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

Interview with Melissa Divaris Thompson on the realities of pregnancy and motherhood that most people never talk about. Melissa is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in New York City, seeing primarily women in their 20s and 30s, pregnant women, and new moms. As a holistic and depth-oriented therapist, her role is to support my clients in finding wholeness — mind, body, and spirit — creating more joy, ease, and healthy relationships. Melissa helps her clients remember their empowered authentic voice and “tap back into” their true selves. Melissa attended The California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA and through that, met my Honest Mamas counterparts, Claire and Sophie. Honest Mamas is a website committed to the authentic emotional and spiritual lives of mothers. The focus of the site is the journey of motherhood, including fertility and pregnancy. It is an online community that supports women during these transitional and transformational times, when grounded,

An interview with chronic pain expert Daniela Paolone, LMFT of Westlake Village Counseling. Daniela specializes in supporting people living with chronic pain, illness, anxiety, and depression. Their unique challenges aren’t understood by those who haven’t experienced these issues. She’s here to deepen our understanding and awareness, because many of us have loved ones who are facing these challenges. Daniela has worked as a therapist for the past seven years in many settings. That includes working at a non-profit agency, in schools, and in private practice. Before becoming a therapist though she worked as a teacher’s assistant and was also a behavioral coach for children with special needs. She has also run batterer’s intervention groups that were court-ordered. Working with the courts and in rehabilitating perpetrators of domestic violence was rewarding work where Daniela learned so much. During that time, she also provided counseling to victims of domestic violence and their families. Resources: https://wes

Interview with Dr. Jonice Webb on her new book, Running On Empty No More about repairing relationships affected by Childhood Emotional Neglect.  Dr. Webb has been a licensed psychologist since 1991, and has worked in a variety of different settings over the course of her career, including a psychiatric emergency service and substance abuse programs.  She has been the Director of several large outpatient clinics.  For the past eight years, she has been enjoying her private practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, specializing in the treatment of couples and families. Dr. Jonice Webb has been interviewed on NPR and over thirty radio shows across the United States and Canada about the topic of her book, Emotional Neglect, and has been quoted as a psychologist expert in the Chicago Tribune. She writes the popular Childhood Emotional Neglect Blog on PsychCentral.com. Over two decades of practicing psychology, Dr. Webb gradually started to see a factor from childhood which weighs upon people as adults.  This factor is

Welcome to episode 110 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Kyle Davies. Kyle Davies is a wellbeing and mindset coach, author and trainer. He specializes in helping individuals and groups to optimise their energy and wellbeing, combat stress and stress related symptoms, improve mental clarity and performance, and develop inner resilience and flow. Kyle originally qualified as a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and  is the creator of Energy-Flow Coaching™. He spent a chunk of his career pioneering a new approach for treating chronic fatigue and pain, anxiety, depression and other stress related symptoms – which is reflected in the recently published book, The Intelligent Body. Kyle’s work is about developing people from the inside out. He doesn’t try to get people to learn loads of mental techniques that they quickly forget, or to try and fix their environment because situations and environments often can’t be changed. Rather he helps people to gain a better and

Welcome to episode 109 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Beth Medina. Beth Medina has been a therapist since 1997 and a trauma counselor since 2001, when she initially trained in EMDR while working with people suffering from addictions. Today, sheis  a trauma specialist, who is a Certified Brainspotting Practitioner/Certified Brainspotting Consultant through Brainspotting International, as well as a Certified EMDR Therapist through EMDRIA. These designations denote ongoing, advanced training, not only in trauma but also in the use of these effective, transformative modalities. Resources: https://brainspottingjax.com https://laurareaganlcswc.com/retreats-1   Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes. You can also download the Therapy Chat app on iTunes by clicking here. Visit Therapy Chat website at Http://therapychatpodcast.com and send host Laura Reagan a voice messag

Welcome to episode 108 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Dr. Carmen Roman.     Dr. Carmen Roman is a psychotherapist with 25 years of experience working in both Mexico and in California the last 5 of those years. She offers you a combination of both cultures and both worlds of psychology. She specializes in trauma, sexual abuse, and immigration issues. Dr. Roman works mainly with couples and families. Some clinical issues she works with are: anxiety, depression, fear, severe trauma, or low self-esteem. Based on Gestalt therapy she helps her clients to live with awareness, responsibility and in the here-and-now. Aided by the transpersonal psychology she addresses issues of spirituality, the use of meditation and shamanic experiences. She is a specialist in creative expression in therapy at master's and PhD levels. Thus, most likely you will work with creative expression tools you already have or will learn to ease your emotional healing. Carmen is also a bili

Welcome to episode 107 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Tamara Hill.    Támara Hill, M.S, NCC, CCTP, LPC is a licensed therapist and certified trauma professional specializing in child and adolescent behavioral and mood disorders including psychological and emotional trauma. As an internationally quoted therapist, Támara aims to empower families from various walks of life to gain further knowledge and rediscover authentic living. Támara holds to one life principle: authenticity. While being interviewed by a #1 ranked national mobile website, she explained: “I’ve always had a somewhat difficult time referring to myself as an “expert” because I strive to remain modest in all I do. I have found that modesty connects me more authentically to families who are suffering.” While working to help troubled and at risk kids utilize their strengths in the home, school, and community, she became known, internationally, for her passion and dedication to seeing change in thei

Interview with Buddhist Psychologist and student of Thich Nhat Hahn Tim Ambrose Desmond, LMFT.   Tim Desmond is a mindfulness teacher, therapist in private practice, and co-founder of Morning Sun Mindfulness Center in Alstead, NH. He is the author of Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy (W.W. Norton, 2015) and offers training and consultation to therapists around the world, helping them to integrate positive psychology and mindfulness practices into their work. Tim has presented at Yale University, the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy Colloquium, Greater Oregon Behavioral Health Conference, and the International Society for Ethics in Psychology and Psychiatry, as well as to mental health audiences around the country. His writings on mindfulness and positive psychology have appeared in the Psychotherapy Networker and the Mindfulness Bell magazine. Tim was interviewed about self-compassion by the Huffington Post, and writes for major mental health websites such as Madinamerica.com. He developed and teache

*The names and characters in this episode represent a composite of people I have know personally and professionally. No real person is represented in this episode, which is intended for educational purposes.* When Your Partner Doesn't Understand Your Trauma   Michael can't understand it. He just doesn't get what is going on with his wife of over 25 years, Amy. Michael is concerned about her and wondering when she is going to "get over" the childhood physical and sexual abuse she went through years ago.  He really just wants her to be okay. And honestly, he's sick of her trauma symptoms affecting her, him and their children. He's not sure how much longer he can take it.  Why can't she just get over it? To be fair, Michael doesn't realize that Amy's mood and behavior are related to her childhood trauma. He just knows that despite years of therapy with various therapists, she sometimes becomes deeply depressed and can't seem to get off the couch for days. Other times t

Bonus Episode for Suicide Awareness & Prevention Month! Replay of Laura's interview with Dr. Jonathan Singer, host of the Social Work Podcast, professor at Loyola University in Chicago, and co-author of the book, "Suicide in Schools" which details how communities can address the issue of suicide. Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Today’s topic is a serious one, and something that needs to be talked about, although most of us would rather not think about it. September is Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month, and host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C recorded this special episode to honor a friend’s brother who died by suicide almost 3 years ago. Today Laura interviews someone who has worked for years in the field of suicide prevention. Jonathan B. Singer, PhD is podcaster, a social work professor at Loyola University in Chicago and one of the co-authors of the book “Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-Level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention and Postvention.” This book is a guide for scho

Welcome to episode 103 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Valerie Martin (LCSW, RYT, CSAT Candidate) who is a psychotherapist and yoga instructor in Nashville, TN. Valerie focuses on a holistic treatment approach of mind + body integration and trauma resolution, using EMDR, ego state therapy, yoga (including trauma-sensitive yoga), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), and somatic (body-based) and experiential techniques. She is also a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) Candidate. Valerie has spoken at numerous behavioral health conferences, primarily in the area of eating disorder treatment. She received a BS in Communications and MSSW in Clinical Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to her private practice, Valerie is a trauma specialist at The Ranch residential treatment center, where she formerly worked as a primary therapist in the eating disorders program. Resources Valerie Martin’s website: wonderwelltherapy.com Emily

In Episode 102, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Krista Verrastro, RDT, a Maryland drama therapist. Krista is one of only six hundred-plus drama therapists in the United States. She explains what drama therapy is, how she got involved with it, and how she uses it in her practice. Krista defines drama therapy and explains how it is active, experiential and integrative. She discusses the roles we play in our lives and how this fits closely with drama therapy. She notes some similarities between drama therapy and play therapy. She reminds us how experiential therapies like expressive and creative arts methods – including drama therapy – help us to connect with our emotions in a balanced way, so we can both feel and think at the same time. She teaches us how creative arts therapies can help externalize the emotions we feel so that we can feel safer to explore them. She also discusses how drama therapy can help heal trauma. She explains the connection between drama therapy and social justice and its roots in e

Episode 101 of Therapy Chat is the last in the "Best Of Therapy Chat" segment. Our number one most popular episode is the interview with Stuart Fensterheim, the Couples Expert! Stuart talks about how our attachment style affects our adult relationships.  Welcome to episode 62 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This is the third episode in the trauma and attachment series featuring Stuart Fensterheim, LCSW. Stuart is a clinical social worker in Scottsdale, Arizona, practicing with couples using Sue Johnson’s Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) which is an attachment-based couples therapy method.  In the episode, Stuart talks about how he works on making connections with couples and how our childhood attachment affects the way we show up in relationships as adults. He also touches upon John Bowlby's Attachment Theory, which focuses on your relationship with your primary caretaker and how it influences everything through your life. To make sense of this theory, he talks further

Welcome to episode 100 (woohoo!) of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. In this episode, we hear from listeners about what they enjoy about the podcast, favorite episodes and more. We also look at the overarching themes that have developed since the start of the podcast that includes: Parenting & Relationships Mindfulness Self-Care Perfectionism and Self-Compassion Trauma and Sexual Assault Trauma and Attachment Experiential Therapies Inner Knowing Thank you to each and every one of you that has supported the podcast for the past two years, I’m truly grateful to have you on this journey with me. Thank you for listening to Therapy Chat! Please be sure to go to iTunes and leave a rating and review, subscribe and download episodes. You can hear every episode of Therapy Chat at: Http://therapychatpodcast.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Best of Therapy Chat! Today's interview with author Dr. Leslie Korn, who is a Harvard-trained body-oriented psychotherapist who has worked for four decades to help people understand the connection between physical and emotional health, is the 2nd most popular episode of the first 100! Leslie spoke with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C all the way from Mexico, where she lives and works. Leslie talks about how she got started doing body-oriented psychotherapy, what she learned in the jungle, and how nutrition can help our mental health. She discusses the connection between trauma and physical and mental health; self care; and her book "Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health". She talks about the "right diet" for everyone, explaining that fat is actually our friend! She explains that she prefers to take the ideology out of nutrition, stating that clinicians can use the science and the art of nutrition to help clients. Leslie discusses the idea of the gut as the second brain. Leslie answers the quest

Internationally known physician Dr. Gabor Maté joined host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C on this episode of Therapy Chat to help listeners understand why it is important to address trauma occurring in childhood, even during pregnancy. Dr. Maté explains that the effects of trauma on our health endure over a lifetime and even in our genetic code passed on to future generations of our families. He describes how our physical health, mental health and emotional wellbeing are affected by our exposure to childhood trauma and the link between trauma and all kinds of addictions. You'll be fascinated at this expert's explanation of the mind-body connection!  Episode 98 is the 3rd most popular episode of Therapy Chat, which is celebrating its 2nd birthday in mid-August, 2017 and its 100th episode at the same time! This encore episode was originally released in April, 2017. Tune in to hear Laura Reagan's interview with Dr. Gabor Maté, to learn more about the Therapy Chat app, and to get the details on two communities

This month we are celebrating Therapy Chat! Therapy Chat's 2nd birthday is coming up this month, we recently achieved our first month of 50,000 downloads, and the 100th episode is coming out at the end of this month! Listen to my interview with Hilary Jacobs Hendel, which was the 4th most popular episode overall since Therapy Chat started! She talks about accessing core emotions in psychotherapy and her upcoming book, It's Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Core Emotions, and Connect to your Authentic Self. She also talks about her work consulting on the AMC TV show, Mad Men, one of Laura's favorites for its accurate depiction of someone who is tortured by his past and doesn't realize what is affecting him.  Visit Hilary's website for all the latest details on what she's up to: https://www.hilaryjacobshendel.com/  Also, go to https://therapychatpodcast.com to leave a message using Speakpipe. Tell Laura which episode is your favorite and w

Welcome to episode 96 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Maya Benattar. Maya is a music psychotherapist, but you might also call her a mindfulness mentor, a creativity coach, or a big fan of slowing down.  Maya helps women who long to experience true clarity and confidence in themselves and their lives, but are held back by anxiety or fear. She supports them in slowing down and exploring their lives creatively so they can make significant changes and discover the strong, confident woman they can be.  She knows from her own life and many years of helping other women that putting yourself first and asking for help can kick up a lot of fear and shame – but she strongly believes that slowing down and looking inside can help you become strong, passionate, sensitive, and brave.  As a trained and experienced therapist she has a Masters degree from NYU and is an NYS licensed psychotherapist), she knows a lot about how to slow down your hectic life, explore your dr

Welcome to episode 95 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Duane Osterlind. As co-founder of NOVUS Mindful Life Institute, Duane Osterlind’s vision is to provide comprehensive care for individuals struggling with process addictions in the utmost confidential, comprehensive and caring environment to ensure clients feel safe and accepted with anticipation that recovery is possible. Duane has over eight years of experience as a therapist helping individuals find hope and healing. He received his Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, Long Beach. He has also trained with Patrick Carnes, P.hD., a leading expert in the treatment of sexual addiction issues and author of “Out of the Shadows”. He is a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and the Society of Sexual Health (SASH). MFT#44567 Duane’s clinical focus is on treating individuals and couples struggling with process addictions using a

Welcome to episode 94 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. My guest this week is Deirdre Fay, MSW, LICSW, who integrates trauma and attachment theory with yoga and meditation in embodiment. She is also the founder of the Becoming Safely Embodied Skills and maintains a private practice in Arlington, MA. The work she does arises out of her life. What she knows is grounded in her own healing as well as rigorous training as a psychotherapist looking for answers and ways to help others navigate the often-difficult terrain of healing trauma and attachment wounds. Deirdre knows what it’s like to make that journey. She did it dealing with her own history of trauma and as she searched for answers to relational and attachment issues. During the course of her life, she was lucky to have lived for six years in a spiritual community [Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health] which surrounded her with a nurturing environment. That experience grounded Deirdre in her commitment to finding ways to help other