Send us a text

Guest: Ashley Orbanus, LPC (she/her)
Host: Kayla Schubert-Wirth, MSW, LCSW (she/her)
Podcast: Burnout & Bullshit: Real Stories from the Mental Health Field

What happens when your internship starts with a screen door, a stare-down, and the words:

“You’re 10 minutes early? Good. Learn to value your time—or you won’t make it.”

In this raw and unfiltered episode, Ashley Orbanus, LPC, pulls back the curtain on the appearance policing, burnout culture, and boundary-violating leadership she endured from internship to private practice. From being told to hide her tattoos and remove piercings, to being overworked, underpaid, and unsupported—Ashley’s story is the one too many therapists relate to but are scared to say out loud.

🔥 Topics Covered:

• Toxic internship dynamics & microaggressions
• Tattoo shaming in the therapy world
• 1099 exploitation in private practice
• Therapist burnout and nervous system collapse
• Gaslighting disguised as "professionalism"
• Reclaiming identity and building a values-aligned practice

Chapters

Chapters

00:00 Journey into Mental Health: Personal Trauma and Motivation
02:31 Internship Experiences: Challenges and Lessons Learned
04:32 Navigating Professional Identity: Tattoos and Authenticity in Therapy
08:56 Career Path: From Corrections to Private Practice
11:25 The Reality of Private Practice: Flexibility vs. Burnout
14:33 Navigating Professional Identity and Authenticity
16:54 Turning Points in Private Practice
21:46 The Importance of Support and Boundaries
26:11 Advice for New Therapists and Challenging Norms
33:24 Introduction to Raw Conversations
33:46 Finding the Right Therapist

✨ Resources & Links:

🔹 Ashley’s Profile:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ashley-orbanus-shickshinny-pa/894781

🔹 Work with Kayla:
Burned out by broken systems? Build a practice that honors you.
👉 gritandgracepsychotherapy.com

💼 Ready to leave burnout and bullshit behind for good?
If you're a therapist stuck in someone else's version of success and craving a business that actually feels like yours, Kayla offers bold, honest business coaching to help you unlearn the rules and build your private practice on your own terms.
💥 Join the waitlist or apply here

💌 Be Part of the Show:

📝 Apply to be a guest:
https://forms.gle/fvm82tXdhRmpZ2TE7

🕵️‍♀️ Submit your story anonymously:
https://forms.gle/snoC3Qiz2WxCMKW57

📬 Join Kayla’s Email List for therapist support, raw stories, and no-BS biz tips:
https://kaylaschubertwirth.myflodesk.com/overit

📲 Tag us on Instagram @therapy_with_kayla and let us know what part hit hardest.

This podcast includes personal opinions and experiences shared by guests and anonymous contributors. All identifying details may be changed to protect confidentiality. These stories are intended for educational and storytelling purposes and are not meant to defame, accuse, or harm any person or organization. Any resemblance to real persons or entities is purely coincidental.