Dr. John Smith, PhD, LCSW on Clinical Training Gaps and Private Practice Pay

John Smith, PhD, LCSW joins the show to talk about what graduate programs leave out of clinical training, and what that gap costs new clinicians once they are licensed and working. He walks through his own path from a pre-med track into psychology, into an MSW, and eventually a PhD focused on addictions, then breaks down why the degree that opened every door in his career was the LCSW, not the doctorate. Topics covered: The clinical skills programs often skip, including the DSM, mental status exams, motivational interviewing, and trauma-specific modalities What people get wrong about addiction as a disease versus a choice Why he moved away from public sector work and what settings pay better The real math behind private practice income once taxes and overhead are factored in What he would change if he went through his own training again Send us your questions for future guests: tally.so/r/Mex5WY Contact: plotinprogress@gmail.com Chapters 0:00 Introduction and welcome 1:27 Guest background and specialty 2:04 From pre-med to psychology 5:16 Choosing a weekend MSW program 9:12 Why new clinicians lack training 11:02 The substance use education gap 12:47 How to prepare for clinical work 13:47 Learning the DSM and mental status exam 15:17 Motivational interviewing and CBT 18:06 DBT and trauma therapy training 19:53 Common addiction misunderstandings 23:56 Why psychology over a DSW 27:05 What a PhD actually opens up 28:53 What he would change in his path 34:07 Private practice income realities 37:12 Career paths beyond private practice 40:36 Starting his own practice 43:04 What comes next after retirement 45:26 Building and testing curriculum