Nextquest podcast guest frequently asked questions
1.What is NextQuest Podcast and what is it’s mission?
NextQuest Podcast is the pandemic passion project of Noah S. Garcia, LPC-S, NCC, owner and therapist at NextQuest Counseling to provide a more comprehensive resource for clients looking for a therapist, to help therapist’s market themselves, to help other therapists know who is doing what in the community for potential referrals, and for your everyday therapy nerd. We have all seen it happen time and time again where a client may go through 3+ therapists trying to find a good fit but ultimately ends up giving up on therapy, sometimes for years. Current resources to find a therapist are limited to a short blurb on a website, which how weird is it that people choose a therapist, who they tell their sacred life stories to, based on this anyway? The podcast features weekly interviews with Austin area mental health professionals and is meant to give potential clients more information about their potential provider that will assist them in making a decision that is best for them—and hopefully assist them in finding a better fit more quickly and with more ease.
2.What does being on the podcast involve?
In order to schedule a spot on the podcast, you will need to have a topic of sorts to chat about. This can be your specialty, niche, or even just something that you’re passionate about when it comes to your work with clients. The podcast aims to market you and your skills to potential clients. At the end of this resource is a list of previous guests and their topics for an idea of what this looks like.
Once we get your topic finalized and schedule a date for the recording, you will need to email me info that is reflective of the way that you work regarding your topic as this will assist me in writing appropriate questions to ask you during the topic portion of the interview to highlight your work. I will get these questions to you about 5 days before the recording. Alternatively, you are also welcome to develop these topic related questions yourself and email them to me within 5-7 days of the recording.
All episodes are recorded via Zoom. Zoom records video and audio in separate files. I delete the videos and just use the audio (for the sake of hard drive space and I have no use for them). You will receive a Zoom link for the recording the day of the interview. We will chat for a bit prior to beginning the recording and will go over any questions you have as well as some helpful info for the recording itself. I ask that you set aside 2 1/2 – 3 hours for the recording. My only ask for the recording is that it be at least 30 minutes long but no longer than 2 ½ hours.
All episodes are recorded on Fridays (occasionally Saturday or Sunday, if needed) and are posted on Sunday-Tuesday, dependent on my sound engineer’s availability to edit the audio and my availability to get everything posted. I generally prefer to record at either 12pm or 2:30pm, 2:30pm preferred so that I can tend to my other administrative tasks for my practice that day.
3.What if I say something during the recording that I don’t like?
I contract a sound engineer who is great at what she does and works in the music industry here in Austin at some big name venues. We are able to cut pretty much anything out. If during the recording you say something you don’t like and you’d like to start over again, we can certainly do that. I will not, however, cut any of the standard show questions from the podcast. I am also unable to accommodate re-recording or adding more info outside of the time we have scheduled. I like to give everyone the opportunity to sleep on it and let me know by 12pm the day after the recording if there are any other edits they would like to be made.
4.But I have imposter syndrome!!!
The way I see it, a certain amount of imposter syndrome is healthy because this keeps us always on the path of learning. If I just woke up one day and was like “yaaawwwnn, I think I know it all now and can treat everyone!” that certainly would not be productive. I expect that all my guests are honest about where they are in their work and if you don’t know something, that’s ok! And it’s ok to say you don’t! I have a lot more respect for that than somebody giving inaccurate information. The fact of the matter is that you are actively working with clients which means that you have something to offer.
5.What are the questions asked on the show?
Below are the standard show questions and general flow of the episodes.
1) What are your credentials and experience?
2) Do you accept insurance? If so, which ones? If not, why?
3) Do you have a sliding scale?
4) Do you have weekend or evening appointments?
5) Is being a therapist your first career? If not, what was?
6) What drew you to being a therapist?
7) Tell me a little bit about yourself. (hobbies, interests, TV shows you’re watching, music you’re listening to, do you have any pets, etc, essentially, make yourself more human)
8) What modalities do you draw upon?
[Discuss the population/issue/modality with topic specific questions and questions that come up organically]
9) What kind of experience do you have working with particularly vulnerable clients such as those who are transgender, undocumented, or BIPOC to name a few examples?
10) What could a new client expect from an initial session with you? What about on an ongoing basis?
11) How would you say your clients describe/experience you?
12) Are you a therapist who will laugh or cry with your clients?
13) How do you define “holding space” for someone?
14) What is the best advice you’ve ever received from a supervisor?
15) What have you personally learned about yourself and/or the world through your practice?
16) What do you do to take care of yourself?
17) How would you define happiness?
18) What is the most embarrassing moment you have had as a clinician?
19) Are you in therapy or have you ever been in therapy yourself?
20) Is there anything else that you think would be good for a potential cl or other therapists to know about you?
6.Do I need a microphone?
A microphone is recommended but not required. I’ve done podcasts that have turned out just as great in quality with somebody using their gaming head set or even apple headphones. I have recorded plenty of lovely episodes with people just using the headphones that come with their Apple devices or even with just a run of the mill headset. What is a concern is having a stable internet connection since everything will be recorded via the Internets.
7.Where can I listen to the podcast?
The podcast can be found on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon/Audible, Pandora, I Heart Radio, Tune In, Stitcher, and is also now available on YouTube!!
8.Where does funding come from for the podcast and how can I support it?
The funding for the podcast comes out of my pocket and averages about $400 a month. This does not include the time I put into the production or recording of the podcast, which averages about 5-8 hours a week on top of my full caseload and other responsibilities. I do it because I love it and believe in the ATX mental health community and just genuinely want to create an alternative resource to finding a therapist as opposed to other online directories.
I am currently trying to raise money to advertise for the podcast on KUT. The GoFundMe for this venture is located here: http://gf.me/u/zrakdh
I also accept donation via Venmo to the username @NQCATX. Another way of contributing is by buying me a virtual coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/nxtquestpodcast
9. Can I meet with noah prior to the recording?
Unfortunately, I have my own very full practice to run, in addition to the time I volunteer every week for the podcast, and prefer to handle everything related to the podcast via email. I occasionally hold NQP info sessions and do encourage you to attend these if you have any questions or concerns that cannot be handled via email. Volunteering my time and finances already cuts into my personal life and I need to be protective around this in order to ensure that I can continue to do the work I do and offer this service to the community.
10.What if I have questions about something?
You are welcome to reach out to me at any time via email at noah@nextquestcounseling.com.