In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Sheryl Woodhouse—Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) based in Lake Forest, California, specializing in grief, loss, and major life transitions. She helps adults and families navigate trauma, identity, and relationship challenges by integrating authenticity, practical boundaries, and body-based support for meaningful change.

Discover how Sheryl approaches survival, self-worth, and real-life healing—and shares practical insight on nervous-system regulation, boundary-building, and taking “baby steps” through change. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, growth, and mental health.

Timestamps
00:08 — Intro + Sheryl’s kidnapping survival story
00:55 — Fight/flight focus + how she tried to de-escalate
02:43 — Becoming a therapist later in life (Pepperdine at 35) Pepperdine University
04:54 — Why imperfection can make you more effective
11:50 — Authenticity + ethical self-disclosure in the therapy room
18:42 — “Nothing prepares you” + what helped her mentally disarm the moment
24:00 — Post-traumatic growth and the “pelts” of life experience
28:34 — “You’re not uniquely screwed up”—patterns, codependency, boundaries
42:05 — First steps when life changes overnight
49:35 — How to connect with Sheryl Woodhouse

Connect with Sheryl Woodhouse

• Website: borntobebalanced.com

• Email: [email protected]

• Instagram: @borntobebalanced_swlmft

• Facebook: Sheryl Woodhouse, LMFT – Born to be Balanced

• LinkedIn: Sheryl Woodhouse LMFT

• Location: Lake Forest, CA

About the Host
James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Natasha D’Arcangelo—QS, LMHC, LPC and Florida Qualified Supervisor based in Orlando, Florida, specializing in compassion fatigue education and resilience support for professional caregivers. She helps clinicians, nurses, educators, and other helpers navigate burnout and secondary trauma using practical nervous-system regulation and evidence-informed frameworks.

Discover how Natasha approaches compassion fatigue, why self-care alone isn’t the solution, and how caregivers can use simple tools to interrupt stress responses in real time. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, growth, and mental health.

00:00 — Welcome + Natasha’s background
00:47 — From teaching to clinical mental health counseling
04:10 — Why caregivers are vulnerable to compassion fatigue
08:51 — Why self-care isn’t the solution
11:14 — Compassion fatigue: burnout + secondary trauma
14:11 — ProQOL and measuring symptoms
15:01 — Self-regulation for sustainability in trauma work
22:05 — Nervous system “radar” and perceived threat
41:18 — Practical steps for caregivers under stress
50:57 — Brainspotting explained
59:24 — How to connect with Natasha D’Arcangelo

Connect with Natasha D’Arcangelo

• Business: LBee Health / D’Arcangelo Counseling & Consulting

• Website: https://lbeehealth.com/

• Website: https://natashalmhc.com/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-darcangelo/

• Email: [email protected]

• Location: Orlando, FL

• Licensed: DE, FL, IA, ID, MT, OR, SC, WA

About the HostJames Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Matt Young—life coach with qualifications in Hypnotherapy (RTT) and NLP based in London, UK, specializing in anxiety, fear, and helping people break emotional patterns that keep them stuck. He helps clients navigate panic, phobias, and performance-related fear using an integrative blend of mindset work, subconscious methods, and body-based strategies.

Discover how Matt approaches reframing anxiety as an experience rather than an identity and shares practical insight on perception-driven fear, emotional imprinting, and why “state first, strategy second” changes everything. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, growth, and mental health.

00:00 — Welcome + introducing Matt Young
00:32 — “You don’t have emotions… you use them” (reframing anxiety)
02:14 — Is anxiety a sign something matters?
03:56 — Anxiety and perception: why “small” things can trigger big fear
07:18 — Matt’s story: performance identity + internal fear
12:17 — Identity loss and rediscovering self beyond a role
16:07 — Detaching from external identities (work, status, roles)
30:20 — Body-first change: breath, posture, emotional state
39:07 — Getting unstuck from the past by finding meaning
46:25 — A practical takeaway: where do you want to be emotionally?
49:13 — How to connect with Matt Young

Website: www.mattyounglc.com
Instagram: @mattyounglc
Email: [email protected]

James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

🎧 Watch the full episode on Meet Your Mental Helper — where counselors and coaches share insights that help us all grow.
💬 Find Matt Young on our directory at www.mattyounglc.com.

⏱️ Timestamps (6–10)🌐 Connect with Matt Young🎙️ About the Host

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host James Weisbecker interviews Morgan Olivia deAmezola—LMHC and Qualified Supervisor based in Miami, Florida, specializing in trauma-informed counseling and recovery-oriented care. She helps adults navigate grief, addiction, and life disruption using lived experience, compassion, and clinical insight.

Discover how Morgan’s unexpected path into therapy was shaped by loss, family rupture, and trauma, and how those experiences inform her work today. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, growth, and mental health.

00:00 — Introduction
00:45 — Becoming a therapist by accident
01:20 — Family rupture as a turning point
01:55 — Choosing graduate school
02:08 — Entering the field through trauma
02:38 — How lived experience shapes clinical work
03:10 — The “fellow traveler” mindset
03:45 — How trauma informs compassion
04:20 — How to connect with Morgan Olivia deAmezola

Website: https://www.mightylotuscounseling.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgand255/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorgandeAmezola.LLC
Instagram: @mightylotuscounseling
Email: [email protected]

James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (AZ, CO)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (OH)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS🌐 CONNECT WITH MORGAN OLIVIA deAMEZOLA🎙️ ABOUT THE HOST

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Camryn Bryan—peer support specialist and graduate student therapy intern specializing in first episode psychosis care. Camryn works closely with individuals navigating psychotic symptoms, community education, and stigma reduction.

Discover how Camryn approaches psychosis through a trauma-informed, nervous-system lens, including neuroception, regulation, and recovery-oriented care. This conversation offers thoughtful insight into psychosis, identity, and compassionate mental health support.

00:00 — Camryn’s role in first episode psychosis care
02:00 — What psychosis actually is
04:00 — Psychosis as a traumatic experience
07:40 — Substance use and psychosis
11:50 — Why early education matters
35:30 — Nervous system regulation and neuroception
49:10 — Redefining recovery
56:00 — Closing reflections
58:00 — How to connect with Camryn Bryan

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camryn-bryan

James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (AZ, CO)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (OH)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (FL)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

TIMESTAMPSCONNECT WITH CAMRYN BRYANABOUT THE HOST

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Daniel Maxwell Rubin—LMHC, LPC based in Wilton Manors, Florida, specializing in men’s mental health and intensive outpatient care. He helps working professional men navigate depression, anxiety, addiction, and isolation using a clinically-driven IOP model focused on personalized treatment and strong therapeutic support.

Discover how Daniel approaches intensive outpatient programs (IOP), why he believes many higher levels of care miss the mark, and what makes gender-specific treatment effective for many men. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, growth, and mental health.

00:00 — Welcome + how Daniel describes his work
00:17 — Why Daniel believes the treatment system is broken
03:07 — What IOP is (and who it’s for)
05:17 — Private pay vs insurance + making care financially workable
07:41 — What’s typical in IOP vs a boutique clinical model
11:31 — Men’s mental health: silence, isolation, and suicide risk
14:30 — Ideal clients + what “chemsex” means
18:05 — Porn, dopamine, and why our biology hasn’t caught up to technology
25:13 — How corrections shaped Daniel’s view of addiction and systems
42:40 — Daniel’s recovery story and how it impacts his clinical work
1:00:24 — How to connect with Daniel Rubin

Website (IOP): www.southfloridamentalhealth.com
Website (Private Practice): www.transcendcounselingllc.com
Email: [email protected]
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transcendwellnessiop?_r=1&_t=ZT-92kCntNoswJ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transcend_wellness_iop?igsh=cXUzbW4zbTR1cnU3&utm_source=qr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DJXKfNCpo/?mibextid=wwXIfr
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@transcendwellnessiop?si=X5s7RpVo9zQ_Ecrh
Skool: https://www.skool.com/@daniel-rubin-9400?g=daniel-rubin-lmhc-lpc-4102

James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

⏱️ Timestamps (6–10)🌐 Connect with Daniel Maxwell Rubin🎙️ About the Host

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Patrick Thomas—LCSW-S and founder of Impact Counseling Services based in Phoenix, Arizona, specializing in individualized therapy, couples counseling, and clinical supervision. He helps individuals and couples navigate anxiety, depression, relationship stress, and major life challenges using an approach that emphasizes practical growth, mentorship, and real-world application.

Discover how Patrick approaches counseling with the goal that every session provides a meaningful takeaway, how he frames couples work beyond blame, and why strong supervision matters for the future of ethical therapy. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, growth, and mental health.

00:00 — Welcome + Patrick’s background
00:54 — Why Patrick built Impact Counseling Services: “impact” and real change
03:44 — “Leave with a nugget”: making sessions practical and growth-focused
05:21 — What LCSW-S means and why supervision is mentorship
11:36 — Where Impact Counseling Services is located + who they serve
12:26 — “Individualized treatment” and meeting clients where they are
17:24 — Working with justice-involved individuals and second chances
47:13 — Couples counseling misconceptions: “the couple is the client”
52:55 — Couples philosophy: what happened before the affair
1:07:26 — Therapy isn’t for the broken; it’s for the breathing
1:11:21 — How to connect with Patrick Thomas

Impact Counseling Services
Website: https://myimpactcounselingservices.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactcounselingservices2023
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/impact-counseling-services-llc-phoenix-az/1368992
Email: [email protected]
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

🎧 Watch the full episode on Meet Your Mental Helper — where counselors and coaches share insights that help us all grow.
💬 Find Patrick Thomas on our directory at https://myimpactcounselingservices.com

⏱️ Timestamps (6–10)🌐 Connect with Patrick Thomas🎙️ About the Host

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews John Weiman—relationship coach based in Baltimore, Maryland, specializing in Gottman-informed relationship support and practical connection-building tools. He helps couples and partners navigate conflict, emotional distance, and communication breakdowns using structured methods and real-world rituals of connection.

Discover how John approaches relationship repair, honoring your partner’s dream, and shifting criticism into communication that can be heard. This conversation highlights thoughtful, real-world perspectives on therapy, counseling, anxiety, trauma, coaching, and healing.

⏱️ Timestamps
— 00:03 Intro + why this episode is about making relationships work
— 03:00 Honoring your partner’s dream (and why it matters)
— 04:31 “I drank so I wouldn’t be alone” — the role of loneliness
— 08:14 The turning point and rebuilding life on purpose
— 14:18 Medical consequences and long-term costs of alcohol abuse
— 16:30 The transplant process and “why should we give you a liver?”
— 30:22 The most common couples pattern: criticism → defensiveness
— 34:33 Emotional “muscle memory” and changing reflexive conflict
— 58:56 Rituals of connection: “yogurt time” (and why it works)
— 1:06:14 How to connect with John Weiman

🌐 Connect with John Weiman
Website: www.lifebridgecoaching.com
Seminars: www.lifebridgeseminars.com
Email: [email protected]
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

🎙️ About the Host
James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

🎧 Watch the full episode on Meet Your Mental Helper — where counselors and coaches share insights that help us all grow.
💬 Find John Weiman on our directory at https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Ashley Pettway, APC—an associate-level therapist in Georgia who provides virtual therapy and mental health education through Sage Mental Wellness Center. Ashley’s work focuses on anxiety, trauma-informed care, burnout, and the ways systems and identity shape mental health.

Ashley shares how her early life experiences, disability advocacy work, and trauma-heavy clinical settings shaped her into a thoughtful, culturally responsive clinician. Together, Jim and Ashley unpack what clients often misunderstand about therapy, why progress can be subtle and still meaningful, and how validation creates safety for people who feel judged or guarded. Ashley also explains creative approaches like role play and psychodrama, and introduces brainspotting as a trauma-informed method that helps clients process what the nervous system has been holding.

Ashley also discusses therapist burnout, the realities of early career training, and why real self-care has to refill you, not just maintain you.

0:00 – Welcome & intro to Ashley Pettway
1:20 – Ashley’s journey into counseling and early life experiences
2:29 – Disability advocacy, systems, and identity
7:18 – Therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all (and progress doesn’t have to look “right”)
10:57 – How identity and lived experience show up in the therapy room
14:17 – What “subtle progress” looks like in trauma recovery
18:11 – Role play / psychodrama and creative therapy tools
34:10 – Therapist burnout and rebuilding capacity
39:45 – Brainspotting explained (and how it compares to EMDR)
46:51 – For people unsure about therapy: how to start
48:08 – What it feels like to do therapy with Ashley
50:59 – Burnout workbook + where to connect with Ashley

Practice or Business Name: Sage Mental Wellness Center

The practice website to book with me as a clinician: https://www.sagementalwellnesscenter.com/

Tiktok Account: @lowkey_therapy

Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/ashley-pettway-atlanta-ga/1430049

Best Email for Client Contact: [email protected]

Atlanta, Georgia

License & Credentials (if applicable): M.A., APC

James Weisbecker, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida)
Certified Life Coach (Global)

Counseling Website: https://frameofheartcounseling.com/
Podcast Website: https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker
Facebook: https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9
Email: [email protected]

⏱️ Timestamps🌐 Connect with Ashley Pettway🎙️ About the Host

In this episode of Meet Your Mental Helper, host Jim interviews Nathan Driskell, MA, LPC — a therapist, author, and public speaker based in the Houston/Cypress area of Texas, specializing in internet addiction and high-functioning autism. He helps teens, young adults, and adults — along with concerned parents — understand how technology, neurodiversity, and anxiety intersect so they can create real, sustainable change instead of staying stuck in online escape.Discover how Nathan uses behavioral strategies, desensitization work, structure, and deep psychoeducation to guide clients through internet and gaming addiction, sensory overload, social anxiety, and the unique challenges of high-functioning autism. He shares his own story of being a “high-functioning” online gaming addict, the brain and body consequences that followed, and what finally helped him quit, rebuild his life, and now help others do the same. Nathan also talks about his three 30-day workbooks for autistic adults, individuals struggling with electronics addiction, and parents trying to regain healthy balance at home.-

⏱️ Timestamps0:00 – Introduction to Nathan Driskell & his background 1:05 – “My job is to induce change” – how Nathan defines therapy 2:14 – Gen Z, social skills, and growing up on phones 5:22 – Born premature, developmental delays, and an undiagnosed autism story 9:41 – Becoming addicted to a text-based online game and “being a god” 14:54 – Three core warning signs of internet and gaming addiction 20:53 – The shower moment, quitting cold turkey, and rebuilding a real life 26:06 – Healthy obsessions vs. turning work and hobbies into new addictions 36:11 – Autism, online personas, and why online worlds feel safer 40:41 – Sensory issues, fluorescent lights, textures, and desensitization 54:32 – Speaking for the FBI about internet addiction and autism 57:21 – Nathan’s three books and 30-day activity guides 1:00:55 – Final thoughts and how to connect with Nathan

🌐 Connect with Nathan DriskellWebsite: https://mathandriskell.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ndriskell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathandriskelltherapy email: [email protected]

🎙️About the Host**James Weisbecker, LPC** Licensed Professional Counselor (Arizona, Colorado) Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (Ohio) Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Florida) Certified Life Coach (Global) **Counseling Website:** https://frameofheartcounseling.com/ **Podcast Website:** https://meetyourmentalhelper.com/ **Instagram:** https://instagram.com/jamesaweisbecker **Facebook:** https://facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559260102139 **LinkedIn:** https://linkedin.com/in/james-a-weisbecker-1b28841b9 **Email:** [email protected]