Sexuality is an often misunderstood and difficult subject for people to talk about. Molly Eames has devoted her career to having these discussions in a nonjudgment way that is more about education. Today we talk about the way to get what you want from your intimate relationship. We also talk about the ways that sexuality can change as we age.

Molly's website
https://www.mollyeames.com/

How to talk to kids about porn
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-porn_n_5bc4f3f5e4b09e4cc9b81f5b?ncid=yhpf

An article on what ethical porn is and why it's important
https://www.gq.com/story/how-to-watch-porn-ethically

What if you went to school and got at least a Masters Degree and a license from the state and practiced your profession for decades and then were told that you were not qualified for your job. That is exactly what happened to Licensed Professional Counselors in the state of Michigan. This kind of thing could happen in any state.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/17/mental-health-counselors/4011114002/

Are you in a toxic relationship? Do you know the difference between typical relationship issues and toxicity? Today we are going to talk about signs that many people accept as "normal" that are not and how to counter them.

https://markmanson.net/toxic-relationship-habits

I think we can all agree that the world could benefit from people displaying greater levels of self-control. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Psych with Mike is here to help with an episode all about how to maintain self-control in difficult situations. 

https://www.learning-mind.com/how-to-have-self-control-difficult-situations/

Rigid thinking is the antithesis to mindfulness. Confronting rigid thinking and even learning how to replace it with more flexible thinking leads to better health both psychologically and physically. This process takes time and practice but through the use of thought-stopping techniques and mindfulness psychological flexibility is achievable.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/201909/psychological-flexibility-core-mental-health-asset

The use of hypnosis can also benefit in the development of more flexible thinking patterns.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2752362/

A lot of people go to therapy and talk about wanting to improve their self-esteem, but how many of those people really understand what self-esteem really is. In this episode of Psych with Mike, Brett and I explore what self-esteem is and why it matters. 

When couples go to therapy they often don't know whether they are trying to "put things back together" or figuring out how to separate. Counseling can help individuals in this situation, as well as the larger family system, evaluate what they actually are searching for. Additionally, the system can be challenged to explore what unconscious motivations drive their behaviors and options for change. 

Many parents experience anxiety and frustration over what is often called "failure to launch' with their children. There are surprising statistics associated with this situation. For example, the average age of first time financial independence in the U.S. is 27 years old. The most extreme manifestation of this are adolescents/young adults who have no job or even motivation to find employment beyond graduation from high school or college.

More information on James Marcia's theory on adolescent achievement.

 https://www.learning-theories.com/identity-status-theory-marcia.html 

Almost no one ever considers why they are attracted to the people they are. Many become attached to significant others who display the same dysfunctional behavior in a series of unsatisfying relationships. Understanding this process can lead to true liberation and healthy and satisfying connections with a true partner.

Information on replaying experiences for childhood can be found in the work of Harville Hendrix:

https://coupleslearn.com/childhood-affecting-romantic-relationship/ 

Information on how childhood scripts affect us from Eric Berne's Transactional Analysis:

https://counsellingtutor.com/counselling-approaches/transactional-analysis/life-scripts-in-transactional-analysis/ 

Most people have no idea what the letters after the names of professionals are or mean. Today on Psych with Mike we are going to demystify this alphabet soup.