Therapists Unchained

Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Mental Health

Therapists Unchained is about opening a dialogue about the state of mental health in the United States as seen through the eyes of the clinicians and the role of tech platforms in shaping access to care, the consequences of VC-backed therapy models, the intentional complexities of dealing with insurance companies, and building a community of mental health providers to support, mentor, educate, and empower each other. You’ll hear real talk about what’s happening behind the scenes in our field and what it means for providers and clients alike. Why It Matters: As the mental health field becomes increasingly shaped by corporate interests and algorithm-driven care, clinicians are being left out of critical conversations — and often critical decisions. This podcast is our space to educate, connect, and organize. Join the Movement: If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to subscribe, share with your networks, and start the conversation in your communities. Together, we can unchain the future of mental health care. Connect With Us: If you'd like to be on the show or collaborate with Therapists Unchained, please get in touch with Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS, at sivie@therapistsunchained.com THANK YOU!

  1. Oct 23

    Taking on Corporate Tech with Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA

    In this episode of Therapists Unchained, host Sivie Suckerman sits down with Dr. Linda Michaels (PsyD, MBA), a practicing psychologist, consulting editor, and co-founder/chair of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN). Together, they explore the critical intersection between clinical integrity and the rapid corporatization of mental healthcare. Linda discusses how venture capital firms, insurance companies, and tech platforms are marginalizing deep, relational psychotherapy in favor of rapid interventions, chatbots, and gig-work models that undermine patient privacy and professional autonomy. She shares the harrowing story of being sued by Talkspace for a multi-million-dollar amount after advocating against their business model, highlighting the intense intimidation tactics used against critics. Despite these formidable corporate pressures, Sivie and Linda discuss the importance of clinicians and the public are increasingly pushing back by voting with their feet and uniting to reclaim the human-centric core of psychotherapy. --- Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA is a psychologist with a private practice in Chicago. She is Chair and Co-Founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), a grassroots nonprofit organization that advocates for expanding access to psychotherapy and supporting and empowering the clinicians who provide that care. She is a Consulting Editor of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, Clinical Associate Faculty at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, and a Fellow of the Lauder Institute Global MBA program. She is author of numerous articles and the book Advancing Psychotherapy for the Next Generation, and has published, presented, and been interviewed by the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, NPR and other national media on the value of psychotherapy. Linda has a former career in business, with over 15 years’ experience consulting to organizations in the US and Latin America.  LINKS: Psychotherapy Action NetworkOur Original Research with the general public, on what they want from therapy. Over 3,000 respondents in 2 nationwide research studies. Our Private Practice Hub, with guides for therapists who want to manage their practices with or without practice manage companies. This page also includes a link to our original research study on practice management companies, with responses from 700 therapists. Our Insurance Hub, Includes a quick, 5-step guide on what to do if insurance claims have been denied or downloaded or clawed back. also includes our Insurance Tracker, where we'd love for folks to enter in the experiences they've had. The more data we can gather on insurance problems, the stronger our advocacy.These articles highlight our research studies and some of the key areas -- access, clinician autonomy, clinical standards, relational/depth therapy -- that are central to our mission. Corporations in the Consulting Room: What Do We Stand For, and What Stands in Our Way?, an article I wrote on the impacts of practice management companies When Talkspace Sued PsiAN and Me, an article on the whole saga of being sued for $40MM by Talkspace, just for questioning whether their asynchronous texting product was real therapy What People Need and Want from Therapy: Advancing Access to Care, an article that summarizes our research findings, and also highlights the systemic changes needed to improve access to care This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  2. Oct 9

    Navigating the AI Era in Mental Health Care with Candice Thompson, LMFT

    This week on Therapist Unchained host Sivie Suckerman and Candice Thompson discuss the ethical dilemmas and potential dangers of integrating artificial intelligence into the therapy profession. Candice explains how venture capital and the tech industry are aggressively commercializing mental health care, often prioritizing corporate valuation and cost-cutting over authentic human connection. They highlight the hidden risks of AI tools, including data privacy breaches, inaccurate clinical AI hallucinations, and the alarming trend of chatbots replacing genuine therapeutic relationships. They discuss maintaining autonomy by rejecting invasive technologies, turning off smart-use features, and advocating for human-centered care within their practices. TEDx Talks "Why AI can't be your therapist" - Candice Thompson Watch Here Web site: https://candicecandelaria.com/ --- Candice Thompson is a Psychotherapist and national keynote speaker located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Outside of her therapy office, Candice works with organizations on ethically navigating the mental health tech era, including understanding the hidden impacts of AI.​ This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  3. Sep 25

    The CE Monopoly & How We Break It with Megan Ellow, LCSW

    In this podcast interview, Sivie Suckerman speaks with Megan Ellow, a licensed clinical social worker and the creator of Therapist CEU. They discuss the growing corporatization of mental health, specifically how large entities and private equity firms have taken over the field of continuing education. Megan shares her frustration with generic, low-quality trainings offered by major conglomerates and explains how her new online directory empowers independent clinicians to share their specialized expertise. The conversation highlights the importance of human-centered therapy over insurance-driven models that prioritize profits over clinical depth. Megan talks about a circular economy where therapists support one another by exchanging knowledge and diversifying their income away from exploitative systems. --- Megan Ellow, is a licensed clinical social worker and the owner of Nest Counseling, a small group practice in Media, Pennsylvania. Her team focuses on child, adolescent, and family therapy, with specialties in play therapy and perinatal mental health.  She also founded TherapistCEU, an online directory built to solve a problem she kept running into herself: finding good continuing education without wading through overpriced, low-quality options. The platform connects independent therapy trainers with licensed clinicians looking for trainings worth their time and money. She built it because she wanted the money therapists spend on CE to go back to other therapists, not to the corporations and private equity firms that have bought up most of the field. Website: TherapistCEU.com and Nest-counseling.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therapistceu On the directory sign-up page: Clinicians/trainers enter Founder60 when creating an account on the Therapist CEU directory website to claim a 60-day free trial to list their continuing education trainings. This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  4. Sep 11

    Building a Sustainable Nonprofit Therapy Practice with Dr. Lauren Lawson, LMFT

    In this episode of Therapists Unchained, Sivie Suckerman interviews Dr. Lauren Lawson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, coach, and founder of Hope Counseling Center. They discuss the financial and operational pressures facing private practice owners including corporate tax burdens, widespread clinician burnout, and the limitations of traditional fee-for-service models. Dr. Lawson dispels widespread misconceptions about nonprofit healthcare, outlining her four-pillar framework (formation, governance, revenue, and implementation) while highlighting how therapists can earn competitive salaries, mitigate individual liability through board oversight, and tap into local county and state grants. This conversation provides a practical roadmap for clinicians seeking an innovative model to deliver affordable care to their communities without sacrificing long-term financial stability. --- About Lauren Lawson, PsyD, LMFT Lauren Lawson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, nonprofit founder, and the founder of Lauren Lawson Coaching. She has spent more than 13 years building and sustaining her own nonprofit group practice, HOPE Counseling Center. Today, Lauren helps therapists who want to serve their communities on a larger scale build nonprofit practices without recreating the burnout, underpayment, and unsustainable systems they’re trying to leave behind. Her signature Therapist Nonprofit Framework™ focuses on four essential pillars: Formation — creating the proper legal foundation Governance — building the right board structure, protection, and oversight Revenue — creating financial sustainability and multiple revenue streams Implementation — launching, operating, and growing the organization Lauren’s work is rooted in a simple belief: therapists shouldn’t have to choose between serving their communities and building financial stability. With the right structure, it’s possible to do both. Connect With Lauren Website: Lauren Lawson Coaching Instagram: @nonprofit_therapy_leaders YouTube: Nonprofit Practice Mentor Facebook Community: Nonprofit Therapy Leaders LinkedIn: Lauren Lawson, PsyD, LMFT Free Resource for Listeners Join Lauren’s free live workshop, “Build a Nonprofit Therapy Practice That Works for You and the Community You Serve,” on September 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. ET. Register for the free workshop Listeners can also get Lauren’s free Nonprofit Practice Blueprint, designed to challenge common myths about nonprofit therapy practices and help therapists understand what building a sustainable nonprofit can actually look like. Get the Nonprofit Practice Blueprint This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  5. Aug 28

    A Systemic Approach to Insurance Reform with Michael Desposito, MA, LPCC-S (OH), DBTC

    In this episode of Therapists Unchained, Sivie Suckerman interviews Michael Desposito, a counselor and advocate leading the Insurance Accountability Committee in Ohio. They speak about the systemic challenges facing mental health professionals, including low reimbursement rates, the threat of insurance clawbacks, and the complexities of clinical integration. Michael highlights recent legislative successes in Ohio, such as the passage of anti-clawback protection, while warning about the long-term impact of vertical monopolies and corporate interests on private practices. Ultimately, the call is for unified advocacy and better civic education for therapists to ensure the profession remains viable. Wellife -- Michael Desposito is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with Supervisory Designation (LPCC-S) in Ohio and a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist (DBTC). He earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bowling Green State University and serves as Vice President and co-owner of The Wellife, LLC, a private counseling practice in Canton, Ohio. For more than a decade, Michael has worked across a variety of behavioral health settings, providing services to transitional-age youth, individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness, dual-diagnosis populations, LGBTQI+ communities, and those seeking support with emotion regulation, grief, and wellness. His professional interests include transdiagnostic and third-wave behavioral therapies, counselor development, private practice, and behavioral health advocacy. Michael has served in numerous leadership roles within state and national organizations, including the Ohio Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (OASERVIC), the Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities Association of Ohio (SAIGEO), the East Ohio Counseling Association (EOCA), and Leadership Stark County (LSC). He currently serves as Chair of the Behavioral Health Providers Insurance Advocacy Committee of the Ohio Counseling Association (OCA), Secretary of the Ohio Association for Counselors in Private Practice (OACPP), and Secretary of the Together in Hope Foundation (THF), a national suicide prevention nonprofit organization. A frequent presenter and educator, Michael has previously served as an adjunct instructor in a CACREP-accredited graduate counseling programs and has delivered more than 50 presentations at local, state, and national conferences on topics including emotion regulation, mood disorders, affirmative counseling practices, counselor wellness, supervision, private practice development, and behavioral health policy. He has published on counselor wellness, affirmative practice, and leadership, and has received multiple awards recognizing his contributions to the counseling profession and behavioral health policy and advocacy. This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  6. Aug 14

    The Human Behind the Healer with Anna Steele, LCSW

    Content Warning: This episode of Therapists Unchained features a deeply honest and vulnerable conversation regarding severe depression, systemic burnout, and suicidal ideation among mental health professionals. In this episode of Therapists Unchained, host Sivie Suckerman sits down with Anna Steele, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker who runs a solo private practice in Vail, Arizona. Anna shares her courageous professional evolution from the grinding gears of public mental health to true clinical autonomy, while laying bare the profound personal cost of an industry that frequently denies the humanity of its healers. They speak about navigating profound struggles while working under high-stress institutional systems. She and host Sivie Suckerman discuss the unique challenges, isolation, and barriers that clinicians face when seeking support for their own mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, please know you are not alone and help is available: National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (available 24/7, free, and confidential). Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Local Resources: Reach out to your local crisis clinic or emergency services. -- Anna Steele, LCSW I have worked as a mental health professional since 2000. In 2009 I earned my Master’s of Social Work (MSW) from Arizona State University (ASU), and I have worked as a therapist ever since. I have worked as a therapist in public mental health in several settings. These have included residential treatment, community crisis services, and juvenile detention. While working in public mental health I became trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). In 2016 I decided to go into private practice, and I opened Vail Counseling PLLC. The experience in public mental health and my training in EMDR was very valuable in private practice. At the same time I started working with people who wanted even deeper answers and healing than traditional psychotherapies and even EMDR could provide. In 2021 I was introduced to Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). This treatment intervention taught me how to fully experience all emotions in order to find the deep changing answers that my clients and I were looking for. While learning about ISTDP I also realized that attachment theory helps provide deep healing answers, and so I have taken the time to study and thoroughly understand attachment. In 2024 I took an intensive training on couples therapy called PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy). PACT has helped richen my understanding of attachment. It has also taught me skills that help deepen relationships and improve attachment. A principle that I have lived and worked by since the beginning of my career is to be willing to do anything I ask a client to do. As I have learned different therapies I have also done them myself. I support those I work with by being trained and experienced in various skills of psychotherapy, and by being able to understand through my own personal experience. If you are searching for answers that will create meaningful change in your life I look forward to the opportunity to use my experience and training to support you in this journey. Vail Counseling This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  7. Jul 31

    MediSprout: Reclaiming the EHR from Venture Capital Control with Dr. Samant Virk and Ben Putland

    This podcast episode of Therapists Unchained, hosted by Sivie Suckerman, features MediSprout founders Dr. Samant Virk and Ben Putland, who discuss their mission to provide an ethical technology alternative for mental health clinicians. Unlike venture-backed platforms that prioritize investor returns, their Electronic Health Record (EHR) system focuses on clinical integrity and data sovereignty. The founders explain how they self-fund their operations to avoid the predatory practices often seen in the industry, such as monetizing patient data or sudden price hikes. To ensure the software serves providers first, they established an independent clinical integrity board with veto power over features affecting patient care. Their long-term strategy includes building a nonprofit management services organization and an independent clearinghouse to protect the autonomy of private practices. Ultimately, the conversation highlights a shift toward transparent, practitioner-led infrastructure designed to reclaim power from large healthcare conglomerates. MediSprout -- Dr. Samant Virk is Founder & CEO of MediSprout, a company focused on connecting doctors with their patients through innovative technology solutions. He is also a physician having practiced clinical medicine for almost 15 years, with a specialization in Neurology and Interventional Spine. Virk founded MediSprout' to help practitioners better connect with patients using its virtual video product, V2MD. Samant received his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine and lives in Rye, New York. Ben Putland, Founder, Chief Operating Officer has spent 26 years growing businesses and building digital work that breaks new ground. He's helped global tech and entertainment brands — including Google, Meta, Spotify, Lucasfilm, and Disney — pull off genuine industry firsts. For Google, he led the team behind Google Outside, one of the first campaigns to turn live search data into out-of-home advertising that adapted to your location, the time of day, and what you were likely looking for. For Disney, he helped create the augmented-reality "Shadows" experience, which became the second most-shared ad of 2015 and drew more than 300 million views. Work like this has earned his teams some of the most prestigious awards in advertising. Originally from Cambridge in the UK, Benhas lived in five countries and has called New York home for the past twelve years. His 2019 exit came as COO of Grand Visual and managing director of its ad-tech spin-off QDOT, both acquired by Talon Outdoor that year. Since then he's served as COO of MediSprout, a healthcare innovation company, where he's tackling some of the sector's deepest problems with one goal in mind: making health equity a reality. This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

  8. Jul 17

    The Power of Advocacy with Meg Curtin Rey-Bear, LPCC, LMHC, NCC

    This podcast episode of Therapists Unchained, hosted by Sivie Suckerman, features Meg Curtin Rey-Bear, MA, LPCC, LMHC, NCC, a veteran therapist and advocate from Eastern Washington. As the finance task force chair and co-creator of the insurance task force for the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association (WAMCA), Meg shares her experiences navigating and fighting to reform the mental health insurance system. Meg and Sivie speak about grassroots advocacy and how it has successfully shifted policy in recent years and that billing insurance remains a vital way to keep quality mental health care accessible to the community. -- Meg Curtin Rey-Bear, MA, LPCC, LMHC, NCC As a therapist with over 23 years of experience, Meg has extensive training and practice in the areas of complex trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and family dynamics. In her current practice Meg’s works as a family therapist and specializes in working with parents experiencing high-tension family dynamics and with parents struggling to connect with their children. Meg also works with estranged parents of adult children, helping concerned family members reduce tension and foster healthy connections that motivate loved ones to seek the help and support they need.   In addition to her work with families and parents, Meg is a Certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia provider (CBTi), offering clinical support to clients struggling with sleep and insomnia issues and. CBTi is a highly effective, structured, and evidence-based approach to combating the frustrating symptoms of insomnia. For those suffering from disrupted sleep, CBT-I has been found to be a more effective treatment than medication. Meg is a Certified EMDR therapists and National Board Certified Counselor (NCC) and State Approved Supervisor. She offers clinical supervision and consultation for new therapists as well as those seeking ongoing support and consultation while they practice independently. She has over 15 years of experience working with interns and new therapists. Wellness Therapies Spokane WMHCA This episode was produced and edited by Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS

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5
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About

Therapists Unchained is about opening a dialogue about the state of mental health in the United States as seen through the eyes of the clinicians and the role of tech platforms in shaping access to care, the consequences of VC-backed therapy models, the intentional complexities of dealing with insurance companies, and building a community of mental health providers to support, mentor, educate, and empower each other. You’ll hear real talk about what’s happening behind the scenes in our field and what it means for providers and clients alike. Why It Matters: As the mental health field becomes increasingly shaped by corporate interests and algorithm-driven care, clinicians are being left out of critical conversations — and often critical decisions. This podcast is our space to educate, connect, and organize. Join the Movement: If this conversation resonates with you, we invite you to subscribe, share with your networks, and start the conversation in your communities. Together, we can unchain the future of mental health care. Connect With Us: If you'd like to be on the show or collaborate with Therapists Unchained, please get in touch with Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS, at sivie@therapistsunchained.com THANK YOU!

Information

  • Creator
    Sivie Suckerman, MA, LMHC, ACS
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Therapists Unchained LLC
  • Show Website
    Therapists Unchained

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