Psych Talk

In today’s episode of Psych Talk, I talk with Stephanie Straub, a licensed clinical social worker in the state of New York who specializes in treating mental and emotional issues surrounding childbearing. Stephanie shares her insights and knowledge about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS), which goes beyond just post-partum depression that we typically hear about. Stephanie goes into det...

September is National Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month. The goal of NSPM is to promote awareness, start a dialogue about suicide, and initiate change, with World Suicide Prevention Day falling on September 10th. In this episode, I go back to suicide basics. I discuss language, warning signs, risk factors, and protective factors for suicide. I also discuss how to assess for suicide, resourc...

In today's episode, I talk with Dr. Laura Copley, a certified trauma therapist, about post traumatic growth and creating pathways to happiness. Post traumatic growth is the positive psychological change that some individuals experience after a traumatic event. Dr. Copley discusses how people can transcend from a place of deep wounds and trauma to a freeing state of self-evolvement. Dr. Copley...

Diet culture convinces people that their bodies need to be smaller and equates thinness and food to morality and health. In today's episode of Psych Talk I discussed the psychology of diet culture. Specifically, how diet culture convinces us to believing that thinness and certain foods hold moral value, how diet culture disguises itself as health through the use of language, and where you can...

In today’s episode I speak with Esther Gomez, a registered Mental Health Intern in Florida. Esther has a passion for working with survivors of abuse and trauma and, more specifically, a passion for empowering survivors of human trafficking. Human trafficking, specifically child trafficking, has been a hot topic conversation on social media recently in the context of the pandemic and mask wearing....

Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth or abilities; however, many of us struggle with low self-esteem or feeling that we are not worthy enough. In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss low self-esteem, where it comes from, and how it manifests. Low self-esteem can come from a multitude of places, starting in early childhood, and even being able to identify where one's low...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Sophie Gray, the founder of DiveThru, a guided journaling app which helps you DiveThru what you go through. Journaling is such a powerful tool for managing anxiety and stress, and that is what DiveThru aims to do through their guided journal prompts and mindfulness practices. Sophie shares her story own mental health journey of anxiety, self-harm, and...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I talk about anxiety. What it is, the difference between experiencing anxiety and meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder, as well as tips to help reduce anxiety. I have noticed an increase in anxiety in both my personal and professional life during the pandemic, so not only do I provide tips to help reduce anxiety regardless of the situation, but I also pro...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I chat with Jess Gronas, a health and mindset coach for future and new moms. Jess talks about her past with disordered eating and exercise obsession, as well as her journey to motherhood and what it is like to be a new mom. Jess provides tips and insights on how to balance being a new mom with all the other responsibilities and demands of life. Additionally, she di...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I discuss how changing your opinions, beliefs, and behaviors over time shows growth. I talk about the psychological construct of cognitive dissonance and the Stages of Change Model and how they relate to opinion change. I also discuss how to change your opinion over time, why it is important as humans that we continue to grow and evolve over time, and how we need t...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I interview Taylor Odom, RCSWI about being a young professional in the mental health field. Taylor provides tips and insights on how to achieve a work-life balance, particularly after the transition from graduate school to the professional field. We discuss how to engage in self-care or take a break when we constantly feel the need to be productive or perform, thro...

June is Pride Month. A month where we celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ identities. On June 12, 2020 the Trump administration finalized a rule that would remove discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people when it comes to health care and health insurance. Three days later, on June 15, the Supreme Court rules that LGBTQ+ workers are protected from job discrimination. In this episode I discuss the histor...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I speak with Emily Johnson, the co-founder of Buddy, a tool aimed to make mental health care more accessible and affordable for everyone who needs it by extending the reach and impact of every mental health provider. In this episode, Emily shares her own experiences with anxiety which lead her to develop the app to help others going through similar experiences as h...

Emotions are high in the United States right now. Not only are we still experiencing a pandemic, but protests are being held all over the country (and the world) for Black Lives Matter, against police brutality, and as a call for anti-racism reform and change. This episode has been weeks in the making, mainly because I have been taking time to soak up as much knowledge as I can, while recognizing...

In this episode of Psych Talk, I talk with Becca Newbold, a psychotherapeutic life coach about how to find beauty in everyday things, as a means to increase your mood and overall happiness. Becca shares her story, how she came about practicing finding beauty in every day things, and the impact it has made on her life. Additionally, Becca provides us with different steps we can take to start notici...

In this episode I dive into my word of 2020: Boundaries. Having healthy boundaries are essential to our overall wellbeing, yet, so many of us find it difficult to set healthy boundaries. In this episode I discuss healthy vs. unhealthy boundaries, different areas of our lives where boundary setting is necessary, and how to set boundaries. Ways to Work With Me: 1:1 Coaching Mind Over Matter Follow m...

In this episode of Psych Talk I chat with my friend Megan Boisclair, an Emotional Eating Mentor for female perfectionists, about all things emotional eating. Meg defines what emotional eating is, why it is not innately "bad" like society tends to tell us it is, how the pandemic has impacted emotional eaters, and how to cope with emotional eating if you believe your emotional eating is un...

The term "mind over matter" frequently refers to a situation where someone is able to control a physical condition or problem by using the mind. In this episode, I discuss how our mind is one of the most powerful things we have when it comes to our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all interconnected and when we find ourselves stuck in a negativ...

May is Mental Health Month. Mental Health Month aims to raise awareness about mental health. Throughout the month, mental health professionals, non-profits, advocates, and those who have experienced mental illness fight stigma, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families. In this episode, I emphasize the difference betwe...

This episode is the third of three episodes that dives deep into each of the three components of self-compassion. In the context of self-compassion, mindfulness involves purposeful acceptance of one’s suffering in such a way that allows a balanced awareness of thoughts and feelings, rather than an over-identification with or suppression of suffering. In this episode I share ways to take a mindful...

This episode is the second of three episodes that dives deep into each of the three components of self-compassion. In the context of self-compassion, common humanity is the recognition that all human being experience suffering and that, even when we feel alone, we are always part of the larger human experience. In this episode I share personal examples of ways I have embraced my common humanity wh...

This episode is the first of three episodes that dives deep into each of the three components of self-compassion. Self-kindness, the first component of self-compassion, involves using kind, gentle language with ourselves in times of suffering. As humans, we tend to be highly self-critical and self-judgmental, which can results in feelings of shame, depression, guilt, and lower our sense of self-wo...

Welcome to Psych Talk! This trailer episode provides you with information about my vision and plans for the podcast and a little bit about who I am.  Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd . Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through Intro/Outro Music: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod Music License Support the show