As the calendar turns to a new year, it’s natural to take stock of where you’ve been and where you want to go. In this episode of The Practice of Therapy Podcast, Gordon Brewer invites us into a deeply personal and insightful reflection on the past year while guiding us to set meaningful intentions for 2025.

This isn’t your typical “New Year’s resolutions” conversation. Gordon’s experiences in 2024—a year shaped by profound personal loss and transformative growth—serve as a powerful foundation for exploring how reflection and purpose-driven planning can lead to real change. Whether you’re a therapist, practice owner, or simply someone looking to embrace the year ahead with clarity and intention, this episode offers actionable strategies and heartfelt wisdom.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Read the full show notes here

Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free

Sign up for free at berries.icu, enjoy 20 sessions, and use promo code CRAFT50 for 50% off your first month!

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Mental Health Wear TN

Full Focus Planner

What’s the secret to bridging the gap between big business goals and actually achieving them?

In this episode of The Practice of Therapy, TJ unpacks the often-missed “step two” in business planning, using the hilarious (and surprisingly insightful) “underpants gnomes” analogy from South Park. With practical advice on building detailed, actionable roadmaps for growth, TJ explains how breaking goals into manageable steps—like analyzing financial data, aligning marketing with intake targets, and systemizing operations—can transform a business. From learning to let go and delegate effectively to creating structured onboarding processes that set employees up for long-term success, this conversation is packed with strategies to help you step back, see the bigger picture, and steer your business toward success. Don’t miss this deep dive into mindset shifts, proactive planning, and the power of trust!

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free
• Ready to give it a try? Sign up for free at berries.icu, enjoy 20 sessions, and use promo code CRAFT50 for 50% off your first month!
• Start Consulting with Gordon
• The PsychCraft Network
• The Practice of Therapy Community
• Mental Health Wear TN
• Full Focus Planner
• Crowsnest Mindset
• TJ on LinkedIn
• Crowsnest Mindset on LinkedIn

Meet TJ Slattery

TJ Slattery is the owner and founder of Crowsnest Consulting. A lifetime entrepreneur and strategic advisor, TJ harnesses his decades of experience to create clarity and stability for business owners immersed in the day-to-day on an entrepreneurial island.

With honest, relatable candor (and a stylish neckerchief), TJ helps small business owners across industries create and improve operational systems and develop proactive processes to forge a path forward—one that leads directly to their personal and professional goals.

By leveraging business acumen, experience, and relentless curiosity, TJ enables his clients to connect the dots between the business they have and the vision they want to achieve. He is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs to stop treading water and get up into the Crowsnest where they belong.

Medical necessity—a term that seems straightforward—often becomes a complex hurdle in the world of healthcare, especially in mental health. Joe Feldman, founder of Cover My Mental Health, sheds light on the disconnect between clinical care and legal frameworks, and shares how his nonprofit empowers patients and clinicians to navigate these challenges effectively.

What is Medical Necessity?

Contrary to what many assume, "medical necessity" is not a clinical term; it’s a legal one. As Feldman explains, most healthcare professionals are trained in safe, effective care aligned with ethical standards, not in decoding the legal intricacies of medical necessity. This disconnect often leads to insurance denials, leaving patients stranded without the care they need.

Feldman highlights a key concern: insurance companies often deny claims for higher levels of care, such as intensive outpatient programs or residential treatment, by deeming them “not medically necessary.” This decision-making process frequently prioritizes cost-cutting over patient well-being.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

• Read the full show notes here
• Use the promo code "GORDON" to get 2 months of Therapy Notes free
• Start Consulting with Gordon
• The PsychCraft Network
• The Practice of Therapy Community
• Mental Health Wear TN
• Full Focus Planner
• Cover MY Mental Health
• LinkedIn

Meet Joe Feldman

Cover My Mental Health President and Founder Joe Feldman began advocating for access to mental health care after overcoming denials for his daughter’s residential care, including with a successful federal lawsuit.

Feldman developed Cover My Mental Health based on his own success overcoming insurance obstacles, with input from leading litigators, appeals experts, clinicians, insurance regulators, and former insurance industry insiders.

His advocacy work has included policy-driven discussions with legislators and regulators, a board role with The Kennedy Forum Illinois, presentations to parent groups, and publication of actionable guidance, such as a 2021 article in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice on medical necessity letters.

Feldman also serves on the board of Thresholds, a Chicago-based firm providing support to those living with mental illness, and Acadian Kitchens, a for-profit seasonings business in Louisiana.