Psychologists Off the Clock

Whether it’s your boss, your client, or a family member, interactions with a narcissist can be challenging. Narcissism can present as obvious grandiosity and self-importance but also shows up in more insidious and subtle ways. Covert forms of narcissism make interpersonal interactions confusing and difficult to understand, and can elicit self-doubt, guilt, and even a sense of “going crazy” in othe...

What comes to mind when you think of happiness? Joy? Pleasure? A sense of fulfillment? While these states of happiness may make us feel truly wonderful, they are temporary and context-specific. Join us for a discussion about the core components of the “New Happiness,” a path for finding a deep and lasting sense of contentment that springs from discovering and acting upon one’s personal spiritual v...

Discussions of diversity issues are more critical than ever. And yet, conversations about these topics can be difficult, polarizing, and ineffective, leading to anger and hurt on both sides. In this episode, Debbie interviews Dr. Anatasia Kim and Dr. Alicia del Prado about their new book It's Time to Talk (and Listen): How to Have Constructive Conversations About Race, Class, Sexuality, Ability, a...

Racism is a public health crisis with deep, ongoing negative impacts on psychological and physical health. In this episode, Dr. Kristee Haggins, an African centered psychologist, discusses how to support healing racial trauma. Dr. Haggins describes how black people can connect with the truth of their history, cultivate healing, and make choices that are good for themselves, their families, and lar...

Do worries about your kids’ safety dominate your parenting choices? How often do you feel pressured to make parenting choices as a result of judgment from others? We are parenting in an age of overwhelming fear and constant judgment. Understanding how we got here, what the dangers really are (and are not), and how we can parent more courageously and wisely, can help us to better navigate parenting...

If you struggle with maintaining a healthy weight, it’s not your fault. Evolutionary biology, our obeseogenic environment, and psychological barriers make weight loss challenging. In this episode, Dr. Evan Forman, a senior researcher, and expert on obesity, offers cutting edge strategies that incorporate acceptance-based and behavioral skills to change your eating behaviors for good. Listen And Le...

Is your marriage rewarding or is it feeing a bit mundane? Has sex become lifeless or non-existent? Do you miss the person you used to be before marriage? It is common for most long-term relationships to hit a “rough patch” during the mid-life years. What does it take to weather the rough patch and end up with a supportive, lasting marriage? In this episode, author and couples therapist Dr. Daphne...

Disability is an experience that millions of people have, and yet it is often overlooked in discussions related to diversity and inclusivity. Today Debbie talks with Dr. Erin Andrews, a rehab psychologist and advocates for disabilities rights. Listen and Learn: Why it’s okay to #SayTheWord Disability. How our attitudes related to Disability can contribute to stigma and shame. Disability culture, a...

Our human brains have evolved to be quite “tricky.“ They have the capacity to provide compassionate caring and also callous destruction. Dr. Paul Gilbert offers hope: “We get to decide which evolved part of us runs the show.” In this interview, Dr. Gilbert, father of Compassion Focused Therapy, discusses “caring psychology” — psychology that integrates evolution science, attachment theory, mindful...

Join Diana for a short but sweet Soothing Rhythm Breathing break! Soothing Rhythm Breathing is a simple technique from Compassion Focused Therapy. It is particularly helpful when you find yourself anxious, angry, over-busy, or emotionally dysregulated. Soothing Rhythm breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, increases heart rate variability, and activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System. Soothing...

Do you set unrealistically high expectations for yourself and others? Are you goal-driven, always busy, and have a hard time relaxing? Do you avoid making mistakes? And when you do, do you dwell on them? If so, you may be a perfectionist. Underneath perfectionism is a desire for approval and to connect. Yet, perfectionists often find themselves disconnected from their values and fearing other’s ju...

Dr. Emily Oster joins Yael to discuss her new book, a-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool. Emily discusses how data and decision-making strategies can guide better and more relaxed parenting during the early years of parenthood. Join us to discover reassuring ideas and practices to address the biggest and most anxiety-provoking questions you have about parenting...

Dr. Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco joins Yael for a conversation about how evidence-based psychology can help moms deal more effectively with stress. If you, too, have complicated feelings about being #grateful and/or wanting to sell your child to the highest bidder, join us for a conversation about managing the emotional challenges of parenthood. Listen to discover: The normal range of maternal emotionsHow...

Having emotions is part of being human. At times we may find emotions overwhelming or act ways that are out of alignment with our values when we are emotionally triggered. In this episode, Diana interviews Dr. Aprilia West about how to increase our emotion efficacy and why it matters. Listen and learn: Why we are so different in how we experience emotionsSkills needed for emotion efficacyHow to su...

April is Child Abuse Prevention month. Therefore, we thought it would be a good idea to bring back Feather Berkower, a leading expert in childhood sexual abuse prevention. During Feather's first visit to our podcast, she spoke to us about ways for Keeping Children Safe from Sexual Abuse. Today Debbie and Feather dive deeper into how to have uncomfortable conversations, with both adults and childre...

In this episode, Yael is joined for a discussion of Taoism by What’s This Tao All About podcast hosts, Tod Perry and Dr. Carl Totton. Join us for a lively discussion about how ancient wisdom of Tao can help us find greater balance between work and family roles. Listen and learn: New ways to think about the conflict between work and family rolesHow Taoists define yin and yang and how the balance of...

As therapists, we may sometimes self doubt whether our skills are good enough to help our clients. Surprisingly, self-doubt may actually be useful, when used courageously as a tool for improvement. In this episode, Debbie speaks with Jim Lucas, a therapist in the UK who specializes in training and supporting mental health therapists. Listen and Learn: The upside of self-doubt for therapists The su...

Join Diana in a short breathing meditation. Take 10 minutes to savor the present moment and your breath! A Gift For You: Pranayama Breathing Meditation89. A Gift For You. Soothing Rhythm Breathing122. Taking in the Good with Dr. Rick Hanson70. A Gift For You: Loving-Kindness Meditation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone....

In this episode, author and meditation expert Jeff Warren reveals the art, science, and fun of meditation for the fidgety skeptics among us. If your interest has been piqued by the buzz around meditation but you haven’t been able (or willing) to develop a meditation practice, then check out Yael’s conversation with Jeff Warren. Jeff is the co-author of the recent best seller, Meditation for Fidget...

How can we help adolescents develop skills to live well and reach their full potential? In this episode, Debbie talks to Dr. Louise Hayes, co-author of The Thriving Adolescent: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology to Help Teens Manage Emotions, Achieve Goals, and Build Connection. Together they explore her approach to helping adolescents thrive, not just survive, this ch...

According to neuropsychologist Dr. William Stixrud, parents should be their kids’ consultants, not their managers. When we spend our time trying to control our kids, we weaken them and exhaust ourselves. In this episode, Diana talks with Dr. Stixrud about his book The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives. Additionally, they discuss how to suppo...

In nearly every episode on our podcast, we describe how ACT-based concepts and principles help us heal from pain, make life-affirming choices, and build happiness. Join us for a conversation about a powerful therapeutic approach and general guide to living well, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Dr. Jill Stoddard walks us through the principles of ACT, which have been shown to help individu...

On today’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Matthew Skinta and Aisling Leonard-Curtin, two mental health providers who specialize in working with gender and sexual minority clients. We discuss: the emotional impact current events can have for gender and sexual minoritiescoming out with compassionissues of shame, rejection, and minority stress than can arisepromoting resilience among gender and sexual...

Self-compassion is a hot topic in psychology. It predicts everything from emotional resilience to therapy outcome. The exciting news is, with practice, you can increase your self-compassion. In this episode, Dr. Christopher Germer, pioneer in self-compassion and co-founder of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program, discusses: His personal struggle that led him to self-compassion How being kinder to y...

Interested in becoming an emotional grown up? In this episode, Debbie talks with Dr. Lara Fielding, author of Mastering Adulthood: Go Beyond Adulting to Become an Emotional Grown-Up, about such topics as: some of the challenges of young adulthood helpful ways to think about thoughts, emotions, and behavior patterns how to increase awareness and skillfulness to live a meaningful life About Dr. Lara...