Writing Contest

Writing Contest: Get Published on Coffee Between Sessions

Round 1: Three Topics, Pick One

October 31, 2026

I'm Oliver, a working clinician in California. We launched in October, so we're new here.

We built our CE platforms, California Counselor CEUs and Therapist CE Hours, because we were tired of yearly subscriptions, paying course by course until it added up, and drab, stuffy study guides with trick test questions. We wanted a stress-free, fair way to get required hours done.

Coffee Between Sessions is the other half of that: a space for clinicians to take a breath between sessions. We read, we talk, and we share what the work is really like, beyond the treatment plans, DSM codes, and endless progress notes.

We want to hear from you. Coffee Between Sessions is running a short writing contest for licensed clinicians and pre-licensed associates. Everyone who enters gets a free 3-hour CE course on Structural Family Therapy, because let's be honest, you're going to need those hours anyway. There's no catch and no subscription.

Get Published

Winning pieces are published here on Coffee Between Sessions, with your name, license, a short bio, and a link to your practice.

The Topics: Pick One

• Turning Off "Therapist Brain" After a full day of active listening and clinical formulation, how do you actually stop analyzing your partner, your kids, your friends, or the stranger in the grocery store line? What helps you drop the practitioner lens and just be off the clock?
• What Nobody Told Me in Grad School The things you learned once you were doing the work: the surprises, the lessons, and what no textbook covered.
• How to Deal with the Know-It-All Colleague We have all worked with one, and some of us have been one. Share what helps, kindly, without naming or identifying any real colleague.

Write it the way you'd tell it to a colleague over coffee. We like a good laugh.

Prizes

Three winners in total, across all three topics.

• 1st place: $50, plus your article published and featured on Coffee Between Sessions
• 2nd place: $25, plus your article published on Coffee Between Sessions
• 3rd place: $25, plus your article published on Coffee Between Sessions
• Everyone gets a free 3-hour CE course just for entering (Structural Family Therapy)

We'll pay winners by Zelle.

Who Can Enter

Licensed clinicians and pre-licensed associates.

A Few Simple Rules

• Keep it 800 to 1,200 words, easy to read on a break. Entries under 800 words don't qualify.
• It must be your own original writing, no AI. You'll confirm that when you submit.
• No client details or identifying information. HIPAA is still a thing.
• One entry per person.

Timeline

Entries are open for two weeks, from Saturday, October 31, 2026 to Friday, November 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT. Winners will be announced around November 21, 2026. Everyone gets a free 3-hour CE course just for entering, and it arrives as soon as you submit.

Your Rights

You keep all rights to your piece. By entering, you give Coffee Between Sessions a non-exclusive right to publish it with your byline. Share it, post it on LinkedIn, or send it to your mom so she finally understands what you do.

How to Enter

Write your piece, then send it here. It takes a couple of minutes.

Enter the contest

Thanks for the work you do. We're looking forward to reading what you write.

The Coffee Between Sessions Team