105: Should I get a certification as a therapist?

📬 THE LEAVING THE CHAIR NEWSLETTER For therapists done with burnout, overwhelm, and overscheduling — whether or not you're leaving the chair. Published twice monthly, free, and practical. 👉 Sign up here: https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenbIn this episode: Jen asks the question therapists are thinking but not saying out loud — are certifications in our field kind of like an MLM? She digs into the research, shares her own EMDR certification journey (including the $6,000 price tag), and gives you a real framework for knowing when a certification makes sense — and when burnout is the actual problem you're trying to solve.What you'll hear:Why Jen started her private practice — a new baby, heart surgery, postpartum anxiety, and no real optionsThe training gap from grad school — lots of CBT, almost no trauma treatment, and EMDR had a "voodoo" reputationHer EMDR journey from PESI training to full EMDRIA certification — and where she actually started to feel competentThe "MLM ladder" in therapy training: training → advanced training → consultation hours → certification → consultant → trainer — and who's making money at each rungThe proliferation of low-barrier certifications and what it means when the fine print says "certification does not imply endorsement of clinical competency"A side-by-side of a low-barrier DBT credential vs. the DBT-Linehan Board Certification (endorsed by Marsha Linehan herself)What the 2025 Dodo Bird meta-analysis tells us about therapy modality and outcomesWhy burnout makes training feel like the answer — and why it usually isn'tA practical guide: when to get certified, when it's the wrong move, how to evaluate if a cert is legit, and how to know if burnout is your real issueResearch mentioned:Boxell et al. (2025) — Dodo Bird meta-analysis, Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. 90 trials, 2014–2024, n=9,637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-025-09712-7Simpson et al. (2025) — EMDR clinical and cost-effectiveness review, British Journal of Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.70005Wampold's contextual model — therapeutic alliance, empathy, positive regard, and therapist responsiveness drive outcomes more than modalityU.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs — trauma prevalence statisticsLinks:📬 Leaving the Chair Newsletter (twice monthly, free): https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/drjenbEMDRIA: https://www.emdria.orgDBT-Linehan Board of Certification: https://dbt-lbc.orgMaine Association of School Psychologists: https://www.masp.org