Psych Talk

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Amber Benziger, a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in anxiety. Amber shares her own journey with anxiety and how she ended up working with those also struggling with anxiety in a clinical capacity. We discuss both overthinking and rumination and how they relate to and manifest in anxiety disorders. Amber also gives listeners some tools...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Britt Frank, a licensed psychotherapist. Britt is the author of the book The Science of Stuck and today we talk all about what it means to be "stuck" and how to overcome it. Britt discusses what inspired her to write the book, what it means to get "stuck", and areas of our lives that we tend to feel more stuck. Britt discusses...

In today's episode of Psych Talk , I talk all about people pleasing. People pleasing isn't just being kind or helpful, it is putting other's needs in front of your own to make them happy, often out of fear that if you don't you will upset them. In this episode I go through a variety of signs that may indicate you are a people pleaser or engage in people pleasing tendencies. &qu...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Erin Spahr, LCMHC, LCPC, a therapist in North Carolina who specializes in maternal mental health. Erin shares about her background, how she got interested in working in the area of maternal mental health, and why she is so passionate about it. Erin discusses toxic positivity in mom culture and how it impacts mothers.  She discusses the idea of &quo...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Dr. Justin Puder (aka Dr. J), a psychologist who focuses on stress and regulation. In this episode we discussed stress and regulation in the context of social media. Dr. J discusses how he became interested in stress and regulation, as well as talking about social media use. We discuss the pros and cons of social media and how social media can inc...

On Friday June 24, 2022 the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, turning abortion laws over to the states. Those against abortion often use the argument that abortion has negative effects on the mental health of the person that had the abortion to defend anti-abortion laws. In today's episode I dive into the research on the relation between abortion and mental health. I discuss the mental...

EPISODE 100! I wanted to do something special with my 100th episode so I decided to do a Q&A with some of my favorite humans, therapists, and social media content creators while we were on vacation together. We answer a variety of mental health related questions, as well as random questions, that we received from followers on social media. This was a fun, lighthearted way to celebrate my 100th...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. McKenna Hereford, a licensed psychologist, about patients who hold multiple diagnoses. Dr. Mac discusses what it means to carry multiple diagnoses and how she defines it may be different than what most people think. We also discuss what it means to be a "Complex Patient" and how over time the terms "complex" and "severe...

Are mass shootings caused by mental illness? When a mass shooting occurs in the United States, there is often a debate of if it is a "gun problem" or a "mental health problem". In this episode I dive into the literature on mental illness and mass shootings. I address the misconceptions, as well as what the most recent research has to say. I discuss risk factors for gun violence...

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...