Insights and Actions

Decades of head-to-head research keep landing in the same uncomfortable place: when you compare major therapy approaches against each other, almost none comes out meaningfully ahead. Researchers call it the dodo bird verdict — everybody wins, everybody gets a prize.So if the model isn't what predicts whether therapy helps, what is?Matt Christian, LCSW, LSATP, Craig James, LCSW, LSATP, MAC, and Johnny Pierce, PsyD get into what the research actually says, where it breaks down (OCD and specific phobias are real exceptions), and the harder problem underneath it: how is anyone supposed to tell a good therapist from a bad one when therapists themselves are terrible at judging it?They also talk through the holidays, why family gatherings pull grown adults back into old roles, and what each of them has changed their mind about clinically — including Johnny on why he stopped telling people to walk away from difficult relationships.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:44) The Holidays and Psychology

(10:00) Does the type of therapy matter?

(22:13) What we changed out mind about

Follow the Insights & Actions for new episodes.Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightbehavioralcentersFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsightBehavioralCentersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insight-centersInsight Into Action Therapy: https://insightintoaction.comInsight Recovery Centers: https://insightrecoverycenters.com

Your brain's left hemisphere fabricates stories about your own behavior. In this episode, we unpack the split-brain research that reveals the brain's built-in "interpreter," and what it means for therapy, relationships, political beliefs, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Plus: we celebrate three years of podcasting together, and close with real talk on back-to-school anxiety, including why your kid might be fine and your own anxiety might be the problem.Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(00:19) 3 Years of Insights & Actions(06:07) Split Brain Research, the Interpreter, Narratives(21:19) Back to School Anxiety and Advise for ParentsMatt Christian, Dr. Johnny Pierce, and Craig James are licensed mental health clinicians at Insight Into Action Therapy in Ashburn and Fairfax, Virginia.Follow Insights & Actions for new episodes.Websites:Insight Into Action Therapy: https://insightintoaction.comInsight Recovery Centers: https://insightrecoverycenters.comFollow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightbehavioralcentersFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsightBehavioralCentersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insight-centersOffices in Ashburn and Fairfax, Virginia.

Self-care has become one of those terms that can mean everything and nothing. We decided to actually examine it. In this episode, Matt, Johnny, and Craig do question it — where the concept came from, how it got commercialized, why it sometimes shames people more than it helps them, and what might actually be more useful: structure, honesty, and human connection.We dig into the real history of self-care (it's more interesting than you'd expect), why "mental health days" can be problematic, the difference between rigidity and flexibility, and why Craig wants to bring back pagers.Matt Christian, Dr. Johnny Pierce, and Craig James are licensed mental health clinicians at Insight Into Action Therapy in Ashburn and Fairfax, Virginia.Subscribe to Insights & Actions for new episodes.Websites:Insight Into Action Therapy: https://insightintoaction.comInsight Recovery Centers: https://insightrecoverycenters.comFollow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insightbehavioralcentersFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsightBehavioralCentersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insight-centersOffices in Ashburn and Fairfax, Virginia.

Our brains hate uncertainty. In times like these - war, division, violence, AI -  we can be stuck scanning for danger, filling in the blanks, and imaging worst case scenarios. Three therapists discuss how this plays out in the therapy office and beyond. "How we relate to uncertainty is a defining feature of our lives." Tips for how to respond to uncertainty, disillusionment, and anxiety. Discussions on collective defense mechanisms, surprising research, parenting, exposure therapy, race, danger, helplessness, and more!

The Insights & Actions podcast takes you behind the scenes with practicing therapists to hear what they're talking about when out of session.

Insights & Actions is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for working directly with a mental health or medical professional.

Insight Into Action Therapy is an award winning mental health and substance use disorder outpatient treatment practice in Loudoun County, Virginia offering mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples, addiction treatment, psychological testing, and medication management. 

insightactiontherapy.com

Only 26% of men in therapy say they want to be understood. That stat stopped us in our tracks. Three male therapists react to a Wall Street Journal article about the state of men in therapy — and share what we see from the other side of the couch. We talk about the history of gender bias in psychology, how it shows up in couples therapy, what healing looks like outside the office, and what it's actually like being a male therapist in a female-dominated field.The Insights & Actions podcast takes you behind the scenes with practicing therapists to hear what they're talking about when out of session. Insights & Actions is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for working directly with a mental health or medical professional. Insight Into Action Therapy is an award winning mental health and substance use disorder outpatient treatment practice in Loudoun County, Virginia offering mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples, addiction treatment, psychological testing, and medication management.insightactiontherapy.com#mensmentalhealth #therapy #maletherapist #couplestherapy #mentalhealth #insightsandactions

Go inside the recovery / addiction treatment industry: The good and bad of recovery homes, Kratom legislation, personal stories of recovery., loneliness of early sobriety, can psychology become cult-like? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) & Internal Family Systems (IFS), Narcan, 12-steps, AA, NA, and therapy / counseling.Chrissy Chow is the executive director of Insight Recovery Centers, a clinician, and advocate for reforms to help those suffering from substance use disorders.The Insights & Actions podcast takes you behind the scenes with practicing therapists to hear what they're talking about when out of session.Insights & Actions is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for working directly with a mental health or medical professional.Insight Into Action Therapy is an award winning mental health and substance use disorder outpatient treatment practice in Loudoun County, Virginia offering mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples, addiction treatment, psychological testing, and medication management. insightactiontherapy.cominsightrecoverycenters.com

Practicing therapists tell stories of life transitions, discuss research on life-stages and happiness, and real fatherhood. Licensed mental health therapists Craig James, Johnny Pierce, and Matt Christian host the Insights & Actions podcast. They take you behind the scenes to hear what practicing therapists talk about when they're out of session.Insights & Actions is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for working directly with a mental health or medical professional.Insight Into Action Therapy is an award winning mental health and substance use disorder outpatient treatment practice in Loudoun County, Virginia offering mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples, addiction treatment, psychological testing, and medication management. insightactiontherapy.com

Therapists talk about when therapy might not be needed, powerful tools you can use now, therapy and dating, powerful questions to ask yourself, and much more!Therapy can be a powerful tool for change; we love therapy and have dedicated much of our life to providing these services, but is it always what's needed now?This show is educational and not therapy, diagnosis, or medical advice.

Practicing therapists discuss how we project and blame others, stoicism, Buddhism, allowing kids to fail, courage, and much more. Licensed mental health therapists Craig James, Johnny Pierce, and Matt Christian host the Insights & Actions podcast. They take you behind the scenes to hear what practicing therapists talk about when they're out of session.Insights & Actions is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for working directly with a mental health or medical professional.Insight Into Action Therapy is an award winning mental health and substance use disorder outpatient treatment practice in Loudoun County, Virginia offering mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples, addiction treatment, psychological testing, and medication management. insightactiontherapy.com

The Insights & Actions podcast sits down with defense attorney Jeff Mangino for a powerful, real-world conversation about the intersection of mental health, therapy, and the criminal justice system.Jeff opens up about his personal experiences with therapy, how life events like divorce and family struggles shaped his perspective, and why he believes counseling is crucial — not just for his clients, but for himself.Together, Jeff sits down with us to explore:– The emotional toll of working in criminal defense– Why mental health treatment can change legal outcomes– What it’s like to refer his clients to therapy– Personal stories of growth, resilience, and healingIf you’re a mental health professional, a lawyer, or just curious about how therapy fits into the justice system, -- don’t don’t miss this episode of the Insights & Actions podcast.The Insights & Actions podcast takes you behind the scenes with practicing therapists to hear what they're talking about when out of session.Insights & Actions is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for working directly with a mental health or medical professional.Insight Into Action Therapy is an award winning mental health and substance use disorder outpatient treatment practice in Loudoun County, Virginia offering mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, and couples, addiction treatment, psychological testing, and medication management. insightactiontherapy.com