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

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm away at the Not Your Typical Psychotherapist Conference in London, I'm sharing an episode from 2021 about connecting with your inner resonance, with Sarah Peyton.  Sarah Peyton, Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication, constellation facilitator and neuroscience educator, integrates brain science and the use of resonant language to heal trauma and nourish self-warmth with exquisite gentleness. She teaches and lectures internationally, and is the author of the book “Your Resonant Self: Guided Meditations and Exercises to Engage Your Brain’s Capacity for Healing." Her second book from W.W. Norton, The Your Resonant Self Workbook, was published May 25, 2021.Visit Sarah's website: https://sarahpeyton.com/ where you can find her books and courses.I'm recommending Linda Thai's training to therapists and anyone who wants to learn about trauma through a polyvagal and somatic lens. It begins soon, and if you miss this cohort, be sure to catch the

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I'm away at the Master Series: Oxford trauma conference in England, and I'm sharing an episode which was originally recorded 5 years ago. This week we welcome Susan Pease Banitt, a now-retired trauma therapist who spoke with me about her second book, Wisdom, Attachment & Love in Trauma Therapy: Beyond Evidence Based Practice. Susan was the first person to educate me and provide a critical perspective on what "evidence based practice" really is, and who decides what is considered adequate "evidence," through the lens of social justice and an expanded view of history. I'll give you a hint - it's the patriarchy that says what the "gold standard" is, and Susan challenges these ideas in our discussion and in her books! Her first book, The Trauma Toolkit, is one I recommend regularly to clients. I consider it a manual for how to live with the symptoms of complex trauma, CPTSD, and dissociation, including dissociative "disorders.

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As a follow up to last week's episode with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, we're revisiting a previous conversation with her from 2021. In our conversation, you'll hear Arielle talk about how adverse experiences from childhood can show up in our adult lives. She explains why it's hard for us to reconcile the moments when our parents didn't meet our needs back then to our perception of them and ourselves as adults. You'll hear HOW dissociation protects us and helps us create fantasies about our family relationships which make them feel safer and more trustworthy than they felt to us during childhood. She describes why this is needed and how resilience-focused somatic therapies can help us come out of a "functional freeze" state to be present in the here and now, with autonomy and agency. This conversation is all about understanding why we need the adaptive skill of dissociation and challenges the stigma about dissociation, trauma and mental health that is com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we welcome back a previous guest, Dr. Arielle Schwartz.to talk about applied Polyvagal Theory and how it helps us connect to a sense of resilience within our bodies. This episode is like a mini-course in how somatic embodiment affects our access to our inner "yes" and "no." Past traumatic experiences and attachment wounds can prevent us from being connected to our own wisdom from within, but we can reconnect to an empowered sense of agency and autonomy where we can move, breathe and be present to our pain without being swallowed by it. Arielle's teachings provide therapists with the tools to live resiliently while we do our work and to support our clients in doing the same. Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a psychologist, internationally sought-out teacher, yoga instructor, and leading voice in the healing of PTSD and complex trauma. She is the author of many books, including The Complex PTSD Workbook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, The Post Traumatic

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we welcome back a previous guest, trauma informed herbalist Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie! Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie, the founder of Herbal Somatics, is a board certified wellness practitioner and the author of The Trauma Informed Herbalist. She holds a PhD in Natural Medicine with a focus in Naturopathic Psychology and a Master's of Public Health in Functional Nutrition. Elizabeth has helped create research for UAB’s Integrative Medicine clinic, teaches online, and works as a wellness practitioner and yoga instructor in Birmingham, AL. We talked about Elizabeth's newest book, Essential Oils for Trauma, and her course which is now available through the Shift Network.Find Essential OIls for Trauma here. Visit Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie's website here.Listen to Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie's previous Therapy Chat interview here: Episode 370Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie's free webinar recording and link to learn about her course are found here: Explore Your Healing Garden of Unique Pl

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! If you're an EMDR therapist, or a therapist who is interested in learning about psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, this episode is for you! And if you're someone who is interested in learning about how EMDR and psychedelic assisted therapy can be combined, you're in the right place! This week's guest, Rotem Brayer, was a guest on Therapy Chat earlier this year and he came back to discuss how he uses psychedelic assisted psychotherapy with EMDR. I learned a lot from our conversation and can't wait for you to hear it! I'm very curious about the potential for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy to help trauma survivors heal, as I'm hearing more and more positive experiences that people have shared with me. Look for more episodes on the topic of trauma and psychedelic assisted psychotherapy in the coming months! Rotem Brayer, M.Ed., LPC, is a certified EMDR therapist, EMDR consultant, and advanced EMDR trainer. He's the founder of the EMDR Learning Com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, returning guest Xanthia Johnson, a DC area psychotherapist, talks about a coaching program she co-founded called the Compassionate Anti-Racism Project. Xanthia shares how she works with individuals, groups and organizations, describing how the program is designed to prevent the emotional flooding of shame interfering with white bodied people's progress toward their goals. As black integrative neuro-psychotherapists with extensive post graduate professional training in trauma-focused therapy and expressive arts, Xanthia and her co-founder Christian are primed to help others realize the emotional and intellectual awareness needed to understand racism, so the journey to ani-racism can begin. They compassionately support white people and organizations who are ready to have courageous conversations about race and learn how to leverage their privilege to humbly support people of color.In this conversation you'll hear Xanthia explain what she means when she says that

In Part Two of this discussion with Dr. Gail Gazelle, a physiclan burnout expert, we discuss Gail's experience with burnout. She shares examples from her own experience and those she's helped with to illustrate what burnout feels like and how it mirrors trauma reactions. She shares what helped her come back from burnout and what others can do to help with recovery. Burnout doesn't have to be a career-ending experience, it can be a transformational opportunity. Listen to this compassionate and down to earth conversation to understand why physicians are burning out, and how they can learn resiliency skills to help them stay in their careers, in this replay episode. This information will be relevant to anyone in a leadership position, even those who don't work in healthcare. Dr. Gazelle is a former hospice physician, part-time Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor, and a Master Certified Coach for physicians. After working in the field of end-of-life care for most of her professional career,

If you work in the healthcare industry, you know that people are feeling the weight of so much stress from taking care of patients - whether doing therapy or working in medicine or other helping professions. Back in 2020, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C spoke with physician burnout expert and coach Dr. Gail Gazelle. Listen to this compassionate and down to earth conversation to understand why physicians are burning out, and how they can learn resiliency skills to help them stay in their careers, in this replay episode. This information will be relevant to anyone in a leadership position, even those who don't work in healthcare. Dr. Gazelle is a former hospice physician, part-time Harvard Medical School Assistant Professor, and a Master Certified Coach for physicians. After working in the field of end-of-life care for most of her professional career, Dr. Gazelle shifted her focus to another vulnerable population: physicians in the modern American healthcare system.Visit Gail's website: https://gailgazelle.co

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in a replay episode from early 2022, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Lindsay Gibson, a developmental psychologist based in Virginia Beach, Virginia who has authored several books on the effects of being raised by parents who are emotionally immature. Lindsay explains how our identity and sense of self form around attachment experiences in childhood and the challenge of focusing on our own self care needs when we were raised in an environment where our emotional needs were unmet. Lindsay's newest book, Disentangling From Emotionally Immature People, is coming out soon and Lindsay will be returning to Therapy Chat soon to talk about it! Learn more about Dr. Lindsay Gibson's work, books, and all of her offerings at her website: www.drlindsaygibson.comGet 16 meals for FREE when you try HelloFresh using our coupon code! Go to https://hellofresh.com/chat16 and use code chat16 for 16 FREE meals PLUS free shipping!Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this

This week's episode features a recording of a Facebook live from last week. Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C had a conversation with friend and colleague Melissa Wesner, LCPC on the hot topic of burnout in helping professionals and caregivers in general. Laura and Melissa discussed how burnout is affecting mental health professionals; identifying burnout and compassion fatigue symptoms using the ProQOL measure; and how to create an action plan to address emotional, physical, spiritual and relational needs including small changes that are sustainable. Melissa Wesner, LCPC is the Founder of LifeSpring Counseling Services, a group practice in Maryland that strives to provide hope, healing, and empowerment through the collaborative process of therapy. She is also a Certified Brainspotter and Brainspotting Consultant who offers Brainspotting Intensives to leaders, executives, and small business owners. Visit Melissa's practice website here: https://lifespringcounseling.net/ Melissa's membership community for

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C about a tool she uses to support trauma survivors called Accelerated Resolution Therapy. Listen in as Laura asks all the questions about this method, called ART for short. Also, doors are now open for new Trauma Therapist Network community members! Brooke Bralove, LCSW-C is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, psychotherapist, sex therapist, Basic Accelerated Resolution Therapy Practitioner, and Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, specializing in treating adults, couples, and groups with depression, anxiety, and relationship challenges. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University’s School of Social Work. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Washington School of Psychiatry's Clinical Program on Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and the National Group Psychotherapy Institute. Ms. Bralove has maintained a private practice in the D.C. metro area for more than 18 years.Visit Brooke'

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Annie Schuessler of The Rebel Therapist ®. First, Laura mentioned the high incidence of helping professionals leaving their fields due to stress and burnout, and how this conversation inspires hope for helpers who feel stuck and are considering changing careers. Annie and Laura talked about how helpers and healers can pivot when the day to day is leading them to exhaustion and overwhelm. Annie's program that helps private practice therapists pivot is opening and she has a special offer, detailed in the show notes!Annie Schuessler is a business coach and the host of the podcast Rebel Therapist® where she shares stories of people creating unique and innovative businesses. She was a therapist in private practice for 20 years, and a business coach for over 10 years. Her mission is to help people trained as therapists create and launch exceptional programs beyond the therapy room. She lives in San Francisco with her spouse and two chi

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Han Ren (she/they) who is doing big things on social media to normalize C-PTSD symptoms, promote liberatory psychology and anti-oppression work and show that being human is not a problem - even if you’re a mental health professional. In fact, as a mental health professional it can be an asset to share your lived experience. Dr. Han Ren is the co-owner of Pivot Psychology in Austin, Texas. She has a background in school psychology and primarily works with high achieving young adults at present. In this conversation she explained the concepts of liberation focused psychology and anti carceral movements and provided some resources for listeners to learn more via Instagram accounts; and she and Laura discussed how therapists may inadvertently shame clients due to our own fears and lack of understanding of the most effective ways to help clients change coping strategies which were once helpful, but now cause problems. Han shares a co

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Rachel Altvater, a therapist, author and human, on the complexities of grieving, being human and how understanding perspective relates to being our most authentic selves. Laura and Rachel came together while both are grieving recent losses as well. Additionally, Rachel explains the concept of perspective, which is the focus of her new book, "Perspective: Contemplating the Complexities of Our Realities."Dr. Rachel Altvater (Psy.D., RPT-S™) is an award-winning, pioneering expert, leader, researcher, international trainer, author, and supervisor in the field of play therapy. She is a Licensed Psychologist in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia, and she holds national certifications as a Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor™ and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is the owner of Creative Psychological Health Services, co-owner of North Star Creations, past president of the Maryland/DC Association for Play Therapy

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C was honored to again speak with Linda Thai, LMSW. Linda generously agreed to do a multi-episode series with Laura focusing on the grief journey to follow the process Laura is currently experiencing following a death in the family. This episode is the second of this series and was recorded in early May, 2023.Linda shared words of wisdom about grief and developmental trauma through a somatic lens, observing and working with how attachment wounds are held in and expressed through the body. This is a demonstration of one example of how somatic psychotherapy can look and feel, but it is not a therapy session as Linda and Laura are colleagues, not in a therapeutic relationship. This episode will later be released on video as well. There are many long pauses and if they're not long enough, while you're listening, please feel free to pause as needed. Also, there are a few points where Laura's voice is less audible due to sitting further fr

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C brings back a replay of a Part 2 of the past interviews with a former hospice social worker and grief counselor who is living with a terminal illness, Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, LCSW, MPH. In this conversation, In this conversation, you'll a deeper discussion of grief, loss and end of life. While preparing this episode for replay, Laura learned that Isabel is currently living with cancer. You won't want to miss listening to this conversation with someone who has found meaning and purpose in her life despite being born with an illness that forced her to confront her own mortality as a young child. Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, LCSW, MPH shares her unique perspective on grief as someone who has survived a lifetime of living with a terminal chronic illness, and the loss of many important people in her life. This episode raises thought-provoking questions about acceptance, our cultural view of death in the West, and how we handle unpleasant emotions.

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C brings back a replay of a past interview with a former hospice social worker and grief counselor who is living with a terminal illness. Last week's episode was the first in a multi-part series on grief which began with that conversation with Linda Thai, LMSW. Laura and Linda were unable to record the second conversation to be released this week as intended, so instead we'll hear this replay of a conversation from 2019 with Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, LCSW, MPH. In this conversation you'll hear how grief can illuminate trauma which was there waiting to be discovered; learn about some of the wisdom Isabel has gained through her experiences of grief and loss; and develop an understanding of how grief therapy, support groups, and writing can help with healing. While preparing this episode for replay, Laura learned that Isabel is currently living with cancer. You won't want to miss listening to this conversation with someone who has foun

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's episode is quite different from the usual Therapy Chat conversation. Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C was honored to speak with Linda Thai, LMSW.Linda generously agreed to do a multi-episode series with Laura focusing on the grief Laura is currently experiencing following a death in the family. This episode was recorded in April. Linda shared words of wisdom about grief and developmental trauma as well as intergenerational/ancestral trauma, touching on the immigrant experience and family dynamics. This episode will later be released on video as well.Linda Thai LMSW (she, her) is a trauma therapist who specializes in cutting edge brain- and body-based modalities for the healing of complex developmental trauma. As an educator and consultant, she is gifted with the capacity to contextualize, synthesize and communicate complex and nuanced issues pertaining to the impact of oppressive systems upon identity, mental health and wellbeing, and the invisibilized wounds of racial t

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan returns with a new interview with Akilah Riley-Richardson. Akilah Riley-Richardson, MSW, CCTP, is a published researcher, Relational Healing Facilitator, couples therapist, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She has been in clinical practice for sixteen years and has experience working with couples and persons practicing consensual non-monogamy, both in the Caribbean and internationally. Akilah also specializes in working with sexual minorities and racial minorities.Akilah has presented in various spaces including the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium and the Black Mental health Symposium. She has been a Social Work Educator at the University of the Southern Caribbean since 2012. She is the founder of the BIPOC Relational Healing Institute and the creator of the P.R.I.D.E model.In this conversation, Akilah explains how individuals with marginalized identities such as being a member of the LGBTQIA community, living in a minoritized body or bein