Psych Talk

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss cognitive biases, which are systematic errors in our thinking processes that impact our choices or judgment. Given the current socio-political climate, I thought this would be a good topic to touch on, as we see a lot of these biases come to play in politics. However, we all engage in this biases throughout our daily life. Cognitive biases are not ne...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I speak with Emily-Christine Lowe, LPCA, NCC about addiction. Addiction is something that I am not very knowledgeable about given the population I work with, so I was excited to talk with Emily-Christine about her knowledge and expertise in the field. Emily-Christine discusses what addiction is, as well as some misconceptions about addiction. She discusses how addi...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss the impact of chronic illness on mental health and the bidirectionality between mental health disorders and chronic illness. I start by defining what a chronic illness is and discuss the impact of chronic illness on mental health, specifically in the areas of depression and anxiety.  I also talk about medical trauma, what it is and how it manifests,...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I speak with Eli Weinstein, LMSW (my first male guest!!) on men’s mental health. Eli has a special interest and expertise in men’s mental health and discusses why it is important to carve out a space specifically for men in the mental health realm. Eli speaks to the fact that men tend to not seek out therapy as frequently as women, as well as societal expectations...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss different ways we reply to situations or comments, namely the differences between reacting, responding, and repressing. We all react, respond, or repress in different situations or contexts; however,  if we take time to acknowledge and evaluate how to reply to different situations we are better able to make changes, if we desire, to learn how to resp...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I speak with Kate Mumey about normalizing mental health treatments beyond the traditional outpatient therapy. Kate shares her story with mental health struggles, specifically obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), including her time in intensive outpatient (IOP). Kate discusses misconceptions about IOP, what she wish she knew before entering, and what she learne...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss money and mental health care, specifically therapy. Discussing money and therapy can be a controversial topic, but the reality is that therapy costs money and can be a barrier to accessing therapy, whether you have insurance or paying out of pocket. Our mental health care system is broken, I think we can all agree on that; however, my hope for this e...

In today’s episode of Psych Talk I talked to Natalie Ribble, ACSM, CPT, EIM Level 2, a certified personal trainer, about the integration between mental and physical health. Natalie shares her story of getting into fitness, as well as her experiences with mental health, and how she has integrated the two in her personal training career instilling confidence in women through strength training. We di...

September means we are over 6 months into the pandemic. Although we have gained a little sense of normalcy back, there is still a lot of disruption in our daily lives. At the beginning, and throughout most of the pandemic, the news and talk was (and still is) focused on physical health - wash your hands, wear your mask, keep yourself healthy, protect those who are immunocompromised. But what about...

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...