“This is the Therapy Chat Podcast with Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. The information shared in this podcast is not a substitute for seeking help from a licensed mental health professional.” A voice actress reads this intro while a cyclical harmonic figure plays on a guitar in the background, reminiscent of the soft music in a doctor’s waiting room. This begins every episode of Therapy Chat, a podcast by Laura Reagan, a licensed social worker and therapist. It feels like a cool shower after a long run—calming and necessary.
Ultimately, they all agreed there is nothing wrong with treating a listener. “I don't see any problem with people who follow me being my clients,” Birkel says. In fact, he encourages them to. Creating the content he does is ultimately to help people, the same goal as his private practice. If anything, the podcast can work as an extension of everything he teaches his couples in a session.
All of this is said with one caveat, therapists can only see clients in the state they’re licensed. Depending on how big a podcast gets, it might be worth it for therapists to include this information on a website or at the beginning of the show so they’re not constantly fielding inquiries from people they can’t legally treat.
However, the question of boundaries and privacy doesn’t end with patient ethics. Being a therapist traditionally means doing a [...]
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