Psych Talk

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Bobbie Davis, a Children and Young People's Wellbeing Practitioner in the UK, about social anxiety. Bobbie describes what social anxiety is and her experience living with social anxiety. We discussed the misconceptions about social anxiety, as well as practical tips for overcoming and reducing social anxiety, including facing the fear, avoidin...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Elisabeth Herrera, LPC about having hard conversations. Elisabeth designs what a "hard conversation" is and why it is so difficult for us to hold these conversations. We discuss the benefits of having hard conversations, as well as the risks that come with having difficult conversations, as well as the risks of avoiding such conversation...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss cognitive distortions. Cognitive distortions are errors in our thinking. They are exaggerated patterns of thought that are not based on facts and can lead you to consequently view things more negatively than they really are.  In this episode I discuss various different types of cognitive distortions including All or Nothing Thinking, Catastrophizing...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Shari Foos, MA, MFT about The Narrative Method. The Narrative Method is a California 501 c3 non-profit organization all about making human connections through the process of sharing stories. Shari shares with listeners about The Narrative Method and what inspired her to create it. We discussed why human connection is so important and why sharing...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Brittany Raj about her journey of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Brittany shares her journey with ADHD as an undiagnosed child looking back on her life and the long process it took to get an ADHD diagnosis as an adult. She shares her experiences with trying out different therapists, initially denying the idea that she had ADHD, advocating...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss the field of Positive Psychology -  the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.  I give a brief overview of what positive psychology is, a brief overview of the literature, and Martin Seligman's PERMA model of wellbeing. I then go into a variety of positive psychological constructs such as flow, hope...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Carmen Schutz, a Registered Clinical Counselor in Canada. Carmen has a passion for helping those struggling with addiction and we have an honest discussion about the role trauma plays in addiction. Carmen discusses the opioid crisis that we are currently facing in North America, as well as how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted addiction. Carmen al...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Julia Cowley, retired FBI agent, profiler in the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), and former forensic scientist and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Julia shares her journey to becoming an FBI agent and ultimately ending up in the Behavioral Analysis Unit as a profiler and what the training was like to get there. She describes what the BAU d...

In 2021, 21 states in total introduced bills to deny gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth. More recently, in Texas, Greg Abbott wrote a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services stating that gender-affirming care to minors constitutes as child abuse and that "DFPS to investigate the parents of a child who is subjected to these abusive gender-transitioning...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with JP Padda, MD a psychiatrist in Canada specializing in addiction, specifically opioid addiction. JP shares about his journey to becoming a psychiatrist, as well as how he got interested in specializing in the addiction field. JP defines for listeners what addiction is from a psychological perspective, emphasizing the impact it has on a person&apos...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Eleanor Clark, a licensed mental health counselor associate who's clinical work focuses on individuals with eating disorders. Eleanor defines body neutrality for listeners and describes how it is different from the body positivity movement. Eleanor shares why, in her perspective, body neutrality is advantageous over the body positivity movemen...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss the topic of religious trauma. Religious trauma can be defined as "pervasive psychological damage resulting from religious messages, beliefs, and experiences." Although religion and spirituality can have beneficial effects on individuals' mental health, for many religion is not a positive experience and can be extremely harmful. In th...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Rev. Katie O'Dunne, minister, doctoral candidate, and OCD advocate. Katie discusses her journey with OCD, the intersection between faith and OCD, and how she is currently working and advocating to bridge the gap between clinicians/faith leaders to destigmatize evidence-based treatments in diverse faith communities given that stigma around ment...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Liz McIngvale, the Director of McLean OCD Institute at Houston, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, and founder of the Peace of Mind Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to OCD. Dr. Liz shares with listeners what OCD is and common misconceptions about OCD. She shares her own story with OCD and how that has led her to her career and adv...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss athletes and mental health. Exercise (and movement) is known to have beneficial effects on mental health and is often recommended for individuals to increase their mood. However, there is also evidence to suggest that high performance athletes may experience negative mental health consequences due to the unique pressures faced by playing competitive...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Taira Burns, a licensed professional counselor in Tennessee. Taira is a therapist with ADHD who speaks on her social media platforms about being a therapist with ADHD. Taira shares her journey with ADHD, particularly about being diagnosed as an adult yet being able to reflect on all her symptoms as a child and teen. We discuss the benefits and di...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Sabrina Lynn, a college senior hoping to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Sabrina shares her story of overcoming and eating disorder and how her faith helped her in her recovery. Sabrina and I discuss her book Whispers of God: Finding Your Worth and Purpose in Christ, which tells her personal journey through her eating disorder and reco...

Do therapists go to therapy? Can someone go into the mental health field if they have a mental health diagnosis? Do therapists really use the coping skills they teach in session? In today's episode of Psych Talk I talk all about therapists being human. I address some of the common questions or concerns I hear on social media regarding therapists and becoming a therapist, as well as discuss th...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Claire Chewning, a registered dietician and certified intuitive eating counselor, about intuitive eating. Claire first provides listeners with a background of her journey to becoming a dietician and how she got into the intuitive eating space, which was not something explicitly taught to her in school. She describes for listeners what intuitive ea...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I talk with Dr. Rebecca Williams a psychologist, award winning writer, and wellness expert. Dr. Williams shares her journey as a psychologist, working in the addiction and mindfulness field, being a professor and supervisor, and her transition into writing full time. Dr. Williams shares her knowledge and expertise in the addiction and mindfulness field and ho...

Today's episode of Psych Talk was inspired by a theme I was noting across multiple conversations with clients - the desire to not repeat familial patterns. Thus, in today's episode I discuss breaking intergenerational patterns. I start by describing what intergenerational patterns are and discuss intergenerational trauma. I then go on to discuss various intergenerational patterns individ...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Dr. Lee Stevens, a licensed psychologist, about affective neuroscience. Affective neuroscience is the study of how the brain communicates and experiences emotions and an area that Dr. Stevens has researched and implemented in his psychotherapy practice. Dr. Stevens recently published a book A ffective Neuroscience in Psychotherapy: A Clinician&apo...

Happy 2022! In today's episode of Psych Talk I talk all about cultivating a growth mindset. I am not one for New Year's resolutions and fully believe that you do not need a new year to start something new; however, there is still something that makes the new year feel like a fresh start, even if you logically realize nothing is magically going to be different simply because it is a new y...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Kristen Casey, licensed clinical psychologist, about normalizing mental health treatment among mental health, and other, providers. Dr. Kristen shares her personal journey with being a psychologist seeking her own mental health care and how that, in combination with her past work as an EMT, has made her so passionate about talking about this to...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Murphy Lynne about how schools can better adapt to students with mental health concerns. Murphy Lynne shares her story of being diagnosed with autism at age 13, as well as her comorbid mental health diagnoses and struggles throughout school socially and academically. Murphy Lynne published her first book this year Am I Invisible? Things I Wish Tea...