Psyched to Practice

AI can fix your grammar, rewrite a sentence, summarize your notes, generate recommendations, and eventually start making decisions for you. But where should the line be?

In this episode of Beyond the Bot: AI and Mental Health, Dan Florell and Adam Lockwood break down the different levels of AI-assisted report writing, from simple editing to recommendations and clinical judgment. They discuss data security, HIPAA and FERPA concerns, ...

It’s that time of the year again, one of the biggest transitions for families is back with back to school. Whether you’re a parent or student this is a time of change. And that’s exactly what Ray and Paul explore in this week’s episode. They review some helpful and healthy recommendations to ease back into the school routine, and make this school year the best it can be. We hope you enjoy this Living Psyched...

This episode focuses on AI report writing in psychological assessment, with a special emphasis on school psychology. Dan Florell and Adam Lockwood look at why AI is being adopted so quickly, where it genuinely helps, and where human judgment still matters. They also dig into the tension between compliance-heavy technical reports and the need for parent-friendly, usable summaries.

In this episode, Dan Florell, a professor at Eastern ...

Social media often makes it sound like there’s only one answer to difficult family relationships: cut them off. But is that always the healthiest choice?

In this episode, Paul Wagner and Dr. Ray Christner take a thoughtful look at family estrangement, toxic relationships, and the role of boundaries in protecting your well-being. They explore why the word “toxic” has become so common, how clinicians can avoid black-...

AI is moving far beyond simple chatbots, and many mental health professionals are wondering what comes next.

In the first episode of Beyond the Bot, Dan Florell and Adam Lockwood break down one of the fastest-growing areas of artificial intelligence: AI agents. They explain the difference between traditional AI chatbots and autonomous AI systems, where these tools can genuinely save clinicians time, and where they should never be us...

We are excited to announce the launch of a brand new podcast, Beyond the Bot, hosted by Dr. Dan Florel and Dr. Adam Lockwood. Starting Friday, July 31st, you’ll find episodes of Beyond the Bot appearing right here on the Psyched To Practice feed, alternating with our regular episodes. This means you’ll continue to receive fresh content every week without needing to subscribe to anything new.

For those familiar wi...

Most therapists overlook one of the most powerful tools for supporting LGBTQ+ clients: the deep connection between minority stress, emotional validation, and joy. In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Kiki Fehling—an expert in queer-affirmative DBT—shares how understanding the unique challenges faced by queer individuals can transform therapy from mere coping to building a genuinely fulfilling life.

Discover how ...

The words we choose shape far more than conversation—they shape emotions, treatment, documentation, and even access to care.

In this episode, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner explore how language influences the way clients experience their struggles and how clinicians document those experiences. They discuss the growing trend of using highly charged clinical terms like trauma, PTSD, narcissist, abuse, and hostage to describe ever...

Smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart rings, and other wearable devices are collecting more health data than ever before—but what does that mean for mental health care?

In this episode, Paul Wagner and Dr. Dan Florell explore the growing role of wearable technology in psychology. They discuss how devices can help monitor sleep, heart rate, stress, and activity levels, and how that information may support treatment for anxiety,...

Boundaries are often presented as the answer to difficult relationships, workplace stress, and emotional well-being. But what happens when a boundary is actually avoidance in disguise? In this episode, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner explore the complicated space between protecting yourself and limiting your growth. They discuss how rigid boundaries can sometimes create new problems, why flexibility matters, and how anxiety can influ...

What happens when the symptoms fit… but the diagnosis doesn’t?

In this episode of Psyched to Practice, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner break down the messy reality of differential diagnosis and why so many mental health conditions can look nearly identical on the surface. From ADHD and anxiety to autism, depression, sleep problems, medical conditions, and substance use, they explore how clinicians can avoid jumping to con...

Why do so many therapists hesitate to use exposure therapy for PTSD, even when the research strongly supports it?

In this episode of the Psyched to Practice podcast, Ray sits down with Dr. Carmen McLean and Dr. Elizabeth Goetter to unpack the myths, fears, and misunderstandings surrounding Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). Together, they explore why avoidance keeps PTSD symptoms alive, why many clinicians feel anxious delivering trau...

As the school year winds down, many students hit a wall. They’re tired, overwhelmed, and often feel like it doesn’t even matter anymore. Missing assignments pile up, motivation drops, and even high-achieving students start to question whether it’s worth the effort.

In this episode, Paul and Ray break down what’s really happening during this final stretch. They explore why students feel “over it,” ...

What if the problem isn’t that your clients don’t have the right tools—but that the tools don’t feel usable in real life? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jesse Finkelstein to unpack how DBT moves beyond worksheets and into everyday decision-making. We break down what DBT actually is, why it works across diagnoses, and how its core ideas—like holding two truths at once—can shift the way clin...

School refusal isn’t just about kids staying home. It shows up in subtle ways—frequent nurse visits, missed classes, late arrivals, and quiet disengagement that often goes unnoticed until it becomes a major problem.

In this episode, we break down what’s actually driving school refusal behavior and why a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Drawing from real clinical and school-based experience, we explore...

Social media isn’t going anywhere, but the way we’re handling it with kids and teens might be making things worse. In this episode, we sit down with Kelly McCullough, LCSW, to unpack what’s actually happening when kids spend hours on their phones. From sleep loss and anxiety to comparison and constant pressure to respond, we explore why this generation is struggling and why it’s not just a “self-contro...

Many clinicians leave graduate school with strong foundational skills but very little guidance on how to shape their professional path. Over time, therapists begin to notice patterns in their work—certain populations, problems, or clinical questions that keep showing up in the therapy room. The question is what to do with those patterns. In this episode, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner explore how clinicians develop areas of fo...

Most clinicians enter this field wanting to help everyone. But over time, we learn a hard truth: being willing isn’t the same as being the right fit. In this episode of the Psyched to Practice Podcast, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner unpack what “fit” really means in clinical work. They explore how scope of practice, availability, client preferences, professional development, and even our own life circumstances shap...

Most mental health professionals have felt it at some point but rarely say it out loud: the fear that they don’t really belong, that they’re one mistake away from being exposed as a fraud. In this episode of the Psyched to Practice Podcast, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner unpack imposter syndrome as it shows up in clinicians across all stages of their careers. They explore why imposter syndrome is more common in thoughtfu...