Start Where You Are: Therapist Burnout, ACT Wisdom, and Relational Risk

Media Links
Website: delvepsych.com
Instagram: @delvepsychchicago
YouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20
Substack: delvepsych.substack.com

Participants
Hosts: Adam Fominaya
Guest: Andrea Bink

Overview
Adam and Andrea reconnect for a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation about life as therapists, mentors, and humans. With Ali on vacation, the two reflect on the challenges of therapist burnout, the power of mindfulness and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), and how shared vulnerability fosters professional growth. They also dig deep into modern dating, relationship dynamics, and how uncertainty and risk-taking shape emotional intimacy.

Breakdown of Segments
– How therapists are really doing: burnout, consultation, and the myth of emotional regulation
– ACT principles explained: present-moment awareness, values-based action, and acceptance without passivity
– The importance of training future clinicians with empathy, flexibility, and support
– Self-compassion and self-management: giving yourself permission to not be perfect
– Catastrophizing and control: what we fear vs. what actually happens
– Dating in the algorithm era: swiping fatigue, values alignment, and what makes it worth sticking around
– Building relationships: shared vision, compromise, and the creative act of “teaching someone how to love you”
– Taking emotional risks: how vulnerability, uncertainty, and communication create real connection

References & Further Reading

• Hayes, S. C. et al. – Foundational work on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Neff, K. – Self-compassion theory and practices (self-compassion.org)

• Arthur Ashe – Quote: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

• Discussion of mentalizing and self-mentalizing in relational psychology

• Topics related to sunk cost fallacy, loss aversion, and uncertainty tolerance