Therapy Chat | Psychotherapy | Mindfulness | Trauma | Attachment | Worthiness | Self Care | Parenting

Welcome to episode 89 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I’m delighted to welcome back Lisa Ferentz who speaks to me about her new book Finding Your Ruby Slippers: Transformative Life Lessons from the Therapist which looks at how you can overcome everyday obstacles, boost confidence, and end self-critical thoughts with simple life lessons. Lisa is a recognized expert in the strengths-based, depathologized treatment of trauma and has been in private practice for 32 years. She presents workshops and keynote addresses nationally and internationally, and is a clinical consultant to practitioners and mental health agencies in the United States, Canada, and the UK. She has been an Adjunct Faculty member at University of Maryland School of Social Work, University of Baltimore at Maryland, University of Maryland Department of Family Medicine, and is the Founder of The Ferentz Institute, formerly known as The Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Educati

Welcome to episode 88 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I speak to Stephanie Macadaan, LMFT about how we can turn some of the most negative experiences in our lives to a source of strength, the need to not shield ourselves from negative experiences and stepping out of our comfort zones to further our personal growth. Stephanie Macadaan, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, providing individual and couples counseling in Los Angeles, California. She first became interested in studying psychology when many of her own life experiences fueled her fascination with the minds and behaviors found with each of us. Through her studies, she found she was on the path to discovering herself, which led to great personal growth and more happiness. The profound changes she underwent drove her passion to help others, and she was compelled to become a therapist. She knows from her own experience what it’s like to be open and to create powerful change that reverberate

Some points to ponder if you are struggling to let go. What was it like for you to move out of your parents’ home and into adulthood? Did you go to college? Did you live with your parents past the age of 18? When were you ready to move out? Were your parents ready for you to go before you were ready? Or were you ready to go before your parents wanted you to leave? Individuation is a developmental task every young adult must complete in order to become an independent and self sufficient adult. Some families discourage individuation by refusing to allow children and adolescents to express their own individuality. Conformity is highly valued and dissent is not tolerated. These parent/child relationships can be described as enmeshed, when the child and the parent are not felt to be independent people, but rather the children are seen by the parents as an extension of the parents. When you make a mistake, I feel ashamed that you have embarrassed the family. Some kids rebel and express themselves through their appe

Welcome to episode 86 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I’m flying solo to talk about coping with loss during transitions, my thoughts and feelings and ways to improve how you feel through this transitional period in your life.   This week is an exciting one for our family, as our oldest child graduates from high school in a few days. It's a joyful and exciting time - but there are some underlying feelings of sadness and loss which have caught me by surprise.  I know that many of you are experiencing a similar transition in the life of your family, as graduation and wedding season begin. I thought I'd share my thoughts and feelings, and how I'm coping with the changes, in hopes that it will be helpful to you, too. As I've been eagerly anticipating his graduation I've been very proud and excited for my child. My thoughts are that this is a wonderful milestone in his life.  I'm so happy that he has successfully completed his high scho

Welcome to episode 85 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I’m delighted to welcome back the first ever guest of the podcast; Mercedes Samudio who speaks to me about parent shaming, how culture plays into what we view is ok and not ok and the need to help parents and not label them as bad people. Mercedes Samudio is a parent coach who supports parents and children to communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private parent coaching practice, Mercedes has worked with adoptive families, foster families, teen parents, parents navigating the child protective services system, and children living with mental illness. Mercedes seeks to empower parents to believe that they are already great guides for raising healthy and happy children. Being raised by someone who was not her biological mother (but who she called mom)

Welcome to episode 84 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I talk about Mother’s Day. As another Mother's Day approaches, you may be feeling a little less than enthusiastic about the big day. No need to feel guilty if it doesn't feel joyful to you. You're not alone! Most of my clients and a good number of my friends share that they have mixed feelings about Mother's Day too. This post is for all of you out there who hate the second Sunday in May for whatever reason. And there can be lots of reasons! There are so many reasons why people find negative emotions coming up near Mother's Day. Here are some that I hear frequently, along with a few suggestions for dealing with these feelings. Feel free to share any ideas I missed in the comments below. 4 reasons why people say they hate Mother's Day: "I hate Mother's Day because my mom's not here. Mother's Day reminds me how much I miss her and makes me wish I could tell her on

Welcome to episode 83 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I speak to Dr. Kat Kaeni about the issue of Maternal Mental Health, which is all about your mental health during conception, pregnancy, miscarriage or loss, birth and postpartum. Dr. Kat is a psychologist, who helps you find ways out of suffering or confusion and into wellness. People go to her psychotherapy practice when they are struggling with things in their life and want to feel better. Her style of working with people is to be real and keep therapy down to earth. In her sessions, she uses compassion, insight, and empathy in addition to her education and training to guide your healing. Her belief is that therapy should not be a mysterious process. She believes that you have the ability to get better. Sometimes we just need a little help; sometimes we need a lot of help. You may have heard of postpartum depression already. There are other things that most folks don’t know about…It’s not always rai

Welcome to episode 82 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this week's episode, I speak to Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D. who has been a psychologist in private practice for more than 30 years. She is a psychologist, trainer, author and presenter, and the director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Daitch is a consultant with the University of Michigan School of Medicine’s Department of Complementary and Alternative Research. She has served three terms on the Executive Council of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and as a member-at-large, Psychology. She has also been elected an officer in Division 30, of the American Psychological Association. She was the Educational co-chair of the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. Dr. Daitch is the recipient of two Presidential awards from the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis for her writing, teaching, and contributions to ASCH. She is also past-president of the Michi

Welcome to episode 81 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode is a solo episode with myself expanding more on trauma, what you think it is: and what you can do if you have experienced it. If you listened to episode 79 with Dr. Gabor Maté, you’ll be interested in this episode, in that episode we defined what trauma was, but there is still confusion around what trauma is, so I hope this episode will help in explaining further what trauma is and the issues around it. When you hear the word "trauma," what do you think of? If you're like most people, you probably imagine that people experience the effects of trauma after a plane crash, surviving a fire, a major car accident, or participating in military combat. It's true that all of those things can cause someone to experience trauma symptoms, but there are many other traumatic experiences which are more common in the general population that we don't always recognize as being traumatic. I must point o

Welcome to episode 80 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features Amy Sugeno, LCSW, PLLC. If you listened to episode 79 with Dr. Gabor Maté, you’ll be interested in this interview with Amy Sugeno, LCSW of Marble Falls, Texas, who is a clinical eco-therapist. Amy talks about what Eco Therapy is, the research on its use and effectiveness with depression and anxiety, stress relief, ADHD, grounding and self-regulation for trauma survivors. Amy explains that Eco Therapy can take many forms, including animal-assisted (for example, canine and equine) therapies, wilderness therapies, walk and talk therapy, horticulture therapy and clinical eco-therapy in an office, as well as many other possibilities. She explains that this is a depth-oriented type of psychotherapy which can be very powerful. Amy describes how she conducts an eco-therapy session what to wear and what a client can expect overall. She and Laura discuss the power dynamics of the therapy relationship and h

  Welcome to episode 79 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features Dr. Gabor Maté. Dr. Maté is the co-founder of Compassion for Addiction, a new non-profit that focuses on addiction. He is also an advisor of Drugs over Dinner. As an author, Dr. Maté has written several bestselling books including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction; When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress; and Scattered Minds: A New Look at the Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder, and co-authored Hold on to Your Kids. His works have been published internationally in twenty languages. For twelve years Dr. Maté worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by hard-core drug addiction, mental illness and HIV, including at Vancouver’s Supervised Injection Site. With over 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience and extensive knowledge of the latest findings of leading-edge research, Dr. Maté is

Welcome to episode 78 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features Lanie Smith.   Lanie Smith is the founder of Integrative Art Therapy in Phoenix, AZ helping kids, teens and adults express themselves through art to improve wellness. Art therapy is the creative process of art-making to improve and enhance the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of individuals of all ages. The creative process offers an outlet for self-expression and helps to resolve conflicts, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem/awareness, and alter the brain state to improve overall functioning. As an Eco-Art Therapist and the owner/founder of Integrative Art Therapy, she has watched so many clients learn how to “bring the inside out and the outside in.” Her passion is to help you recognize your own innate beauty and wisdom as it’s reflected in the trees, mountains, wildlife, and in your own creativity. Her practice is designed to

Welcome to episode 77 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features Adena Bank Lees.   Recognized as an energetic presenter and integrative thinker, Adena Bank Lees has been offering expert services in training, consulting and psychotherapy around the globe for over 25 years. She possesses the ability to energize others to create, implement new ideas and incorporate them into their professional and personal lives. Adena's love of psychodrama was sparked way back in 1989 while employed as a post-master's intern at the Caron Foundation, Wernersville PA. She knew immediately this was the theory and modality of transformation she would utilize as the underpinning of her life's work. She received her C.P. February 7, 2014, after 25 years of study and raising then launching her only son to independence. Adena is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed and Internationally Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress, a

Welcome to episode 76 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features David Shannahoff-Khalsa. David Shannahoff-Khalsa is the Director of The Research Group for Mind-Body Dynamics at UCSD’s BioCircuits Institute, and a member of the UCSD Center for Integrative Medicine. Prior to coming to UCSD in 1994 he spent 23 years at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, first working on the building blocks of the genetic code, and then pioneering novel studies in the neurosciences. He has discovered a novel step in the evolution of the nervous system that gives new insights to mind-body (psychophysiological) states and how to control these states. He has published widely in scientific journals and conducted three clinical trials using Kundalini Yoga meditation techniques for treating obsessive compulsive disorders and OC spectrum disorders, and pioneered the use of whole-head magnetoencephalography brain imaging to study these and other yogic meditation techn

Welcome to episode 75 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features David Emerson. David is the Founder and Director of Yoga Services for the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute in Brookline Massachusetts, where he coined the term “trauma-sensitive yoga”. He was responsible for curriculum development, supervision and oversight of the yoga intervention component of the first of its kind, NIH funded study, conducted by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk to assess the utility and feasibility of yoga for adults with treatment-resistant PTSD. Mr. Emerson has developed, conducted, and supervised TSY groups for rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs, residential programs for youth, military bases, survivors of terrorism, and Veterans Administration centers and clinics. In addition to co-authoring several articles on the subject of yoga and trauma, Mr. Emerson is the co-author of Overcoming Trauma through Yoga, released in 2011 by North Atlantic Books and Autho

Welcome to episode 74 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week’s guest features E. Anna Goodwin. Anna is a psychotherapist and lecturer turned writer and professional speaker.  Anna applies her extensive knowledge and experience with those suffering from trauma and stress in her highly-acclaimed book, “How to Cope with Stress After a Trauma: Especially for Veterans, their Families, and Friends.” Anna also co-authored a renowned textbook for counselors and psychologists entitled “Sandplay Therapy: A Step-by-Step Manual for Psychotherapists of Diverse Orientations” and is now writing psychological suspense using her extensive knowledge of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She lives in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. At present Anna is writing a fiction trilogy under her penname Ana Parker Goodwin about what she loves most: a mixture of psychology and mystery/suspense. Why is she writing fiction? Simple. She can create her own ending to a story, which she could not do in real life. Forbidden Jus

Welcome to episode 73 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week’s guest features Xanthia Johnson. She is the founder of Urban Playogoly in Washington, DC. Urban Playology provides psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, individuals, couples and families. During defining transitions, she provides a safe place for you to be who you are. Whether you are 2 years old or 85 years young, you will enjoy a transformative experience. Her clinical areas of specialization and interest include but are not limited to: Women & Women of Color Issues, Urban Play Therapy, Expressive Arts, Sandtray Therapy, Grief & Loss, LGBTIQ Folk, TF-CBT, Broad Spectrum Couples & Family Work At Urban Playology, they utilize an Integrative therapy model with emphasis on advocacy and social justice for all clients. This approach helps them provide optimal support and sustainable nurturing for all clients. They offer professional training, clinical supervision, and clinical consultation on advoca

Welcome to episode 72 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week’s guest features Amy Weintraub. Amy has been a pioneer in the field of yoga and mental health for over twenty years.  She offers the LifeForce Yoga Practitioner Training for Mood Management to health and yoga professionals and offers workshops for everyday practitioners. Amy leads workshops and professional trainings at academic and psychology conferences internationally at such venues as the Boston University Graduate School of Psychology, the University of Arizona Medical School, the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium, the Integrative Mental Health Conference, the Cape Cod Institute, Kripalu Center, Omega Institute, Sivananda Ashram, Yogaville, Esalen, Patanjali University in Haridwar, India and Yoga studios throughout the United States. Amy is also a regular contributor on the Goddesses in America blog. In the episode, Amy talks about her background, the primary practices of Yoga for depression & anxiety and give

Welcome to episode 71 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week’s guest features Robert Cox, NCC. Robert is a therapist in Missouri near Kansas City who specializes in trauma, addictions, and autism. Trauma and addictions almost always go hand in hand. He specializes in walking with his patients through those rough patches. He uses therapy and mindfulness to work towards overcoming the past, repairing damaged relationships and moving into the future with a new ability to set boundaries and hold healthy relationships.  As Robert says in his own words:  “It has occurred to me that some of my future clients might wonder who they are hiring to help them through some very rough patches and trusting to walk with them on some vulnerable journeys.  I understand that because I have been many of the places my clients have been and will go.  I have my own history of addiction.  In 1988 I used for the last time and I have been clean since.  I know what it is to struggle with trauma, anxiety an

Welcome to episode 70 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week’s guest features Hilary Jacobs Hendel, LCSW. Hilary was gracious enough to speak to me again after a fault with technology disrupted our previous interview. I originally touched base with Hilary because she consulted on the show Mad Men (which I’m a huge fan of) and in episode 53 & 54 you can hear me dissect the character of Don Draper and relate it to childhood trauma, secrecy, and shame. Hilary grew up in New York City in a culture of "mind over matter." Raised by a psychiatrist and a guidance counselor, family time included analyzing her thoughts and dreams. Feelings were rarely mentioned (except perhaps to discuss how to get rid of them!) She thought she had total control over my emotions. Now she wants to share what she (and many psychotherapists and researchers) know about the new science of emotions. She wants others to learn what she had the good fortune to learn: that core emotions provide a path t