Shrinks Rap

Dr. Veronika Mesheriakova is an adolescent medicine physician, addiction specialist, and founder of the Northern California Adolescent Specialty Center. She previously served as an Associate Professor in the Division of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine at University of California, San Francisco, where she founded the UCSF Youth Outpatient Substance Use Program and conducted research focused on adolescent substance use and addi...

This week on Shrinks Rap: what happens when a theater guy walks into the boardroom and accidentally teaches Fortune 100 executives how to have feelings?

Dr. James H. Bramson sits down with Dr. Mark Rittenberg — executive coach, leadership whisperer, former actor, Fulbright Scholar, South African bridge-builder, and possibly the only man alive who can quote Shakespeare while fixing your corporate culture.

From Harvard to Soweto to Sil...

What do documentary filmmaking, executive leadership, and Nelson Mandela have in common? According to Ingrid Gavshon — everything.

This week on Shrinks Rap, Dr. James H. Bramson sits down with Ingrid Gavshon — leadership communications expert, executive coach, award-winning filmmaker, and faculty member at University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business — for a conversation about storytelling, human connection, and the ki...

When you walk into the elegant home of Dr. Peter Carnochan, you’re greeted by a statue of  Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Over the course of our dinner together and podcast conversation, it becomes clear that the figure is not decorative. It’s emblematic of Peter himself.

Peter Carnochan is something of a paradox. He describes himself as half California hippie and half East Coast WASP. He came up through alternative...

What if the real issue isn’t that you lack confidence—but that you’ve been living from the wrong kind of consciousness? And what if worth isn’t something you earn, but something you are born with?

In this episode, I sit down with Dawna Daigneault, author of Understanding Self-Worth: A Guide to Worth-Conscious Theory and Psychotherapeutic Practice (Routledge, 2026), to explore a fresh and clinically compelling framework for understan...

Dr. Jim interviews Dr. Julia Sheffield, professor at Vanderbilt University and clinician specializing in psychotic and delusional disorders. She discusses her research and her interview with The New York Times on how AI chatbots may unintentionally reinforce or contribute to delusional thinking.

Dr. Sheffield explains how AI can mirror and amplify distorted beliefs by bypassing reality testing, raising concerns about vulnerable user...

Featuring Dr. Lauren Hartman M.D.

Dr. Jim sits down with Dr. Lauren Hartman, a double board-certified specialist in Adolescent Medicine and Pediatrics, contributor to Psychology Today, and author of the forthcoming book Freeing Children & Young Adults from Shame, Scales & Stigma.

In this episode, Dr. Hartman breaks down what every parent, clinician, and educator needs to understand about eating disorders—and why it’s not your...

Featuring Drs. Benton-Hardy, Freed, Peterson, and Ehrensaft • Hosted by Dr. Jim Bramson

In this special episode, four brilliant clinicians explore what it means to parent mindfully in an age of rapid change, digital overload, and cultural uncertainty. Each expert brings a unique blend of curiosity, expertise, humor, and heart to the conversation.

Dr. Lisa R. Benton-Hardy reflects on the risks of “Dr. Google” and the gap bet...

Dr. Jim Bramson interviews his esteemed colleague and good mate - Jeff Cohen. 

Jeff Cohen is an articulate, deeply knowledgeable couples therapist with a background as unique as his approach. Before becoming a therapist, Jeff trained as an architect—and that foundation in design informs both his artistry as a visual artist and his craftsmanship as a clinician. In this episode, Jeff shares his journey from blueprints to breakthroughs...

Dr. Jim interviews Dr. Lisa Hardy, M.D.

In this insightful episode, Dr. Jim sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Hardy to explore the intersections of medication, therapy, and mindful parenting. Dr. Hardy shares her wisdom on when medication can be helpful versus when therapy may be most effective, the unique challenges of treating ADHD and twice-exceptional (2E) children, and how hormonal shifts during menopause influence mental he...

Married for over 48 years, Michael and Vivienne Aronowitz transformed their own journey into Marriage Aces—a playful, research-based game designed to help couples strengthen emotional safety, gratitude, kindness, and a solid foundation. Each trip around the board and every card drawn from the four decks creates new opportunities for closeness and better communication. In this lively episode, they share their story, the influences t...

Dr. Jim Bramson interviews Lisa Rosenthal, J.D. and Johanna Murphy, Ph.D. 

In this episode, Dr. Jim sits down with Lisa Rosenthal (lawyer, coach, and all-around human potential wrangler) and Dr. Johanna Murphy (psychologist and midlife whisperer) to talk about their group for moms navigating the wonderfully confusing second act of life. They delve into subjects like menopause, changing roles, transitions, shifting responsibilities, ...

Dr. Jim interviews Dr. Josh Wilson

Parenting is the only gig where you’re expected to be a Zen monk, a crisis negotiator, and a part-time mediator — all before breakfast. In this episode of Shrinksrap, Dr. Jim Bramson sits down with Dr. Josh Wilson to explore mindful parenting through the lenses of IFS, ACT, and Imago —and, yes, how social media is both helping and wrecking us in equal measure. We dig into what it means to stay grou...

In this episode, you’ll be regaled by the brilliant stories and psychiatric hacks of Dr. Sheldon Zablow—known to his friends and patients as Dr. Z, and to me as Dr. Shelly.

Dr. Z is a retired child, adolescent, and forensic psychiatrist who practiced in San Diego for over four decades. He taught child psychiatry at UCSD for 25 years, earning multiple teaching awards, and worked with everyone from military families aboard t...

An Interview with Carl Reisman

In this special episode, I sit down with my cousin Carl Reisman—a published poet, musician, chef, and lawyer who ran his law practice out of a converted Phillips 76 Station in Urbana, Illinois.

We explore what it means to be fully human across disciplines, reflecting on two AI-generated pieces that deeply resonated with Carl (about Carl) and what it means to be fully human. He shares insights on justice...

Dr. Jim welcomes back his podcast comrade, Rafael Cortina, who returns to the studio after stepping into his new role as President of the International Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy (IAAGT).

In this episode, Rafael shares insights from his leadership journey and offers a fresh take on the impact of Gestalt Therapy. He explores key principles including existentialism, parts work, present-moment awarenes...

In this heartfelt episode, Dr. Jim interviews Ben Yalom about his moving collaboration with his father, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Irvin D. Yalom, on their co-authored book, Hour of the Heart: Connecting in the Here and Now. 

Ben reflects on what it was like growing up in the shadow of a famous father—and in Palo Alto, no less, where not inventing a technological breakthrough by age 14 made you seem like a slacker. He share...

Dr. Jim Interviews Dr. Richard Freed

In this powerful episode, Dr. Jim sits down with psychologist and author Dr. Richard Freed, whose new book Better Than Real Life examines how persuasive design is reshaping childhood—and not for the better. Dr. Freed’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other major media outlets. And he’s also the author of the influential book Wired Child.

Y...

Andre DeCary returns for his third episode—just two more, and he earns the coveted ShrinkRap jacket, SNL-style!

In this conversation, Andre shares his distinctive approach to couples therapy, highlighting the key differences between working with individuals and couples. He also reflects on personal insights from his own life in this domain.

Together, we explore the profound impact of reactivity on victimization—how staying out of a v...