Ever wonder why you react the way you do as a therapist? In this episode of The Gettin' Gritty Podcast for Mental Health Therapists, we explore how understanding your emotional patterns and drivers through the Primal Question framework can build grit, deepen self-awareness, and transform both your personal growth and your clinical work.

You’ll discover how self-awareness not only deepens your personal growth but also strengthens your client relationships and overall therapeutic effectiveness. Whether you’re navigating trauma work, burnout, or the daily grind of holding space for others, this conversation will help you reconnect with your purpose and cultivate resilience--no matter what stage of life or career you’re in.

🧠 Key Takeaways

• Self-exploration is an essential form of self-care for therapists.
• Understanding your Primal Question unlocks deeper emotional awareness.
• Grit helps you stay grounded through challenging sessions.
• Recognizing your triggers builds stronger, safer client relationships.
• Self-awareness and reflection enhance your clinical intuition.
• The Primal Question framework can be applied in therapy to support clients’ growth.
• Grit isn’t fixed, it’s a skill you can build at any age or stage.

If this episode resonated with you, follow The Gettin' Gritty Podcast for Mental Health Therapists wherever you listen. Leave a review, share it with a colleague who needs a dose of grit, and join the movement toward real, grounded, trauma-informed growth.

📣 Connect with us!

• 💻 Website: www.thegrittytherapist.com
  
  
• 📸 Instagram: @grittytherapist
  
  
• 💌 Join the newsletter here and get our free guide 7 ways to Get Gritty

Ever feel like you’re “bad” at therapy—fumbling through EMDR, forgetting your manual, or replaying every word after a tough session? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Gritty Therapist, Stefanie Armstrong and Cathy Schweitzer share real stories of learning new trauma-informed tools, bombing sessions, and still showing up anyway.

We talk about why being bad is actually good—because grit and confidence only come from practicing in the mess. You’ll hear about our early EMDR fails, writing court letters that made us cringe, and the growth that came from sticking with it.

If you’re a trauma-trained or attachment-focused therapist who struggles with burnout, session insecurity, or nervous system overload, this episode will remind you: you can’t skip the grit.

Find us on Instagram @grittytherapist

Visit us at www.thegrittytherapist.com

The Sunday Scaries hit hard when you’re a therapist. Your notes aren’t finished, your caseload feels overwhelming, and by 2pm you’re already bracing for another week of client sessions.

In this bonus episode of Gettin’ Gritty, we share our own Sunday Scaries as trauma-informed therapists—and the practical tools we use to reset before Monday.

We also give a sneak peek of the tool we created to help therapists start the week with more confidence. Whether you’re a new therapist second-guessing yourself or an experienced clinician struggling with burnout, you’ll walk away with do-tomorrow strategies you can actually use.

If you’ve ever Googled “therapist Sunday night anxiety,” “how to stop dreading client sessions,” or “tools for therapist burnout,” this one’s for you.

🎙️ Listen now to start your week with grit, clarity, and grounded confidence.

In our very first episode of The Gettin' Gritty Podcast, we share how we built our own grit—starting as teachers and school counselors, through cafeteria duty and pencil-sharpening, to launching a trauma-informed practice during the pandemic. If you’re a trauma-trained, EMDR, Somatic or attachment-focused therapist who struggles with burnout, session insecurity, or nervous system overload, this episode will help you feel less alone and show you how grit and confidence grow in the messy parts of therapy life.

Connect with us!

@grittytherapist

www.thegrittytherapist.com

Welcome to The Gettin' Gritty Podcast, the podcast created for therapists who love this work—but sometimes wonder if they’re really cut out for it. If you’ve ever replayed a session on your drive home, felt stuck with a shut-down client, or gone to bed worrying you’re not doing enough, you’re in the right place.

We’re Stefanie Armstrong and Cathy Schweitzer—two trauma-trained, EMDR-certified, Somatic, attachment-focused therapists and practice owners who know firsthand the weight of therapist burnout, session insecurity, and nervous system overload. We’ve been school counselors, sharpened a million pencils, opened practices during the pandemic, and cried in our cars and our laundry room after tough sessions. And through it all, we’ve learned how to grow grit—the resilience to keep showing up, even when it’s hard.

In this podcast, you’ll get practical clinical tools, confidence-building strategies, and honest stories to help you thrive in and out of the therapy room.

It’s time to get your grit on.

Connect with us!

@grittytherapist

www.thegrittytherapist.com