Dr. Yalom’s thoughts on the role of a therapist, the intermingling of personal life and career, and perspectives on existentialism

An on-demand, pre-recorded podcast interview by Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Irias, LMFT

  • Course Description

    After a lifetime spent delivering psychotherapy and shaping psychotherapeutic practice in the United States, Dr. Yalom brings a wealth of sageness to this on-demand podcast CE course about the role of a therapist, the intermingling of personal life and career, and perspectives on existentialism. Far from the ‘blank slate’ days of historical psychotherapy, Dr. Yalom intimately discusses the impact of therapist self-disclosure on the therapeutic relationship, as well as retrospective discussion about his use of ‘here-and-now’ psychotherapy work with terminally ill and bereaved clients. With a groundedness, transparency, and humor, this free CE course provides a peek inside the mind of ‘The Father of Group Psychotherapy’ and his contributions to the field of existential psychology.

  • Learning Objectives

    Upon completing this course, participants will be able to: Explain the concept of a ‘here-and-now’ focus in psychotherapy; Describe the clinical benefits of appropriate and metered therapist self-disclosure; Discuss the experience of ‘death anxiety’ and its impact on processing one’s own mortality


    Target Audience and Instructional Level
    This course is intended for psychologists, therapists, social workers, clinical counselors, and addiction counselors. Instructional level: Intermediate

  • How To Take This Course

    In order to receive a certificate of completion reflecting the associated CE credit hour, you must:
    #1: Enroll in this free course and create a free Clearly Clinical account (or log into your existing Clearly Clinical account as part of the enrollment process)
    #2: Listen to the corresponding course podcast
    #3: Log into your Clearly Clinical account and achieve a passing grade on the post-presentation test (the test has ten questions and you must earn a score of at least 80%; you are able to re-test)
    #4: Complete the requested course evaluation.

    Course elements (including the course audio, post-test, and requested course evaluation) can be completed on a computer or mobile device via your Clearly Clinical account.

  • Course Format

    This high-quality and interesting course contains a one-hour, non-interactive audio podcast presentation which is available for free via all major public podcast providers. You can also listen to and download the file via our course player.

  • Certificate Access Details

    Once you've completed the course, your certificate will automatically populate in the 'Certificate' section of your account; it will also be emailed to you. Access to completion certificate will expire 365 days after issuance. Course certificates will be on file for ten (10) years from date of course completion.

  • Course Access Expiration

    Please note that you will have access to this free course for 30 days from when you sign up. If your access lapses, you are able to re-enroll.

  • Commercial Support

    There is no known commercial support or conflict of interest for this CE program, content, sponsor, or instructors. During the course, Dr. Yalom references books he has authored.

  • Accommodations

    If you have special needs or need an accommodation, please email us at info@clearlyclinical.com and we will do our best to assist you.

Expert Interviewee and Interviewer

Dr. Irvin Yalom

Existential Therapy Expert

Irvin David Yalom is an American existential psychiatrist and psychotherapist who is emeritus professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, as well as an author of both fiction and nonfiction. Dr. Yalom was born in Washington, D.C., June 13, 1931, of parents who immigrated from Russia (from a small village named Celtz near the Polish border) shortly after the first world war. He currently lives in California's Bay Area.

Widely considered ‘The Father of Group Psychotherapy', Dr. Yalom's texts include A Matter of Death & Life, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, Love's Executioner, When Nietzsche Wept, and Lying on the Couch.

His late wife, Marilyn, received a Ph. D. in comparative literature (French and German) from Johns Hopkins and has had a highly successful career as a university professor and writer. His four children, all living in the San Francisco Bay area, have chosen a variety of careers— medicine, photography, creative writing, theater directing, clinical psychology. He has eight grandchildren and counting.

Please visit him at Yalom.com.

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias, MS, LMFT

Interviewer & Clearly Clinical Founder

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias (she/her) is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and the Founder and President of Clearly Clinical. She has specializations in Clinical Documentation, Best Practice, and Utilization Review, and works closely with clinical teams across the US as a trainer and national conference presenter; Beth was formerly an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University in the Graduate Psychology and Education department. Licensed in California and Oregon, she provides therapy via her private practice to young adult and adult clients, members of the LGBTQ population, and those with addictive disorders. She has two young children, a super cool spouse who helps out with Clearly Clinical's tech, and a rescue dog.

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