Intentional Therapist: Putting You In Your Schedule

Dr. Karen Dyck and Dr. Melissa Tiessen
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Monthly

Self-care shouldn’t be another task on your to-do list!  This is the show that helps you as a busy and dedicated female mental health therapist to redefine your approach to self-care.  Because we need so much more than bubble baths and breathing exercises! Hosted by Dr. Karen Dyck and Dr. Melissa Tiessen, clinical psychologists, founders of Intentional Therapist, and self-care advocates, our mission is to help you build a life where you thrive right alongside your clients, without guilt and without burning out.  Join us as we explore practical strategies grounded in our 4 C’s model – Connection, Compassion, Courage, and Creativity – to help you create more space for yourself while continuing to support your clients.  Whether you work in a solo private practice, within a large organization, are a new grad, or are nearing retirement, this show has something for you.  Tune in for short but valuable episodes filled with relatable and insightful new perspectives, actionable ‘self-care experiments’, and the encouragement and permission you need to put more of you back in your schedule and create a life from which you don’t need to escape. To learn more about Intentional Therapist and our 4 C’s model of self-care, visit us at: www.intentionaltherapist.ca  [Please note:  This podcast was previously called Thrivival 101, and you can continue to find our original interview episodes in this podcast feed.]

  1. 5d ago

    E36: REPLAY - Treat your time like diamonds, not like sand: How to break free from toxic time messages

    While we give ourselves permission for a break over the summer months (and we hope you are doing the same!), we thought it was a great time to revisit this early podcast episode.  How we think about time really is the foundation for building more effective and sustainable self-care practices. ---------- Ever feel like there’s just never enough time in the day? You’re juggling client sessions, family responsibilities, and maybe even a little bit of a social life—if you’re lucky. And yet, somehow, taking care of yourself always falls to the bottom of the list. Sound familiar? In today’s episode, we’re breaking down the toxic time messages that keep us stuck in this endless cycle of overwhelm. We’re diving into how these hidden beliefs sneak into our everyday decisions and offer some practical tips to reclaim your time—and your energy. We’ll be talking about why saying, “I can do it better and faster,” or, “I should spend my time doing X, Y, Z,” might be costing you more than you realize. So, if you’re tired of feeling like time is slipping through your fingers and ready to start putting you back in your schedule, please stick around. Episode Highlights: Toxic Time Messages:“I can do it better and faster”“I can save time by doing it myself”“I should be spending my time doing x, y, z”Time reframes"Even if I can do it better, that doesn't mean I should be the one to do it""Saving time now isn't worth the long-term cost to my well-being""I will not let 'shoulds' rob me of time for myself"Self-Care Experiments:   Delegating a taskPausing before agreeing to new commitmentsSetting aside uninterrupted time for yourselfResources Mentioned: Book:  Fair Play by Eve RodskyVisit our website to get your own copy of our FREE 4 C's Self-Care Assessment:  https://www.intentionaltherapist.caConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    14 min

  2. Jun 22

    E35: Time for a summer self-care check-In

    How often have you actually taken the time to think about and plan your self-care?  If you’re like most therapists this likely hasn’t been a regularly occurring event and, in fact, may have never even crossed your mind.  Yet doing this is such an important component of ensuring that our self-care is matching our current realities.  Especially when our responsibilities, energy, and capacity often shift without us even realizing it.   That’s why in today’s episode, we are re-visiting the concept of seasonal self-care check-ins.  We will walk you through a simple 5 step reflection process to help you assess what’s draining you, what’s sustaining you, and what small adjustments may better support you in this season of life.  Because the most meaningful self-care happens when we respond to ourselves with honesty, flexibility, and discernment as the seasons change.  Episode Highlights: Why seasonal self-care check-ins matterA 5-step seasonal check-in practiceWhat's standing out for each of us in this seasonSelf-care experiments:Assess your self-care needs in this specific seasonShare your self-care assessment with a trusted colleague or loved oneTake some baby stepsConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    24 min

  3. Jun 8

    E34: The Power of Discernment, Bonus Episode – Hidden leadership beliefs, or, What are you modelling about self-care, intentionally or not?

    Leaders often shape the culture of self-care in their workplaces — whether intentionally or not. And sometimes the most compassionate, competent clinicians are also the ones unintentionally modelling overwork, over-responsibility, and depletion as normal. Today we are closing out our discernment series with a bonus episode, where we’re exploring the hidden leadership beliefs that can inadvertently influence workplace culture, team wellness, and even our own professional satisfaction. Because regardless of your title, the beliefs you hold about boundaries, commitment, productivity, and self-care are more important than you may realize. Episode Highlights: How leadership beliefs intersect with discernment and self-care5 key categories of leadership beliefs that can impact self-care of leaders and those around themOver-responsibility and identity beliefsProductivity & performance beliefsScarcity & fear-based beliefs Boundary confusion beliefsCultural & gendered conditioning beliefsOur own reflections on leadership beliefsSelf-care experimentsSeparate the association between working extra hours and professional commitment Assess your organizational culture of self-careLeadership belief auditResources Mentioned: Does Self-Care Make You a Better Leader? A Multisource Study Linking Leader Self-Care to Health-Oriented Leadership, Employee Self-Care, and Health Burnout Study in Women:  https://www.egonzehnder.com/insight/super-burnt-outCentre for Patient Safety, Fostering a Culture of Self-Care:  https://blog.centerforpatientsafety.org/fostering-a-culture-of-self-careblog.55 Limiting Beliefs That Hold Leaders Back from Success and FulfillmentConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    27 min

  4. May 18

    E33: The Power of Discernment, Part 4 – It’s not you, it’s the job, or, How to know when a genuinely unhealthy environment is the real problem

    What if the stress you’re carrying at work isn’t a sign of something you are doing wrong, but a sign that something around you isn’t healthy?  Many therapists are quick to assume burnout, frustration, or dread must be a personal failing:  poor boundaries, weak coping, not enough self-care.  But sometimes the problem isn’t you. Sometimes the workplace itself is the problem. In today’s episode, we explore how to recognize a genuinely unhealthy work environment.  We talk about psychological safety, the traits of healthy workplaces, and how to discern when your stress is coming from the system rather than from yourself.  Because the wisest forms of self-care begin with clarity.  Episode Highlights: Unhealthy environments vs belief, boundary, or values misalignment5 characteristics of psychologically healthy workplacesQuestions to ask about whether a workplace embodies psychological safetyOur own experiences with unhealthy workplace settingsSelf-care experiments:Reflect on whether your own work setting is psychologically healthyReflect on whether your own work setting offers psychological safetyIdentify how you incorporate healthy workplace practices into your own clinical practice and settingResources Mentioned: The Psychologically Healthy Workplace: Building a Win-Win Environment for Organizations and Employees:  https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/The-Psychologically-Healthy-Workplace-Intro-Sample.pdfWhat is psychological safety at work? Here’s how to start creating it:  https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/psychological-safetyConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    25 min

  5. May 4

    E32: The Power of Discernment, Part 3.2 – Seasonal capacity misalignment and the importance of values and value domains for sustaining ourselves in the long term

    Have you ever had a point in your career where it felt as though something shifted for you, and not in a good sense?  Maybe it was a general sense of feeling more drained or perhaps noticing a shift in your ability to keep up with the myriad of tasks and responsibilities related to your professional role.  If so, you’re definitely not alone.   And, unfortunately, when those things set in it’s easy for us to assume that there is something wrong with us and to begin questioning our suitability for our professional role.  But what if the issue isn’t that there is something wrong with you but rather a misalignment between your current seasonal capacity and your expectations for yourself?  The good news is there are ways to better align our work with our values and our capacity, and that’s what we will be exploring today.  Episode Highlights: Discernment category #3 (part 2): Seasonal capacity misalignmentValues versus value domainsWhat is seasonal capacity misalignmentHow values and value domains will shift over timeOur own seasonal capacity mis/alignment examplesSelf-care experiments:Identify your current value domains and notice how they show up, or not, in your work weekIdentify one misaligned value domain or capacity expectation and initiate a conversation about it with a trusted colleague Reflect on how your values have been expressed over the course of your careerResources Mentioned: Russ Harris' website:  https://www.actmindfully.com.au/Valued living questionnaire:  https://stevenchayes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Valued-Living-Questionnaire.pdfDr. Marie-Helene Pelletier's book, The Resilience PlanConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    26 min

  6. Apr 20

    E31: The Power of Discernment, Part 3.1 - Values misalignment, or, why, as competent therapists, we can enjoy our work and yet still feel drained

    Have you ever been good at something (like your work), and still felt drained by it?  It might sound strange, but it is not unusual to be competent and even excellent at what we do, and still feel that something about our work feels heavy, or off.  And that is often the moment that we start to assume something is wrong with us.  But what if that isn’t actually true? What if the issue has nothing to do with your level of competence, but instead is about a misalignment between what is important to you and how your values show up in your work?  And counter-intuitively, when we really value the work that we do, this can even at times contribute to feeling dissatisfied.  The good news is there are ways to better align our work with our values, so that we can get back to enjoying the meaningful work we do.  That's what we are exploring in today's podcast episode. Episode Highlights: Discernment category #3 (part 1): Values misalignmentWhat values are, and are notThe role of discerning values in our work lifeOur own values mis/alignment examplesSelf-care experiments:List your top 5 values and notice how they show up (or not) in your work weekNotice how your top values show up in your treatment of yourself Check out the book, Values in Therapy, by Jenna LeJeune and Jason Luoma Resources Mentioned: Values exercise:  https://www.actmindfully.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Values_Checklist_-_Russ_Harris.pdfConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    24 min

  7. Apr 6

    E30: The Power of Discernment, Part 2 - Boundary misalignment and the art of balancing yes with no

    If you’re anything like us you probably remember times in graduate school where you told yourself something like “This won’t last forever, once I graduate I’ll have more time for myself.” And, at the time, it made sense, you truly believed it, and it worked, because, these kinds of thoughts helped us say “no” to things that would take us away from our studies and say “yes” to things that ensured our academic success. And because it worked so well we continue to use this as a way of motivating self-sacrifice during other points in our professional journey, by simply substituting the phrase “once I graduate” for things like “once I’m licensed”, “once I get the hang of this new job”, and “once things slow down at work.” But of course, the problem is, there will always be something else we can put into that slot. And, before we know it, we may find ourselves resenting our jobs when, in fact, what we really resent is the fact that we can’t seem to stop saying “yes”. In today’s episode we are talking about boundary misalignment and how discernment can help us start saying “no” to the things that take us away from self-care, and start saying “yes” to things that support our self-care and, by extension, our ability to continue doing great work with our clients. Episode Highlights: Discernment category #2:  Boundary misalignment Common risks and outcomes of misaligned boundariesOur personal misaligned boundaries examplesSelf-care experiments:Commit to ending one meeting exactly on timeDelay responding to non-urgent messagesPractice saying 'Let me think about that and get back to you'Publicly protect one recovery windowResource Mentioned: Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier's book, The Resilience Plan, and our past podcast interview with herConnect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    28 min

  8. Mar 23

    E29: The Power of Discernment, Part 1 - Belief misalignment and the stories we tell ourselves about our work and self-care

    Pop quiz:  How many of these beliefs resonate for you? If I’m not exhausted, I must not be working hard enough.My schedule reflects my value.My clients’ outcomes are my responsibility.Nice therapists don’t rock the boat.If I charge more, I’m exploiting people.If I don’t know the answer, I’m failing.If you said all of them, congratulations, you are a typical hardworking and dedicated female therapist!  And you suffer one of the most common ailments in our profession – belief misalignment.  Thankfully, in today’s episode, we are kicking off our new discernment mini-series by sharing some ways to combat this ailment, so that the stories we tell ourselves about our work and our self-care can be better aligned with the truth.  Episode Highlights: Discernment category #1:  Belief misalignment Common risks and outcomes of misaligned beliefsOur personal misaligned beliefs examplesSelf-care experiments:Consciously evaluate one beliefAsk a trusted colleague for a reality checkReplace 'It's all on me' with 'What is actually mine?'Connect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist: https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca/  |  intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca  |   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/ Share one of your own self-care experiments via our SpeakPipe page at:  https://www.speakpipe.com/intentionaltherapist Ready to upgrade your self-care?  Check out the independent study version of our course, Thrivival Skills for Therapists, and earn 3 CE credits!  Because self-care is PART OF our jobs!  More info at:  https://intentional-therapist.newzenler.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-independent-study   Disclaimer:  This podcast seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice.  Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.

    24 min
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Self-care shouldn’t be another task on your to-do list!  This is the show that helps you as a busy and dedicated female mental health therapist to redefine your approach to self-care.  Because we need so much more than bubble baths and breathing exercises! Hosted by Dr. Karen Dyck and Dr. Melissa Tiessen, clinical psychologists, founders of Intentional Therapist, and self-care advocates, our mission is to help you build a life where you thrive right alongside your clients, without guilt and without burning out.  Join us as we explore practical strategies grounded in our 4 C’s model – Connection, Compassion, Courage, and Creativity – to help you create more space for yourself while continuing to support your clients.  Whether you work in a solo private practice, within a large organization, are a new grad, or are nearing retirement, this show has something for you.  Tune in for short but valuable episodes filled with relatable and insightful new perspectives, actionable ‘self-care experiments’, and the encouragement and permission you need to put more of you back in your schedule and create a life from which you don’t need to escape. To learn more about Intentional Therapist and our 4 C’s model of self-care, visit us at: www.intentionaltherapist.ca  [Please note:  This podcast was previously called Thrivival 101, and you can continue to find our original interview episodes in this podcast feed.]

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