Therapist Confidential

In this special Therapist Confidential Takeover, the tables turn. Guest host Lisa Forbes interviews Travis Heath about his evolving relationship with AI in therapy, why he believes contradiction is essential to being human, and how therapists can subvert psychology’s dominant logics. From graffiti as therapy to hip-hop and basketball as guiding philosophies, this conversation explores what happens...

Host Travis Heath sits down with therapist, mediator, and “cultural broker” Liliana Baylon for a candid conversation about migration, trauma, and care. Liliana shares her story of coming to the U.S. at 16, “pushing through” grief and survival, and becoming the advocate her family needed. She names what migrants are carrying now — “ongoing anxiety that is coming now to panic attacks” — and why “you...

Host Travis Heath sits down with therapist, mediator, and “cultural broker” Liliana Baylon for a candid conversation about migration, trauma, and care. Liliana shares her story of coming to the U.S. at 16, “pushing through” grief and survival, and becoming the advocate her family needed. She names what migrants are carrying now — “ongoing anxiety that is coming now to panic attacks” — and why “you...

Thomas Doherty, who has been at the forefront of climate psychology, joins Travis Heath to trace an unconventional path—from wilderness therapy and Greenpeace to the APA’s first Climate Change Task Force—and to map today’s “climate elephant.” They explore eco-anxiety as feeling, diagnosis, and social phenomenon; taking news breaks; the “upside down pyramid” of stress; a shifting “horizon of hope”;...

Host Travis Heath goes solo to unpack the realities of private practice—what it takes to start, sustain, and stay grounded while doing it. He shares his own story of building a practice without a website or marketing budget, explores myths about “readiness,” talks money and ethics, and wrestles with the tension between authenticity and visibility. Whether you’re just beginning or re-evaluating you...

What does it mean to center neurodivergence as identity, not pathology? In this episode, Robert Jason Grant—founder of AutPlay Therapy—shares how therapists can use neurodiversity-affirming practices to make therapy a space of inclusion and acceptance. From “all-the-time goals” like self-worth, identity awareness, autonomy, and advocacy, to building better mental health outcomes for neurodivergent...

Therapists aren’t immune to feeling lost. In this solo reflection, Travis Heath shares candidly about what it’s like to sit in silence, to admit “I don’t know where to go,” and to discover that being stuck often opens the door to the most important work. From small talk that becomes big talk to humility in the face of hopelessness, this episode is an invitation to embrace not knowing as part of th...

“Humans need humans. We need relationships in order for us to survive in this world.” In this episode, play therapist Clair Mellenthin shares her attachment-centered approach to play therapy that fosters child-led, systemic healing. From maximizing safety and security to reframing play as an attachment need, Mellenthin shows how change happens when parents are invited into the playroom — becoming...

“When you express yourself non-verbally, it’s really different from when you try to put something into words. And so you discover things that you couldn’t have discovered any other way.” – Judy Rubin Judy Rubin didn’t just practice art therapy — she helped shape the field. In this intimate conversation, The Art Lady reflects on her naïve beginnings as a school teacher, her transformative work with...

In this second half of an expansive conversation, Sanni Paljakka and Tom Stone Carlson return to join Travis Heath for a deeper dive into narrative therapy’s evolving landscape. Together, they confront the implications of labels, the erosion of lived experience, and the role of neoliberalism in shaping modern therapy. With equal parts compassion and provocation, the trio explores what it mea...

In this bonus episode of Therapist Confidential, host Travis Heath is joined by Sanni Paljakka and Tom Stone Carlson for a spirited conversation on the evolving language of narrative therapy. They challenge the rise of diagnostic labels, explore the concept of “unstories,” and reflect on how language both shapes and limits our understanding of human suffering. A timely dialogue, brough...

“Guys think that this ends up being an identity or sexuality conversation, when it is actually an emotional competence conversation.” – Dr. Maliek Blade In this episode, therapist and founder of the Whole Brother Mission, Maliek Blade, talks about redefining masculinity, fatherhood, and success for Black men. From emotional competency to cultural relevancy, Maliek Blade shares how his work creates...

“There’s moments where I feel like I’m being ineffective… and then a client might return and say, ‘That thing from last session really stuck with me.’” In this special “Ask a Therapist Anything” episode of Therapist Confidential, host Travis Heath is joined by Lisa Forbes and Clayton Norman to answer listener questions about therapy, healing, and what it’s like on both sides of the therapy room. F...

“I’m always telling stories. and that allows me to be curious about you and create space so that you can be curious about me.” In this episode, Liliana Baylon, whose practice and trainings focus on therapy in immigrant communities. She invites us to consider the cultural complexity of immigrant clients and the stressors they face. Liliana speaks candidly about stereotypes, survival, and syst...

“We’re gonna have a conversation about the thing, or we can do the thing, and then I can see it in real time.” In this episode, Travis Heath sits down with Digital Play Therapy Expert Jessica Stone to explore how screen-based environments—often viewed with skepticism—can become rich spaces for therapeutic connection. From Virtual Sandtrays to video games, Stone makes the case that what matte...

“I’m not here to fix bodies or food behaviors—I’m here to hold space for what those things are holding.” In this episode, Kim Fry challenges traditional models for treating eating disorders and invites us into a more relational approach. From deconstructing societal aesthetics to unlearning what you know about “healthy” behavior, Kim helps us rethink what healing looks like in a system that so oft...

How do you offer meaningful, person-centered care inside a system built on confinement and control? In this episode, Travis Heath speaks with Brooke Sheehan, a social worker and the Regional Director of a mental healthcare program operating inside correctional institutions. They unpack the myths of working in prisons, the power of radical acceptance, the flexibility required to meet varied mental...

Jason Buckles is not the DSM expert you’re looking for. Or is he? In this episode, Dr. Jason Buckles joins Travis Heath to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the DSM—from the benefits of providing a common language to the realities of dehumanizing clients when that language is applied. Together, they explore the power and perils of using diagnoses to define the human condition. A layered, p...

“If it’s your idea, you’re going to like it better.” You know how to support clients’ mental health but what happens when clients bring up physical health goals? In this episode, health coach Shana Walsh shares how she fosters healthy change that comes from within. From helping clients set process goals to navigating motivation and reframing setbacks, this conversation will give you some fre...

“Teenagers are not that scary. We are a lot more human than maybe we’re portrayed.” In this episode, 16-year-old Metzli shares her take on what’s wrong with therapy. From rushed solutions and misplaced positivity to the need for authenticity and curiosity, she unpacks why therapy can feel more like treatment than conversation—and what therapists can do to better help their clients. Spo...

What can therapists take from the world of emergency response? In this conversation, EMT and Paramedic Instructor Scott Reasor reflects on the emotional realities of high-stakes care: the pressure to perform, the importance of individualized care, and the unexpected impact of remaining present. From coordinated chaos to pink elephants and cake, this episode is about how being with people in their...

“Hold on. They throw stuff at you? And you just let them?” In this episode, Travis Heath sits down with play therapist and professor Lisa Forbes to explore the purpose and phases of non-directive play therapy. Together, they talk about patience, recognizing therapeutic content in play therapy with children, the subtle shifts that signal transformation, and the challenge of helping parents trust a...

“What if we stopped asking, ‘What do I do with this client?’ and started asking, ‘What’s alive in this relationship?’” —Marcela Polanco In this episode of  Therapist Confidential , Travis Heath is joined by marcela polanco for a radical reimagining of therapy—not as a series of techniques to be applied, but as a relationship to be tended. Together, they explore what it means to shift f...

In this episode of Therapist Confidential, Travis Heath speaks with Clayton Norman—a therapist whose work is anything but traditional. Clayton blends narrative therapy, Adlerian play therapy, and his background in youth programming to create “skate therapy”—sessions that unfold at skate parks rather than behind office walls. They discuss metaphor, subculture, and what therapy can become when we me...

In this debut episode of Therapist Confidential, Travis Heath introduces a podcast that doesn’t aim to be polished, perfect, or predictable. Instead, it’s an honest and messy invitation to explore therapy in its most human form. He shares his hopes for the show, including challenging groupthink in the field, amplifying voices beyond the usual “masters,” and asking weird questions that lead t...