Essentially, the energy will be released and the client then has the free will to do what they will with it. You also have to be careful with your words (before a session) because those are intentions we set. You may come to a session ready to release everything and then feel flu-like symptoms the next day, such as body aches, etc. This, however, is linked to the energy work and is simply your body detoxing. As you are detoxing after an energy session, it may be 'extreme' in the beginning but will subside thereafter. Drinking a lot of water after energy work can help with this. TAKING ON OTHER PEOPLE'S (NEGATIVE) ENERGY Many counselors/therapists struggle with taking on clients' issues. This can result in therapists becoming confused over what's theirs and what's not. It's important to make time to apply certain energy healing techniques to yourself, especially if you are sensitive. Sarah teaches how to say hello to other people's energies and then how to say goodbye. Often, consciously you may think you have let things go, but subconsciously you are still carrying baggage around. Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook:

Why is it imperative for a clinician to practice self-care? How can practicing self-care benefit a clinician's work ability? What is the difference between self-confidence, self-esteem, and how can you build on them? I speak with Dr. Carla Marie Manly about building self-care and self-confidence and why it is important that we make this a priority. MEET DR. CARLA MARIE MANLY Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist and wellness expert, makes her home in Sonoma County, California. In addition to her clinical practice, she is deeply invested in her roles as an author, consultant, advocate, and speaker. With a holistic, body-mind-spirit approach, Dr. Manly specializes in improving professional and personal relationships through mindfulness and communication skills. With a focus on self-development as the foundation for optimal wellness, she builds teams by fostering individual awareness. Blending traditional psychotherapy with alternative mindfulness practices, Dr. Manly knows the importance of creating healthy balance, awareness, and positivity. Her motto is this: "A well-lived life is a journey of consciously crafting the best version of oneself. Wellness and joy do not occur by chance; they are fostered by manifesting one's true light with courage and strength. Overall wellbeing occurs by creating a respectful, aware relationship with oneself and others." Dr. Manly's highly acclaimed books, Joy from Fear and Aging Joyfully—plus her newest title, Date Smart, offer life-changing insights and wisdom-filled tips to help readers create positive, purpose-driven lives. As a clinical psychologist, advocate, and author, she's been cited in top-notch media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Oprah, Reader's Digest, Psychology Today, NBC, Parade, GQ, Women's Health, and more. Visit her website. Connect on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. IN THIS PODCAST: Self-care can mean tuning out Self-care for clinicians How can clinicians boost their self-care practices? Self-confidence and self-esteem SELF-CARE CAN MEAN TUNING OUT When we become wrapped up in the business and busyness of life we start to do this automatically, without consciousness and without awareness. We eat without tasting, we work without productivity, we see people without connecting. As we begin to practice tuning out from this busy world and practicing tuning in to ourselves, we are creating a form of self-care by caring for how we perceive the world and making an effort to be conscious of the experiences we have. SELF-CARE FOR CLINICIANS Most physicians have a support team: receptionist, nurse, fellow doctors in the room and people to refer to. However, psychotherapists work on their own and give to their clients from their energy, wisdom, time and effort – not just from their expertise. It is our responsibility actually, so that we can serve our clients, so that we can be in our best body, mind and spirit envelope: we really need … to engage in good self-care. (Dr. Carla Marie Manly) Creating the conscious space to reset after a therapy session, after a day of work or after a day of caring for your family is important to be able to keep on going and function in a sustainable and enjoyable way. Without taking and making the time to practice self-care, psychotherapists run the risk of becoming burnt out because the well of energy and effort is exhaustible. What we draw on to give to clients, other clinicians and families is not an endless amount, and when we create space to replenish ourselves, we give ourselves the ability to keep on giving without running ourselves into the ground. It's important for a therapist to have a therapist often to have somewhere to download, and many therapists are under the impression – partly because of societal expectations, client and loved one's expectations – that we … should have it all together, that we should be perfect, and that's absolutely baloney. (Dr. Carla Marie Manly) Practicing good self-care is not only important for the clinician, but also for the work they do. When they give themselves the time, space and energy to replenish and work on their personal wellness they are better equipped to serve and help their patients because when you push yourself to your absolute limit, you risk letting your personal issues bleed into the therapy you conduct with your clients. hOW CLINICIANS CAN BOOST THEIR SELF-CARE PRACTICES It is not always about not having the time, because often time is available. Mostly what happens is that we do not properly choose what to do in the time that we have and we end up wasting it, or not using it well. If you have time to do one more client, or one more workshop, you certainly have time to take care of yourself because it is imperative to care of yourself as a therapist and therefore you must make time for yourself. Self-care needs to be intentional and it needs to be that part where we carve it out so that the psyche hears "I am important",

Where do you see yourself as a therapist, are you in the new or advanced category? How do you decide which type of holistic practitioner you want to be? What are some of the most common holistic practices? IN THIS PODCAST: New practitioners Advanced practitioners Recap on the previous 4 episodes NEW PRACTITIONERS This could be someone who fresh out of college or maybe someone who has some experience but is new to using holistic strategies. Not sure how or where to start Still building enough confidence In the discovery phase May make the mistake of taking on too many trainings and not applying the lessons Feeling isolated and may experience imposter syndrome ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS They feel confident in their practice and have internal ease with connecting mind, body, and spirit. Actively seeking out others in the field to network and consult with Utilizing the support of the community Know which areas to focus on, and don't take on too many trainings - instead, they are always advancing their skills in their chosen field RECAP OF THE PREVIOUS 4 EPISODES Introduction and Discover Holistic Therapy Legal and Ethical issues in Holistic Therapy How to integrate holistic strategies into clinical practice safely and effectively An overview of the most common holistic therapies Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

Are you aware of all the common holistic therapies out there? Which modality would be best suited to your client's specific needs? What are the modalities that require a lot more intense training and supervision? IN THIS PODCAST: Mindfulness/Grounding Breathwork Guided imagery Meditation Yoga Reiki Aromatherapy 1. MINDFULNESS/GROUNDING This means being in the present moment, not worrying about the future or the past. You are just connecting to what is right here, right now. You can do this by: 5-4-3-2-1 technique (5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste) Doing a body scan Internally asking what you need at that very moment 2. BREATHWORK Be extra careful with this modality, especially if you are working with someone who has experienced trauma. Have your clients see what works for them and practice it outside of therapy, as much as possible. 3. GUIDED IMAGERY Using this in therapy can be very powerful and a common one to use could be to think about a safe place, imagery for relaxation. And this combined with breathwork can really make a big difference. 4. MEDITATION There are so many forms of meditation and as always, there is no right or wrong way. You have to experiment and practice to see what works. A few are: Mindfulness Transcendental movement based Mantra Loving kindness Progressive relaxation Zen Sound 5. YOGA This is about helping the parasympathetic to engage, to settle down the nervous system, especially with anxiety. It can be broken down into grounding practices (helps with anxiety, stress, feeling hyped up) and energizing practices (helps with depression, trauma, dissociation). 6. REIKI Energy healing helps physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. It comes from universal life energy force. It works with removing blockages and releasing negative energy. 7. AROMATHERAPY This is using plant-based essential oils that help harmonize mind, body, and spirit and helps to heal. You can inhale using a diffuser, you can combine different essential oils to cater to different needs such as balance, motivation, or relaxation. It can also be used on your skin (mix with a carrier oil first). Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

Are you a new holistic therapist working in the traditional clinical field? How can you safely integrate holistic strategies into a clinical setting? Which clients can you introduce to holistic therapeutic practices in a way that is best for you and for them? IN THIS PODCAST: How to overcome the nerves Getting started with holistic strategies in your clinical practice Which clients to introduce to holistic strategies HOW TO OVERCOME THE NERVES Something I learned from my yoga practice, which applies to any new strategy, is to become comfortable with it, and that means practice. To make it the most effective treatment you need to develop a personal practice with it to get comfortable with it to do it right early. The best way to become accustomed and confident with any new skill is to practice it. Spend time working on it alone and then practice it alongside people close to you such as family members, partners, friends, and even colleagues. Working on your new skill with people who are unfamiliar with it is an incredibly good way to learn how to introduce it to a new class or client one day, and to prepare yourself for the kinds of potential struggles and issues a brand-new client may have. Another bonus of practicing often is that you can inform your clients of the benefits that you have experienced firsthand due to your daily routine, meditations, yoga, and so forth. Your clients will be more willing and optimistic to follow your advice and wisdom when they see that you practice what you preach. GETTING STARTED WITH HOLISTIC STRATEGIES IN YOUR CLINICAL PRACTICE I learned the importance of building on the trust and the relationships you have with your client first before recommending different kinds of practices and treatments. Ease into it, take your time to get to know your client and for them to become accustomed to you before jumping into any strategies that would be completely new for them. SOME TIPS: If you are practicing in person, make sure that your counseling space is welcoming, soothing, and comfortable for your client to try new things in. If you intend to incorporate movement-based practices such as yoga into the treatment, make sure to inform your clients to wear comfortable clothing. If you are practicing over telehealth, be aware of the space behind you and make that space as visually pleasing or soothing as possible. Keep your space clear, clean, and together. When you are starting your sessions, whether in-person or over telehealth: Start your counseling session with some kind of ritual such as lighting a candle, using essential oils, or starting with some grounding and breathwork before diving into whatever it is they would like to talk about. Explore this idea with your clients and see who is more interested in adding this into their practice. You can gently explain the benefits of a ritual before each session, and what to expect such as the timeframe of the ritual. Follow their non-verbal clues to see how they are interacting with the new practice. Do not close your eyes: you want to be fully present and checking-in with your client. After the ritual, tune-in with clients. See how they experienced it in their body or with their feelings. You can note whether or not to change anything in the future. WHICH CLIENTS TO INTRODUCE TO HOLISTIC STRATEGIES Look at that scale, the readiness-to-change scale. Those that are higher on there are willing to do anything are the ones you want to try it with …. Because some [other clients] may not be willing to do this … when you are starting out get those clients who are on a higher level of readiness to change. In a way, working with clients who are more ready and open can also help you to build your confidence because you are working with a client who is more open to trying new things, who will ask some questions, and be excited to try something different. Listen to those clients who talk about holistic practices they already do in their home or in their daily routines, because they may be open to trying new things or adding new things to their own routine. Listen to the clients who feel stuck with their traditional talk-therapy because they may enjoy the different approaches to therapy that you can provide for them. After the client leaves, check-in with yourself. Did you enjoy the practice? What can you do better or differently next time that is best for both you and the client? Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for

How can you be true to yourself as a holistic therapist while providing ethical service to your clients? What is the difference between the scope of practice and the scope of competence? Are there ways you can set up your business to provide two different streams of service? IN THIS PODCAST: How to protect yourself against liability as a holistic therapist Scope of practice vs scope of competence? How can you expand your scope of competence? How can you expand your therapy practice, ethically? HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST LIABILITY AS A HOLISTIC THERAPIST I found the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics where it discusses treatment modalities and thought this was a good place to start. When providing services, counselors use techniques, procedures, modalities that are grounded in theory and/or have empirical and scientific foundation. Any kind of innovative techniques or procedures, modalities explaining the potential risks, benefits and potential ethical considerations of using these … you work to minimize any potential risk or harm when using these techniques as well as discussing the benefits. What does this mean for holistic therapy and therapists? The important thing that you have to do is if there is something you want to get into you, have to do your own research to really see what is out there. I found a lot of research around reiki, essential oils, and yoga and their potential benefits. Although it is also as important to research any potential risks that you need to be aware of when working with your clients. For example, if you work with yoga you have to get a separate liability, even if your yoga practice is incredibly gentle, just in case. sCOPE OF PRACTICE VS. SCOPE OF COMPETENCE Scope of Practice Scope of practice is essentially the explanation of what a practice does as a whole and places limits upon what can or can not be done in that profession. My board, which is the Licensed Clinical Mental Health Board, states that: It defines that we can provide assessments, diagnose, provide treatment plans and individual counseling using psychotherapeutic techniques. Scope of Competence This is more individually based on what a clinician may do and is determined by one's education, training, and experience. So in summary: the scope of practice is more general in the therapeutic word but the scope of competence specifies what you yourself are competent in and can do best to treat. HOW CAN YOU EXPAND YOUR SCOPE OF COMPETENCE It takes a lot to really gain that competence, so again, it's continuing that education and not only taking that one workshop … I always think that one thing would not be enough. You've got to talk to other people about it and be able to network with people who are also skilled in it so get some insights, consultation and supervision. With the scope of competence, you can build on that by taking more classes and courses, building your experience, and training more often to broaden and strengthen yourself in the field you work in. You can also read the relevant literature at the beginning to find the research out there that supports your findings. Try to find as much as you can in books, articles, and videos. Your scope of practice is also not only what you do but what you say to clients during sessions. This means that you need to make sure that you are clear with how you explain things to them, that they sign an informed consent form. HOW CAN YOU EXPAND YOUR THERAPY PRACTICE, ETHICALLY? Make a service you offering, such as tarot card reading, a separate part of your business. In this way, you can fulfill two parts: being a traditional therapist and offering holistic healing as a separate business whilst remaining ethical. Do some journaling: think about what is the best way you can add different integrated healing into your practice. What are you called to do? How can you weave this in somehow so that you feel you are not disregarding your passions and your calling. Connect With Me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

Welcome to the Holistic Counseling Podcast, I am excited to be on this journey with you! IN THIS PODCAST: Meet your host, Chris McDonald Why I started this podcast and who it's for What to expect How do you discover what kind of holistic practitioner you want to be? Meet your host, Chris McDonald I believe a good holistic practice starts with a ritual, and so this morning I lit the candle at my 'desk/altar space' to remind me of my intention for the year, which is summed up in my word for the year: ACCEPTANCE. I like to do a Word of the Year to show something I want to focus on, and I have it surrounded by my crystals as well as my Palo Santo essential oil which is diffusing around my office right now helping to keep me calm and start my day the right way. What would be a good holistic ritual for you while you listen to this podcast? There is no wrong answer to this. It is an open space and invitation for you to practice a small ritual with yourself to create an intentional space of healing and awareness. So, I am Chris McDonald, and to me, Holistic Therapy looks at all parts of the self: the mind, body, and spirit. It focuses on wholeness and, not just the psychological aspects. Years ago I was a school counselor and went to a retreat for teachers. This was my first experience with meditation, I immediately connected with it and really loved it. I started to learn more about meditation, breathwork, essential oils, mindfulness, and yoga and thought about how I could incorporate these into traditional therapy. Why I started This podcast And Who It's For There are not a lot of holistic therapists out there. We are spread few and far between and often struggle to find one another in the midst of traditional therapy. Traditional therapy is great and has its strengths but I wanted to build up the holistic therapy world and provide a voice for this budding community. I wanted to build that strong community, especially those that are like-minded and free from judgment… some people who are more traditional-minded may not [understand] and could judge you for that so I think having people who are non-judgmental would be great, to be able connect with them and learn from each other. This podcast is geared towards mental health therapists who are interested in integrating these holistic strategies into treatment, or even if you just want to build your own personal practice. What To Expect Solo shows Guest/Interview shows How to integrate your learnings A variety of topics spanning meditation, breathwork, and essential oils How to do this safely and ethically Practice building tips Your self-care How do you discover what type of holistic practitioner you want to be? The way you do this is by turning inward to hear yourself more clearly. Opening up your mind and heart and listening. Where do you want to be with your therapy practice? Who do you want to be? Pause if you would like and write some thoughts down, without judgment, and be playful, curious, and creative with your raw ideas. Explore your ideas: research different teachers, practices, free courses, podcasts, and teachings. Spend some time looking through the resources you find on Google or Youtube. Look around to see if there are any holistic centers near you to see what is available. Consider visiting a local Buddhist temple if you have one near you and spending time with like-minded people and engaging them in the conversations you would like to learn more from. Connect with me Download the Free guide: How to build confidence and competence bringing yoga into the therapy room The Yoga in Therapy Collective —where therapists learn, grow, and get support with yoga-informed practices Explore the Yoga Basics for Therapists course—designed to help you confidently and ethically integrate yoga into therapy Yoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into Sessions Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58 Join the Free Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room Facebook group Leave a review and subscribe to this podcast Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)