The Shrink Think Podcast
Welcome to the Shrink Think Podcast hosted by Aaron Potratz and Nathan Hawkins, two licensed counselors. With engaging, informative conversations and light-hearted humor, the Shrink Think Podcast aims to normalize and demystify therapy for those beginning or continuing their mental health journey; in short, to bridge the gap between clients and therapists. Episodes are geared toward simplifying complex therapeutic concepts, exploring personal contributions and needs in relation to therapy, and both informing and empowering individuals to know what to expect from the process and their own therapist.
Episodes
July 29, 2025 • 25 mins
Without advocating for or against medication, we address the importance of understanding how it can play a part in the direction therapy goes. As therapists, we don’t need to know as much as prescribers (Primary Care Docs or Psychiatrists) do, but we should be familiar with medication so therapy can include this critical piece of the puzzle.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and cli...
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May 20, 2025 • 24 mins
If there’s something in your life you keep doing that it’s healthy and you know you need to change but can’t seem to get started, this episode is for you. We often cling to unhealthy patterns because they’re familiar and changing means walking into the unknown-which is hard to do!
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each ...
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May 20, 2025 • 24 mins
If you’ve ever thought you’re too much, crazy, too boring, or too dumb when you share with your therapist, you might have a specific wound that the therapeutic relationship an help heal.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each own a private group therapy practice and co-own a third one together. Aaron is also a business ...
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May 13, 2025 • 26 mins
Amber Drake is a current graduate student attending UH at Hilo, studying clinical mental health counseling and graduating in May 2025. She’s doing an internship at Aloha House, a partial hospitalization program, volunteers with NAMI Maui, sits on the state board of directors with NAMI Hawaii, is a NAMI Maui affiliate leader, and is certified as a youth mental health first aid instructor. Amber sat down with us to share her story ab...
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May 6, 2025 • 24 mins
Many people go to therapy because they struggle to feel emotions. Intellectualizing problems is a common way of coping with overwhelming feelings, but it prevents you from feeling. If this is you, here's what you can do about it.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each own a private group therapy practice and co-own a th...
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April 15, 2025 • 24 mins
Going to therapy every week is a great thing, but what makes it effective is when you practice something different between sessions toward meaningful change. We discuss some reasons why you might struggle with doing the work outside the therapy office, and what you can do to address this with your therapist.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 yea...
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April 15, 2025 • 23 mins
When you decide to go to therapy, it's usually because you've recognized something has become problematic in your life and it needs to change. Bringing this to a therapist for help is a good start, but assuming the therapist knows what you need can prevent you from taking ownership of your needs and directing sessions to meet your needs best.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and cl...
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March 25, 2025 • 24 mins
The purpose of therapy is to learn more about yourself so you can make meaningful changes - to “get better.” Sometimes there are obstacles that can get in the way of that process, from both the therapist or the client. The right combination should be help you make progress, even if it takes some time to get there.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over ...
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March 18, 2025 • 25 mins
Some people view therapy as a “product” that can be “consumed” at any location, while others view it as a “service” that requires more of a “specialist.” Neither is right or wrong, but knowing what is being sought in therapy can help the client and therapist get on the same page and work together toward the same goals.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with ...
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March 11, 2025 • 24 mins
When you can give yourself compassion and tolerate your own emotional experiences, you can hold space for others and be present with their emotional experiences. This is a great skill that can transform your relationships and move conversations to what the real issues are.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each own a pr...
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March 4, 2025 • 24 mins
Why do some people just “talk talk talk” in a monologue in therapy? It could be that this kind of verbal processing is what they need to explore and understand what it is they think or feel, and the space given by a therapist facilitates it. If you’re not sure, having a conversation between therapist and client about this dynamic can help both of you understand each other and work together best.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are ...
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March 4, 2025 • 23 mins
The second and most destructive of the four “horseman” that the Gottmans identify as a relationship killer is contempt. Contempt involves taking a one-up position of superiority and shaming the other person. The antidote to contempt is a culture of appreciation in the relationship.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They eac...
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February 18, 2025 • 24 mins
The fourth and final of the Gottman “horsemen” is stonewalling-withdrawing and disengaging from the conversation to build a kind of “wall” between you and your partner. This usually comes from physiological overwhelm called “flooding,” where the stonewaller shuts down and chooses to disengage. The antidote to stonewalling is taking time to calm down and re-engaging.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, lic...
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February 12, 2025 • 24 mins
The third “horseman” of the relational apocalypse is defensiveness, usually as a response to criticism. Defensiveness is a form of self-protection from a perceived attack, usually from a place of righteous indignation or innocent victimhood. The antidote to defensiveness is accepting responsibility for your role in the conflict or situation.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and cli...
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January 28, 2025 • 26 mins
John & Julie Gottman founded the Love Lab at the UW in Seattle, WA which can predict with 94% accuracy whether a couple will stay together based on observing the first several minutes of their argument. The Gottmans discovered four relationship killers called “the four horsemen”; the first one being criticism. Criticism is when you attack the person or character rather than address the behaviors. The relationship antidote to critic...
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January 21, 2025 • 25 mins
Do you know the difference between arguing and discussing? Conflict in a relationship will require some conversation about it, and we want to make sure you’re discussing issues with the goal of understanding one another.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each own a private group therapy practice and co-own a third one t...
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January 14, 2025 • 25 mins
When someone you care about is struggling and needs help, it can be difficult to talk with them about considering therapy. Here are some suggestions about what to say, and what not to say, in that delicate conversation to encourage someone to talk with a therapist.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health experts, licensed counselors, and clinical supervisors with over 35 years of experience. They each own a private gr...
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January 7, 2025 • 36 mins
Guest Tory Krone, a counselor and entrepreneur, talks about focusing on the present over the past using ACT to make practical changes. She encourages people to get curious first about themselves then about others, in order to improve relationships. In this interview, she describes her clinical process of "mapping" people's experiences as well as her passion for helping group counseling practices gather data to better help clients.
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December 17, 2024 • 23 mins
Therapists are people with personality traits. Extroverted therapists, for example, can be easy to connect with, be good communicators, and give helpful feedback. They may also need to be more intentional about holding space for clients without interruption, ask more questions than offering answers, and be patient with the process and allow people to come to their own conclusions.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral heal...
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December 10, 2024 • 25 mins
Therapists are people with personality traits. Introverted therapists, for example, can be great listeners, ask good questions, and hold space for people to share. They may also need to be more intentional about asserting themselves, be aware of the conversational balance with clients, and give feedback or challenge people - which may be uncomfortable for many introverts.
Aaron Potratz & Nathan Hawkins are behavioral health expert...
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