the Informed Simplicity podcast

Master Therapist Demonstrates Motivation/Persuasion Microskills with a Woman Going Through a Midlife Crisis

It’s way too common for therapists to feel confused and frustrated with their model. Many counselors feel like their models work for some but feel hopeless with certain clients. Worst of all is when therapists feel like a "rent-a-friend" instead of a catalyst for change.

I’m Dr. Jordan Harris, and I help therapists move from "lost" to "confident" by mastering the meta-skills of clinical excellence. My approach isn't about learning another model—it’s about knowing when and how to use the tools you already have to create deeper, more transformative emotional encounters.

In my trainings, we focus on four key pillars:

• Motivation: Working with (not against) client resistance.

• Persuasion: Engaging clients so they show up hopeful and ready.

• Experiencing: Moving past surface-level talk into deep emotional work.

• Body Language: Reading non-verbal cues for true clinical attunement.

🚀 Take your practice to the next level: Join my 6-month Clinical Excellence Class or attend a Deliberate Practice workshop. 🔗 Learn more and sign up here:

Newsletter: https://www.jordanthecounselor.com/subscribe

Trainings: https://www.jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

Beyond Coping Skills The 5 Ways to Change the Root Cause of Mental Illness w/ Antonio Pascual-Leone

Dr. Antonio Pascual-Leone is an expert on change.

He's spent over a 10 years studying how change happens across different therapy models.

Turns out there are only 5 types of changes.

1. Down regulation

2. Emotional awareness

3. Deeping emotion to make new meaning,

4. Changing emotion and

5. Cognitive reframing.

Therapists often get stuck when clients need one type of change (i.e. emotional awareness) but a therapist is using a model which specializes in another type of change (ie cognitive reframing).

In this interview we discuss the 5 types of change, talk about when to use them, and more importantly when NOT to use them.

Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. He also runs a blog on deliberate practice for therapists and counselors at Jordanthecounselor.com You can find him on linkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-harris-lpc-s-lmft-s-418412301/

Antonio Pascual-Leone is a clinician psychologist and full professor in Psychology at University of Windsor, Canada, as well as an honorary professor of Psychiatry at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Regarded as a world expert on emotion change, he has published seminal contributions to psychotherapy theory and research. His books include the recently released "Principles of Emotion" (APA, 2026), which has been praised as a contemporary classic, as well as "Emotion Focused Therapy for Complex Trauma" (APA, 2nd ed. 2023). His work is recognized by career awards from the Society for Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (2009) and Society for Psychotherapy Research (2014), as well as publication awards from American Psychological Association (2010) and the Society for the Research and Treatment of Personality Disorder (2016). A certified trainer in Emotion-focused Therapy, he has delivered over 50 clinical workshops in over a dozen countries. His TEDx talk on resolving relational trauma has been viewed over 6.4 million times. He has received awards for teaching and mentorship (2016; 2018; 2024), for his approach to psychotherapy training. Dr. Pascual-Leone maintains a private practice, providing therapy to individuals and couples.

Master Therapist Tori Olds Demonstrates Microskills to Stop Woman in Midlife Crises from Intellectualizing

It’s way too common for therapists to feel confused and frustrated with their model. Many counselors feel like their models work for some but feel hopeless with certain clients. Worst of all is when therapists feel like a "rent-a-friend" instead of a catalyst for change.

I’m Dr. Jordan Harris, and I help therapists move from "lost" to "confident" by mastering the meta-skills of clinical excellence. My approach isn't about learning another model—it’s about knowing when and how to use the tools you already have to create deeper, more transformative emotional encounters.

In my trainings, we focus on four key pillars:

• Motivation: Working with (not against) client resistance.

• Persuasion: Engaging clients so they show up hopeful and ready.

• Experiencing: Moving past surface-level talk into deep emotional work.

• Body Language: Reading non-verbal cues for true clinical attunement.

🚀 Take your practice to the next level: Join my 6-month Clinical Excellence Class or attend a Deliberate Practice workshop. 🔗 Learn more and sign up here:

Newsletter: https://www.jordanthecounselor.com/subscribe

Trainings: https://www.jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

Analyzing a session of Tori Olds, Ph.D. (What Makes a Great Therapist? Pt. 5)

You can find my upcoming trainings here ->jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

You can learn more about Tori Olds here -> Website: toriolds.com/ Youtube: youtube.com/c/DrToriOlds 

Dr. Tori Olds Tori Olds, PHD is a licensed psychologist who has been studying experiential therapies for over twenty-five years. She specializes in the integration of experiential approaches to therapy and leads seven international training groups on this topic each week. She has a passion for translating complex psychology concepts for the public, which she does through her YouTube channel and other speaking engagements.

Jordan Harris Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. 

Analyzing a session of Tori Olds, Ph.D. (What Makes a Great Therapist? Pt. 4)

You can find my upcoming trainings here ->jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

You can learn more about Tori Olds here -> Website: toriolds.com/ Youtube: youtube.com/c/DrToriOlds 

Dr. Tori Olds Tori Olds, PHD is a licensed psychologist who has been studying experiential therapies for over twenty-five years. She specializes in the integration of experiential approaches to therapy and leads seven international training groups on this topic each week. She has a passion for translating complex psychology concepts for the public, which she does through her YouTube channel and other speaking engagements.

Jordan Harris Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. 

Analyzing a session of Tori Olds, Ph.D. (What Makes a Great Therapist? Pt. 3)

You can find my upcoming trainings here ->jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

You can learn more about Tori Olds here -> Website: toriolds.com/ Youtube: youtube.com/c/DrToriOlds 

Dr. Tori Olds Tori Olds, PHD is a licensed psychologist who has been studying experiential therapies for over twenty-five years. She specializes in the integration of experiential approaches to therapy and leads seven international training groups on this topic each week. She has a passion for translating complex psychology concepts for the public, which she does through her YouTube channel and other speaking engagements.

Jordan Harris Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. 

Analyzing a session of Tori Olds, Ph.D. (What Makes a Great Therapist? Pt. 2)

You can find my upcoming trainings here ->jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

You can learn more about Tori Olds here -> Website: toriolds.com/ Youtube: youtube.com/c/DrToriOlds 

Dr. Tori Olds Tori Olds, PHD is a licensed psychologist who has been studying experiential therapies for over twenty-five years. She specializes in the integration of experiential approaches to therapy and leads seven international training groups on this topic each week. She has a passion for translating complex psychology concepts for the public, which she does through her YouTube channel and other speaking engagements.

Jordan Harris Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. 

Analyzing a session of Tori Olds, Ph.D. (What Makes a Great Therapist? Pt. 1)

You can find my upcoming trainings here ->jordanthecounselor.com/clinical-excellence

You can learn more about Tori Olds here -> Website: toriolds.com/ Youtube: youtube.com/c/DrToriOlds 

Dr. Tori Olds Tori Olds, PHD is a licensed psychologist who has been studying experiential therapies for over twenty-five years. She specializes in the integration of experiential approaches to therapy and leads seven international training groups on this topic each week. She has a passion for translating complex psychology concepts for the public, which she does through her YouTube channel and other speaking engagements.

Jordan Harris Jordan Harris, Ph.D., LMFT-S, LPC-S, received his Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana Monroe. He is a licensed professional counselor and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Arkansas, USA. In his clinical work, he enjoys working with couples. 

The Art of Attunement: Reading Resistance and Building Rapport with Alyssa Di Bartolomeo

Ever feel like you're missing something in your sessions? The word "resistance" often gets a bad rap, but what if it's actually the key to a therapeutic breakthrough? In this episode, we sit down with researcher Alyssa Di Bartolomeo to explore "process coding"—the science of detecting the subtle cues clients give when therapy is off-track. Discover how to read these critical signals, prevent ruptures, and transform your ability to connect with clients. This is the skill that separates average therapists from master clinicians. Tune in to learn what your clients are really telling you.

 

Contact Alyssa Di Bartolomeo at alyssaad @] yorku.ca; Twitter/X @aadibartolomeo

 

Learn more at : Jordanthecounselor.com

The Future of Therapy Training: Exploring Process Coding with Pioneers Dr. Henny Westra and Alyssa Di Bartolomeo

The transformative work of Dr. Henny Westra and Alyssa Di Bartolomeo in their paper, "Developing expertise in psychotherapy: The case for process coding as clinical training," represents a significant advancement in therapeutic practice.

They introduce a novel framework called "process coding" to enhance therapists’ skills by using session recordings to better understand and refine therapeutic techniques. This method addresses common issues such as therapists' misremembering interactions, enabling a more accurate and effective review and improvement of their sessions. Their approach promises to dramatically enhance therapists' ability to assist clients by offering a systematic way to analyze therapy tapes, which uncovers subtle dynamics and missed opportunities within sessions.

The importance of their work lies in providing a clear, evidence-based path toward refining therapeutic skills beyond traditional training, shifting the focus from theoretical knowledge to practical, observable outcomes. This innovative method could potentially revolutionize the way therapists train and develop their expertise, ultimately leading to more effective client interventions and outcomes.

 

Links and resources mentioned:

Why tough tactics fail and rapport gets results: Observing Rapport-Based Interpersonal Techniques (ORBIT) to generate useful information from terrorists.

This is the article summarizing the early research Laurence Alison et al conducted on police interrogations. I believe it was in this paper they discuss, “you can’t always make things better, but negative interactions can sure make things worse.”

Conditions for Intuitive Expertise: A Failure to Disagree

This is Gary Klein and Daniel Kahneman’s article on the areas where expertise can develop and the areas where it can’t. My big takeaway was areas with clear and quick feedback are the ones who produce expertise.

The wizards of deception detection - Maureen O'Sullivan and Paul Ekman

One of my favorite articles. O'Sullivan and Ekman show that most people, even trained therapists, just aren't that good at reading different facial expressions.

Meet You in McGinnis Meadows: Lessons in Attunement - Scott Miller and Brooke Mathews

Miller and Mathews discuss her path to becoming an expert therapist. I've not read this in a few years but I remember her learning a lot from her work observing horses.

Contact Dr. Henny Westra at hwestra[ at] yorku.ca

Contact Alyssa Di Bartolomeo alyssaad @] yorku.ca; Twitter/X @aadibartolomeo

 

Learn more at : Jordanthecounselor.com