Therapy Chat

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's guest, Dr. Sara Poldmae is a licensed acupuncturist, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Doctor of Chinese Medicine. Dr. Sara discusses her approach to healing, which combines Eastern and Western medicine to help women find wellness in midlife. She emphasizes the importance of treating the root cause of symptoms and the need for a holistic a...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we're talking about a topic that has been relatively taboo until recently - but affects everyone with a uterus in some way. Welcome to a series on menopause! My guest today is Dr. Nazanin Moali, an internationally-recognized AASECT certified psychologist, educator, and host of Sexology Podcast. We talked about the impact of menopause on mental health and...

This week's episode includes a conversation with Jenn Fredette. We talked about how marketing doesn't have to be gross and make you feel ashamed of who you are. We discuss the role of attachment style in marketing and how therapists can show up authentically in their marketing efforts. We also explore the evolution of therapist influencers and the pressure to conform to certain marketing s...

In this episode of Therapy Chat, host Laura interviews Dr. Marc Hauser about his book 'Vulnerable Minds: The Harm of Trauma and the Hope of Resilience'. The conversation explores childhood trauma, resilience, and the healing process. Marc Hauser shares his background in cognitive neuroscience and his work with at-risk children, including those with traumatic experiences. The book aims to b...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm thrilled to bring you the last interview Linda Thai, LMSW, RYT-200, CLYL and I did in 2023. The previous three episodes with Linda were focused on my grief journey, and this one is different - though trauma, attachment and grief are woven in, of course. Linda teaches us about Psychodrama Structures, which is a method she has benefited from and uses t...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm joined by a fellow trauma therapist who is also a colleague and friend, Dr. Jenny Hughes. In our conversation we explore themes of building trust through allowing vulnerability, the power of connection and co-regulation in healing, the process of metabolizing emotions, integration and healing, the transformative power of difficult times, grief, vicar...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we have a returning guest, Brooke Randolph, LPC, LMHC, LPCC-S, an adoptive parent, therapist and advocate for the members of the adoption constellation, who is also the author of several books and a Brainspotting trainer. This conversation explores the complex and often overlooked aspects of adoption, focusing on the experiences of adoptees, adoptive parents...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this first episode of 2024 I'm so happy to bring you this interview recorded this past Fall, with Dr. Mariel Buqué, author of the new book, Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma. We discussed intergenerational patterns of trauma, legacy burdens that were carried by our ancestors and are held in our bodies, showing up as patterns of tensio...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As 2023 comes to an end I wanted to reflect upon the year and what I learned through my experiences. Life always includes highs and lows, light and darkness. This year in my personal and professional life (so basically my whole life), there was more darkness than light. Yet upon reflection, there were so many glimmers of light within the dark times. In this episode I...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat. This week I interviewed author, EMDR-Certified therapist and Consultant In Training Marcken Volmy, LMHC about how EMDR can help with betrayal trauma and the impact of broken trust. We explored how betrayal by trusted figures and institutions can shatter one's sense of safety and trust in the world. We also discussed recent examples of betrayal  within the mental h...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! We all know people who'll do anything for others but never accept help for themselves. In fact, they never admit needing any help, despite being very attuned to how everyone around them is doing. These relationships feel out of balance, and limit both partners' ability to show up authentically. This is true in intimate partner relationships, friendships, work...

This week on Therapy Chat we are revisiting a conversation from a few years ago that will feel timely to many of us as we move through the holiday season. Whether you are a parent or an adult child, the holidays - which are supposed to be a time of family togetherness - can often feel very stressful. This week's guest is Tina Gilbertson. She specializes in supporting parents who are estranged...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in an interview that is timely as we're in the thick of the holiday season, I interviewed Dr. Lindsay Gibson for the second time. This time we're discussing the challenge of disentangling from emotionally immature people. In our conversation, you'll hear Lindsay describe the characteristics of Emotionally Immature People, how it feels to be in a...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we are continuing our exploration of the many ways to use EMDR. This week's guest is Rebecca Kase,  a licensed clinical social worker and yoga instructor, living in Gig Harbor, WA. She is an EMDR Consultant & Basic Trainer, and owner of Kase & CO , an EMDR Training and Consulting company. She is the author of Polyvagal informed EMDR: A Neuro-info...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm honored to bring you another interview on the subject of religious trauma. My guest today is Dr. Mark G. Karris, a Marriage and Family Therapist in California who is the author of four books, including most recently, "The Diabolical Trinity: Healing Religious Trauma from a Wrathful God, Tormenting Hell, and a Sinful Self." He describes why he...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, we are talking about a topic we haven't covered before because I didn't know people were doing it! This week's guests are Ann Beckley Forest and Annie Monaco, two EMDR therapists who together make up Playful EMDR! Ann and Annie talk about how they use EMDR in combination with play therapy with children who have experienced disrupted attachment r...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I’m bringing you an episode which was recorded a few months ago as the third part of my series of somatic witnessing along my grief journey with Linda Thai. If you missed the first two episodes, they’re linked in the show notes. I had an unexpected loss of a family member early this year. The context is that I’ve been dealing with anticipatory grief related...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, with all the hate and violence in the world, we are revisiting an episode which was originally recorded in 2020. My guest, Sarah Peyton, is a neuroscience educator and author of the wonderful book, "Your Resonant Self," and the accompanying workbook. I'm replaying this episode this week because Sarah shared such interesting and surprising inform...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! We've all heard the term "self regulation," and many of us are familiar with the concept of "co-regulation," but what is it, really? How do we do it? How do we know when we are in a ventral vagal nervous system state? If you heard my conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges a couple of weeks ago you may be curious what this would feel like and look lik...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Have you ever considered trying Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP)? If you're a therapist, is this something that you've been wondering about adding to your practice? Maybe you're just curious. Whether you're a therapist or someone who is interested in learning about psychedelics and trauma, you'll find something in this conversation that wil...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm thrilled to be speaking with Dr. Stephen Porges, who proposed the Polyvagal Theory back in the 90's and has continued to study, write and speak about this important work ever since. In our conversation you'll hear the story of Dr. Porges's work over the past decades; find out how the Polyvagal Theory relates to our felt sense of safety; l...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in celebration of our 400th episode of Therapy Chat, I'm sharing my recent interview with Robyn Gobbel, a former therapist who now focuses her time on writing and educating about what she calls "big, baffling behaviors," and teaching children and families to understand their Owl, Watchdog and Possum brains. Robyn is demystifying child behavior b...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm recovering from Covid (again) after being in England the past 2 weeks. I'm sharing an episode that I hope will resonate with you if you've ever wondered why it can be so hard to open up in therapy. There are the things we don't choose to share because we're not ready, and then there are the things we WANT to share, but can't seem...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm away at the Not Your Typical Psychotherapist Conference in London, I'm sharing an episode from 2021 about connecting with your inner resonance, with Sarah Peyton.  Sarah Peyton, Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication, constellation facilitator and neuroscience educator, integrates brain science and the use of resonant language to heal trau...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm away at the Master Series: Oxford trauma conference in England, and I'm sharing an episode which was originally recorded 5 years ago. This week we welcome Susan Pease Banitt, a now-retired trauma therapist who spoke with me about her second book, Wisdom, Attachment & Love in Trauma Therapy: Beyond Evidence Based Practice. Susan was the first...