Episode 7

full
Published on:

2nd Nov 2022

Following Rage and Reason to Leave Agency Work with Reina Lombardi of TCP

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Welcome back to Therapist Expanded! Today I’m interviewing Reina Lombardi.

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  • Reina shares her background in Expressive therapies
  • Reina is a group practice owner and trains and consults with other therapists who want to create a private practice or entrepreneurial arm to their creative therapy practice. 
  • She outlines how she got into training other therapists because there’s a lot of fear of getting into private practice because of concerns for stability, and how working in agencies does not necessarily support sustainability. Reina shares a story of working at an agency and having her salary cut to under 30k per year! 
  • Reina explains how in private practice you actually have more control over your energy, stability, and sustainability - ‘making your own way’.
  • She felt terrified to start her podcast and for months recorded and deleted.
  • We briefly touched on the great designation and how there’s a lot of turnover in the profession, and the adage that makes Reina sick: “you didn’t get into this for the money”
  • Reina shares the setting of “allowable” rates by insurance companies and how some insurance companies cut their rates and otherwise many have not increased their rates in 15 years! 
  • She explains the “pressure cooker environment” and how this relates to unsustainable amounts of client sessions needed to make ends meet in this model, and how that relates to not being able to take breaks on a 7-8 hour face-to-face client day to meet billable requirements for the week. Ultimately resulting in turnover and resignation.
  • In her clinical supervision work she makes it clear to therapists (especially those who hire her and work in agencies) that it’s not them, it’s the system.
  • She wondered in her earlier career why she wasn’t staying with organizations for more than a year or two and she wondered if there was something wrong with her, and she realized the truth over time that the rage and fire in her was saying to get out and take care of herself.
  • There are many of us with similar stories of leaving agency work and overcoming the burnout and toxic environments to thrive.
  • I share the question I use to differentiate heart from ego centered motivations, especially when I feel fear: ‘What’s worth being criticized for?’ and Reina shares she’ll be writing down the question and using it to discern as well.
  • You can find Reina at The Creative Psychotherapist podcast and her website Creative Clinician’s Corner

Thanks for listening!


*Hey! What's Your Therapist Fulfillment Flavor? Take the QUIZ to find out and see how much your fulfillment really is like ice cream! 

On a serious note, this quiz could illuminate the beginnings of a path to your fulfillment so take the QUIZ  today and receive curated content just for you! 

I hope you enjoy the podcast! Please Subscribe, share, rate and review if it feels genuine to you!



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About the Podcast

Therapist Expanded
Reaching past industry conditioning to the source of our creative power
Host Erin Gibb is a therapist, clinical supervisor, group practice owner, Therapist Fulfillment Coach, and early adopter of the weird and wonderful.

Through interviews with relatable guests, controversial outside-the-box thinkers, solo episodes, and coaching demos, you'll see how therapists are uniquely conditioned for fear, responsibility and unfulfillment. Therapist Expanded then points the way to reaching past industry constraints to the source of our creative power, because when we therapists dare to live our deepest dreams, we start a mental health revolution.

Wondering how living your core desires freely and fully could start a mental health revolution? Well as Carl Jung said, we'll only take our clients as far as we've gone, and your host has seen the incredible growth of those surrounding a therapist when they courageously dream outside of their conditioning.

So are you curious yet? Join us and let's expand together and watch our field grow!

About your host

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Erin Gibb

Erin Gibb is a Therapist Fulfillment Coach, group practice owner, clinical supervisor, therapist, and outside the box thinker inciting a mental health REVOLUTION.