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This year, we published 150+ articles on just about every clinical topic under the sun, but with all the content flooding your inbox, it’s easy to miss things that matter. That’s one reason why we’re offering a curated collection of the standout Psychotherapy Networker articles from 2025. Another reason is because this collection is a powerful way to take stock of where we are as a field. How so? Because it was curated by you—our therapist readers—who know better than anyone what’s relevant, inspiring, and instructional for today’s clinical practice.

Whether you voted for stories that helped give shape to your unique struggles or provided practical tips you shared with your clients, these are the pieces you told us resonated most with you. Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Best Story award—as well as the many deserving nominees—for sparking conversation and connection in our community.

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Autism” Category

Neurodiverse Couples Therapy
The Truth about Relationships through a Neurospicy Lens

Kory Andreas

Couples therapy was designed for neurotypical people—yet we know that neurodivergence is everywhere. How can we better identify, help, and support neurodiverse couples, including the ones you may be missing in your practice?

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Clinical Challenges” Category

Breaking the Cycle of High-Functioning Codependency
When Helper’s High Goes Too Far

Terri Cole

Many therapists believe their intense care and concern for clients is a form of selfless love. Maybe it’s time to rethink that.

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Grief” Category

Body Grief
How Do We Trust Our Changing Bodies?

Jayne Mattingly

In the wake of a chronic illness, a body image advocate challenges toxic narratives about what it means to have a healthy body.

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Opinions on the Field” Category

The Venture Capitalist Playbook is Breaking Therapy
Can Clinicians Take It Back?

Megan Cornish 

Mental health startups were supposed to democratize therapy. Instead, they’ve cut therapist pay and gutted clinical teams. How can we fight back?

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Relationships & Sex” Category

Why All Therapists Can (and Should) Ask About Sex
Tips for Bringing Up a Touchy Subject

Martha Kauppi

Asking a client about sex doesn’t need to feel intimidating or awkward—but it is important for all therapists to do.

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Spirituality” Category

The Beauty of Longing and Melancholy
Susan Cain Celebrates the Sensitive Client

Susan Cain & Livia Kent

“Bittersweet” invites us to better understand and celebrate the wistful, sensitive people in our lives—and in our therapy practices.

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Practice Tips” Category

“I’ve Got Nothing to Talk About”
How to Work with Tight-Lipped Clients

Janina Fisher, Britt Rathbone, Steve Shapiro & Kirsten Lind Seal

Longtime experts in the field offer tips on how to get the conversation going when your clients have nothing to say.

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Therapists as Clients” Category

The Cost of Neglecting Therapists’ Mental Health
Restructuring Our Field to Heal the Healers

Sarah Buino

Mental health professionals receive little support for their own personal healing and development. What will it take to revolutionize training programs in a way that centers the therapist?

Voted Readers’ Choice in the “Trauma” Category

The Trauma of Parental Abandonment
Helping Survivors Feel Safe, Minimize Shame, and Heal Old Wounds

Kaytee Gillis

Here’s a five-step process for working with survivors of parental abandonment that helps mitigate self-blame and build trust with the therapist.