Modern Therapists Strike Back

The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

Curt and Katie talk about union therapists and a strike in California. We look at antitrust, labor disputes, implications of striking, and how to improve working conditions, treatment, and outcomes.

It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

In this episode we talk about:

• A strike by the Union of Health Care Workers at Kaiser Permanente in California
• Historical perspective on Kaiser Permanente
• Union statement on why they are striking
• The Union asks from Kaiser
• Our desire to be objective
• The ideas that we support: increased mental health access, improved mental health treatment, and positive work environments, fair wages, and sustainable work standards
• How union workers increasing wages impacts nonunion clinics
• The different perspectives on what the discussion is about and why the strike is happening
• How change can happen, what conversations might be happening
• Being adversarial, being productive, and when they are mutually exclusive
• Things to consider while therapists are striking
• The offer for crossing labor lines and why that can be problematic clinically
• The current state of Kaiser mental health care and the possibility of what could be
• The financial priorities that Kaiser has put on their required improvements
• Reflections on how the strikers may be feeling or handling the situation

Relevant Episodes:

The Burnout System

Addressing the Burnout System

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

Article from San Francisco Examiner

Statement from National Union of Healthcare Workers

The Statement from Kaiser

Saving Psychotherapy by Benjamin E. Caldwell

Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapists Group

Therapy Reimagined 2019: Sign up here to get notified when the details are released.

Our consultation services:

The Fifty-Minute Hour

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/