The Good Counsel Podcast

The moral of the story? If being a better person was easy, we'd all be better people. Start small and don't take yourself too seriously. The Good Counsel Podcast Therapist's Diary is a short form narative about the nonconfidential and "lighter side" of being a therapist. It's a departure from the heavier world of trauma, grief, anger management, and other very serious matters that make up most of...

On this episode of the Therapist's Diary, I discuss my encounter with a Rhode Island shaman. The Good Counsel Podcast Therapist's Diary is a short form narative about the nonconfidential and "lighter side" of being a therapist. It's a departure from the heavier world of trauma, grief, anger management, and other very serious matters that make up most of my work day. In a way, this is my hommage to...

The Good Counsel Podcast Therapist's Diary is a short form narative about the nonconfidential and "lighter side" of being a therapist. It's a departure from the heavier world of trauma, grief, anger management, and other very serious matters that make up most of my work day. In a way, this is my hommage to the spirit of existentialist influences where the challenge of our humanity is to make peace...

The Good Counsel Podcast Therapist's Diary is a short form narative about the nonconfidential and "lighter side" of being a therapist. It's a departure from the heavier world of trauma, grief, anger management, and other very serious matters that make up most of my work day. In a way, this is my hommage to the spirit of existentialist influences where the challenge of our humanity is to make peace...

Eric Bricker talks with Dr. Claudia Black about what happens inside families shaped by alcoholism and why the effects often show up long after someone stops drinking. Claudia reflects on writing It Will Never Happen to Me in her 20s, the early days of Adult Children of Alcoholics, and how giving people language for denial, loss, and grief changed the way recovery work is done. They get into the qu...

Episode 58: Yair Yifrah "Surviving Nova"   Yair Yifrah is a sound and lighting engineer, hip hop artist and survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre that took place on October 7th of 2023 near the grounds of Kibbutz Re'im. On this episode of the podcast, Yair shares his experience of survival and recovery from the horrific trauma of that day. He speaks about the community of people that helped...

On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, psychotherapist Eric Bricker sits down with trauma therapist, coach, and mindfulness teacher Ryan Soave to explore what truly makes helping relationships effective. Ryan shares why real healing is less about adding something new and more about uncovering the innocent, curious self that life has covered up. He and Eric dig into distress tolerance, why le...

On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, host Eric Bricker sits down with attorneys Craig Robinson and Richard Casey to break down the Baker Act, the Marchman Act, and civil commitments in plain language. We talk through due process and rights, how assessments work, why counties handle cases differently, and the high burden of proof for Marchman cases. Craig and Richard share their behavioral...

Behavioral health veteran Terry Shapiro joins Eric to dig into what actually moves the needle in care today. We unpack the rise of TMS as noninvasive brain stimulation, why pairing it with solid therapy matters, and how GAIABehavioral Health is collaborating across programs to make access easier. Terry shares the story behind Prospect HillRecovery and Wellness in St. Croix where privacy meets high...

Host Eric Bricker sits down with Joseph Lee, LCSW, a Delray Beach psychotherapist and owner of Joseph Lee Counseling and co-founder and clinical director at Mindspa Therapy. Joseph shares his path from program director to private practice, why he stepped outside the treatment-center bubble to rediscover his identity, and how mentorship shaped his early career. He offers an insider's look at South...

On this episode, I sat down with REAL Course instructor, Jon Waller to discuss personal development courses. We both give very frank and sometimes comical personal accounts of our own experiences. We take a deep dive into the history of the personal development course universe, going all the way back to the 1970's, and the controversial EST course. Jon shares about how he and the REAL Course team...

On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, host Eric Bricker sits down with Kim Litton, licensed clinical social worker, certified sex addiction therapist, and author of I Do It For Her. Kim opens up about her personal journey through substance use, sex and love addiction, and the generational patterns she was determined to break for her children. Together, Eric and Kim explore the roots of comp...

On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, Blake Cohen talks Ted Talk preparation with host Eric Bricker. Blake Cohen is a behavioral healthcare professional and consultant, focusing on organizational leadership and workplace cultures. Blake is currently pursuing a doctorate in Leadership Psychology at William James College in Boston, MA. Blake is currently constulting at Mass General Hospital w...

On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, host Eric Bricker welcomes Laura Kunz, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Spirence, a preventative mental health platform reshaping the way employers support their workforce. Laura shares how Spirence bridges the gap left by traditional employee assistance programs, offering confidential on-demand resources, expert-led content, and prevention strate...

In this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, host Eric Bricker sits down with Dr. David Wohlsifer - a psychotherapist, EMDR therapist, clinical sexologist, and instructor at Florida Atlantic University - to unpack the complex realities of infidelity. From emotional affairs to breaches in non-monogamous relationships, they explore how trust is broken, why rules and communication matter, and how cou...

In this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, we sit down with former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg to talk about his groundbreaking work leading the Sober Homes Task Force and the eye-opening realities behind Florida's once deeply corrupt addiction treatment industry. We explore how the "Florida Shuffle" turned recovery into a pipeline of exploitation, how unscrupulous operators p...

Dr. Matthew Durso's path from addiction to doctorate is both rare and remarkable. In this episode, he joins host Eric Bricker to share how the 12-step recovery model not only saved his life but became the focus of his academic research. Together, they unpack the spiritual and clinical components of lasting recovery, the stigma surrounding substance use disorders, and why every therapist working in...

This episode welcomes my good friend and respected colleague, Adam Saslov. We reflect back on our shared history in behavioral healthcare, working together in the heart of the "Mecca of Recovery" back in the late 90's and early 2000's. A lot has changed since those early days, and we are both grateful for the extraordinary people and experiences we encountered along the way. It's fun to reflect on...

Hosted by seasoned psychotherapist Eric Bricker, this episode welcomes renowned counselor, educator, and researcher Dr. Jon Sperry. Delving deep into Adlerian psychology, Jon reflects on foundational concepts like inferiority, belonging through community,– and the courage to say no—even when it leads to being disliked. Their conversation spans cultural nuances, global lecturing experiences, and ho...

This is the second half of the Good Counsel Podcast that contains material from a live continuing education seminar that I presented in 2024 on Prolonged Grief Disorder and Substance Use Disorders. Subjects covered include the relationship between substance use disorders and prolonged grief including research findings and implications for treatment.  Good Counsel Podcast Host Eric Bricker is an ac...

This episode of the Good Counsel Podcast contains a portion of the material from a live continuing education seminar that I presented in 2024 on Prolonged Grief Disorder and Substance Use Disorders. Subjects covered include the distinction between grief and prolonged grief disorder in addition to the goals of therapy for people suffering from acute grief reactions. Additionally, I discuss some of...

On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, my friend Dr. Laura Ellick shares her unique perspectives about the use of mindset in overcoming adverse behavioral issues like substance misuse and eating disorders. Dr. Laura is a psychologist, podcast host ( From Mayhem to Mindset ), ( If I Had the Balls ), and author ( Total Wellness for Mommies ), ( Wisdom from the Universe ). For more about Dr. El...

My good friend Mary Olitzky is a psychotherapist and author. On this episode of the Good Counsel Podcast, Mary shares about her new book of original poetry "A Soul's Journey." It's an intimate portrait of her journey through sobriety expressed through these literary snap shots about life, loss, love and friendship. Now available on Amazon. Good Counsel Podcast Host Eric Bricker is an accomplished...

Amanda Marino is a Certified Intervention Professional and certified Life and Recovery Coach. She is the founder and owner of Next Level Recovery Associates. Amanda has been featured as a professional expert on A&E's "Digital Addiction" and as an Intervention Profession on the network's 2024 season of "Intervention." Amanda is an active advocate for the empowerment of women. She very active on soc...

Dr. Karen Flannery is the founder and medical director of Palm Beach Wellness Institute, a physician lead integrative care team that provides consierge level holistic care for a variety of medical and health concerns. Dr. Flannery is board certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She is certified in Botanical Medicine, and has additional specialty training in Psychopharmocology and M...