The Rescuer Trap

In this mini-sode of The Rescuer Trap, host Scott Waltman PsyD ABPP provides a therapist’s perspective on the beloved children’s story The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. While he once viewed the story as a touching tale of selfless love, revisiting it as an adult and a mental health professional leads him to a much more somber conclusion. Scott explores several key themes such as overextending a...

The payout ain’t happenin’ anymore, friend. Step away before you go broke. In this episode, Kasey and Scott Waltman PsyD ABPP explore what happens when we stop treating everything like an emotional emergency and feed the behavior that maintains the other person's helpless behavior. Here is the Behavioral Extinction chart for reference: (notice how it does end, eh?) Listen everywhere! For episodes...

In this 5-minute riff, Kasey Pierce breaks down the Dichotomy of Control . She explains that true stability doesn’t come from managing other people’s emotions, but from a “graceful acceptance” of what we cannot change. * Acceptance vs. Resignation: Acceptance is about stripping away delusions of power rather than just giving up. * The Circle of Influence: A mental exercise to separate outer circle...

Happy New Year! We’re kicking off 2026 with a look at the Ozempic craze before diving into the dark, intrusive thoughts we all secretly have… like the sudden urge to “Sparta kick” someone down a flight of stairs. In this episode, Kasey wonders if being a Rescuer is just a socially acceptable form of OCD. Enter Scott Waltman, PsyD, ABPP, to her rescue! (Again.) He helps us distinguish between the i...