Behavioral Health Today

Continuing education shouldn't be a chore to check off a list. By trading dry, slide-heavy lectures for creative, story-driven experiences, we can turn standard professional development into deeply engaging moments that actually stick. In this episode, host Sharlee Dixon sits down with Anne McSweeney, LCSW, the visionary founder of CEU Creations and a leader at CE4Less. After twenty years in the field, ...

You are not your cravings. True transformation isn't about white-knuckling through deprivation; it’s about creating space between the urge and your reaction so you can choose to act with intention. In this episode, host Sharlee Dixon sits down with Laura Elorza, a clinical psychologist dedicated to helping people break free from autopilot living and discover the difference between fleeting pleasur...

Your greatest leadership value isn't birthed from your perfection, but from your pressure points. The things that broke your heart or kept you up at night are the exact experiences that unlock genuine self-empathy, and it is only by directing accurate empathy inward that we can effectively externalize it to lead others. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon speaks with with Dr. D. Ivan Young, a globally recogn...

We're conditioned to stand right next to everything we thought we wanted, the money, the status, the life that looks right from the outside, and still feel empty. Real contentment isn't a checklist you complete. It's the stillness you finally allow yourself to step into. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Danielle Diamond, a renowned yoga and lifestyle expert with more than twenty years of exp...

The 2026 National MFT Exam isn't exactly the test you thought you were studying for. While most candidates were focused on the January handbook, a quiet, unannounced revision in March 2026 moved the goalposts while many were already mid-sprint. Whether you’re weeks away from your window or just beginning to map out your licensure journey, understanding this "recalibration" is t...

You aren’t broken; you are simply buried. True alignment begins the moment you stop "proving" and start playing. In this episode, Peter Fenger welcomes AmyK Hutchens, an international award-winning speaker and #1 Amazon best-selling author. A former corporate executive who now hits the stage in "fun sneakers," AmyK has delivered over 2,700 presentations worldwide, guiding leaders to trade ego-driv...

The beliefs that once protected you may be the very ones quietly holding you back. And closing that gap? That's where real wellness begins. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Garrett Wood, Executive Well-Being Coach, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Executive Function Specialist, whose 18 years of work with high-performing professionals has taught him one defining truth: sustainable suc...

We often feel trapped by our fears, yet the "cage" of anxiety has no back. Freedom doesn't require a key. It simply requires the courage to turn around and walk out of the false beliefs you have been conditioned to hold. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Jake Yanitz Rubin. Jake is a clinical hypnotherapist, teacher, and author of “From Anxiety to Awakening: 11 Insights That Transform Wo...

If thoughts are the language of the mind and emotions are the language of the body, then art is the language of the soul. Creativity is far more than a hobby. It serves as a portal to a state of consciousness where mental obsessions simply cannot survive. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Rafael McMaster. Rafael is a creative director, artist, and youth mental health advocate dedicated to em...

Success on the EPPP requires a structured "Snowball" effect rather than luck. By layering information and building community, you transform a debilitating and isolating process into a manageable path to licensure. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Dr. Erica Ligons. Erica is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder of Crush That Exam, and owner of Vilago Psychology. After overcoming her own A...

Stop relying on the dreaded service page. A generic list of specialties is not a marketing strategy; it is a deterrent. If you want a potential client to trust you with their deepest secrets, you must provide a page that actually speaks their language. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with John Sanders, the founder and CEO of RevKey. John leads a specialized digital advertising agency that helps ...

A diagnostic label should be a flashlight that helps you find your way, not a cage that defines who you are allowed to be. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Dr. Alastair Santhouse, a consultant neuropsychiatrist at London’s Maudsley Hospital with nearly 30 years of clinical and leadership experience. From treating complex physical-mental health intersections to serving at the Roya...

When "professional" is defined by a paycheck rather than a license, we trade our society's healers for a system reserved only for those who can afford the entry fee. In this episode of BHT Bytes, hosts Sharlee Dixon and Peter Fenger tackle the sobering "declassification" of behavioral health degrees under the 2026 "One Big Beautiful Bill." As the Department of Education narrows the definition of a "prof...

Healing is an evolution rather than a graduation. While recovery is often treated as a destination, true healing is the daily process of becoming better than yesterday and gaining the tools to navigate the storm when it returns. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Chris Yadon and Ana Megrelishvili. Chris is the Managing Director of Saprea, a nonprofit devoted to liberating individuals and soci...

Joy isn't something you chase. It's something you notice, when you finally stop, put down your phone, and look around. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Hiroko Yoda, a Tokyo-born cultural historian, writer, and journalist who has spent decades making Japanese spirituality, folklore, and tradition feel alive and accessible for Western audiences. A certified Shinto cultural historian and former...

Your nervous system learned danger. It can learn safety too. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Nora Rodden, CEO and co-founder of Nervana, a science-based mobile app helping people regulate their nervous systems and reclaim their lives from chronic pain. After a life-altering car accident left her suffering from chronic pain, GI issues, and insomnia for over five years, Nora didn't find relie...

Your hippocampus isn't a fixed shape, it's a garden. With the right sleep, movement, and purpose, it can actually grow larger and stronger at any age. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Dr. Majid Fotuhi, a pioneering neurologist and neuroscientist with more than 35 years of experience in brain health, memory, neuroplasticity, and the prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Fotuhi earned his Ph...

August 2026 is closer than you think, and the changes could work in your favor or catch you off guard. Whether you're deep in exam prep or just starting your licensure journey, this conversation will help you decide whether to test now or wait and why that decision matters more than you think. In this episode, Peter Fenger and Sharlee Dixon break down exactly what's shifting, from fewer questions and a ...

Psychedelics are a pattern interrupt, not a panacea. They don't offer a "free lunch," but they do provide a "free snack", a brief, radical perspective shift that disrupts long-standing mental loops so you can begin the real work of transformation. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC, Co-Founder of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, the largest professional educ...