Podcasts have gained popularity throughout the years, with millions of people tuning in to listen on their favorite streaming platforms. However, podcasts aren’t just for fun. Some podcasts have been created to educate the public or support professionals in their careers, including therapists. Listening to podcasts can allow therapists to connect with the ideas and insights of other professionals in the field and keep current on modern psychology. Keep reading to learn more about some of the best podcasts for therapists and how they might support you in your personal or professional goals.
What Are The Best Mental Health Podcasts For Therapists In 2023?
Hundreds of podcasts concerning topics like therapy, wellness, and mental health are available to listen to. However, the following are commonly rated highly by therapists and listeners alike.
- The Psychology Podcast
Host: Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
Where To Listen: Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Dr. Kaufman’s Website
Who It’s For: Therapists and non-professionals wanting to learn more about mental health from experts in their field
Why Listen? The Psychology Podcast was developed by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman to provide listeners with inspiring episodes on mental health and psychology. Scott interviews scientists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals to discuss topics ranging from regret to meaningfully engaging with life. A few of the episode titles you can find in this podcast include the following:
- The Mindful Athlete With George Mumford
- Integral Therapy, Awakening, and Society With Ken Wilber
- How To Change Your Habits With Dr. Art Markman
- What Is Creativity? With The Human Potential Lab
- Selling The Couch
Host: Melvin Varghese
Where To Listen: Captivate.fm
Who It’s For: Private practice therapists and independent contractors building a therapy business
Why Listen? Selling the Couch is a podcast about being a private practitioner as a therapist, psychiatrist, or other type of mental health care provider. The host, Melvin Varghese, discusses topics like creating a private practice startup, mental health billing, taking insurance, budgeting, and setting up an office space. The podcast covers how therapists may increase their business success and revenue through various techniques Varghese has used himself to grow his own practice. The idea of the podcast is that a business can be built from “the couch up.”
Varghese explores how psychologists can use outside revenue streams to plan for situations like cancelations, emergencies, or client terminations. These products and services might include courses, e-books, or writing services in the realm of mental health. Varghese explains how he has used these sources of income to increase his practice revenue. Other episode topics include the following:
- A Slow, Intentional Transition to Full-Time Private Practice
- Building a Personal Brand on Social Media
- How To Not Let Work Become Your Identity
- Ups and Downs of Transitioning From a Full-Time Job Into Private Practice
- Getting Better: Stories of Mental Health
Host: Micheline Maalouf and Nadia Addesi
Where To Listen: Apple Podcasts
Who It’s For: Anyone who wants to learn more about their mental health, including professionals
Why Listen? The Getting Better podcast takes a vulnerable dive into common mental health topics, such as anxiety, emotional eating, and immigration’s impact on mental well-being. Led by therapists Micheline Maalouf and Nadia Addesi, celebrities like Meghan Trainor and Rebel Wilson are interviewed about their experiences with mental health topics.
Although not a podcast specifically for therapists, therapists may still find the episodes entertaining and inspiring, getting a glimpse into the mental health of prolific individuals in society. In addition, the therapists in the podcast explore how they’ve supported their clients in the past. Episode titles include but aren’t limited to the following:
- Wilmer Valderrama on Immigration & Mental Health
- Cynthia Germanotta | Lady Gaga’s Mother on Kindness & Youth Mental Health
- Jay Shetty on His Story, Emotional Well-Being, & Mental Health
- Therapist Uncensored
Host: Sue Marriott And Ann Kelley
Where To Listen: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
Who It’s For: Therapists who want to hear honest conversations about what it’s like to be a mental health professional from other experts in the field and individuals who are interested in bettering themselves through proven therapeutic techniques
Why Listen? Therapist Uncensored is a therapy podcast that aims to “translate” complex science and psychology into understandable tools through modern language and the demystification of mental health. The hosts interview celebrity guests and other professionals who have been experts in the field for decades, including but not limited to Pat Ogden, Dan Brown, and Dan Siegel.
Below are some of the podcast episode titles you can listen to:
- Navigating Racial Trauma & Identity With Gilceria Perez & Debra Chatman-Finley
- Secure Relating, Not the Same as Secure Attachment
- Attachment in Polyamory & Consensual Non-Monogamous Relationships With Jessica Fern
- Secure Parenting While Under Stress With Dan Siegel & Tina Payne-Bryson
- Speaking Of Psychology By The American Psychological Association
Host: The American Psychological Association (APA)
Where To Listen: The APA Website
Who It’s For: Psychologists, individuals, and mental health workers interested in hearing from doctors and psychologists about various mental health topics
Why Listen? Speaking of Psychology was developed as a weekly podcast by the APA to bring quality mental health education to listeners worldwide. The people interviewed in the podcast are often psychologists and doctors with years of experience in their realm of specialty. With over 250 episodes and counting, the podcast puts out new information often. Episodes are frequently around 30 to 60 minutes long, so you might choose to listen to this podcast while you’re commuting to work or in between clients.
Below are some titles you can find on the APA’s podcast:
- Why We Get Conned, and How To Avoid It With Daniel Simons, Ph.D. and Christopher Chabris, Ph.D.
- Why Boredom Is Surprisingly Interesting With Erin Westgate, Ph.D.
- The Holiday Blues With Elaine Rodino, Ph.D.
- Exploring Psychology’s Colorful Past With Cathy Faye, Ph.D.
- The Trauma Therapist Podcast
Host: Guy Macpherson, Ph.D.
Where To Listen: The Podcast’s Website
Who It’s For: Trauma therapists and mental health providers looking to become trauma-informed in their practice
Why Listen? Many therapy podcasts explore various mental health topics. However, Guy Macpherson takes therapists through conversations about trauma and discusses how to provide trauma-informed care. Specifically for therapists, this podcast offers tips for treating clients, validating experiences, and working through challenging topics. It also explores how therapists can care for themselves when working with sensitive material like trauma.
Below are some of the episode titles for this podcast:
- Religious Trauma and Purity Culture With Audrey Omenson
- Touch: The Most Fundamental of Human Experiences With Cornelia Elbrecht
- Trauma-Informed Occupational Therapy With Alyson Stover
- The Profound Impact of Bilateral Stimulation With Yanick Steinbeck
- Let’s Talk About CBT Podcast
Host: Lucy Maddox
Where To Listen: The Podcast’s Website
Who It’s For: CBT therapists and clients who want to learn more about the broad impact of CBT and why it’s considered the “gold standard” of talk therapy
Why Listen? Many therapists and mental health professionals are trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a method widely practiced since the 1950s. Host Lucy Maddox aims to discuss this method in further detail by interviewing experts who have worked with this modality since the beginning. Maddox’s podcast offers hope and further education to professionals interested in exploring and/or utilizing CBT. Episode titles include the following:
- How Has CBT Changed Over the Last 50 Years?
- What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Couples Therapy?
- CBT For Clinical Perfectionism
- CBT For Psychosis
- Black Girls Heal Podcast
Host: Shena Lashey
Where To Listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher
Who It’s For: Black women and girls wanting to improve their mental health, heal from unresolved trauma, and break unhealthy relationship patterns
Why Listen? Although not a podcast specifically for therapists, this is one of the only mental health podcasts for Black women. This podcast may benefit therapists looking to offer culturally informed treatment to clients or improve their mental health in their own lives. Shena Lashey is a love addiction expert, attachment specialist, and trauma therapist who works with clients to help them break generational patterns. Some of the topics in her podcast explored in detail include the following:
- Recovering as a Married Single Mother With Jasmine Chanelle
- Stop Withholding Love and Be Love Available
- The Art of Receiving
- Your Trauma and Your (Conflictual) Relationship With Your Daughter
- Grieving the Relationship You Never Had With Your Mother
- Healed and Loved Meditation & Affirmations
Other Podcasts To Consider
There are hundreds of other therapy podcasts you may want to check out, and many that aren’t on this list are also popular with listeners. Below are a few more podcasts to consider listening to:
- Mental Illness Happy Hour
- Therapy Chat
- Happier Podcast
- The Hidden Brain
- The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide
- The Voice of Counseling
- Billing Breakthroughs
Online Therapy For Improving Mental Health And Wellness
Podcasts can be a helpful supplement to your professional journey as a therapist, but they are not a replacement for mental health interventions or certified educational programs. If you want to learn more about improving mental health and wellness, either personally or professionally, you may want to consider connecting with an online therapist through the BetterHelp platform.
Many BetterHelp therapists are required to complete CEUs (continuing education units), which helps to ensure that the information and guidance users receive is accurate and up-to-date. With the option to use phone calls, video chats, or in-app messaging to speak with a provider, online therapy allows you to get the support you need with more ease and convenience. This could be a beneficial starting point no matter where you’re at in your career.
The Efficacy Of Online Therapy
Mental health and wellness are intricately connected, with research showing that online therapy can positively impact each of these areas. For example, in one study, researchers explored the efficacy of a six-week web-based stress management intervention on stress, coping skills, and sleep quality. At the conclusion of the study, participants reported experiencing improved coping skills, higher quality sleep, and less emotional exhaustion. These results depict the effectiveness of online therapy in addressing both physical and mental symptoms.
Takeaway
Podcasts can offer a world of knowledge and information to those who listen, and many are designed with therapists and mental health practitioners in mind. However, you don’t have to be a professional to listen to these podcasts, and many podcasts aimed toward the community at large may also offer unique and practical advice to listeners.
The above podcasts can provide a starting point for psychologists, social workers, therapists, counselors, and other mental health professionals to connect with other experts and expand their knowledge. Consider listening to one or, if you think it would be fun, creating your own to offer your knowledge to the people in your community and around the US. Further, if you’re seeking insight into mental health and wellness and would like personalized, one-on-one guidance from a trained professional, you might try connecting with a therapist through an online platform like BetterHelp.
