In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Nick Thompson from Netflix's hit reality series Love is Blind. Nick is a human connections expert, marketing executive, podcast host, mental health advocate, and founding member of the UCAN foundation, which aims to provide legal and mental health support to past, current, and future reality TV cast members. In this episode, Nick discusses his experiences with mental health throughout his childhood, teen years, and early 20s leading up to being cast on Love is Blind. We dive into how Love is Blind and, more broadly, being on reality TV impacted Nick and others' mental health including during filming and after filming wrapped. We discuss misconceptions about being on reality TV and what inspired Nick to cofound the UCAN Foundation. Nick discusses the mission of the UCAN Foundation and the impact it has already have. Further, we discussed Nick's passion for mental health, using his platform to discuss mental health, particularly as a man, and men's mental health.

Connect with Nick:

Podcast: Eyes Wide Open

Instagram: @nthompson513

LinkedIn: Nick Thompson

TikTok: @nickthompson513

Website: www.engagewithnick.com

UCAN Foundation

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Intro/Outro Music:

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Dr. Thai Alonso (aka Dr. T) a licensed clinical psychologist, all about the challenges of being a therapist. Dr. T shares a little about her background and clinical work, as well as why she feels it is important to discuss the challenges of being a therapist. We cover a variety of challenges therapists face, ranging from not feeling good enough, transference and countertransference, logistical challenges, challenges of working with minors, among many more. We could not possibly have covered all of the challenges of being a therapist; however, our hope with this discussion is to normalize experiencing these challenges for other therapists, as well as add a humanness side to being therapists for clients. Further, Dr. T offers words of advice and encouragement for any therapist currently facing challenges.

Connect with Dr. T:

TikTok: @drt_therapist

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Intro/Outro Music:

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) which is classified as an eating disorder added to the DSM-5 in 2013. In this episode, I discuss what ARFID is and what it is not. I provide information about causes of, risk factors for, correlates of, prevalence rates, and gender-related data on ARFID, given the limited information we currently have on ARFID. I discuss various treatment options for ARFID and how parents can support their child with ARFID, as we tend to see this diagnosis occur more frequently in children and teens than adults.

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Intro/Outro Music:

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Dr. Kristen Casey, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, all about insomnia. Dr. Kristen discusses her journey to becoming an insomnia expert and how she happened to fall in love with sleep. She defines what insomnia is for listeners and discusses the differences between acute and chronic insomnia. Dr. Kristen discusses some of the causes of insomnia and we discuss insomnia in marginalized individuals and how racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately impacted by sleep problems. Dr. Kristen then goes on to discuss treatments for insomnia, as well as discusses tips to enhance sleep quality in individuals who may not have insomnia but still struggle with sleep. We even have an in depth discussion about sunrise alarm clocks! Further, Dr. Kristen discusses her recent book on insomnia.

Connect with Dr. Kristen:

IG: @drkristencasey

TikTok: @drkristencasey

Youtube: Kristen Casey, PsyD

Podcast: Welcome to Group Therapy

Book: Insomnia Doc's Guide to Restful Sleep

Mentioned in this Episode:

National Sleep Foundation

Sunrise Alarm Clock

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Emily Maynard, LMFT in California about purity culture and religious trauma. Emily discusses her own experiences in purity culture and how she started deconstructing her beliefs. Emily defines purity culture for listeners and a highlights the multiple aspects that purity culture encompasses. We discuss the negative impact of purity culture on individuals, especially girls and women and how it impacts the relationship with the self, as well as others. Emily discusses how dysfunctional family systems and beliefs also play a role in contributing to and maintaining purity culture and how dysfunctional family systems impact one's ability to start healing from purity culture. At the end of the episode, Emily provides encouragement to anyone who has gone through their own religious trauma or is on their own healing journey from purity culture.

Connect with Emily:

IG: @emilymaynardlmft

Website: www.emilymaynardtherapy.com

Mentioned in this Episode:

#ChurchToo

The Purity Myth

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I chat with Christina Ennabe, LCMHC about Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) for OCD. Christina is an OCD specialist who, after working with clients with OCD, was diagnosed with OCD herself. We discuss Christina's experience getting diagnosed with OCD and how that impacted how she approaches treatment with her clients. Christina defines for listeners what OCD is and describes a lesser known treatment for OCD Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT). Christina describes the differences and similarities between ICBT and Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) and why the various approaches for OCD may work better for certain individuals. We discuss the beneficial effects of ICBT for individuals with OCD. Further, Christina shares about her course that she has created for individuals with OCD which features ICBT skills.

Connect with Christina:

IG: @christinacounsels

Website: www.christinaennabe.com

Mentioned in this Episode:

www.ICBT.online

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG ⁠@jessicaleighphd⁠

Follow the podcast on IG ⁠@psych.talk.podcast⁠

Follow me on TikTok ⁠@jessicaleighphd⁠

Follow me on ⁠Youtube⁠ 

⁠Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast⁠

Join my Facebook community: ⁠Grow Through What You Go Through⁠

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Intro/Outro Music:

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so for today's episode of Psych Talk I address many of the current trends in mental health. First, I summarize findings of Mental Health America's "The State of Mental Health In America" survey that looks at rates of mental health and substance abuse disorders in the United States, as well as topics related to access to care. Next, I discuss various trends we have seen in mental health over the past few years including employee burnout, increasing access to mental health care, the use of technology in mental health care, and reducing stigma. Third, I go over the American Psychological Association's 11 Emerging Trends for 2023, which addresses what is ahead of psychologists and the field. Some of the emerging trends covered include getting psychological science out to a wider audience, combating misinformation, becoming more inclusive in research, and focusing on youth mental health and suicide prevention. Although these trends are specifically for psychologists, they can be applied to other mental health professionals as well.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The State of Mental Health In America

American Psychological Association’s 11 Emerging Trends for 2023

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Intro/Outro Music:

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I discuss the symptom overlap in mental health diagnoses as classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. As many people are aware, there are various symptoms of mental health disorders that are found across multiple diagnoses, which can complicate getting the correct diagnosis or result in individuals receiving multiple diagnoses based on a few symptoms. A few weeks ago, there was a paper, Elemental Psychopathology: Distilling constituent symptoms and patterns of repetition in the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5, going around Twitter that researched the overlap in symptoms across mental health diagnoses. In this episode, I break down the methods and findings of the research paper and discuss implications of such, including how this impacts diagnosing, both by a mental health professional and self-diagnosis, as well as research implications. Further, I discussed proposed alternative classification systems to the DSM including RDoc, Network Analysis, and HiTOP.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Elemental Psychopathology: Distilling constituent symptoms and patterns of repetition in the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5

Connect with Me:

Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd

Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast

Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd

Follow me on Youtube 

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast

Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:

Mind Over Matter

LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass

Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:

Anti-Racism Resources

LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources

The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Intro/Outro Music:

Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod

Music License

In today's episode of Psych Talk, I speak with Jalon Johnson, a podcast host and human who is using his voice and platform to share about his healing experience. The episode opens with Jalon reading a piece of his writing about his healing journey. We discuss his experiences with mental health and therapy growing up, his experiences as a black man in relation to the discussion of mental health and therapy, and what ultimately led him to seek therapy. Jalon talks about his experience in Internal Family Systems therapy and the healing that has come from it. Jalon shares his journey getting to know the parts of himself he was never able to express before and what he has learned from his mental health and healing journey so far. Further, Jalon offers words of advice and encouragement for anyone who is considering starting their healing journey.
Connect with Jalon:
IG: @londonspop
Podcast IG: @notyourordinaryparts
Not Your Ordinary Parts Podcast
Mentioned in this Episode:
Episode 132 | Internal Family Systems with Rachel Forbes, LCSW
Connect with Me: 

Follow me on IG ⁠@jessicaleighphd⁠ 

Follow the podcast on IG ⁠@psych.talk.podcast⁠ 

Follow me on TikTok ⁠@jessicaleighphd⁠ 

Follow me on ⁠Youtube⁠  ⁠

Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast⁠ 

Join my Facebook community: ⁠Grow Through What You Go Through

Ways to Work With Me:
Mind Over Matter
LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass
Be a guest on my podcast
Resources:
Anti-Racism Resources
LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources
The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting
Intro/Outro Music:
Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod
Music License

On today's episode of Psych Talk I chat with Rachel Forbes, LCSW about Internal Family Systems (IFS). Internal Family Systems is an evidence-based psychotherapy intervention that focuses on getting to know parts of ourselves so that our whole self can be come integrated and heal. Rachel describes how she first became introduced to IFS and how it impacted her own healing journey. She then goes on to describe the various parts of IFS - the exiles, protectors, and the Self - and gives listeners examples of such. Rachel discusses the various presenting problems IFS can be used for and some of the outcomes she has seen in her clients. As an American transracial and transcultural adoptee, Rachel also works with adoptees using this model and we discuss how IFS can be particularly beneficial for adoptees. At the end of our discussion Rachel informs listeners on how to seek out an IFS therapist if interested. 

Connect with Rachel:
IG: @rachelforbes.lcsw
Facebook: Rachel Forbes, LCSW
Website: www.forbespsychotherapy.com

Mentioned in this Episode:
IFS-Intitute.com
Derek Scott YouTube

Ways to Work With Me:
Mind Over Matter
LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass
Be a guest on my podcast

Resources:
Anti-Racism Resources
LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources
The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting

Connect with Me:
Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd
Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast
Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd
Follow me on Youtube
Welcome to Group Therapy Podcast
Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through

Intro/Outro Music:
Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod
Music License

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