The Shrink Think Podcast

We can get too fixated on the "problems" we experience in life, keeping ourselves stuck ON the problem. Trying to understand the problem is helpful to a degree, but then we need to move toward fixing it - which usually involves doing something different. Therapists can be prone to this, too, but ultimately need to partner with you to explore what you can do differently to get a different outcome....

A victim mindset might be the reason you are stuck in your life or relationships. We identified five elements of this mindset (plus one bonus one): (1) sees self as good, other as bad; (2) focuses on my good intentions (not actions) and your bad actions (not intentions); (3) sees only from own perspective, cannot see other’s perspective; (4) cannot hold both experiences as valid and real, two part...

What does it mean to be your “self”? How do you lose “yourself” in relationships and how can you avoid or prevent that from happening? In this two-part series, we break down the issue to help you better know who you are and spot ways you might be operating that cause you to lose yourself or behave not in accordance with who you are (such as what matters to you or what you value). Aaron Potratz & N...

What does it mean to be your “self”? How do you lose “yourself” in relationships and how can you avoid or prevent that from happening? In this two-part series, we break down the issue to help you better know who you are and spot ways you might be operating that cause you to lose yourself or behave not in accordance with who you are (such as what matters to you or what you value). Aaron Potratz & N...

There is a fundamental truth to life that can be difficult to accept: YOU, not other people, are the biggest problem in your own life. What this means is your mindset, your ability to regulate your feelings, and your responses are the causes of most of your problems-which you are in control of. Taking responsibility for these can have a significant influence on your satisfaction in life, even thou...

What is premarital counseling? Who could benefit from it? What are some things that happen in premarital counseling to make it useful? We stole a page from our Shrink Think educational videos that orient couples to premarital counseling, and shared them here so our listeners could benefit. This episode would be helpful for couples who plan to get married someday (or are engaged), as well as therap...

As you get older, you might realize some things about your parents that you wish they would change. Maybe you’ve even considered talking to them about it. Just because you share your hurts from childhood, doesn’t mean they’ll be understanding let alone take responsibility and change. What do you do if your parents won’t change, and you’re “stuck” with the negative or unhealthy patterns? We’ll talk...

If you are a parent of adult children and they have tried to share about their childhood with you, you might be tempted get defensive or feel guilty. Don’t do it! Listen to this episode first! You’ll learn about why you need to embrace what your child is saying, embrace the idea that you made some mistakes in parenting, and use this as an opportunity to build a better relationship with your child....

Part 2 of 2. We invited fellow PNW'er Andrew Lang to talk about inner critic and shadow work that he specializes in. The inner critic develops subconsciously from the stories and experiences of our lives, and shadows are parts of us that get rejected or repressed by the people and communities around us. Andrew discusses how to get connected to these through the body and mindful awareness in order...

We invited fellow PNW'er Andrew Lang to talk about inner critic and shadow work that he specializes in. The inner critic develops subconsciously from the stories and experiences of our lives, and shadows are parts of us that get rejected or repressed by the people and communities around us. Andrew discusses how to get connected to these through the body and mindful awareness in order to live an op...

It's easy to feel anxious or offended about something then want to control the environment or people around you so you feel better. The healthy approach, however, is to turn inward and find out what's going on inside of you and control THAT. Controlling your own thoughts, feelings, and reactions will create better relationships and flexibility that is necessary for healthy interactions. Aaron Potr...

Having a conflict with someone can be really uncomfortable! This is why many people avoid conflicts altogether - that, and they don’t know what to do. Here are some practical tips for getting yourself to “zero” or “grounded” so that you can work through the issue with someone more effectively. Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical superviso...

When you have a disagreement with someone, it’s important to use the right tools to work through it. How you communicate together will determine how successful you’ll be at resolving the issue. Focusing on yourself and not on the other person (which sounds counterintuitive) will avoid tossing a grenade and blowing it up, an outcome nobody wants! Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health...

Martin Altman, Licensed Professional Counselor in Atlanta, Georgia, joins us to talk all about ADHD. He explains what it is and how it affects people, the benefits and drawbacks of having ADHD, he shares about his own experiences with it, and talks about strategies for living with it. Website: https://www.altmancounseling.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altman.marty/ Facebook: https://ww...

Martin Altman, Licensed Professional Counselor in Atlanta, Georgia, joins us to talk all about ADHD. He explains what it is and how it affects people, the benefits and drawbacks of having ADHD, he shares about his own experiences with it, and talks about strategies for living with it. Website: https://www.altmancounseling.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altman.marty/ Facebook: https://ww...

* Codependent relationship dynamics are common, and people often don't know where they end and the other person begins-let alone how to let others have their own feelings without taking responsibility for them. It's a complicated dynamic, so we broke it down to make it simpler to see and understand. Being compassionate means owning your words and actions, as well as how they impact another person,...

As a follow-up to the previous episode, we look at the benefits of in-person therapy as superior to telehealth. Nothing can replace the experience of commuting to the office and sitting down with a therapist face-to-face. Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each own a private group therap...

The COVID-19 Pandemic changed therapy and opened up the option of telehealth or video therapy. Telehealth allows for more options, easier access to providers with specialties, and convenience. It also has drawbacks, such as eliminating pre- and post-session processing time as well as the valuable in-office person-to-person contact. Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, lice...

When people go to therapy, it's a good idea to know what you need from the session and from your therapist. Understanding what you need helps you to focus on the most important things and it helps the therapist know best how to help you - whether it's giving clarity, empathizing, or providing insight. Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical s...

This is part two of our Podcast Takeover with Lisa Mustard of The Therapy Show. We continue the discussion on attachment styles as it applies to parenting. Lisa, Nathan, and Aaron all share about how they wrestle with attachment styles in their parenting, so tune in because you won't want to miss it! Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical su...

Podcast Takeover! Guest Lisa Mustard of The Therapy Show Podcast joins us as we catch up as friends and colleagues, talk about the different attachment styles, and in part 2 we extend that discussion to us as parents. It was a fun and informative episode that you won't want to miss! Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with ove...

We decided to have fun with the enneagram, so Nathan created a scenario and asked Aaron to describe how different enneagram types would respond to the same situation. We wanted to make all the enneagram information from previous episodes come alive so you could see what different types might look like in real life... we didn't rehearse it at all! Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral healt...

Starting counseling as a couple is different from individual counseling, and not every counselor works with couples because of these challenges. Here's what you need to know about couples counseling, whether you're a therapist working with couples or in a relationship and in counseling together. This episode is based on our "Orientation to Couples Counseling" digital course at www. ShrinkThink.com...

When you hurt someone, you need to take responsibility for your actions and apologize. But saying "sorry" isn't enough; apologies need you to empathize with their pain which you inflicted, and let that discomfort change you to be a better person (and not repeat the action). Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 year...

This is Aaron's first solo episode without Nathan, who was traveling. Many people say things like “it feels unsafe,” but they may be mixing facts with feelings and doing something called "emotional reasoning." Being able to describe the facts or events of what happens, while clearly identifying the feelings you have about them, can help you better understand how it has impacted you and get the val...