Conversations with a Wounded Healer
Sarah Buino, Head/Heart Therapy
Who’s a wounded healer? It’s any one of us who works in a caring profession and is bravely doing their own work, while helping others. My goal is to share the parallel journey we as healers walk along with our clients and how we attend to our own humanity while caring for others.
- 22 minutes 19 seconds305 - Behavioral Health Trends You Need to Know for Therapy Practices in 2026
The end-of-year mental health-related assessments are in and, y'all. You. All! These reports offer some bad news and worse news. Sorry, I ran out of sugar-coating; it's been a long year.
Psychotherapy Action Network's latest survey uncovered a substantial disconnect between what PMCs, for-profit private management companies like Alma, Headway, and Rula, promise therapists and what they deliver. Shocker, I know.
While demand for mental health is exploding, power and influence are shifting to insurers and investors at the expense of patients and providers. But we possess the answers. We're a community of people dedicated to healing ourselves and caring for others in a world that's always one dictator away from total collapse. Don't let fear and loneliness lead you. We can only get through this shit together.
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Care in Chaos: https://tinyurl.com/CareInChaosRec
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Bridging Heart and Practice: https://tinyurl.com/TheSarahsOnlineSupe
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17 December 2025, 8:00 am -
- 39 minutes 8 secondsShame Resilience & the Myth of Competence with Maddie Tonjes, LCSW, Group Practice (R)evolution
Gen Z is at the mic, and they have some thoughts. I can feel my fellow "olds" getting their hackles up. But, hold on! I'm asking all of us to stay curious, regardless of generational or career-stage identity. Isn't that what we instruct our clients to do when faced with new information or complicated emotions? Time to take our own advice!
Maddie Tonjes, LCSW, is an early-career therapist at Centered Therapy Chicago with keen insights into what her generational cohort needs to thrive. And, honestly? I'm here for two suggestions in particular: creating space for client population preference to develop and fostering shame resilience related to the learning curve.
GUEST BIO
Maddie Tonjes, LCSW, (she/her) is passionate about creating a space for healing and growth through empathy, warmth, and vulnerability. She is also the Coordinator of Play + Expressive Therapies at Centered Therapy Chicago, focusing on supporting fellow clinicians in engaging in creative and play-based work with clients of all ages.
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Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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Care in Chaos: https://tinyurl.com/CareInChaosRec
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Bridging Heart and Practice: https://tinyurl.com/TheSarahsOnlineSupe
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10 December 2025, 8:00 am -
- 28 minutes 54 seconds304 - Supporting the "Becoming" of Others in Therapy with Santiago Delboy
Before pursuing a career as a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and founder of Fermata Psychotherapy, a psychoanalytic group practice in Chicago, Santiago Delboy, MBA, LCSW, spent over a decade climbing the corporate ladder in the US and his home country of Peru. The shift forced him to grapple with the "disagreeable" parts of himself.
In a nod to the educational children's shows of old, this episode is brought to you by the word "becoming." Part two of my conversation with Santiago explores the art of becoming, a process he defines as connecting with our authentic self.
GUEST BIO
Santiago Delboy, MBA, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and founder of Fermata Psychotherapy, a psychoanalytic group practice in Chicago. He has provided clinical supervision and consultation at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, the Institute for Clinical Social Work, and The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Prior to becoming a clinician, he spent over a decade working in the corporate world in Peru, his home country, and the U.S. His publications include essays in Psychoanalytic Dialogues, Psychoanalytic Inquiry, Revista de la Sociedad Peruana de Psicoanálisis, Aeon, and Psychology Today.
Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
Get Support! Earn CEs!
-
Care in Chaos: https://tinyurl.com/CareInChaosRec
-
Bridging Heart and Practice: https://tinyurl.com/TheSarahsOnlineSupe
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Join our Patreon for gifts & perks
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***
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3 December 2025, 8:00 am -
- 35 minutes 11 seconds303 - How We Relate to the Moment Impacts How We Show Up as Therapists with Santiago Delboy
All of us show up with multiple identities (partner, parent, revolutionary, etc.). How do we, as therapists, get better at existing in discomfort and creating space where everyone can explore without rushing to define themselves?
Santiago Delboy, MBA, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and founder of Fermata Psychotherapy, a psychoanalytic group practice in Chicago. I consider Santiago a true in-betweener (or, n'betweener©, the term coined by previous guest Nora Alwah for those who, like herself, feel suspended between two (or more) identities; not fully inhabiting one or the other). My assessment isn't an indictment; it's an invitation. How can we transmute the discomfort of the unknown into collective growth?
GUEST BIOSantiago Delboy, MBA, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, and founder of Fermata Psychotherapy, a psychoanalytic group practice in Chicago. He has provided clinical supervision and consultation at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, the Institute for Clinical Social Work, and The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Prior to becoming a clinician, he spent over a decade working in the corporate world in Peru, his home country, and the U.S. His publications include essays in Psychoanalytic Dialogues, Psychoanalytic Inquiry, Revista de la Sociedad Peruana de Psicoanálisis, Aeon, and Psychology Today.
***
Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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***
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19 November 2025, 8:00 am - 38 minutes 13 secondsNew Ways to Survive and Thrive as an Entrepreneur with Uriah Guilford, Productive Therapist - Group Practice (R)evolution
Scan any therapists' forum and you'll discover that the operational strategies that group practices have relied on no longer work. Could organizing principles like collaboratives, collectives, and cooperatives offer group practices new ways to thrive?
Uriah Guilford, MFT, thinks so! He has had success bucking the industry's tried-and-true practice model. Uriah's evolution from traditional group practice owner to collaborative model speaks to his willingness to take on risks within reason.
GUEST BIOUriah Guilford, MFT, is a licensed therapist and a group practice owner. He's also the author of The Productive Practice book and the Head Nerd at Productive Therapist, a virtual assistant company that serves therapists in private practice. He's a technology nerd, a minimalist travel packer, and a rock drummer.
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Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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12 November 2025, 8:00 am - 29 minutes 46 seconds302 - Creating Conditions in Which People Can Heal with Michael Sykes
The answer to righting the world's many wrongs is more love. Love is also the problem. If you're new here, then solving this conundrum may seem hopeless. Fear not!
In part one of my conversation with Michael Sykes, we began with a simple question: How can we encourage ideas or policies rich in love for each other when so many of us struggle to love ourselves? In part two, Michael and I dig into the societal pressures, inherited traumas, and self-doubts that have disconnected us from our authentic loving natures.
GUEST BIOMichael Sykes is the founder of Equitable Solutions and author of the workbook Easy Equity. He guides individuals and organizations in centering self-value and affirmations as the foundation for equity. His work is rooted in vulnerability and authenticity, offering tools that encourage reflection, mindfulness, and intentional practices for healing and growth. Inspired by the love and resilience of his family, Sykes dedicates his journey to creating spaces where people feel seen, validated, and empowered to honor themselves and others.
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Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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5 November 2025, 7:00 am - 30 minutes 42 seconds301 - Realize How Much You're Worth with Michael Sykes
Some people remind us to trust the process, even when it seems hopeless. Michael Sykes is one of those people. He's the cheerleader encouraging us on the uneasy journey to authenticity. What I appreciate most is his commitment to integrity, even when the path toward that innate wholeness feels inaccessible. He doesn't shy away from sharing the most heart-centered version of himself with the world. Sure, he may metaphorically faceplant from time to time (who hasn't?!). But, Michael stays the course—and he's created a guide to help us do the same.
GUEST BIOMichael Sykes is the founder of Equitable Solutions and author of the workbook Easy Equity. He guides individuals and organizations in centering self-value and affirmations as the foundation for equity. His work is rooted in vulnerability and authenticity, offering tools that encourage reflection, mindfulness, and intentional practices for healing and growth. Inspired by the love and resilience of his family, Sykes dedicates his journey to creating spaces where people feel seen, validated, and empowered to honor themselves and others.
***
Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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29 October 2025, 7:00 am - 36 minutes 38 secondsHow Can We Support New Clinicians Through Imposter Syndrome And More? with Sierra Waller - Group Practice (R)evolution
Chats with group practice employees are more fun when you're not their practice owner! Maybe a bit more revealing, too. Such is the case with my guest, Sierra Waller, LCPC, an early-career therapist working at Health In Tandem, a small group practice in Chicago.
Apologies if you've landed here hoping for a gripe-and-gossip session. Instead, Sierra and I dig into her experiences as a newer therapist in a group practice setting. This trajectory from grad school straight into private practice has become increasingly common. Subsequently, there's a learning curve to be aware of on both sides of the owner/therapist dynamic.
GUEST BIO Sierra Waller is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor at a small group practice in Chicago. She primarily works with clients navigating anxiety, stress, life transitions, and relationship issues. Guided by the belief that mental health deserves the same care as physical health, Sierra fosters a collaborative, non-judgmental space where clients can explore patterns, identify strengths, and take meaningful steps toward growth. Originally from Colorado, Sierra enjoys spending time in nature when she isn't in the therapy room.
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Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
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22 October 2025, 7:00 am - 32 minutes 30 seconds300 - How to Be a Conscious Leader Without Closing Off Your Heart with Julianne Guinasso
How do leaders keep their heads clear and hearts open in the heat of difficult conversations? I ask because it's only natural for leaders (and any human, really) to bristle at opposition to their ideas, critique of their efforts, or recommendations for improvement. Being in community with each other requires a high level of mutual responsibility. But the practice of accountability can activate deeply entrenched defense mechanisms, even in the most self-aware among us (note to self).
In part two of my conversation with Julianne Guinasso, LMFT, and co-founder of Level Up Leaders, we explore the challenges leaders face as they try to balance the needs of the collective and the desires of the individual.
GUEST BIOJulianne Guinasso is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice and co-founder of Level Up Leaders Inc., where she partners with Poonam Natha to support group practice owners in cultivating psychological safety through trauma-informed leadership. With over a decade of leadership experience, she helps practice owners move beyond performative policies to tend their relational ecosystems, creating collaborative cultures that reclaim joy and sustain vision.
***
Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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15 October 2025, 7:00 am - 29 minutes 51 seconds299 - Changing Systems From the Inside with Julianne Guinasso
Outward change (to our profession, our communities, and our world) can only happen when we start from within—and we're gonna need all the help we can get. Julianne Guinasso, LMFT, is a role model for these contentious times. She's a therapist in private practice and the co-founder of Level Up Leaders, a partnership that helps mental health group practice owners cultivate psychologically safe, trauma-informed work cultures.
Our two-part conversation begins with an honest assessment of the "becoming" process and offers some helpful reframes for when things feel especially sticky.
GUEST BIO
Julianne Guinasso is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice and co-founder of Level Up Leaders Inc., where she partners with Poonam Natha to support group practice owners in cultivating psychological safety through trauma-informed leadership. With over a decade of leadership experience, she helps practice owners move beyond performative policies to tend their relational ecosystems, creating collaborative cultures that reclaim joy and sustain vision.
***
Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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8 October 2025, 7:00 am - 42 minutes 3 secondsWhat the Growing Political Divide Means for Your Business with Gabrielle Juliano-Villani - Group Practice (R)evolution
I'll start by stating the obvious. Being a group practice owner or group practice therapist in "unprecedented times" is a challenging endeavor. Our people and profession are struggling under the pressures of late-stage capitalism, antagonistic politics, and rage-bait algorithms —the same forces that affect our clients. I'll follow up the obvious with a hard truth. Some of the ills are coming from inside the house, er, practice.
I believe in the good and essential aspects of the group practice model. I also believe that the only way out is through. And together. As does Gabrielle Juliano-Villani. She's a business mindset coach and consultant who helps therapy practice owners scale, sell, and thrive without burning out.
GUEST BIOGabrielle Juliano-Villani is a business mindset coach and consultant who helps therapy practice owners scale, sell, and thrive without burning out. After successfully selling her own 7-figure group practice, she now combines her clinical expertise as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with proven business strategies to help other practice owners create sustainable success.
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Join the Group Practice (R)evolution! GPR is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future. For a limited time, podcast listeners can get a full year of membership for only $19.99 by using the discount code PODCAST.
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/GPRPodcast and click on "have a coupon" and enter PODCAST to enjoy all the perks of Group Practice (R)evolution for a year!
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***
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1 October 2025, 7:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App