Psych Talk

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Eugene Lipov, Board Certified Anesthesiologist, Board Certified Pain Physician, and Chief Medical Officer at Stella Center. Dr. Lipov discusses how he came to specialize in the treatment of PTSD and defines what PTSD is. Dr. Lipov is a fierce advocate of changing the name to PTSD to Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) to reduce stigma and enhance treatment seeking. He discusses w...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Jessie Hansen, professional speaker, author, and founder of the Kindest Kid in America program. Jessie holds a bachelors degree in psychology, a masters degree in social work, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in social work where her primary research area is school shootings. Jessie starts the episode by discussing the Kindest Kid in America program and what inspired her to st...

September is National Suicide Prevention month and in today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss youth suicide. I start the episode by briefly discussion National Suicide Prevention Month and World Suicide Prevention Day. I then provide some statistics on youth suicidal behavior and deaths in the United States, spending additional discussion on certain subgroups of youth who are at increased risk. I then discuss the rising trend o...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Elian Beattie, LMHC, LCMHC about the intersection between eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). We start the episode by defining various eating disorders, as well as what OCD is (and is not). Elian discusses the intersection between eating disorders and OCD and why the two disorders have such high co-morbidity. She discusses some common symptoms and behaviors seen...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Ashley Smith, licensed psychologist, speaker, and author about the science of happiness. Dr. Ashley starts the discussion by discussing how she got interested in the science of happiness and positive psychology in general. Dr. Ashely defines for listeners what happiness is and discusses the science of happiness and what research say about factors that influence a person's hap...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Dr. Albert Bramante, psychology professor, certified hypnotist, author, and talent agent, who helps creative professionals overcome mental roadblocks. We start the episode by discussing Dr. Bramante's journey into the entertainment industry and how his skills in psychology and hypnosis aids in his work. We discuss imposter syndrome and why so many professionals experience it, as...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss the intersection of politics and beauty standards. Prompted by a discussion at work about the rise in eating disorders over the past 5 years and noticing a shift back to the ultra-thin ideals, I decided to dive deeper into this topic to see what I could find. I start the episode by discussing a history of body politics - the practices and policies through which powers of society regul...

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Todd Sarner, MFT about his Transformative Parenting Process. We discuss Todd's journey into specializing in parenting and how he developed his Transformative Parenting Process. Todd discusses why understanding attachment is so important when it comes to parenting, as well as touches on what trauma-informed parenting is. We discuss how many parents are aware of various parenting ...

In this episode of Psych Talk I chat with Jazzmyn Proctor,  MS about taking care of your mental health in the current sociopolitical climate. We first discuss Jazzmyn’s journey in mental health, becoming a relational therapist, and what that means. We discuss some of the impacts of the current socio political climate, as well as society in general, on our mental health. Jazzmyn shares how we can build community and connection in a ...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald, a PhD trauma researcher, about the intersection of trauma and joy. Dr. MC discusses how she came to specialize in researching trauma and defines for listeners what both trauma and joy are. Dr. MC discusses some common misconceptions about joy or how it is conceptualize, as well as some ways that trauma impacts joy. We discuss her book, The Joy Reset, and d...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Mary-Frances Moore, LMHC, CCTP-II about the psychological impacts of bariatric surgery. Mary-Frances starts the discussion by sharing what got her interested in the psychological impacts of bariatric surgery, what bariatric surgery is, and who is a good candidate for bariatric surgery . She discusses the purpose of a psychological evaluation before bariatric surgery and what such an ...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I provide a brief overview of the history of ACT, its main goals, and what mental health conditions it is effective for. I then discuss the primary goal of ACT, cognitive flexibility, and discuss in depth the opposite of this, cognitive rigidity, and six ways cognitive rigidity may manifest. I then discuss the Hexa-Flex, which includes the six c...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Justin Gillespie, LMSW-Clinical, ADHD-CCSP about parenting with ADHD. Justin first shares his personal journey with ADHD and how he came to specialize in working with people with ADHD. He then defines what ADHD is, how it presents in adulthood, and some differences between childhood and adult presentations. We then discuss some ways and areas in which ADHD impacts functioning as an adult...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Sam Gennuso, LMFT about stuttering and its connection with authenticity. Sam defines stuttering for listening and shares her personal story as a person who stutters. Sam discusses how stuttering can be a complex trauma and it it impacts one's self-esteem and self-concept. Further, she describes how stuttering relates to authenticity and vulnerability, and how that connection with...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Jessica Lamar about betrayal trauma. Dr. Lamar defines for listeners what betrayal trauma is and how she came to specialize in working with betrayal trauma. Dr. Lamara discusses the symptoms one may experience with betrayal trauma, as well as impacts of betrayal trauma, both on the individual experiencing it and their relationship with the person who betrayed them. Further, we di...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Kiki Fehling about Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Dr. Kiki is a DBT-Linehan Board Certified therapist, author, and speaker. We start the episode by discussing Kiki's journey into specializing in DBT. Kiki then goes on to define with DBT is for listeners and walks us through the four modules of DBT (mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal ef...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Marley Herrera, LMFT about LGBTQ+ couples therapy. Marley first introduces herself and how she came to specialize in LGBTQ+ couples therapy. Marley then goes on to discuss the similarities and differences between couples therapy among queer couples and cis/het couples. We dive into various reasons LGBTQ+ couples may seek therapy and how broader systems impact what LGBTQ+ couples brin...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss the intersection of neurodivergence, specifically Autism and ADHD, and LGBTQ+ identities. I start the episode by discussing Pride Month, defining neurodivergence, as well as defining the term "neuroqueer". Next, I discuss the intersection between ASD and LGBTQ+ identities, where I discuss statistics about the co-morbidity between the two, theories as to why there is such over...

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Kim Van Dusen, PsyD, LMFT, RPT about play based parenting. Dr. Kim shares her journey into specializing in play therapy and parenting work. She defines for listeners what play based parenting is and some strategies used in play based parenting. Dr. Kim discusses some of the benefits of taking a play based parenting approach, including how it helps with emotional intelligence, as ...