August 27, 2026

Listen in as we dive deep on the topic of therapy with VIN Foundation Vets4Vets® team member Dr. Michele Gaspar in this Inhale, Exhale podcast series.

In this episode we have 15 major topics we’re addressing:

Why people reach out for therapy
Difference between therapy and coaching
Different types of therapy
How to find a therapist
How to pay for therapy
Determining a good fit
Therapy frequency
Red flags
Confidentiality
Identifying goals
Is important for the therapist to have a relevant background to your situation
Does therapy have a timeline
How do you terminate therapy
When is it appropriate to seek psychiatric support
How do you find a psychiatrists

As always, we want to hear from YOU. Please share your thoughts by sending an email or joining the conversation.  

GUEST BIO:
Michele Gaspar, DVM, MA, LCPC
Michele Gaspar is a veterinarian and a psychotherapist. She is a 1994 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine and received her Master’s in counseling from Loyola University/Chicago in 2012. Michele has worked in a variety of settings in both of her professional careers. As a veterinarian, she has had experience in general practice, emergency and critical care, shelter medicine and feline-exclusive medicine. As a therapist, she has worked in community mental health, group psychotherapy practices, hospital chaplaincy and now owns a private psychotherapy practice in Chicago. Michele is a consultant in Feline Internal Medicine on the Veterinary Information Network (VIN), where she also co-facilitates the NAVLE Review Workshop and offers webinars to veterinarians on psychosocial issues that impact veterinary clinical practice. As a member of the VIN Foundation’s Vets4Vets® team, she facilitates an annual mindfulness retreat for veterinarians each Fall and consults with veterinary colleagues and students who wish to access local mental health resources. She is an advanced candidate at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis and is a Fellow of the American Balint Society.

LINKS AND INFORMATION:
Find A Therapist/Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Fifty Therapy Red Flags: https://open.substack.com/pub/jonathanshedler/p/50-therapy-red-flags?r=n0o0o&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
What Is CBT?: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-202406053047
What is DBT?: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dialectical-behavior-therapy-what-is-it-and-who-can-it-help-202401223009
What is Psychodynamic Therapy?: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-65-2-98.pdf
VIN Foundation Vets4Vets®: https://vinfoundation.org/v4v
VIN Foundation Connect with Vets4Vets®: https://vinfoundation.org/resources/vets4vets-connect/
VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/
VIN Foundation GIVE page to support these programs & tools: https://vinfoundation.org/give
You may learn more about the VIN Foundation, on the website, or join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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