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

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Deborah Korn. Deborah L. Korn, PsyD maintains a private practice in Cambridge, MA and is a faculty member at the Trauma Research Foundation and the EMDR Institute. She is also the former Clinical Director of the Women’s Trauma Programs at Charter Brookside and Charles River Hospitals and a past board member of the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation. Dr. Korn has authored or coauthored numerous articles and chapters focused on EMDR therapy, including comprehensive reviews of EMDR applications with Complex PTSD.  She is an EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)-approved consultant and also on the Editorial Board of the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. She presents and consults internationally on the treatment of adult survivors of childhood abuse and neglect and complex traumatic stress disorders. She is the co-author of Every Memory Deserves Respect—a 2021 book about trauma, recovery, and EMDR

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews returning guest Jill Johnson-Young, LCSW, a clinical social worker who owns Central Counseling Services in Southern California. Jill is the author of several books on grief, including most recently, "The Rebellious Widow," in which she shares some of her own personal story as well as her clinical experiences in facing grief and loss. Jill trains therapists in working with grief, and she is also very knowledgeable in other information about end of life, including dementia. She returns for part 2 of the conversation that started last week in Episode 317. In today's discussion, Jill went into more depth about how loved ones and caregivers can ease the process of transitioning from this life by having difficult conversations with the dying person or the person with dementia. She speaks about some of the common issues that cause unneeded conflict when family members are dealing with a sick or dying loved one and how they can b

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Jill Johnson-Young, LCSW, a clinical social worker who owns Central Counseling Services in Southern California. Jill is the author of several books on grief, including most recently, "The Rebellious Widow," in which she shares some of her own personal story as well as her clinical experiences in facing grief and loss. Jill trains therapists in working with grief, and she is also very knowledgeable in other information about end of life, including dementia.  In this episode you'll hear Jill share some of her personal story of becoming a widow twice before the age of 50, and her lived experiences of taking care of loved ones with various types of dementia. Jill explains that there are 12 different types of dementia, and they can have different origins, symptoms and presentations. She discusses the various types of dementia and offers resources for learning more and getting support when you or someone you love has dementia.

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Brooke Randolph, LMHC. Brooke shares the wisdom gained in her years of working with adoptive families as well as her personal experience of being an adoptive parent. In this interview she and Laura talk about many of the ways children and families can be affected by transracial and international adoption, and what therapists, families and adoptees need to know. Brooke also discusses her use of Brainspotting in her work. Laura shares a reader's message about their reaction to Episode 304 with Amy Sugeno on attachment and adoption.  Brooke Randolph, LMHC, is founder and director of Counseling at The Green House, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her specialties are Adoption Therapy & developmental trauma, Brainspotting, and relationships. She is a Certified Brainspotting Consultant & Speciality Trainer, Coordinator of Brainspotting Indy, and Member of the Midwest Brainspotting Institute. Brooke is also a Certified Imago Relationshi

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD of Array Behavioral Care. Dr. Nicole is a child and adult psychiatrist in Massachusetts and provides education, consultation and coaching on mental health, trauma and the impact of race and culture on mental health.  Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD is a double board-certified adult and child and adolescent psychiatrist. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite received her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed her adult psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Mclean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. She is the founder and CEO of Well Minds Psychiatry and Consulting Company, which provides psychiatric and therapeutic treatment as well as education, consultation and coaching on mental health and trauma, wellness and self-care, implicit bias and understanding mental illness in children of color.  Dr.

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews psychotherapist, author, consultant, coach and professor Dr. Nyasha Grayman. Dr. Grayman is the author of Seasonal Therapeutic Encounters with Nature Journal: 52 Experiences for Baltimoreans. Dr. Grayman specializes in helping African Americans who are grieving sudden, traumatic losses of someone important to them. In this conversation you'll hear: Why nature is helpful in healing from traumatic and complicated grief. How Dr. Grayman structures her therapy work with African American clients who are grieving due to sudden or violent death of someone they care about. Why she wrote her book in a journal format. How others can create similar books to hers. Dr. Nyasha Grayman is a licensed psychotherapist in Maryland, USA with certifications in grief counseling, trauma treatment, and telemental health. She holds a BA from Spelman College, an MA in Counseling from New York University, and a PhD in Counseling Psychology, also from New

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews therapist Brenda Stephens, LPCC, who is the author of two books on narcissistic abuse: Healing from Narcissistic Mothers: A Daughter’s Recovery Guide; and The Narcissism Recovery Workbook: Skills for Healing from Emotional Abuse. In this episode you will hear Laura and Brenda discuss: What Narcissistic Abuse is What therapists need to know about Narcissistic Abuse How surviving this type of abuse affects us during childhood and as adults The process of healing from Narcissistic Abuse Brenda Stephens is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in San Diego, CA. She works exclusively with those seeking help in resolving their experienced trauma. Brenda specializes in working with those who have been in relationships with narcissists and are recovering from the emotional, and sometimes physical, wounds they have endured in their relationships. Brenda has been working with this population for several years and is providing groups, w

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this first episode of 2022 Laura welcomes guest Dr. Lindsay Gibson, author of several books, including most recently, "Self Care for Children of Emotionally Immature Parents." Laura and Lindsay had a fascinating conversation about how emotionally immature parents - those whose emotional/attachment needs weren't met by their own parents - can affect their children's development. Lindsay explains identity formation in fascinating detail. Listen to this compassionate and eye-opening conversation about the pain of growing up with emotionally immature parents, how having emotionally immature parents can interfere with connecting to your authentic self, and how to move forward if this is your story. Lindsay C. Gibson, Psy.D. holds both a Masters and Doctoral Degree in clinical psychology. She has been a psychotherapist for over thirty years, working in diverse settings such as the Juvenile Court system, community mental health, psychiatric hospitals, group practice,

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a previous interview with Dr. Kristin Neff, the researcher and author who has made the concept of Self Compassion familiar to the mainstream. In this interview from earlier in 2021, Dr. Neff explains how women can use the "Mama Bear" energy of Fierce Self Compassion to set boundaries and be kind to themselves and others from a place of authenticity. This is a great episode to listen to as we transition to a new year. Kristin Neff is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies onbself-compassion almost twenty years ago. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she is author of the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. In conjunction with her colleague Dr. Chris Germer, she has developed an empirically supported t

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a previous interview with Sharon Martin, LCSW on surviving and thriving during the holidays, especially if your family relationships are "complicated."  Sharon Martin, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in codependency recovery with an online practice serving California residents. For the past 20 years, she’s been helping perfectionists and people-pleasers overcome self-doubt and shame, embrace their imperfections, learn to set boundaries, and reclaim their self-worth. Sharon writes the blog Conquering Codependency for Psychology Today and is the author of The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism and The Better Boundaries Workbook. Resources Sharon's website: https://www.livewellwithsharonmartin.com/ If you're a therapist specializing in trauma, join the Trauma Therapist Network while Founding Member pricing is still available and lock in the lowest price!  Clients with trauma are looking for the specialized serv

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a previous interview with Sharon Martin, LCSW on perfectionism. We often don't even realize that we're holding ourselves to impossibly high expectations. This issue especially comes up around the holidays when we tend to put pressure on ourselves to create a perfect experience that is more of a fantasy than reality.  Sharon Martin, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in codependency recovery with an online practice serving California residents. For the past 20 years, she’s been helping perfectionists and people-pleasers overcome self-doubt and shame, embrace their imperfections, learn to set boundaries, and reclaim their self-worth. Sharon writes the blog Conquering Codependency for Psychology Today and is the author of The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism and The Better Boundaries Workbook. Resources Sharon's website: https://www.livewellwithsharonmartin.com/ If you're a therapist specializing in trauma, join

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a previous interview with Sharon Martin, LCSW on the dynamics of dysfunctional families. While we are in the thick of the holiday season, this episode will resonate for many of us. Identifying what healthy family dynamics look like can be very helpful since we all grow up thinking the way our family does things is "the way it is" even if it really didn't work well for us. Combined with the information Sharon shared in her interview last week, this week's episode will be helpful for getting through the holidays.  Sharon Martin, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in codependency recovery with an online practice serving California residents. For the past 20 years, she’s been helping perfectionists and people-pleasers overcome self-doubt and shame, embrace their imperfections, learn to set boundaries, and reclaim their self-worth. Sharon writes the blog Conquering Codependency for Psychology Today and is the au

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's episode is timely as the holiday season is in full swing. In today's episode, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews returning guest Sharon Martin, LCSW about setting boundaries.  Sharon Martin, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in codependency recovery with an online practice serving California residents. For the past 20 years, she’s been helping perfectionists and people-pleasers overcome self-doubt and shame, embrace their imperfections, learn to set boundaries, and reclaim their self-worth. Sharon writes the blog Conquering Codependency for Psychology Today and is the author of The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism and The Better Boundaries Workbook. Resources Sharon's website: https://www.livewellwithsharonmartin.com/ Thank you to this week's sponsors! Sunset Lake CBD is created on a small farm outside of Burlington, Vermont that is a producer for Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.  Sunset Lake CBD customers support regenerative agriculture

NOTE: This episode is not medical advice. If you have questions about COVID, consult your doctor. Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan welcomes returning guest Kyle Davies back to the show. Laura and Kyle discuss their experiences recovering from COVID and some of the long term symptoms of fatigue and brain fog that they and others they know have experienced. Kyle shares his perspective on COVID and how he has used similar techniques to those he practices with people who have chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses to help reduce such symptoms.  Kyle's bio: I spent 5 years at 2 universities studying academic psychology. When I left I trained and volunteered as a telephone counsellor for a helpline for carers of sufferers of dementia and got a real taste of the discomforts life can bring. But my real passion to understand and reduce human suffering stemmed from my own struggles with anxiety, depression, and other symptoms. During my late teens and early twenties, I wa

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Erika Shershun, LMFT, a somatic trauma therapist in California who specializes in working with survivors of sexual trauma. In this episode you'll hear Erika, who is trained in EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, talk about the importance of embodiment - being present in our bodies - to the healing process and how sexual trauma can make it difficult to stay in our bodies. She discusses some of the common reactions to sexual trauma and explains how her book, Healing Sexual Trauma, offers daily practices for grounding, orienting, coming into safety and coming into presence. She even demonstrates an orienting practice she frequently uses with clients.   Guest's Bio:   Erika Shershun, LMFT is a somatic psychotherapist specializing in working with sexual trauma survivors. Her work is body based and trauma informed, incorporating neurobiology and EMDR to help ease and resolve symptoms. Passionate about getting the needed tools that elude

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! In this week's episode host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C interviews Jana Glass, LPC about how she uses Brainspotting with her clients who have perinatal trauma.  Jana Glass is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Certified in Addictions, Perinatal Mental Health, Brainspotting, and Telemental Health. She founded her private practice, Supportive Solutions, LLC, to support people healing from trauma, recovering from substance abuse, and improving Perinatal Mental Health including support with fertility challenges, miscarriage, stillbirths, difficult births, and Pre and Postpartum Mood and Anxiety disorders. Jana is passionate about serving the Perinatal Mental Health Community due to her own challenges faced on her journey to parenthood. She found personal healing through Brainspotting and is energized when educating helping professionals and birthgivers about this transformative approach. Jana is a Brainspotting Specialty trainer who conducts the two day Connecting the Rainbow: Bra

Welcome to episode 303 of the Therapy Chat Podcast with host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C. This week's episode features two previous fascinating conversations with Amy Sugeno, LCSW, PLLC. 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 how Eco Therapy can help create a balance. For the past 10 years, Amy has worked to help people heal from trauma. Most of her work has been with adults and teens affected by interpersonal violence and sexual abuse. Over the years, she has also worked with people struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-har

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits her interview with Dr. Mona Delahooke, a child psychologist, blogger and author who is spreading the message that the behavioral approach to understanding children's behavior is missing two important pieces. In her book and her blog she shares how children's behavior reflects their internal experience and their attempts to get their needs met, including the primary need for safety and attachment and sensory needs.  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 e

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week, in a replay episode, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C shares two past episodes from earlier this year. Laura interviewed infant and child therapy specialist Dr. Janet Courtney, who shares why she uses play therapy and expressive arts in her work with traumatized children and families. In part two she speaks about infant mental health and how she works with traumatized infants and their families. About this episode's guest: Janet A. Courtney, PhD, RPT-S is Founder of FirstPlay® Therapy (an infant play therapy model) and founder of the FirstPlayCafe blog. Dr. Courtney is author of, “Healing Child and Family Trauma through Expressive and Play Therapies: Art, Nature, Storytelling, Body and Mindfulness,” and author and Editor of the groundbreaking books, “Infant Play Therapy: Foundations, Models, Programs and Practice, “ and “Touch in Child Counseling and Play Therapy: An Ethical and Clinical Guide.”  She is a TEDx Speaker, a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor, and past chair

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we are celebrating 300 episodes. Therapy Chat Podcast started six years ago in August, 2015. Since then the show has been downloaded - as of today, which is October 18, 2021 - 4,296,070 times. Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C thanks everyone who has listened, whether this is your first time or you've listened from the start, and everyone in between. Today, to celebrate the 300th episode Laura shares some of the resources she recommends to people again and again. This list will be published on the Resources page of the Trauma Therapist Network site and will be updated as more resources are developed and as Laura learns about more resources that are out there. The information is organized into groupings based on whether the resource is focused on healing after trauma; training for therapists wanting to work with children and adults who have experienced trauma; and finding a therapist to help after experiencing trauma. Listener participation opportunity:  Share Your Favorite