Connection Therapy

In this episode, Brenda reviews a research framework that is aimed at addressing much of the concerns with the practice of mental health, currently. That is to say, there is a research framework that is attempting to integrate the variety of ways patients report symptoms and the variety of ways clinicians have found helpful interventions. This framework does not emphasize one model over another, b...

In the milestone episode, Brenda shares gratitude for listeners as well as her interest in learning and hearing from them about their experiences. She also shares her vision for the field of psychotherapy, and how the podcast topics are specifically designed to support that mission. Attend a Course at Connection Therapy: https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events We Want to Hear Your Feedba...

In this episode, Brenda shares more details about how therapists may use their voice in their intentions to set-up a calm and safe environment for patients. There is research that shows therapists intentionally do attempt to modify their voice prosody to this aim. Brenda offers reflections on how this might work, and provides an opportunity for listeners to further consider how and why this might...

In today’s episode, Brenda explores a study that documents how adults with different attachment styles do display different emotional variances, as reflected by voice prosody, when reflecting on positive and negative experiences from their childhoods. This experience is likely to be something we all have experienced, but is especially relevant for mental health practitioners. She shares some poten...

In this episode, Dr. Murrow describes some research to validate the common experience of sensing someone’s emotions even before the words are fully understood in a message. She validates why this knowledge is extremely relevant to the practice of mental health, and provides some reflections for practitioners to consider when they hear it in their work. Attend a Course at Connection Therapy: https:...

Brenda breaks down an experience most therapists have and reinforces their intuitions about what to do next. As she describes, when someone begins therapy in a state of hyper-alertness, it is important to know when their non-verbal cues signal that their social engagement system is active. Interventions are most effective when the client is in a nervous system state that enables social engagement,...

In this episode, Brenda reminds listeners that transitions, particularly at the end of the school year, are difficult. She reviews information from experts, research, and her own experiences to consider how behaviors surrounding transitions can be interpreted and supported. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this episode delivers helpful information that is timely, relevant, and supportive...

Good news! There is research, actually a lot of it, that supports therapists in understanding how best to deliver telehealth services. In this episode, Dr. Murrow reviews findings related to eye contact impacts on telehealth services. Brenda often does an episode about eye contact during Mental Health Awareness month each year, and this episode adds to that ongoing discussion. In this episode, she...

This year, for Mental Health Awareness, Brenda reviews current statistics for mental health in the US. To support clinicians with skillful interventions that are informed by research, she also shares how her practice is shaped by some research she participated in at an early training site that still resonates. She then invites mental health therapists themselves to consider being part of communiti...

Learning to improve assessment capacity is a continual journey for the practicing mental health practitioner. This episode provides a research article that endorses the clinician’s instincts and highlights ways that what is happening inside for our patient (i.e. nervous system activation, etc.) is displayed in facial movements. Brenda then adds a discussion of interventions she uses, and offers th...

In this last part of Brenda’s interview with Janet Jones, they discuss the many ways learning to understand how horses communicate make humans better at communicating overall. In this episode, listeners will hear clear indications for the practice of mental health, rather it be in animal-assisted or in-office environments. Janet also discusses how there are wide-ranging audiences gaining interest...

In this part of Brenda’s interview with Dr. Janet Jones, they explore the differing ways that horses and humans display their emotional states. Dr. Jones emphasizes significant differences in meaning and preference for some behaviors, particularly eye contact. The conversation yields important information that can be used to improve equine-assisted services by learning the differences in needs bet...

Brenda invites Dr. Janet Jones to the podcast to discuss her many areas of expertise including human cognition and memory, as well as horse training. Dr. Jones combines her education and experiences to support listeners in learning about the neuroscience implications across species. Dr. Jones begins by describing horse brains and human brains, what both species need and how they can partner best,...

Dr. Brenda Murrow studies, teaches, and practices psychology, and she has a specific interest in how working with animals can inform us about the human experience. Her experiences shape her understanding of why this is possible and why she has come to the perspective that working in animal-assisted therapy environments is not just therapeutic (there is a lot of evidence to confirm this), but also...

Brenda and Haley continue their conversation and in this part, they consider applications of the respective information about horse and about humans, and how it can be integrated to support better relationships. They also explore the differences between interspecies relationships, for example when humans relate to horses vs. when humans relate to dogs each brings out different behaviors from human...

Brenda and Haley met at a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH), International event, where Haley spoke about the behaviors of horses, and Brenda spoke about the behaviors of humans. After their respective presentations, they realized their discussions were complementary. In this conversation, they review each of their presentations for listeners to be able to similarly hear...

Learning to relate to other species can make us more aware of relating to our own species. In this spirit, Dr. Murrow reviews some similarities and differences between horses and humans as described by Dr. Janet Jones in her book, Horse Brain: Human Brain: The Neuroscience of Horsemanship. This episode has insights for mental health therapists and resources for anyone interested in improving their...

Dr. Leslie Greenberg found some helpful insights that are still in use today in the practice of emotion-focused therapy (EFT). In this episode, Brenda reflects on how these early findings can be used in treatment. Whether you are an aspiring practitioner of EFT, or not, there is likely to be some ways these foundational elements can apply to your practice. We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Con...

In this final segment of Ladan Safvati’s interview, she describes what an Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) session involves, from what the therapist is tracking to examples of the ways things may unfold. She ties in the concepts presented in the first two parts of the interview to integrate the learning and show how the theories can be applied. For More Information about our Guest: Ladan Safvati, LMF...

Connection Therapy’s guest, Ladan Safvati, LMFT, continues to share an introduction of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT). In this episode, she discusses the difference between Emotion and Cognitive Schemas. She explains EFT’s focus on empathy, and provides guidance on the importance of “feeling our own pain” in order that we can be with other’s pain more effectively. She also provides helpful informat...

Our guest this episode is Ladan Safvati, LMFT. Join us as she shares the history of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and highlights the theories of emotional change that guide EFT. She also provides a background to the ways EFT addresses and encourages emotion in therapy in service to its tenet that emotion is the way to evoke therapeutic outcomes. For More Information about our Guest: Ladan Safvati,...

It is a common misunderstanding that there is a lack of evidence for mental health therapy beyond Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT certainly has a significant body of research supporting it, but so too do many other styles of therapy. This episode reviews a meta-analysis (summary of research) to support mental health clinicians in increasing their confidence about the variety of styles to s...

Research articles are built on current-day practice and in order to fully understand their implications, it helps to go back to the original sources. This is especially true for some of the original therapy modalities, so that practitioners today can more fully understand the research findings in light of the original intentions. In this podcast, Carl Rogers’ foundational article about the six con...

Typical mental health interventions to support someone who is understood as “resistant” to making necessary changes include attempts to encourage and motivate the needed behavior modifications. However, for someone who is overwhelmed with fear, these interventions may further inhibit action. This episode considers the nonverbal communication signals that can assist mental health therapists in dete...

At this time of the year, it is common for patients to be interested in New Year’s Resolutions or other goals and aspirations. Mental health therapists are typically skilled in interventions to support crises and problems, but what about when things are calm for the moment and the main need is to observe and endorse a good outcome? This episode highlights non-verbal communication that signals a re...