Therapy Chat

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As a follow up to last week's episode with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, we're revisiting a previous conversation with her from 2021. In our conversation, you'll hear Arielle talk about how adverse experiences from childhood can show up in our adult lives. She explains why it's hard for us to reconcile the moments when our parents didn't meet our needs bac...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we welcome back a previous guest, Dr. Arielle Schwartz.to talk about applied Polyvagal Theory and how it helps us connect to a sense of resilience within our bodies. This episode is like a mini-course in how somatic embodiment affects our access to our inner "yes" and "no." Past traumatic experiences and attachment wounds can prevent us from...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we welcome back a previous guest, trauma informed herbalist Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie! Dr.  Elizabeth Guthrie, the founder of Herbal Somatics, is a board certified wellness practitioner and the author of The Trauma Informed Herbalist. She holds a PhD in Natural Medicine with a focus in Naturopathic Psychology and a Master's of Public Health in Functional Nut...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! If you're an EMDR therapist, or a therapist who is interested in learning about psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, this episode is for you! And if you're someone who is interested in learning about how EMDR and psychedelic assisted therapy can be combined, you're in the right place! This week's guest, Rotem Brayer, was a guest on Therapy Chat earlier...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, returning guest Xanthia Johnson, a DC area psychotherapist, talks about a coaching program she co-founded called the Compassionate Anti-Racism Project. Xanthia shares how she works with individuals, groups and organizations, describing how the program is designed to prevent the emotional flooding of shame interfering with white bodied people's progress...

In Part Two of this discussion with Dr. Gail Gazelle, a physiclan burnout expert, we discuss Gail's experience with burnout. She shares examples from her own experience and those she's helped with to illustrate what burnout feels like and how it mirrors trauma reactions. She shares what helped her come back from burnout and what others can do to help with recovery. Burnout doesn't have...

If you work in the healthcare industry, you know that people are feeling the weight of so much stress from taking care of patients - whether doing therapy or working in medicine or other helping professions. Back in 2020, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C spoke with physician burnout expert and coach Dr. Gail Gazelle. Listen to this compassionate and down to earth conversation to understand why physicians...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in a replay episode from early 2022, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Lindsay Gibson, a developmental psychologist based in Virginia Beach, Virginia who has authored several books on the effects of being raised by parents who are emotionally immature. Lindsay explains how our identity and sense of self form around attachment experiences in childhood...

This week's episode features a recording of a Facebook live from last week. Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C had a conversation with friend and colleague Melissa Wesner, LCPC on the hot topic of burnout in helping professionals and caregivers in general. Laura and Melissa discussed how burnout is affecting mental health professionals; identifying burnout and compassion fatigue symptoms using the ProQ...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C about a tool she uses to support trauma survivors called Accelerated Resolution Therapy. Listen in as Laura asks all the questions about this method, called ART for short. Also, doors are now open for new Trauma Therapist Network community members!  Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C is a Licensed Clinical Soc...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Annie Schuessler of The Rebel Therapist ®. First, Laura mentioned the high incidence of helping professionals leaving their fields due to stress and burnout, and how this conversation inspires hope for helpers who feel stuck and are considering changing careers. Annie and Laura talked about how helpers and healers can piv...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Han Ren (she/they) who is doing big things on social media to normalize C-PTSD symptoms, promote liberatory psychology and anti-oppression work and show that being human is not a problem - even if you’re a mental health professional. In fact, as a mental health professional it can be an asset to share your lived expe...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Rachel Altvater, a therapist, author and human, on the complexities of grieving, being human and how understanding perspective relates to being our most authentic selves. Laura and Rachel came together while both are grieving recent losses as well. Additionally, Rachel explains the concept of perspective, which is th...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C was honored to again speak with Linda Thai, LMSW. Linda generously agreed to do a multi-episode series with Laura focusing on the grief journey to follow the process Laura is currently experiencing following a death in the family. This episode is the second of this series and was recorded in early May, 2023. Linda shared words of w...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C brings back a replay of a Part 2 of the past interviews with a former hospice social worker and grief counselor who is living with a terminal illness, Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, LCSW, MPH. In this conversation,  In this conversation, you'll a deeper discussion of grief, loss and end of life. While preparing this episode for replay,...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C brings back a replay of a past interview with a former hospice social worker and grief counselor who is living with a terminal illness.  Last week's episode was the first in a multi-part series on grief which began with that conversation with Linda Thai, LMSW. Laura and Linda were unable to record the second conversation to be...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's episode is quite different from the usual Therapy Chat conversation. Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C was honored to speak with Linda Thai, LMSW. Linda generously agreed to do a multi-episode series with Laura focusing on the grief Laura is currently experiencing following a death in the family. This episode was recorded in April. Linda shared words of wisdom...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan returns with a new interview with Akilah Riley-Richardson.  Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP, is a published researcher, Relational Healing Facilitator, couples therapist, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She has been in clinical practice for sixteen years and has experience working with couples and persons practicing consensua...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, due to a death in the family, host Laura Reagan is away and replaying a past episode which relates complex trauma, dissociation and EMDR. This week, Laura revisits her conversation with Kathy Steele on Structural Dissociation.  Kathy Steele is a psychotherapist, consultant, trainer, and author. She practices in Atlanta, Georgia, working with complex psychol...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, due to a death in the family, host Laura Reagan is away and replaying a past episode which relates to last week's conversation with Rotem Brayer. on the Art & Science of EMDR. This week, Laura revisits her conversation with Dr. Debbie Korn on identifying and assessing dissociation in preparation for processing complex trauma using EMDR.  Deborah L....

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Rotem Brayer, M.Ed, LPC, who is a licensed professional counselor, certified EMDR therapist, EMDR consultant, and advanced EMDR trainer. He is the founder of The EMDR Learning Community ( emdr-learning.com ), a community that brings EMDR therapists together and provides education on EMDR therapy and the integration of thi...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C shares about her recent experience attending Psychotherapy Networker, where she met this week's guest, Jules Taylor Shore, in person! Jules is a neuroscience nerd who is passionate about relational therapy. In this conversation you'll hear Jules explain memory reconsolidation, a natural healing process in the brain which can...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Laura Khoudari, author of Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep At A Time. In this conversation, you'll hear the two Lauras discussing trauma-informed strength training; dissociation and disembodiment within fitness culture; and how the culture of the fitness world is evolving.    Laura Khoudari is a pioneer i...

Welcome back to TherapyChat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C speaks out about a major issue affecting those who use online mental health platforms like BetterHelp and others, and how this breach of public trust is likely to impact trauma survivors and anyone who has been abused or marginalized particularly deeply. Laura reminds listeners that we all have a voice, even when learning about abus...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Kasey Compton, LMFT, author of the recent book, "Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers: Your Business Is Like A Patient, You Just Have to Treat It That Way," psychotherapist, group practice owner, consultant, coach, mother, and human.    Laura and Kasey had a deep conversation about the surprising mindset shifts...