Shrink Wrapped

Today, we’re digging into why 'Killing Them With Kindness' is actually a trap, how it teaches you to abandon your own feelings in favor of a performance, and what choosing real, honest kindness (the kind with actual backbone) really looks like. Because newsflash: you don’t get a gold star for being nice to people who’d step on you to reach a vending machine.

Join us on the O'Neil Counseling app here: ⁠https://www.one...

Today, on this bonus episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the messy, tangled, co-dependent relationship between your mind and your body. We’re going to talk science, stigma, and the very real ways mental health and physical health are two halves of the same very dramatic whole.

Email your questions or stories to be featured on a bonus episode to  Michelle@ONeilCounseling.com

Join us on the O'Neil Counseling app here...

Today, Michelle is talking about something that gets a bad rap but honestly deserves a standing ovation: getting a mental health diagnosis. Because somewhere along the line, the idea of being diagnosed got twisted into this ‘scarlet letter’ thing — like it’s some label you’re doomed to wear forever. Without a diagnosis, it's like throwing spaghetti at the wall and praying something sticks. Maybe you dive into yoga, or buy five diff...

Welcome back to Shrink Wrapped—the podcast where we overthink with flair, therapize ourselves in public, and ask the Big Existential Questions™ while probably (in my case, definitely) wearing mismatched socks. Today?… oh baby, we’re going deep.

Our guided journal prompt today?

“If you were to leave a legacy behind, what would it be? How would you want to be remembered by your loved ones—and the broader community?”

Yeah. We’re not just...

Welcome to today’s episode of Shrink Wrapped, where we’re diving into the world of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), aka the whole “multiple personalities” thing. It’s time to clear up the confusion once and for all. We’ll start with the DSM criteria, the official checklist that makes you wonder if mental health professionals ever take a coffee break (they do- I asked my mom). But seriously, DID is way more complex than what’s ...

Here’s the deal—self-worth isn’t something you earn by hitting a milestone, pleasing everyone around you, or being the human embodiment of a Pinterest board. It’s inherent. Like, you were born worthy. Period. No fine print, no terms and conditions.

But most of us? We spend years thinking we have to do something to deserve love, respect, or even just a damn nap. So today, we’re calling BS on all of that. We’re diving into what self-w...

You know that feeling when you’re in therapy and you think, Wow, my therapist really sees me—like, in a deep, vulnerable, soul-baring kind of way?

Now imagine that therapist also changed your diapers, grounded you in high school, and has access to your baby photos. That’s right. Today’s guest isn’t just a licensed mental health counselor—she’s also my mother.

We’re talking being a therapist in today's society, generational healin...

Finding the right therapist is more like dating—but with less ghosting and more insurance paperwork. You might meet one who’s nice but way too soft-spoken, and you’re like, “Ma’am, I need someone to call me on my bullshit, not whisper affirmations at me like a bedtime story.” Or maybe you find one that just stares at you like you’re a mildly interesting TED Talk they didn’t sign up for. Guess what- you’re allowed to nope right out ...

Our guided journal prompt today is:

“What are three things you appreciate about yourself—three qualities intrinsic to you? And how can you use those strengths more in your daily life? Oh, and plot twist: this is not about what you do for other people.”

So grab your journal, resist the urge to dodge the question with self-deprecating humor (I’m watching you), and let’s figure out what actually makes you you—beyond the helper role, the...

Welcome to today’s episode of Shrink Wrapped, where we’re talking about PTSD and CPTSD- because nothing says “good times” like diving into trauma with a capital T.

It's another DSM Dive episode where Michelle takes you through the DSM-V diagnostic criteria, the media portrayal, and pulls back the curtain so you can really see into these disorders.

Join us on the ONeil Counseling app here: ⁠https://www.oneilcounseling.com/app-landing...

Today we’re coming for that phrase—yes, the one your gym teacher, your well-meaning aunt, and every pop anthem from the early 2010s has shouted at you:

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

On the surface, it sounds empowering. Survivory. Grit-core. But dig a little deeper, and it starts to sound like emotional gaslighting dressed in inspirational poster font. Because here’s the truth: sometimes what doesn’t kill you doesn’t ma...

Today, we’re diving into boundaries—aka the thing you swear you have until someone steamrolls your emotional front lawn and suddenly you’re apologizing for being upset.

Boundaries aren't just for therapists and people who use the phrase “protecting my peace” unironically. They’re for all of us—yes, even you, chronic over-explainer. Whether it’s your family, your boss, your group chat, or that one friend who treats your time like it’...

For today's guided journal episode, we’re getting real cozy with the internal chaos gremlin known as anxiety.

The journal prompt on deck? “If your anxiety could speak, what would it say? And how would you respond to it?”

In this episode, Michelle will talk you through anxiety and journaling about it with several different mini prompts along the way to help you really dig into your anxiety and your responses to it.

Join us on t...

Today, we’re diving into the adventure ride that is Bipolar Disorder- and trust me, it’s a lot less “fun” than the media would have you believe. We’ll start with the basics- the DSM criteria, which is basically the official list of symptoms that doctors use to diagnose you. It’s about as exciting as reading the terms and conditions of your latest app download, but I promise it'll be more fun than watching paint dry.  We’ll also tal...

Welcome to this bonus episode of Shrink Wrapped, a.k.a. the emotional detour we didn’t know we needed but here we are. Now, yesterday's episode we talked about appreciating your body in a general sense, but through the lens of a femme (because, hi, your host happens to be one)— loving the skin you're in, giving yourself credit for surviving life in a meat suit, the whole deal. But today? Fellas, it’s your turn.

Yeah, you heard me. T...

Today, we’re talking about something wild: your body. That soft, stretchy, miraculous meat suit that gets you through every single day. The one you critique like a Yelp review but forget to thank like… ever.

We’re diving into the weirdness of embodiment, the cultural chaos that’s made us hate our own skin, and how to slowly—very slowly—start appreciating the vessel that’s been with you through it all. Even that one time in eighth gr...

Today we’re back to talking about therapy. Because it's not just for soap opera breakdowns or dramatic movie monologues anymore. We’re digging into the real, actual benefits of therapy—from the scientifically supported to the “who knew talking to someone once a week could keep me from texting my ex” kind.

In this episode, Michelle talks about the real benefits of therapy- from straight up not burning down your life around you to lev...

On today’s episode, we’re diving headfirst into the wonderfully chaotic world of ADHD. We’ll break down the DSM criteria for ADHD—yeah, that big, clinical rulebook that makes it sound like you need a PhD just to diagnose yourself—and talk about how those “official” symptoms really play out in the real world. Spoiler alert: It’s a lot less neat and tidy than those bullet points suggest.

Join us on the ONeil Counseling app here: ⁠http...

Today we’re cracking open our very first guided journal episode with a prompt that sounds cute on the surface but might just drag your subconscious out by the ankles.

Today’s journal gem is: “What affirmation, quote, or song lyric inspires me today, and how can it guide my actions and mindset?”

Michelle will talk you through affirmations, quotes, and song lyrics- what they are, why they're important, and how they can change your ...