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

This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a past interview with guest Dr. Leslie Korn, who has been interviewed previously on the show. You might remember that last week we heard a replay of the interview with Dr. Jodie Skillicorn, a holistic and integrative psychiatrist. If you liked that conversation, you'll want to listen to this! In our interview, you'll hear Leslie speak about using integrative nutrition, including herbs, for optimal emotional and physical wellbeing. She is the author of 9 books, including her most recent book, Natural Woman.   Leslie E Korn, PhD, MPH, LMHC, is a renowned integrative medicine clinician and educator specializing in the use of nutritional, herbal, and culinary medicine for the treatment of trauma and emotional and chronic physical illness. She completed her graduate education in psychiatry and public health at Harvard Medical School and her life training in the jungles of Mexico, where she lived and worked alongside local healers for more than 25 years.  Leslie

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In today's episode, you will hear a replay from 2020, where host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Jodie Skillicorn, a holistic psychiatrist and author of the book, "Healing Depression Without Medication: a psychiatrist's guide to balancing mind, body and soul". Jodie explains how trauma plays a role in many psychiatric symptoms and how she works with her patients using medications as a last resort. Tune in for an interesting and thought-provoking discussion! Dr. Jodie Skillicorn is an osteopathic physician board certified in Psychiatry and a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She integrates conventional medical training with evidence-based holistic methods that include breathwork, meditation, yoga, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Mind-Body Medicine, nutrition, exercise, nature, and auricular acupuncture at her private practice

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, our conversation about trauma and health continues as host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Aimie Apigian, a functional medicine doctor, about the biology of trauma and how this piece is often omitted from trauma treatment. She explains why healing is incomplete without the physiology of trauma being addressed, describes what is happening in the body when someone is in a chronic state of freeze, and shares information about her upcoming Annual Biology of Trauma Summit featuring Dr. Gabor Maté (featured in last week's episode) and many other experts in the field of functional medicine and the physiology of trauma. Dr. Aimie is a Double Board-Certified Medical Physician in both Preventive and Addiction Medicine and holds Double Masters Degrees in Biochemistry and in Public Health. She is the leading medical expert on addressing stored trauma in the body through her signature model and methodology, The Biology of Trauma™: a new lens that courageously uplevels the o

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! As we continue our exploration of the mind-body connection in trauma recovery, we have another episode on this topic. In today's podcast host Laura Reagan revisits an earlier episode speaking to Dr. Gabor Maté. Dr. Maté is the co-founder of Compassion for Addiction, a 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 p

On today's episode host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C speaks to Donna Jackson Nakazawa about her forthcoming book, The Angel and The Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine.  Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning journalist and internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and human emotion. Her mission is to translate emerging science in ways that help those with chronic conditions find healing. She is the author of six books, including her most recent book, The Angel and The Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine (Random House/Ballantine, January 2020), which illuminates the newly-understood role of microglia – an elusive type of brain cell capable of Jekyll and Hyde behavior. When triggered, microglia can morph into destroyers and take down synapses, causing depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s. But under the right circumstances, they can be angelic healers, repairing the brain in ways that can help

In the US, violence is a major problem. We hear news stories about mass shootings, war, and sexual and domestic violence daily. Last week in episode 333, therapist and author Terry Real talked about how patriarchal conditioning limits those who are socialized as male in their emotional expression.  In today's episode, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a prior interview with the co-authors of "The Tough Standard: The hard truths about masculinity and violence," Dr. Ronald Levant and Shana Pryor. In this conversation you'll learn about the construct of masculinity and how it impinges upon men and others, contributing to violent behavior.  Ronald F. Levant, EdD, ABPP, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The University of Akron; Past President of the American Psychological Association (APA) and APA Division 51; and two-term Editor of APA Division 51’s quarterly journal, Psychology of Men & Masculinities. He has developed and evaluated a number of measures designed to assess a variety of g

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C speaks with internally recognized speaker, author and therapist Terrence Real. Terry Real is the author of several books, including the classic "I Don't Want To Talk About It: Overcoming the secret legacy of men's depression," as well as his newest book, released in June 2022. His new book is entitled, "Us: Getting past you and me to build a more loving relationship."    In this conversation, Terry sheds light on how the patriarchy influences gender roles within relationships and the harm that is done when individuals are put into boxes limiting their expression. He talks about some of the ways his books and his method, Relational Life Therapy (RLT) help those who are socialized as male access emotional intimacy for deeper, more connected relationships with their partners. He is open about the emotional legacy of trauma and abuse and its impact so couples can recognize what stands in the way of vulnerability within relat

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! If you listened to the past two weeks' episodes about equine-assisted psychotherapy, you might be wondering why and how Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is effective. Today's guest will help you understand. Philip Tedeschi is the founder of the Human-Animal Connection program of the School of Social Work at University of Denver. He is the Director Emeritus now, and when this interview took place, he was the founder and Director. Philip's passion for connection with animals really comes through in our conversation. This conversation focuses on connection with animals and nature for a better world. Find inspiration for all of the ways healing can happen by listening to today's episode. Resources Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week's episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy.  And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Find out what more than 100,00

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a conversation from a few years ago with Julia Alexander, MSW (now LCSW). At the time this was recorded, Julia was a new MSW starting her career in clinical work although she had years of experience in the field - and the pasture. As an equine-assisted psychotherapist, Julia shared how she was using Natural Lifemanship in her clinical practice then, and the vulnerability of finding her way as a clinician. Stay tuned for a future episode with Julia, where she will update us on what she is doing now.    Resources   Learn more about Julia at her website: julia alexander counseling.com   Read the blog post Mary Sue McCarthy wrote for Trauma Therapist Network here.    Listen to Episode 329 with Mary Sue McCarthy here. Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week's episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy.  And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly intro

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C shares an experience from several years ago when she first felt the magic of interacting with horses in a therapeutic environment. As you listen to this vulnerable recounting of what it felt like for her, you may get a feel for how powerful equine work can be. Taking talking out of psychotherapy allows for a different level of relational attunement. If you missed last week's interview with Mary Sue McCarthy, be sure to check it out for more specifics on how and why equine assisted psychotherapy is so effective at helping us connect with ourselves and other beings. This month we will continue the theme of exploring equine-assisted psychotherapy and relationships with upcoming episodes about Natural Lifemanship and Animal Assisted Therapy. Then next month you'll hear our interview with internationally known couples therapy expert and author Terry Real. Resources Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week's episode! TherapyNot

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Mary Sue McCarthy, LCPC. Mary Sue is a trauma therapist in Hunt Valley, Maryland who has a talk therapy/EMDR practice as well as a second practice solely for Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Therapy (TF-EAP). Mary shares how she fell in love with this way of working, how it is different from talk therapy, and how TF-EAP is attachment work. She discusses how experientially practicing risking connection and detaching with connection allows her clients to practice relational boundaries in the session.   Mary Sue McCarthy, LCPC, NCC, is a second level Natural Lifemanship practitioner working toward her final certification. In private practice in Hunt Valley, Maryland, Mary Sue welcomes clients 25 years and older for support with recovery from trauma and related symptoms including addictions, depression, social isolation and “feeling stuck.” She is a Maryland Registered and Board Approved Clinical Supervisor and is available for consultati

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Laura Davis about the complexity of repairing broken family relationships.   Laura Davis is the author of The Burning Light of Two Stars, the story of her loving, tumultuous relationship with her mother, and six other non-fiction books. Her first book, The Courage to Heal, paved the way for hundreds of thousands of women to heal from the trauma of sexual abuse. Becoming the Parent You Want to Be helped parents develop a vision for the families they want to create. I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation taught the skills of reconciliation and peace building, one relationship at a time.   Laura’s new memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story is the riveting story of her embattled relationship with her mother Temme, their determination to love one another, and the dramatic and surprising collision course they ended up on at the end of Temme’s life. For the millions of re

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Laurie Ure, LICSW, who is a clinical social worker and Certified Bioenergetic Therapist in Massachusetts. Laurie explained what Bioenergetics is, how she uses it in her work, and guided Laura through a practice. You'll learn about energetic boundaries and using Bioenergetics in therapy through this fascinating discussion.    Laurie Ure, LICSW, has practiced as a Certified Bioenergetic Therapist in Gloucester, MA, for over 25 years. She trains bioenergetic therapists in the U.S. and internationally. In addition, she leads workshops, speaks, plans conferences, and writes about topics related to bioenergetic analysis. Her involvement with this approach began in 1986 as a client of a bioenergetic therapist. She has studied with Alexander Lowen, M.D., founder of bioenergetic analysis, and has directed the Massachusetts Society for Bioenergetic Analysis.    Laurie has also taught at Salem State College School of Social Work. She publ

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C speaks with friend and colleague Charlene MacPherson, LCSW-C about Charlene's work bringing therapeutic gaming to adults in Linthicum, Maryland.   Laura and Charlene discuss how embracing one's authentic self as a therapist helps clients who are looking for what is unique about us to feel seen and understood in therapy settings. Charlene talks about her journey to acceptance as a self-proclaimed nerd and how she learned to embrace her gifts and use them to help her clients. This is a beautiful conversation that will inspire you to embrace the parts of you that might be hidden when wearing your therapist hat. Additionally, Charlene talks about how Role Playing Games can be used therapeutically and what a therapeutic RPG looks like.   Self-proclaimed nerd and licensed psychotherapist, Charlene MacPherson uses nerd culture to create a safe and fun environment to explore the therapy process. She's also a mother, wife, Lutheran, podcaste

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's episode is about a sensitive topic - finding safety via the legal system following domestic violence and stalking. If this topic hits close to home for you, please take care of yourself while listening.   Today host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Kaytee Gillis, LCSW, a Louisiana-based psychotherapist, advocate and author. Her recent book, "Invisible Bruises - How A Better Understanding of the Patterns of Domestic Violence Can Help Survivors Navigate the Legal System" is out now. In this conversation, Laura and Kaytee discuss the limitations of protective orders, what therapists need to know about supporting survivors of relationship violence and how survivors can get help. Kaytee talks about some of the specific barriers LGBTQ+ survivors face when navigating the legal system for protection.    Kaytee Gillis, LCSW-BACS, is a psychotherapist, advocate, and author with a passion for working with survivors of family trauma and the LGBTQ+ community. She receiv

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Lindsay Bryan-Podvin about understanding and improving our relationship with money. Money is such a taboo in American culture, our capitalist economy and consumerist culture ensure that money is on everyone's mind all the time, but we don't talk about it nearly enough. Like so many taboo subjects, we feel like we should be "good with money," but we receive many conflicting messages about our relationship with money from family, friends, upbringing and culture. Lindsay demystifies money and helps clients (including therapist clients!) to become more comfortable addressing their financial anxiety issues. Listen to this conversation in which Lindsay makes having a positive money mindset sound easy, and tells us how to get started on that path!  Lindsay Bryan-Podvin (she/her) is a biracial financial therapist, podcast host, speaker, and author of the book "The Financial Anxiety Solution." In her therapy practice,

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Tavi Hawn, LCSW-C about their newest book (January 2022), The Gender Identity Guide for Parents- Compassionate Advice to Help Your Child Be Their Most Authentic Self. This was an interesting and important conversation. Tavi is a wonderful teacher who guides a discussion about supporting children around their gender identity that is compassionate and vulnerable. You'll enjoy this thought-provoking conversation about children's gender identity and parenting. Tavi (pronounced Tah-vee) Hawn is a Southern lover of books, music, dance, a dog named Scully, cat named Lionel, a spider loving scientist, and a baby named Waya (pronounced Wah-hya) (Wolf). Tavi is a multi-racial, Two Spirit person who currently is the founder of a group therapy and consulting practice in Maryland, as well as serving as faculty on the Indian Country Paths (Re)Membered ECHO project and as a therapist with Native American Lifelines. In the past Tavi was co-

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan interviews returning guest Maya Benattar, a music therapist practising in NYC. Maya's first interview on Therapy Chat was in 2017 and we're grateful that she agreed to return for this conversation to talk about rhythm and how it shows up in our lives. Listen to this fascinating discussion of how Maya uses rhythm in her work with clients! Maya Benattar, MA, MT-BC, LCAT is a music therapist and psychotherapist in private practice in Midtown Manhattan and online throughout NY state. Her specialties include anxiety, developmental/intergenerational trauma and highly sensitive people (HSP). In addition to her clinical work, Maya offers supervision/consultation for other therapists, provides professional development and wellness workshops, and offers restorative workshops for helpers and healers. Maya received her master’s degree from New York University, and has completed extensive postgraduate training in vocal psychotherapy, creative arts therapies

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C welcomes back a returning guest, Dr. Mona Delahooke. Mona has a new book out this year called "Brain-Body  Parenting: How to stop managing behavior and start raising joyful, resilient kids".  Mona M. Delahooke, Ph.D. is a clinical child psychologist with a passion for supporting families and children. She has worked widely with multi- disciplinary teams in the area of developmental and emotional differences for over 20 years. She is a senior faculty member of the Profectum Foundation and is a trainer and consultant to schools, public/private agencies and parents. Her blog and award winning book, Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges explains a new neurodevelopmental approach to childhood challenges for therapists, parents and teachers. Resources Learn more at: www.monadelahooke.com Listen to her previous Therapy Chat interview here. Thank you to Trauma Therapist N

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this week's episode, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Christina Miller-Martinez, LMFT about nurses' mental health and burnout. We have all heard about the strain the current pandemic has placed on healthcare providers, and here on Therapy Chat we have covered the topic of physician burnout and suicide in the past couple of years. Today, Christina and Laura discuss how nurses tend to cope with their emotions and what nurses and therapists need to know about nurses and other healthcare providers' mental health and burnout. Christina Miller-Martinez is a licensed marriage and family therapist working in Palo Alto, California. She graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2014 with a Master's degree in Somatics. She is a long time yoga practitioner and works with integrating current information on neuroscience with the ancient wisdom of eastern concepts of mind and body to aid in healing trauma. Christina is part of the Pacific team of A Go