Psych Talk

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Rebecca Guidera (she/they), LPC, a therapist specializing in pleasure, intimacy, sex, and relationships. Rebecca defines for listeners what pleasure is, as well as what pleasure-based therapy encompasses. We discuss the exploration of pleasure within ourselves and others and the benefits of pleasure. Rebecca also discusses intimacy, the variety of w...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Allie McQuaid, LCPC, PMH-C all about millennials unlearning from their childhood. Allie is a therapist specializing in moms, but also loves working with millennials (many of whom are moms now). Allie and I discuss the various challenges millennials face when it comes to mental health, as well as many messages and themes millennials are currently wor...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Chelsea Myers, podcast host and postpartum mental health advocate. Chelsea discusses her postpartum mental health journey after her first daughter, as well as her birth trauma and postpartum mental health journey with her second daughter. Chelsea discusses the various treatments she tried, what worked for her and what didn't, as well as the supp...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discussed the concept of "Therapy is political". Many people have the belief that therapists and psychologists should not be political and, rather, be neutral on issues of injustice. I discuss how therapy is innately political and highlight various ethical codes that highlight therapists' ethical duties of justice, service, and advocacy. I discu...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Deana Kahle, LMFT about first responder mental health. Deana discusses her journey into specializing with first responders and describes the current landscape of mental health for law enforcement officers and other first responders. We discuss the unique experiences and contributing factors that play a role in first responder mental health and the p...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Kelly Minter, LMHC about religious trauma and recovery in the queer community. Kelly shares how she came to specialize in religious trauma and recovery, specifically within the LGBTQIA+ community. Kelly defines what religious trauma is and various ways that it may show up for individuals. She speaks on the unique challenges that LGBTQIA+ individuals...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Pam Covarrubias, a podcaster, speaker, and coach, about Calladita Culture. Pam discusses what Calladita Culture is - part of the system that has kept women small, quiet, and unaccomplished - and describes how root of Calladita Culture is Machismo and Marianismo as taught in Latin America. We discuss how these messages are passed down to women and gi...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss managing suicidal crises, both for mental health clinicians as well as lay people who may be in a situation in which their loved one is suicidal. I define what I mean by a suicidal crisis and discuss warning signs that may indicate a person is experiencing suicidality. I discuss the steps that clinicians may take when a client is actively suicidal, w...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Blakely Hunze-Austin, LPC, NCC about sex therapy. We discuss her journey into becoming a sex therapist, who can benefit from sex therapy, reasons people may seek out sex therapy, and what sex therapy encompasses. We discuss common misconceptions about sex therapy and Blakely provides tips on how to overcome fear and shame about intimacy difficulties...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Linda Meier Abdelsayed, LMFT about high achieving women transitioning into motherhood. Linda discusses how she came to specialize in working with high achieving mothers and many challenges that high achieving women face when transitioning into motherhood. We discuss what a "default parent" is and their role, the concept of not feeling lik...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss South Carolina House Bill 4624, entitled "Gender Reassignment Procedures". If you are not in South Carolina, I hope you listen to this episode and are able to take something away from it, as 321 anti-transgender bills have already been proposed across the United States in 2024. I give a brief overview of the bill, the problems with the bill...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Dr. David Rosmarin, PhD, license clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School Professor, founder of the Center for Anxiety, and author of Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make your Anxiety Work for You . Dr. Rosmarin discusses his journey to specializing in anxiety and what led him to publish his recent book. He talks about wha...

Happy 2024! In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss how to be mindful and intentional in the new year. So many of us set resolutions, goals, or intentions for the new year and find ourselves giving up on them within the first weeks or months of the year. This is often because the goals we set are too big or too broad, we don't have a plan for implementing them, they do not align with ou...

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Instead of releasing a new episode today I wanted to use this as an opportunity to wish everyone happy holidays, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, another holiday, or no holidays at all. I also wanted to thank everyone for continuing to listen to Psych Talk week after week, as this podcast would not be here without you all. If you want to li...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Lauren Ruth Martin, LPC about burnout and burnout recovery. Lauren first discusses why she is so passionate in discussing burnout and burnout recovery and defines for listeners what burnout is. Lauren answers the question "Can we truly prevent burnout?" and how we can start recovering from burnout. Lauren discusses how perfectionism and bu...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Eleanor Ezell, LCSW about selective mutism and integrating values work into family therapy. Eleanor discusses her journey into working with children and families, as well as her passion for doing so. She discusses selective mutism, what it is, causes of it, misconceptions, as well as treatment options. Eleanor then shares why she believes values wor...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Elyce Mandich, LCSW about transitioning out of the public sector of mental health to the private sector. Elyce discusses her journey to becoming a social worker and the various settings she has worked in, including child protective services, the school system, and private practice. Elyce discusses both the benefits and challenges of working in the p...

The holidays are often a joyous time for many people surrounded by friends and family; however, for those who are grieving, the holidays can be an extremely difficult time. In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss navigating grief during the holiday season. First, I talk about what grief is and why it may be worse for individuals during the holiday season. Then I discuss what not to do when...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. McKenna Hereford about health and mental health disparities in a variety of marginalized populations. Dr. Mac shares her journey to becoming interested in and researching mental health disparities and some of the common mental health and healthcare disparities that people may be aware of. We then dive deeper in discussing disparities in various...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I welcome back Gabby Morreale, LPC, a licensed therapist specializing in eating disorders and currently transitioning into maternal mental health. Gabby and I have a raw and honest conversation about postpartum body image. Gabby describes many of the struggles individuals face in the postpartum period when it comes to their body and body image, as well as socie...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Elizabeth Easton, licensed clinical psychologist, about self-care and mental health during the holidays. Elizabeth talks about why it is important to prioritize self-care during the holidays and typical mental health struggles that many of us face. Elizabeth talks about navigating grief during the holidays, managing stress, boundary setting, and...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Lucy Leibowitz, PhD who is a licensed psychologist who specializes in pediatric psychology. Dr. Lucy discusses what initially got her interested in medical anxiety and procedural preparation and discusses some of the common medical procedures that individuals have anxiety about. She discusses how anxiety around medical procedures may present in...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Jess Sprengle, LPC a licensed therapist specializing in eating disorders, queer and trans affirming care, and neuro-affirming care. Jess discusses her journey to working with these populations and provides a brief overview of various eating disorders. Jess then provides listeners with information about eating disorders specifically in queer and neur...

If you are listening to this episode in real time, you are likely aware of everything currently occurring between Israel and Palestine. I do not have ties to Israel or Palestine, nor do I feel I am the right person to be at the forefront of this conversation - we need to be listening to and learning from those who are directly impacted. However, regardless if if you are Jewish, Muslim, have ties t...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Maria Atkinson, LCSW all about trauma. We discuss her journey to becoming a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma, what the phrase "trauma is stored in your body" really means, and the mind-body connection when it comes to trauma. Maria discusses what mindfulness is, how it can be beneficial for individuals who have exper...