ShrinksChat

The theme music from "Encanto", the latest Disney epic, has displaced Adele at the top of the charts. With the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" in mind, Monica and Annette discuss what the movie teaches about the perils of keeping secrets within families. 

How hiding issues, and failing to confront fears, will lead to  further trouble down the line. And how to deal with those demons with families and friends.

This week, Monica and Annette discuss the take-aways from Gary Chapman's best-selling book, and how we can revive, improve or sustain our loving relationships with simple steps.  

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Languages-Secret-that-Lasts/dp/080241270X

This episode first aired in April, 2021

Pic: Anthony Tran on "Unsplash"

There's been an alarming rise in the numbers of teenage suicides, accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic. This week, Monica and Annette discuss how to spot the signs of a teen in trouble, and suggest strategies and resources for reaching out, starting a conversation, and offering help. 

Sarah Phinney is an Emmy Award-winning traffic anchor for ABC Action News (WFTS) in Tampa, Florida. 

When the Pandemic hit, she launched "Sarah's Walking Club" on Facebook to encourage people to get healthy outdoor exercise, while visiting new places in their area. Now, the group has more than 15-thousand members sharing stories, experiences and pictures of the local wildlife and countryside. 

She tells Monica and Annette how the Club has changed lives during Covid-19. 

Join, or start your own walking club here!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/469330897365577/

Or check out Monica and Annette's FB page here:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=shrinks%20chat

The Shrinkschat ladies are joined by Kelli Cross, MD, FAAP, from Complete Wellness Pediatrics in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. 

Dr. Cross says the "typical" American diet can damage not just our physical health, but our mental wellbeing as well. And she has great suggestions for alternative foods for both adults and kids, and how to gain buy-in from our children for healthy dinner-time changes.    

Monica and Annette celebrate the New Year with some practical optimism about the benefits of mindfulness from Dr. Stacy Grossman, Psy.D. 

Doctor Stacy is a licensed clinical psychologist, and the Director of the Center for Brain Recovery at Hanley Center at Origins. 

They discuss some of the amazing tools to enable effective meditation and mindfulness, and how to better connect our bodies with our brains.  

Pic: Spenser Sembrat on Unsplash

We're celebrating our 100th episode of ShrinksChat ! And we realized our show launch coincided with the beginning of the Covid pandemic, which has changed everyone's lives.

We look back at the advice we have given, how it has changed through the pandemic, and discuss what it's like to be a therapist experiencing the same challenges as many of our clients.  

Pic: Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash.com

The rollercoaster ride of Covid-19 strains has made many people feel they're simply "languishing". In this episode, which first aired in May 2021, Annette and Monica discuss how to convert that feeling into "flourishing" by taking simple steps to rejuvenate your daily life.  

Rachel chats with Monica and Annette about relationships and mental survival during the holiday season. She has more than ten years of experience in the field of mental health. She works with adults and older adolescents in the areas of relationship struggles, trauma, anxiety, abuse, mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorders. Using a holistic approach, her modalities include, but are not limited to EMDR, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, and solution focused.

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

Monica and Annette reflect on grief, and how it can often be magnified at holiday times, when families get together, sometimes surfacing memories of those we have lost. This could be especially magnified this year, as we continue to cope with the Covid pandemic.