Private practice is often presented as the goal for mental health professionals. But what if it isn’t the right goal for you?

In this episode, Paul Wagner and Dr. Ray Christner talk about the many directions a mental health career can take. They discuss what clinicians can learn from community mental health and school-based settings, how to recognize when it may be time for a change, and why moving too quickly can sometimes mean leaving valuable growth opportunities behind.

Ray also shares how his own career developed through mentorship, supervision, teaching, private practice, consulting, writing, presenting, test development, and entrepreneurship. Along the way, the conversation challenges the idea that clinicians need to follow one straight path or eventually own a private practice.

The bigger question is not simply what you should do next. It is what you actually want from your career, what you enjoy, what you are willing to take risks on, and how your interests outside of mental health might create unexpected opportunities within it.

Your career does not have to be a straight line. It can grow, change, and take you places you never expected.

Brightminds Ad

PAR Ad

This episode is brought to you by PAR.

Explore the AI Report Writer here:

https://www.parinc.com/product/ai-report-writer?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20Podcasts

Learn more about the RIAS-2 NU here:

https://www.parinc.com/product/groups/rias-rist-assessments?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20Podcasts

To hear more and stay up to date with Paul Wagner, MS, LPC and Ray Christner, Psy.D., NCSP, ABPP visit our website at:

http://www.psychedtopractice.com

“Be well, and stay psyched"

Are we more likely to trust AI when we know less about a subject?

Dan and Adam explore the surprising gap between how experts and novices use AI, and what that could mean for mental health and school psychology. They talk about the risks of relying on AI when you do not know enough to spot mistakes, the importance of using multiple sources to check AI-generated information, and why AI should support professional judgment rather than replace it.

The conversation also covers major AI developments discussed at the APA conference, including AI report writers, electronic medical records, school data systems, AI agents, and recent changes to Google NotebookLM. Along the way, Dan and Adam consider a bigger question: How can professionals use increasingly powerful AI tools without losing the skills and critical thinking that make them experts?

Brightminds Ad

PAR Ad

This episode is brought to you by PAR.

Explore the AI Report Writer here:

https://www.parinc.com/product/ai-report-writer?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20Podcasts

Learn more about the RIAS-2 NU here:

https://www.parinc.com/product/groups/rias-rist-assessments?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20Podcasts

To hear more and stay up to date with Paul Wagner, MS, LPC and Ray Christner, Psy.D., NCSP, ABPP visit our website at:

http://www.psychedtopractice.com

“Be well, and stay psyched"

What happens when we start treating normal human experiences as symptoms of a mental disorder?

In this episode of the Psyched to Practice Podcast, Paul Wagner and Dr. Ray Christner take a closer look at the line between normal distress and clinical pathology. They discuss how referral bias, self-diagnosis, rating scales, symptom matching, and even our own clinical expectations can lead us to see a diagnosis before we fully understand the person sitting in front of us.

They also explore why context, culture, proportionality, persistence, and functional impairment matter when deciding whether a reaction is clinically significant. From grief and anxiety to ADHD, OCD, sleep problems, food preferences, and passive suicidal thoughts, the conversation looks at why a symptom alone does not tell the whole story.

Most importantly, the episode asks a difficult question for clinicians: What if our attempts to help can sometimes reinforce the idea that normal emotions are problems that need to be eliminated?

Mental health is not about never feeling sad, anxious, angry, or uncomfortable. It is about developing the capacity to experience those emotions without becoming controlled by them.

For clinicians, this episode offers a reminder to slow down, stay curious, and understand the experience before deciding what it means.

Brightminds Ad

PAR Ad

This episode is brought to you by PAR.

Explore the AI Report Writer here:

https://www.parinc.com/product/ai-report-writer?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20Podcasts

Learn more about the RIAS-2 NU here:

https://www.parinc.com/product/groups/rias-rist-assessments?utm_campaign=38111624-Psyched%20to%20Practice%202026&utm_source=P2P%20Podcast&utm_medium=Related%20Podcasts

To hear more and stay up to date with Paul Wagner, MS, LPC and Ray Christner, Psy.D., NCSP, ABPP visit our website at:

http://www.psychedtopractice.com

“Be well, and stay psyched"