The Missing Piece: Cracking Therapy's Toughest Cases

Send us Fan Mail Porn is one of those therapy topics where people walk in already braced for judgment, and therapists can feel it too. We sit down with licensed professional counselors Melinda Arnold (also a sex therapist) and Dylan Robertson to talk about how we actually handle pornography concerns in the room when we are not trying to moralize, sensationalize, or rush to a diagnosis. Our north s...

Send us Fan Mail Can a True Narcissist be Helped?  We hear “narcissist” everywhere. But what does the word mean clinically, and can someone with narcissistic personality disorder make meaningful changes? In this episode of The Missing Piece, Heleen Woest, MA, LPC, talks with Dr. Page Donnelly about narcissistic traits, overt and covert presentations, and the challenges of working with clients who...

Send us Fan Mail THE ANSWER IS YES! Breathwork is a psychedelic-like experience without the DRUGS. What does it mean to move from understanding an emotion in your head to noticing how it feels in your body? In this episode of The Missing Piece: Cracking Therapy’s Toughest Cases, host Heleen Woest, MA, LPC, speaks with Natasha Stewart, a trauma-informed Breathwork Facilitator and Licensed Psilocybi...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when someone has tried multiple medications, years of therapy, and other evidence-based treatments, and is still struggling? There is actually new hope for these treatment-resistant cases: KETAMINE Treatment/Therapy. In this episode of The Missing Piece: Cracking Therapy’s Toughest Cases, host Heleen Woest speaks with David Kleiman, CRNA - founder and  provider at NW...

Send us Fan Mail DISCLAIMER: This episode discusses sexual trauma, pelvic pain, pain during sex, sexual dysfunction, and difficulty tolerating medical examinations. Please listen with care. The effects of sexual trauma are not limited to thoughts, emotions, and memories. Trauma can also affect the nervous system, muscles, breathing patterns, and pelvic floor. For some survivors, that may look like...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Heleen sits down with Certified Personal Trainer Josh Martin to talk about exercise, mobility, and their undeniable link to mental health.  Heleen shares her own four-year journey of transforming her body, and together they explore why the body is so often the neglected piece in healing. In this episode: Josh's personal story of losing over 100 pounds and wha...

Send us Fan Mail Where Do I Take My Child or Loved One Who Needs More Care? What if we tried all the meds and weekly treatments, and it's no longer enough? In this episode, Heleen Woest sits down with Larisa Klein, MA , an Advanced Treatment Placement Specialist, to unpack one of the most terrifying moments a family can face: realizing their child or loved one needs more care than outpatient...

Send us Fan Mail Content Warning: This episode contains explicit discussions about sex, childhood sexual abuse, BDSM, and death. Listener discretion is advised. Today we are talking about the FX mini-series Dying for Sex , based on the true story of Molly Kochan. After a terminal breast cancer diagnosis, Molly realizes she has never had an orgasm with a partner. She leaves her marriage and goes on...

Family estrangement is a silent epidemic leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. In this episode, Heleen Woest, LPC, sits down with fellow therapist and friend Felicia Wallberg, LPC, to unpack the rising tide of young adults cutting ties with their parents — and the profound grief it leaves on both sides. Together, they explore the emotional dialect gap between generations, how modern trauma l...

Guest: Dillon Robertson, LPC: Email : Dillon@waypointPDX.xom Bio : https://www.waypointpdx.com/dillon-robertson In PART ONE, we get into video game and screen addiction. Also tune in for PART TWO where we will talk about Pornography and the different and cutting edge treatments for these behavioral and digital addictions.  35% of people with Internet Gaming Disorder also have ADHD. The neurodiverg...

Guest: Rachel Ward, PMHNP Do not miss this important information on the latest studies in Neurodivergence.   We talk with psychiatric nurse practitioner Rachel Ward about why ADHD and autism are so often misread as anxiety, depression, or personality disorders and what that costs people over years of care. We break down dopamine, “no brakes” emotional reactivity, and how better testing and better...

Healing from sexual trauma can feel like graduating from the hardest work of your life, until you start dating again, enter a new relationship, or try to build intimacy with someone safe and kind and your body still reacts like danger is near. That confusing gap is what we name and unpack with Melinda Arnold, a certified sex therapist at Waypoint Counseling Services. We talk in plain language abou...

 In this episode of The Missing Piece, we dive deep into the "Mr. Nice Guy" profile with our guest, Licensed Professional Counselor Dillon Robertson. We discuss the men who have spent their entire lives showing up for everyone else while neglecting their own needs. We clarify that this isn't a weakness, but a learned behavior—one that can quietly erode relationships and build deep-s...

 Guest: Rachel Ward, PMHNP  Have you ever known something was wrong with your body, only for doctors to tell you "you're fine" or "it's just anxiety"? In this episode of The Missing Piece, psychiatric nurse practitioner Rachel Ward shares her personal and professional experience with mystery illnesses. We discuss the frustration of being dismissed by the medical syste...

Welcome to The Missing Piece. I'm so excited to present this collaborative space designed for therapists, clinicians, health experts, and anyone out there who is tired of trying to solve their medical/mental health puzzle and getting nowhere.  In this foundational episode, we discuss the challenging reality that standard, evidence-based treatments don't work for everyone - leaving a sign...