It Makes Sense That You Feel This Way

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, unpacks the world of attachment styles—secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized—and how they shape our relationships. Discover: 💡 How high sensitivity intertwines with attachment dynamics. 🧠 The roots of your relationship patterns and how they evolve. 🤝 Practical tips to navigate attachment differences in relationships. Join Kerrie for an honest, in...

It Makes Sense That You Feel This Way is here with a must-listen holiday survival guide! Host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, tackles the challenges of navigating family dynamics, emotional stress, and the overwhelm that often accompanies this season. Highlights include: Proactive vs. reactive strategies for handling tough moments. Setting boundaries and limits that empower you. Tips for solo celebrations or...

How do you respond to stress—fight, flight, freeze, or fawn? In this episode, Kerrie Toole, LICSW, unpacks these instinctive reactions and why highly sensitive people experience them differently. From the surprising science of facial expressions to practical tips for grounding yourself, this episode is packed with insights to help you understand and manage your stress responses.

In this episode of It Makes Sense That You Feel This Way, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, shares the TIP method as a practical tool to help calm the nervous system in moments of high stress. Perfect for both highly sensitive listeners and their loved ones, this episode provides a clear, proactive approach to navigating life’s emotional challenges with resilience and preparedness.

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW explores how high-sensitivity individuals can reduce emotional vulnerabilities using the ABC skill set from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Kerrie breaks down strategies like accumulating positive experiences, building mastery, and coping ahead to help manage intense emotions and navigate life’s challenges.  Whether you're starting your emotional regul...

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW continues guiding listeners through the therapeutic journey for highly sensitive individuals. She introduces the ABC skill, offering practical steps to rewire your brain and find balance. Learn how to intentionally collect enjoyable moments and build resilience to handle daily challenges. Tune in for actionable tools to reduce emotional overwhelm and stren...

If you've ever found yourself overwhelmed by intense emotions, whether you're a highly sensitive individual or parenting someone who is, today's episode is packed with practical tools to help you proactively reduce emotional vulnerability.  Host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, discusses the importance of daily habits in creating a solid emotional foundation, introducing the "PLEASE" acronym from Dialectical...

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, continues her parenting series by diving into a common challenge for parents of highly sensitive kids: walking on eggshells. She explores how this behavior develops, why it can perpetuate emotional fragility in families, and the toll it takes on parents, children, and loved ones. She shares practical strategies for addressing these dynamics, offering guid...

In today’s episode, Kerrie Toole, LICSW continues her series on parenting landmines, this time focusing on the timing of conversations with high-sensitivity individuals. We’ve all experienced moments when emotions run high, and we’re caught in a panic—whether as parents or sensitive individuals ourselves. But how do we navigate these intense emotions without accidentally escalating the situation?...

Continuing the series on "Parenting Landmines," host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, discusses how parents often fall into the trap of trying to fix their kids' problems, unintentionally fostering dependence and undermining their children's ability to handle challenges on their own. She explores the concept of helicopter and snowplow parenting, the impact of generational experiences, and how high-sensitivity...

Host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, explores a common challenge for parents of highly sensitive kids: accidentally negating their experiences and emotions. Often, with the best of intentions, we might dismiss or downplay their feelings, leading to unintended consequences. Whether you're a parent or a highly sensitive person yourself, this episode will help you recognize these patterns and offer strategies t...

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW dives into a common parenting challenge: labeling emotions as "good" or "bad." She explains how this habit can unintentionally harm children, particularly those who are highly sensitive. Learn how to shift your perspective on emotions and create a more supportive environment for your kids (and yourself). Discover practical tips for reframing emotional expe...

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, delves into the challenges parents face when trying to protect their kids from emotional pain and the importance of allowing kids to experience and process their emotions. Kerrie shares insights on validating emotions, avoiding toxic positivity, and finding the balance between protection and resilience-building. Whether you're a parent or a highly sensiti...

Today's episode is all about empowering parents who find their attempts to support their kids often backfire. We'll discuss what not to say and what to say in challenging moments. Discover common phrases that unintentionally invalidate your child's feelings and learn effective alternatives to foster better communication and understanding. 

In this episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, dives into essential strategies for supporting high sensitivity teens and family members who may be engaging in self-harming behaviors. Kerrie shares insights from her upcoming 12-session DBT for Parents group starting in September, designed to equip parents of high sensitivity kids with crucial skills and strategies.

In today's episode, host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, delves into the essential key to unlocking change for high sensitivity individuals: validation. Discover the fascinating story of how Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was developed by Marsha Linehan and how mindfulness, initially considered a strange addition, became a core practice in DBT, and learn why traditional change-focused therapies often fai...

In this episode, we discuss the importance of reframing painful emotions as data from our brain, rather than judging them as negative or bad. Host Kerrie Toole, LICSW, explains how suppressing emotions can actually make them worse, and how acknowledging them can help us understand what they are trying to tell us.

In this episode, Kerrie explores why change is so hard, especially for those with high emotional sensitivity. Using the DBT House metaphor, she explains how emotionally sensitive people cope with big emotions and the journey from distress to a life worth living.  

In this episode, we're diving into "target behaviors" in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy). We explore how these behaviors, developed by highly sensitive individuals in response to invalidating environments, serve as coping mechanisms. From childhood, many of us learn to suppress emotions to maintain connection and security. These behaviors, while initially protective, can lead to challenges with...

This episode explores why kids with big emotions explode despite parents' best efforts. We uncover how accidental invalidations cause these reactions and why support sometimes feels ineffective. Discover how the internalized voice of invalidation affects sensitive individuals, leading to self-doubt and emotional suppression. We also discuss the three main ways environments unintentionally invalida...

 In this episode, we learn about the genetic basis of high sensitivity, the role of the amygdala, and how societal pressures impact us. Kerrie Toole, LICSW, shares tips for navigating a world full of stimuli and turning sensitivity into a superpower. Whether you're highly sensitive or know someone who is, discover strategies to thrive and transform sensitivity into a valued skill.

In this episode, we explore what it means to be highly sensitive and how it affects our daily lives. Discover the genetic basis of this trait, its benefits, and the challenges it brings. Learn how to embrace your emotional intensity as a superpower and navigate societal misunderstandings.

"It Makes Sense That You Feel This Way" explores the world of high emotional sensitivity in both parents and children. Castlebrook Counseling's Executive Director Kerrie Toole, LICSW, a licensed therapist with over 20 years of experience in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), offers guidance and validation for people with high sensitivities.