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

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews an esteemed guest, Dr. Stacey Freedenthal on the important subject of how to support someone who shares with you that they're considering suicide. In this episode you'll hear Stacey normalizing the common experience of having suicidal thoughts and clarify what happens when people tell mental health professionals they're having suicidal thoughts.  Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, is recognized for her expertise in helping people who have suicidal thoughts. She authored the books Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques for Professionals (Routledge; 2018) and Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do (New Harbinger Publications; scheduled to be published Jan. 2, 2023). Dr. Freedenthal created and maintains the website Speaking of Suicide, which has had more than six million views in ten years. She has authored or co-authored two dozen peer- reviewed articles and book

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews returning guest Keri Nola. Keri is an Intuitive Entrepreneur, expressing her medicine as a Former Psychotherapist, Best-Selling Author, Podcaster, Oracle Card Creator and Founder of the Abundance Activator for Healing Entrepreneurs, a membership community oriented to aligning with your Divine desires. While birthing and stewarding an abundant clinical practice specializing in complex trauma and dissociation for over a decade, Keri’s work has since evolved to support therapists, coaches and healers in activating their abundant service through mentorship, products, programs, events and retreats.   Keri explained that trauma can cause a shift in our relationship to receiving, on multiple levels, affecting mind, body and spirit. She talks about how being blocked from receiving results in feeling disempowered and losing trust in self and others. You'll hear Keri guide Laura through an exercise to explore this energetically, and thei

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! We have talked a lot on Therapy Chat about perfectionism, and this week’s guest brings a slightly different perspective. Our guest today is a former onsite therapist at Google who proposes that it’s not always necessary to let go of being a perfectionist, because there are many positive aspects of this characteristic.  Katherine Morgan Schafler is a psychotherapist, writer and speaker, and former on-site therapist at Google. She earned degrees and trained at UC Berkeley and Columbia University, with post-graduate certification from the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy in New York City. Katherine’s new book, The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control: A path to peace and power, came out in January 2023.  In this episode: - Katherine explains the 5 types of perfectionism: Classic Perfectionists  Intense Perfectionists  Parisian Perfectionists  Messy Perfectionists  Procrastinator Perfectionists She describes how each type presents with positive and negative aspe

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Following up on last week's conversation on therapists and dissociation, this week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C welcomes a guest who is an expert on complex trauma therapy and mindfulness.   Dr. John Briere, a trauma and abuse survivor, has spent his 30 year career doing therapy with survivors of torture, sex trafficking and with patients on burn units, as well as research on complex trauma. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, and Senior Advisor to the USC Adolescent Trauma Training Center. He is recipient of the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the William N. Friedrich Lecturer: Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Child Psychology from the Mayo Clinic. He is author or co-author of over 140 articles and chapters, 15 books, and 9 trauma-related psychological tests. His recent (2019) book w

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As we welcome the New Year, we are welcoming new perspectives. This week's episode is all about reconsidering what you've always thought about dissociation (if you've thought about it at all!).   This week's guest is Dr. Jamie+ Marich. Jamie/Dr. Jamie uses she/they pronouns, identifying as a bisexual woman in recovery from a substance-related disorder who is part of a dissociative system. She is also an internationally recognized speaker, trainer in EMDR and expressive arts, the author of many books, and a psychotherapist in private practice.  Their newest book, Dissociation Made Simple, includes stories shared by Jamie/Dr. Jamie and 61 contributors, nearly 40 of whom are mental health clinicians living with dissociative disorders. The book is for anyone to learn about dissociation, and the stories shared truly demystify this misunderstood and highly stigmatized experience.   Listen in to hear Laura and Jamie+ discuss:   - Reconceptualizing trauma - Understanding

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, continuing our theme of coping with holiday and family stress, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, revisits a recent Therapy Chat episode with frequent guest Dr. Sharon Martin, LCSW. Last week Sharon shared strategies to help us feel empowered when interacting with family and during the holidays in general. This week she will teach us why expressing our wants and needs, and naming our boundaries can help us feel in control of our lives as the grown @$$ adults that we are. We can't control everything but do have autonomy and choice as adults. With mindful intention, it is possible to thrive, even during stressful times.    It's common to feel disempowered when we grew up in homes without our emotional needs being met consistently enough. However, as an adult, you have more power than you may be giving yourself credit for. No one can actually take that away from you. By focusing on what is within your control and letting go of what isn't, you can take your power back

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, continuing our theme of holiday stress, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, revisits a classic Therapy Chat episode with frequent guest Dr. Sharon Martin, LCSW. Last week Sharon shared some of the family of origin dynamics that can make our holiday gatherings feel more stressful and disappointing than fun. This week, she shares strategies for doing more than "surviving" during family gatherings. With mindful intention, it is possible to thrive, even during stressful times.    It's common to feel disempowered when we grew up in homes without our emotional needs being met consistently enough. However, as an adult, you have more power than you may be giving yourself credit for. No one can actually take that away from you. By focusing on what is within your control and letting go of what isn't, you can take your power back during the holidays. Using the strategies Sharon shares in this episode can help.Next week we will talk in more depth about setting boundaries.

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, revisits a classic Therapy Chat episode with frequent guest Dr. Sharon Martin, LCSW. After the November holidays, as we move into the winter holiday season, we may find ourselves feeling a sense of dread, unease, anxiety, or other feelings that are hard to name. We might find ourselves fantasizing about making the holiday "perfect" and "magical" either for ourselves or our family. Sharon explains that sometimes we are unaware of aspects of our family of origin's communication patterns and boundaries that don't really work for us. She describes some of the dysfunctional dynamics that can be common in households where there was abuse and emotional neglect.   If your family of origin relationships are continuously disappointing you, maybe this episode will help you feel less alone. Tune in next week as we continue our series with Sharon Martin. Next week she'll talk about strategies to get through the holidays when yo

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we continue the conversation on decolonizing therapy as host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews social justice educator Julia Alexander. Laura and Julia first met in Fall 2016 at an equine retreat for therapists. Laura and Julia share deeply held values around respect for the dignity and autonomy of another being within a relational interaction - whether with another human or a non-human animal. Julia shared how she helps white-bodied therapists identify who are working toward embodied anti-racism, through the influence of teachers including Resmaa Menakem and partnership with Colors of Austin.    Julia provides compassionate therapy, education and consulting services rooted in anti-racist, social justice and liberatory frameworks. She offers a safe and accepting space to alleviate shame, heal trauma and discover inner resilience. Her approach is founded on an unwavering belief in the healing power of safe connection, and a deep knowing that sustained relationship to natu

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C shares a replay of a past interview with Dr. Arielle Schwartz. Listen in on this interview with this knowledgeable, warm and compassionate therapist as she shares about her work with survivors of Complex PTSD.   Dr. Arielle Schwartz shares how she uses yoga and other somatic practices in healing complex trauma and dissociation. She talks about "functional freeze" and shares her perspective on assessment and treatment of dissociation as part of trauma therapy. Next week Laura will share about an opportunity to learn from Dr. Schwartz in a very special place!   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 five books, including The Complex PTSD Workbook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, and The Post Traumatic Growth Guidebook. Dr. Schwartz is an accomplished teacher who guides therapists in the applicati

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a previous interview from 2018 with Dr. Loretta Pyles. In this discussion you'll hear Loretta and Laura speaking about the process of social work education. To the listener - please keep in mind that this episode originally aired 4 years ago, many aspects of the educational process for social workers are critiqued in this conversation and there are many ways that change is being demanded and slowly implemented now. Loretta's approach is still not the norm in social work education. Loretta came to mind-body healing practices in 1999, after leaving a difficult long-term relationship and becoming burnt out from her social services and social change work. She found herself anxious, grief-ridden, and disconnected from her body, mind and spirit. Over the years, she has committed herself to a journey toward wholeness, presence, and compassion. The realizations that she later found in meditation and yoga deepened her ability to underst

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in the first of a series on social justice, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Rebecca Eldredge, a licensed psychologist who guides fellow therapists, healthcare professionals, and socially conscious leaders on how to support social justice, navigate courageous conversations, and expand emotional well-being to create compassionate, just spaces for themselves, their teams, and the clients they support. Rebecca spoke about the importance of standing up for one's values, and the imperative for social justice advocates to focus on self-care in order to sustain their capacity to continue in the work.   In addition to offering culturally sensitive therapy, Rebecca emphasizes the integration of mental health, compassion, and social justice throughout her work. Over the past 20 years, she has taught Multicultural Counseling graduate courses, developed and delivered support services for refugees, and facilitated numerous cultural trainings and consultations while fee

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Today's episode is a deeper exploration of plant-based medicine, specifically Psilocybin, also known as "magic mushrooms." Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Jahan Khamsehzadeh, the author of The Psilocybin Connection: Psychedelics, the Transformation of Consciousness, and Evolution of the Planet—An Integral Approach. Jahan offered a fascinating and in-depth discussion of how psychedelics have been used by humans and animals since the beginning of time, their role in evolution, their current legal and illicit uses for healing, and future directions.   Jahan Khamsehzadeh, Ph.D. completed his dissertation on psychedelics in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. His book, The Psilocybin Connection: Psychedelics, the Transformation of Consciousness, and Evolution of the Planet—An Integral Approach, is published by North Atlantic Books and distributed by Penguin Random House. He

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C welcomes Dr. Quincee Gideon, a psychologist who specializes in religious trauma and cult abuse. Quincee shared information about purity culture and the harm it can cause. She described how she works with survivors of religious trauma and cult abuse in her California-based psychotherapy practice, as well as her membership community for people who are in recovery from these experiences. Laura found recognition of her own traumatic experiences related to religion through this conversation.   Quincee Gideon, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist specializing in religious trauma and cult recovery. She owns a private practice in Los Angeles called Woven Together Trauma Therapy, where clinicians specialize in providing trauma care for complex and chronic trauma. She also owns an online education space called Traumastery, where she teaches survivors to better understand and overcome their religious trauma or cult abuse. She hosts a podcast called Multiple

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C again dives into the topic of developmental trauma. Today's guest is Brad Kammer, LMFT, LPCC, a California Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor. Brad trained as a Somatic Psychotherapist and has worked in the field of trauma for over 20 years, specializing in working with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). Brad shared his thoughts on developmental trauma and Borderline Personality Disorder, and described NARM and its training process. Brad began his career as a Humanitarian Aid Worker in Asia which introduced him to personal and collective trauma. He became passionate about supporting individuals and communities in the transformation of trauma. Brad has since focused his work on the integration of Somatic Psychology, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Relational Therapies and wisdom from Spiritual Traditions and Traditional Cultures. He has a special i

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, continuing the themes of embodiment and intergenerational trauma, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Vincentia Schroeter about Bioenergetic Analysis. Vincentia gives an overview of what Bioenergetic Analysis is, explains how it can be used to connect the presenting issue in therapy to the client's history and their family history of trauma, even related to unspoken experiences. She explains how the body is used to heal trauma in Bioenergetic Analysis and shares about an upcoming training in this method. Dr. Vincentia Schroeter is a licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in Bioenergetic Analysis. She was the coordinating trainer of the Southern California Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (SCIBA) for many years and past editor (2008-2018) of the clinical journal of Bioenergetics. As a member of the international faculty, she has taught in Europe, South America, Canada, and Asia. She has written three books: Bend Into Shape, Techniques for Bioe

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C speaks with Dr. Christina Hibbert, a clinical psychologist who was diagnosed with Triple Negative breast cancer with the BRCA-1 mutation and is now cancer-free, 3 years and 13 surgeries later. She shares her experience of having past trauma come to the surface while she was dealing with incredibly challenging physical and emotional health issues. She talks openly about the missing pieces in breast cancer treatment and recovery, and the difficulty which many people with chronic illness will recognize, of having to be your own advocate as doctor after doctor dismisses your symptoms. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, this is a very timely conversation that will benefit any patient who is struggling to be heard by their treatment team, as well as any healthcare provider. Dr. Christina's message is raw and honest, compassionate, hopeful and constructive. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook to learn h

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C shares an interview from Spring of 2022 with Dr. Galit Atlas, author of Emotional Inheritance: A therapist, her patients, and the legacy of trauma. Dr. Atlas shared how family secrets affect families for generations. Listen in for a warm and engaging discussion with this fascinating teacher about intergenerational trauma.   Dr. Galit Atlas is a psychoanalyst and clinical supervisor in private practice in New York City. She is on the faculty of the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Atlas has published three books for clinicians and numerous articles and book chapters. Her New York Times publication “A Tale of Two Twins” was the winner of a 2016 Gradiva Award. A leader in the field of relational psychoanalysis, Dr. Atlas is a recipient of the André François Award and the NADTA Research Award. She teaches and lectures throughout the United States and internationally. Her new book Emotional Inheritanc

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C welcomes back guests Kelly Higdon and Miranda Palmer, therapists and coaches who help therapists in private practice build businesses they don't need to recover from. Today's conversation was focused on burnout. Kelly and Miranda explained how burnout mirrors a trauma response. They talked about burnout as a systemic issue rather than a personal failure.    Host Laura shared about her decision to stop working with clients in this episode, which was recorded in June, 2022. Listen in to this conversation which includes: How burnout might not be obvious to you, but people around you probably realize it; How we live within a system that is oppressive to the individual, and those who suffer with burnout are simply trying hard to do a good job; Self advocacy as a therapist; Using your body as a guide; Discerning intuition from fear and more! SPECIAL OFFER FOR THERAPY CHAT LISTENERS!   Kelly + Miranda's Business School For Therapists is

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews a very special guest, Dr. Janina Fisher! Laura has admired Janina Fisher's work for years. In this conversation you will hear Janina discuss the relationship between complex trauma and the Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis, as well as how her training method, Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) can heal attachment and trauma wounds. Whether or not you're a therapist, you won't want to miss this important and interesting discussion!   Janina Fisher, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and a former instructor, Harvard Medical School. An international expert on the treatment of trauma, she is an Advisory Board member of the Trauma Research Foundation. Dr. Fisher is the author of 'Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Self-Alienation' (2017), 'Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: a Workbook for Survivors and Therapists' (2021), and 'The Living Legacy In