Psych Talk

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, impulses, or urges that can occur spontaneously or be cued by stimuli and are typically distressing to the person experiencing them. Although intrusive thoughts may be associated with a mental health disorder such as OCD, it is estimated that over 90% of individuals experience intr...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Robin Smith-Velazquez, LCSW on the integration of eastern and western medicine for the treatment of trauma. We [in the United States] live in a society that heavily focuses on western medicine for the treatment of physical and mental health concerns, such as medications and evidence-based therapy practices, to treat the symptoms of whatever disord...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I talked with Dr. Patrice Berry, a licensed clinical psychologist and author of the book Turning Crisis into Clarity: How to Survive or Thrive in the Midst of Uncertainty.  In this episode we chat all about uncertainty in crisis. Dr. Berry defines what a crisis is, discusses why uncertainty and anxiety are so prevalent in crises, and talks about our desire for...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss a requested topic - grief. Grief has many definitions, but ultimately it refers to the emotions we feel after experiencing a loss of some sort. Many people conceptualize grief in the concept of death; however, we grief for many things outside of death as well. In this episode, I define what grief is and discuss Elisabeth Kubler Ross' 5 Stages of...

On today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Christina Guarino, an Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey, about borderline personality disorder (BPD). Borderline personality disorder is one of the most stigmatized and misunderstood mental illnesses. Christina and I dive into what borderline personality disorder is, what are some common misconceptions, and the stigma surrounding the d...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I talk with Kaitlin Soule, LMFT all about perfectionism, uncertainty, and anxiety in motherhood.  Kaitlin is an anxiety expert, writer, and women's empowerment coach who has a passion working with moms on overcoming their anxiety. Kaitlin discusses how perfectionism, uncertainty, and anxiety are all interconnected and why these things are extremely preval...

Welcome to Season 3 of Psych Talk! To kick off Season 3 I am going to be talking about social media and mental health and, more specifically, taking a social media break. Although we know that social relationships and connection are beneficial for our mental health and overall wellbeing, the reality is that research indicates that heavy social media use actually negatively impacts our mental healt...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I talk all about burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Although we hear a lot about burnout in the workplace, burnout can happen in other areas of our lives as well. In this episode, I discuss the differences between stress and burnout, signs and symptoms of burnout, as well as caus...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Dr. Desta, who recently graduated with her PhD in Clinical Psychology and is currently on her postdoctoral fellowship. Dr. Desta and I have a very rich and much needed conversation about marginalized communities. Dr. Desta describes what it means to be part of a marginalized community and discusses some of her own experiences being part of certai...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Maddie Spear, LCSW-A, a trauma therapist. Maddie discusses what trauma is and how she got to working with this population. She shares misconceptions about trauma, as well as clears up those misconceptions. Maddie discusses common trauma responses that individuals may experience and discusses the differences and similarities between trauma responses...

One of my most frequently asked questions on social media from adolescents is "How can I ask my parent for therapy?" In this episode of Psych Talk, I talk all about mental health conversations between children and guardians.  I discuss how parents and guardians can support their kids' mental health by cultivating an environment that will make their child feel comfortable to reach ou...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss redefining failure.  Failure can mean a lot of things - a lack of success, not meeting a desired outcome, or the inability to perform a certain function. What someone deems a failure depends on the context, as well as the person's perception. In most contexts, however, something is a failure because we label it as such, not because it is innatel...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I had the privilege of speaking with Jax Anderson, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who works with tweens and teens, as well as their parents, helping parents better understand their tween or teen. Jax discusses the brain development of tweens and teens and how understanding such helps both parents and adolescents normalize and validate tweens' and...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Kristen Gingrich, LCSW, CADC about mental health influencers. Kristen has created a large social media following on TikTok and Instagram as a licensed therapist and we discuss the impact of non-credentialed social media influencers creating mental health content and giving advice on their platforms. Unlike other episodes where I interview my guests...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss therapist red and green flags. One of the most common questions I get on social media is "How do I find a good therapist?" Ultimately, the question that needs to be asked is "How do I find a good therapist for me" because what one person deems a "good" therapist, may not be good for another person; it is all about the th...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss bipolar disorder. I quickly debunk the misconception that bipolar disorder is simply mood swings and provide listeners on information on what a major depressive episode, manic episode, and hypomanic episode are.  I discuss the differences and similarities between Bipolar I and Bipolar II disorder, as well as touch on Bipolar Disorder in kids and cycl...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Dr. Denise Bossarte, poet, award winning writing, photographer, artist, doctor in developmental neuroscience, and survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Dr. Bossarte shares her story of enduring childhood sexual abuse and discusses her healing journey. Dr. Bossarte's book Thriving  After Sexual Abuse: Break Your Bondage to the Past and Live a Li...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Carrie Jackson about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr. Carrie is a postdoctoral fellow specializing in ADHD and behavior disorders in children and parenting therapy. Dr. Carrie defines ADHD for listeners and discusses common areas of life that individuals with ADHD struggle in. She shares some differences and similarities bet...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss dialectics. In the therapy realm, dialectics is often associated with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT); however, the skill is featured in various schools of psychotherapy. Briefly, a dialectic is a tension between to seemingly contradictory viewpoints where a truth will emerge from their interplay.  In this episode, I discuss dialectics as they rel...

In this episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Chelsea Duhaime, a teacher, coach, and single mom all about mom guilt. Chelsea shares her story of being raised around single moms and becoming a single mom herself, and how that has shaped her passion to work with other single moms. Chelsea defines what "mom guilt" means to her and the areas of life mother's tend to feel the most guilty o...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Gabrielle Morreale, a licensed professional counselor specializing in eating disorders. Gabby shares a little bit about her personal story and how she came to work with this population and gives listeners a brief overview of eating disorders. We discuss different evidence-based interventions used to treat eating disorders, as well as common miscon...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss InstaTherapy. InstaTherapy has multiple definitions. From the consumer side, it can refer to  people using Instagram or other social media platforms as a form of therapy by following licensed mental heath professionals. On the creator side, it can refer to individuals providing mental health content online as an alternative to therapy. For the purpos...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I have an extremely fun and relatable conversation with Janelle Hettick, LMSW about self-love and self-care. Janelle is a licensed therapist in AZ who primarily works with college aged students. Two of her passions, both personally and professionally, are the topics of self-love and self-care and we discuss how these concepts are things that all people benefit from...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I speak with Haley Wise, LPCC about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Although EMDR was developed in the late 1980s, it has gained popularity in recent years as a treatment for trauma. Haley discusses what EMDR is and how it works, as well as the wide variety of problems EMDR is a treatment for. We discuss reasons someone may seek out EMDR as th...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I share my experiences in the 4th trimester, or the first few months after pregnancy. From my birth story, to my first few weeks home; from feeding struggles with my daughter to postpartum body image; mental health to returning to work; I touch on almost everything postpartum. I shared my experiences in all areas postpartum and provide tips on what helped my m...