Learn Psychotherapy Podcast: Free Skill Building for Future Therapists
The first podcast that teaches you the foundational skills of psychotherapy and lets you practice along. Based on The Essentials of Deliberate Practice, a book series published by the American Psychological Association. Whether you're considering an MFT program in California or already in training, start building real clinical skills today.
What You'll Learn
Core Therapy Techniques
Practice empathic understanding, goal setting, self-disclosure, and other foundational skills used across all therapy modalities.
Deliberate Practice Methods
Learn the research-backed training method that accelerates therapist skill development, used in top MFT programs nationwide.
Handling Therapeutic Ruptures
Hear how experienced clinicians respond when the therapeutic relationship hits a rough patch, and practice your own responses.
What MFT Training Feels Like
Get a preview of what you'll actually do in a therapy training program. Each episode walks through real client scenarios with expert guidance.
Episode Guide
Season 1: The Common Factors of Psychotherapy
How to Become a Therapist: Welcome!
A quick introduction to the Learn Psychotherapy Podcast and how to get the most out of each episode. Start here if you are new to the series.
Introducing the Common Factors
Dr. Alexandre Vaz and Dr. Tony Rousmaniere introduce the common factors of psychotherapy and explain how Deliberate Practice can be used to develop clinical expertise.
Empathic Understanding
Learn to reflect back a client's underlying internal experience using different language with a tentative, exploratory tone. This is one of the most important skills in any therapist's toolkit.
Collaborative Goal Setting
Practice inviting the client's input on the goals of therapy, with a focus on goals that are specific and actionable. Effective goal setting is linked to better outcomes across all therapy modalities.
Reflecting Client Strengths and Resources
Learn to validate the client's perspective, identify strengths communicated in client statements, and invite dialogue about those strengths and resources.
Soliciting Client Feedback
Practice asking clients for feedback about therapy in a way that strengthens the therapeutic relationship. Research shows that routine outcome monitoring improves client outcomes.
Responding to Therapeutic Ruptures
Explore how to respond when the therapeutic alliance is strained. Practice expressing appreciation for the client's disclosure, conveying empathy, and inviting discussion about the rupture.
Therapist Self-Disclosure
Learn when and how to briefly share something about yourself in a way that benefits the client, then shift the focus back. Self-disclosure is one of the most nuanced clinical skills to develop.
Want the client statements, sample responses, and skill criteria for every episode? Get the free practice guide.
Download Free Practice GuideListen and Subscribe (Free)
Ready to Build These Skills for Real?
Sentio University's Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy is built around the same Deliberate Practice methodology you hear in this podcast. Our MFT program in Los Angeles prepares you for California licensure with hands-on clinical training from day one.