Therapy Chat

This week on Therapy Chat you'll hear the first of 5 conversations recorded live at Psychotherapy Networker in March! My guest this week is the delightful Courtney Armstrong, LPC, an expert in trauma-informed clinical hypnosis. Listen in as Courtney demystifies this topic and explains how trauma informed clinical hypnosis can support therapists in practicing more authentically for better therapeutic outcomes. Therapists, be sur...

Therapists - are you in a toxic business relationship? This week I'm covering why many therapy practices are struggling to stay afloat. Kelly Higdon, LMFT and Miranda Palmer, LMFT are two therapists and business coaches who co-own ZynnyMe and lead Business School for Therapists.

They've been keeping up with the factors affecting therapist wellbeing for years! In our conversation we discuss how therapists and clients are bei...

This week I interviewed Antonieta Contreras about trauma therapy and the importance of a systemic approach to healing. We discussed misconceptions around trauma therapy, the importance of understanding the connection between trauma and the loss of internal equilibrium, and the role of nature, nurture, and consciousness in healing. Antonieta speaks about how she approaches therapy and how therapists can use her book, 'Traumatiza...

Therapists - there's so much important information in this conversation that you need to hear! In this conversation I spoke with Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, who is an expert in PANS, PANDAS, and tick-borne illnesses as well as Autoimmune Encephalopathy (AE). Roseann shares about the symptoms, diagnosis, and holistic as well as allopathic treatment options for these conditions, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the sudden...

I named this episode "The Eyes Have It" to honor the fascinating connection my guest, Monique Hoving-Smeets, MFT describes between right and left eyes and awareness among parts of self in trauma work. Monique, a therapist based in Canada who specializes in complex trauma and dissociation, is the developer of the Trauma Regulation and Integration Model (TRIP). Among so many things, Monique also explores the internal attachme...

In this week's episode my guests are Dr. Ann Kelley and Sue Marriott, LCSW, hosts of Therapist Uncensored podcast and authors of the upcoming book, Secure Relating: Holding Your Own In An Insecure World. They discuss the importance of spreading secure relating and changing society through understanding attachment. They describe how their book challenges traditional views of attachment and proposes a spectrum of attachment patte...

Today's Therapy Chat guest is Dr. Peter Levine, the developer of Somatic Experiencing, who speaks about his journey as a wounded healer. He shares that by being open about our experiences healing, our authenticity allows others to know they're not alone. None of us in the helping professions have been immune to suffering, it's a part of the universal experience of being human; and there's no shame in having experien...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Betrayal comes in many forms. One of the most common ways we think of it is when a partner has a hidden life or a side relationship they're keeping secret from their partner. Secrecy and shame can lead to broken trust and overwhelming feelings of betrayal that are not easy to recover from. If you've ever experienced the pain of betrayal, you'll want to hear my conversation with LaDonna Care...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! If you've ever thought, "I know I need to set a boundary, but I don't know how to do it," or "I know what I should do/say, but why can't I seem to make myself do it?" then you'll love this episode. This week's guest, Juliane Taylor Shore, wrote the book, "Setting Boundaries That Stick: How Neurobiology Can Help You Rewire Your Brain to Help You Feel Safe, Connect...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this episode, the last for now in the series on women's wellness in midlife, I spoke with Dr. Erin Kinney, a naturopathic doctor in Annapolis Maryland, to discuss the connection between chronic stress and women's wellness. Dr. Kinney explained the impact of chronic stress - like developmental/childhood trauma - on our endocrine systems, affecting our hormones. I talked a bit abo...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's guest, Dr. Sara Poldmae is a licensed acupuncturist, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Doctor of Chinese Medicine. Dr. Sara discusses her approach to healing, which combines Eastern and Western medicine to help women find wellness in midlife. She emphasizes the importance of treating the root cause of symptoms and the need for a holistic approach to patient care. Sara share...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we're talking about a topic that has been relatively taboo until recently - but affects everyone with a uterus in some way. Welcome to a series on menopause! My guest today is Dr. Nazanin Moali, an internationally-recognized AASECT certified psychologist, educator, and host of Sexology Podcast. We talked about the impact of menopause on mental health and Nazanin shared from the sex therap...

This week's episode includes a conversation with Jenn Fredette. We talked about how marketing doesn't have to be gross and make you feel ashamed of who you are. We discuss the role of attachment style in marketing and how therapists can show up authentically in their marketing efforts.

We also explore the evolution of therapist influencers and the pressure to conform to certain marketing strategies. Jen emphasizes the import...

In this episode of Therapy Chat, host Laura interviews Dr. Marc Hauser about his book 'Vulnerable Minds: The Harm of Trauma and the Hope of Resilience'. The conversation explores childhood trauma, resilience, and the healing process. Marc Hauser shares his background in cognitive neuroscience and his work with at-risk children, including those with traumatic experiences. The book aims to bring scientific knowledge to practi...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm thrilled to bring you the last interview Linda Thai, LMSW, RYT-200, CLYL and I did in 2023. The previous three episodes with Linda were focused on my grief journey, and this one is different - though trauma, attachment and grief are woven in, of course. Linda teaches us about Psychodrama Structures, which is a method she has benefited from and uses to bring healing to many people. 

In ...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm joined by a fellow trauma therapist who is also a colleague and friend, Dr. Jenny Hughes.

In our conversation we explore themes of building trust through allowing vulnerability, the power of connection and co-regulation in healing, the process of metabolizing emotions, integration and healing, the transformative power of difficult times, grief, vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we have a returning guest, Brooke Randolph, LPC, LMHC, LPCC-S, an adoptive parent, therapist and advocate for the members of the adoption constellation, who is also the author of several books and a Brainspotting trainer. This conversation explores the complex and often overlooked aspects of adoption, focusing on the experiences of adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents. I talk about m...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this first episode of 2024 I'm so happy to bring you this interview recorded this past Fall, with Dr. Mariel Buqué, author of the new book, Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma. We discussed intergenerational patterns of trauma, legacy burdens that were carried by our ancestors and are held in our bodies, showing up as patterns of tension, pain and illness.

Tune in to our...

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As 2023 comes to an end I wanted to reflect upon the year and what I learned through my experiences. Life always includes highs and lows, light and darkness. This year in my personal and professional life (so basically my whole life), there was more darkness than light. Yet upon reflection, there were so many glimmers of light within the dark times. In this episode I share my personal journey dealing w...