In this episode, I sit down with clinical psychologist Dr. John Han to explore what happens when a difficult client stirs up our own countertransference—and why choosing not to quit can become a deeply healing moment for both therapist and client.

We also discuss the fear of performance that so often pulls us out of true presence, and share honestly about the unique challenges many Korean Americans face around shame, optics, and staying emotionally authentic. This episode is an invitation to slow down, stay curious, and rediscover the courage to remain in the room when everything in you wants to step out.

Links related to John:

Psychology Today profile

drjohnjhan@gmail.com

New Therapist FAQ on Instagram:

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/newtherapistfaq/⁠⁠

New Therapist FAQ on Facebook:

⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ntfaqpodcast⁠⁠

In this episode, I sit down with seasoned therapist Gary Quan who opens up about a professional regret from early in his career: avoiding wise counsel and letting anxiety and over-productivity drive his work. We explore how fear, isolation, and the Asian cultural pressure to perform can impact even the most well-intentioned clinicians—and what he wishes he had done differently. This candid conversation offers grounding insights for new therapists learning to build sustainable, supported careers.

Links related to Gary:

Asian American Chronicles

California Institute of Integral Studies

Christian Counseling Center

Octave

Daybreak Health

New Therapist FAQ on Instagram:

⁠https://www.instagram.com/newtherapistfaq/⁠

New Therapist FAQ on Facebook:

⁠https://www.facebook.com/ntfaqpodcast⁠

Traditionally, a new therapist seeks out an office space to rent part-time from a more seasoned therapist. Sometimes we get lucky and fill our caseload quickly and all the stars align so that all our clients can see us on one particular day of the week. Sometimes we're not so lucky and we end up paying a lot more for overhead than we expected. Is there a better way?

Yes! Jen Kim, co-founder of Ethera, leveraged many of the disappointments she faced when looking for office space, and put in major work to create a collaborative co-practicing space for therapists to do their work well. She joins me for today's episode and talks about great alternatives to traditional office space. Hope you get inspired!

Ethera's website: www.myethera.com

Email: hello@myethera.com

New Therapist FAQ on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/newtherapistfaq/

New Therapist FAQ on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ntfaqpodcast

Soo Jin Lee and Linda Yoon co-wrote an EXCELLENT book called "Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian American Identity." But this book didn't appear out of thin air. How did it go from idea to the shelf at Barnes and Noble?

Linda and Soo Jin saw the lack of resources written by people of color, and decided to contribute to the solution. We hope that the telling of their publishing story will inspire those of you who are thinking of writing your own book!

https://yellowchaircollective.com

Find book here

https://entwinecommunity.org/about

@newtherapistfaq

By now you may have heard about the No Surprises Act and the Good Faith Estimate. It's a law meant to protect the consumer from charges they were not expecting. It's still early in the execution stage, and I am in the process of wrapping my head around it while putting it into action in compliance with the law.

As a way of helping you also wrap your head around it, I have enlisted the help of my wife Jenn Hsu to talk with me about this new law. She is a huge proponent of mental health, and she lends some of her perspective as a prospective client, while I try to articulate to her what I understand about this new law. I hope our dialogue kickstarts your own thinking process, and perhaps further conversations as we all try to put into practice this regulation.

I only provide opinions about overviews of this law. For a deeper look into the contents of the law, you can consider viewing this 2 hour seminar:

https://www.semiprivatepractice.com/a/2147502742/YbsugoZK

It gives you a breakdown of what the law entails, as well as a good Q/A portion answered by a healthcare attorney. This is an affiliate link.

What I offer in this episode is opinion and information. It does not constitute legal advice.

What should I consider before making the decision to get on insurance panels? Dr. Lynn Raine chats with me to help you make a more informed decision!

Find out more about Dr. Raine's services:

therapywithlynn.net

rainecounselingservices@gmail.com

And as mentioned in today's conversation, I think Simple Practice is an EHR tool that will help SIMPLIFY your practice so that you can invest MORE of your energy and time into client time, and me-time. Here's $50 off when you use this link!

Being organized can be so tough, but it can be so helpful in our private practice. If you need some inspiration to get more organized, I think you will enjoy listening to this episode! Helen Kim is a registered associate MFT who shares some things that have allowed her to stay organized. She also provides some tips on how she has stayed motivated, which can be hard to do for new therapists and veterans alike!

Some things we touch upon:

• How to use color coding in your calendar
• How to define and chart financial goals
• Do I lower my fee in order to get more client hours?
• Ways to create more headspace for marketing and admin work

Helen Kim can be reached by email at helen@sync.org or her therapy site: https://sync.org/counselors/helen-kim-rn-mft-sierra-madre-counselor/

By the way, have you tried Simple Practice yet? Simple Practice is an Electronic Health Record tool that will help SIMPLIFY your practice so that you can invest more of your energy and time into client time, and ME-time! Here's $50 off when you click this link

Today we are going to be talking about social media again! Nearly all your clients are on social media for hours every day. How do you leverage this and give them helpful content, plus get more visibility for your practice?

We’re going to talk more about this today with Dr. Marie Fang, she is a licensed psychologist practicing in San Jose, CA. She is the host of Private Practice Skills, a popular youtube channel for therapists in private practice, and she is going to help me answer the frequently asked question: How do I succeed on social media?

Dr. Marie will be sharing personally like she always does, and I hope you find great value in this episode. Plus, towards the end of this episode, I’ll be sharing a special offer for anyone who is thinking about creating your own therapy practice website.

Some talking points:

• Focusing on one social media platform
• Repurposing content across platforms
• How did Marie choose YouTube?
• Let your unique personality show up, and be consistent in sharing your voice. Don't copy others!
• Develop your brand story

Marie's YouTube channel: Private Practice Skills

Marie's new course: How to DIY a Therapist Website that Fills your Practice (with zero ads!) Enter promo code 20OFF for $20 off savings :)

Oh and by the way, have you tried Simple Practice yet? Simple Practice is an Electronic Health Record tool that will help SIMPLIFY your practice so that you can invest more of your energy and time into client time, and ME-time! Here's $50 off when you click this link