Delve Psych

The Delve Podcast

Health EN ↓ 59 episodes

The Delve Podcast is dedicated to exploring deeper approaches to mental wellness and the craft of psychotherapy.

Author

Delve Psych

Episodes

How Kids Learn to Fight: Modeling, Mimicry, and the Social Ecology of Conflict 04.01.2026 23:27

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Hosts Ali McGarel Adam W. Fominaya, PhD Overview of Big Ideas A listener question becomes a deceptively weighty inquiry: kids learn conflict styles by watching conflict. Bandura’s social learning theory (and the Bobo doll studies) as a stark de...

The Mirror Trap: Why We Obsess Over What People Think (and How to Loosen the Grip) 28.12.2025 48:44

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Hosts Ali McGarel — Staff Therapist, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Adam Fominaya — Executive & Clinical Director, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Overview of Big Ideas Wanting approval is ancient: social acceptance once meant survival—and i...

Do I Really Have to Go Home for the Holidays? 21.12.2025 35:55

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Hosts Ali McGarel – Staff Therapist, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Adam W. Fominaya, PhD – Executive & Clinical Director, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Overview of Big Ideas Why holiday visits can feel like emotional obligation more than...

Forgive or Not? Making Peace With Your Own Emotions 14.12.2025 33:57

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Participants Hosts Ali McGarel – Staff Therapist, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Adam W. Fominaya, PhD – Executive & Clinical Director, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Overview of Big Ideas Forgiveness is optional, not a moral duty; it’s one...

Unalone in Our Sorrow: How to Stop Fixing and Start Really Listening 07.12.2025 1:06:59

Media Links Website: delvepsych.comInstagram: @delvepsychchicagoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Hosts Ali McGarel – Staff Therapist, Delve Psychotherapy of ChicagoAdam W. Fominaya, PhD – Executive & Clinical Director, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Overview of Big Ideas Why we rush to “fix” the people we love, especially when we’re tire...

Anger: Misunderstood, Maligned, and Deeply Human 30.11.2025 54:54

Media Links • website: delvepsych.com • instagram: @delvepsychchicago • youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Participants Hosts: • Ali McGarel • Adam Fominaya Guests: • None this episode Overview of Big Ideas • Anger carries a cultural stigma—especially for women—and is often misread as inherently destructive rather than informative. • Gendere...

80% of Therapy? Ali & Adam Put Seven “Big Questions” to the Test 23.11.2025 55:43

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guest: None this episode A viral “seven questions” claim about therapy gets a careful walkthrough—what’s useful, what’s oversimplified, and what’s missing. Themes: worth and lovability; fear of rejection; relat...

Why We Judge Others (and What It Says About Us) 16.11.2025 24:46

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guests: None We often rush to label people—“toxic,” “narcissistic,” “rude”—instead of sitting with our own discomfort. This episode explores how that habit (appraisal/judgment) protects us in the short term but...

Forgiving Yourself and Moving Forward 11.11.2025 24:42

--Media Links--• Website: delvepsych.com• Instagram: @delvepsychchicago• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants--Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya --Overview of Big Ideas--Ali and Adam respond to a listener’s Reddit post about self-forgiveness, guilt, and shame. They unpack how over-identifying with depression, anxiety, or ADHD ca...

When Does Therapy “Work”? Measuring the Immeasurable 02.11.2025 36:44

--Media Links--• Website: delvepsych.com• Instagram: @delvepsychchicago• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants--Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya --Overview of Big Ideas--Ali and Adam tackle the deceptively simple question, “How do we know if psychotherapy is working?” They explore the tension between scientific measurement and h...

Bringing Back the Human in Therapy 26.10.2025 31:59

--Media Links-- • Website: delvepsych.com • Instagram: @delvepsychchicago • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants-- Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya --Overview of Big Ideas-- Ali and Adam explore how psychology risks losing touch with its human roots. They discuss how modern training, empirical pressures, and the push for legiti...

Stop Saying “You Made Me Feel”: Owning Your Emotions in Conflict 19.10.2025 26:47

--Media Links-- • Website: delvepsych.com • Instagram: @delvepsychchicago • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants-- Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guests: none --Overview of Big Ideas-- • Can other people “make” us feel something? The show argues that emotions are ours; words like “attacked” or “rejected” are often perceptions...

Feel Bad, Do It Anyway: “Good Enough,” Real Repair, and Growth 12.10.2025 28:12

--Media Links-- • Website: delvepsych.com • Instagram: @delvepsychchicago • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants-- Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guests: none --Overview of Big Ideas-- • The “never good enough” feeling is a story our minds tell—often fueled by comparison and hedonic adaptation. It shifts the goalposts and kee...

Goals, Needs & Values: How to Live a Contented Life 05.10.2025 50:00

--Media Links-- • Website: delvepsych.com • Instagram: @delvepsychchicago • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants-- Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guests: none --Overview of Big Ideas-- • The Delve framework defines three pillars: Goals (specific, measurable, and discrete “one-and-done” projects), Needs (what you require from...

Boundaries Without Blame: supervisory care, soft→hard escalation, receiving limits well 30.09.2025 56:52

--Media Links-- • Website: delvepsych.com • Instagram: @delvepsychchicago • YouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: delvepsych.substack.com --Participants--Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya --Overview of Big Ideas--• Scale care via supervision and culturally grounded providers (“task-sharing”), not just 1:1 therapy.• Boundaries aren’t cudgels: start soft, escalate only as needed; focus on y...

Fighting Better: How Couples Can Turn Conflict into Connection 21.09.2025 54:16

--Media Links-- • Website: delvepsych.com • Instagram: @delvepsychchicago • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 • Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ --Participants-- Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guests: none --Overview of Big Ideas-- Ali and Adam explore how couples can handle conflict more effectively. They focus on personal responsibility, clear asks instead of demands, r...

The Brutal Truths of Psychology 14.09.2025 57:35

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: Delve Psych Channel Substack: delvepsych.substack.com Hosts Ali McGarel, Staff Therapist at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Adam Fominaya, Executive and Clinical Director at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Guests None this episode In this conversation, Ali and Adam break down four “brutal truths of psychology” that recently c...

Productivity, Creativity, and the Stories We Tell 07.09.2025 46:56

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: Delve Psych Substack: delvepsych.substack.com Hosts Ali McGarel — Staff Therapist at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago Adam Fominaya — Executive, Clinical, and Training Director at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago This episode blends personal reflection with psychological insight as Ali and Adam explore the pressures of producti...

Scared of Love, Scared of Loneliness – Avoidant Attachment and the Myth of Butterflies 31.08.2025 47:26

Media Links: Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Participants Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Overview of Big Ideas Welcoming new interns at Delve and the value of training fresh therapists from day one. Reddit question: “Scared of Being Alone and Scared of Being in a Relationship.” Avoida...

The Pursuit of Happiness (and Why It’s the Wrong Goal) 24.08.2025 40:48

Media Links: Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Participants: Hosts: Ali McGarel Adam Fominaya Overview of Big Ideas: In this thoughtful and energizing episode, Ali and Adam challenge the popular notion that happiness should be life’s ultimate goal. They explore the deeper psychological and...

Who Gets a Seat at the Table? Rethinking Identity, Feedback, and the Self 17.08.2025 51:06

Media Links: Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: https://delvepsych.substack.com/ Participants: Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Guests: None this episode Overview of Big Ideas: Ali and Adam explore the concept of identity through a deeply relational and integrative lens. They discuss how we construct the self not just fro...

Start Where You Are: Therapist Burnout, ACT Wisdom, and Relational Risk 10.08.2025 1:01:45

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: delvepsych.substack.com Participants Hosts: Adam Fominaya Guest: Andrea Bink Overview Adam and Andrea reconnect for a wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation about life as therapists, mentors, and humans. With Ali on vacation, the two reflect on the challenges of therapist burnout, the powe...

The Magic of Group Therapy 03.08.2025 47:19

Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchicago YouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: delvepsych.substack.com Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Why Group Therapy? Ali and Adam explore their passion for group therapy, highlighting its unique value compared to individual therapy. They discuss their successful dating and relationship group at Delve Psychotherapy and the powerful healing...

Finding Stability Amidst Global Anxiety 27.07.2025 47:02

Media Links Website: delvepsych.com Instagram: @delvepsychchi YouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20 Substack: delvepsych.substack.com Participants Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Overview · Episode 10 of Delve Podcast, hosted by Ally(therapist) and Adam (clinical director). · Delve Psychotherapy offers individual, couples,group, and family therapy — see delvepsych.com and their Su...

How to Date with Depth: Building a Better Profile & Avoiding the Swiping Spiral 20.07.2025 1:00:47

Media Links Website: delvepsych.comInstagram: @delvepsychchiYouTube: youtube.com/@DelvePsych20Substack: delvepsych.substack.com Participants Hosts: Ali McGarel, Adam Fominaya Overview Why is dating so hard? Ali and Adam draw from their clinical work and co-led dating therapy group to explore why modern dating feels so fraught—and how to make it more meaningful. The dating profile isn’t a resume. T...