It was my pleasure to sit down a couple weeks ago with Megan Hawksworth, of the Mastering Counseling podcast, and talk about being a therapist. I always enjoy a chance to compare notes with another person in my field (Megan is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) and talk shop – and Megan was a terrific host. 
Our topic was the whole notion of being a “specialist” as a therapist, which is obviously relevant to my practice, since I’m typically considered “the lawyer’s therapist.” It’s true that I used to be a biglaw corporate associate and have written books about law and mental health and treat a great many lawyers in my private practice. However, it’s also worth noting that I originally started out as a “gay therapist” working with HIV+ gay men in a hospital setting and then ran a large, diverse private practice as a “downtown therapist” first in Battery Park City and then in neighboring Tribeca, working mostly with area residents and folks in creative fields. So if I’m a specialist, I’ve had a few specialties.
The larger issue we chewed on is that every therapist, by necessity, is a generalist – it comes with the territory. People are complicated, and diverse, and labels, while useful in some contexts, tend to blur important distinctions in others. We’re all a lot like everyone else – and completely unique, as well.
Anyway, it’s all super-interesting grist for the mill and led to a lively discussion. Here’s a link to the podcast. The MastersinCounseling.org blog, authored by Dr. Barbara LoFrisco (another therapist) is also well worth checking out.
I would be more than happy to talk about psychotherapy forever (it’s my very favorite subject), and it’s always a pleasure to sit down with a colleague and bounce ideas off one another. This was an especially fun interview.
Don’t get me wrong – you know I love lawyers. But everyone likes to talk to a therapist, right? Apparently, I’m no exception.
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And now there’s a new Sequel: Still Way Worse Than Being a Dentist: (The Sequel)
I’ve also written a comic novel about a psychotherapist who falls
in love with a blue alien from outer space. I guarantee pure reading pleasure: Bad Therapist: A Romance
The People's Therapist 