As the holidays get ever nearer, it becomes more and more important to support and protect ourselves in triggering family situations. As therapists, Jenn and Audriannah find that this challenge is front and center during the holiday season for a variety of reasons, and we may need guidance to stay grounded and authentic. The ladies discuss different ways that this shows up in the therapy room, and how we can use the DBT skill of Radical Acceptance to stay focused on ourselves and ...

In this very special episode of Therapedia, Jenn and Audriannah record together in person for the very first time since the podcast launched. Recording the day before Thanksgiving, the ladies discuss the comfort - and pressure - that family traditions can bring, particularly around the holidays. Audriannah and Jenn discuss favorite family traditions and their meanings, as well as what traditions teach us about our cultural or family values. During the holiday season when h...

This week, Jenn and Audriannah let their hair down and discuss a variety of topics, while playing Therapy The Board Game (published in 1986). The conversation twists and turns through some light topics - like the politics of high school lockers, sweaty stress dreams, and Polly Pocket - as well as some heavier topics - like the multiverse, scarcity vs. abundance, and shadow work. Also, the ladies discuss what it is like to be a therapist meeting someone new and to be asked the que...

In their 40th podcast episode, Jenn and Audriannah tackle a hot-button topic in therapy: psychotropic medications. The ladies discuss a therapist's perspective about when to consider including medications as part of your mental health care, as well as the concerns and fears that often arise for clients when this topic is raised. Jenn and Audriannah address the commonly-expressed reservations that clients share in therapy, including beliefs or stigmas about being "weak," "crazy," o...

Are you someone who feels deeply impacted by your environment and the shifting moods of the people in your life? If so, this episode is for you! Today, Audriannah and Jenn discuss the 15-20% of the population who may be considered "Highly Sensitive People" (HSP). The ladies define this fairly new term, discuss how it is viewed from a clinician's perspective, and identify why some people consider it a 'superpower' despite the challenges of being an HSP. Audriannah and ...

How often have you heard the phrase "doing the work?" This colloquialism is used in a variety of ways these days, from self-help books to social media to the social justice arena. In this episode, Audriannah and Jenn take a moment to define - as therapists - what "doing the work" means in a therapeutic context. How do you know if you're getting the most bang out of your buck in therapy, and what might be some signs that you're avoiding change? As therapists, we see peo...

This week's episode tackles a topic that seems to be universal and that we therapists discuss almost constantly in sessions: people-pleasing. As folks are reconnecting with people in their lives, many people are discovering internal and external pressure to contort themselves to adapt to others' perceptions and expectations of them. Jenn and Audriannah provide information about how people-pleasing behaviors develop from and relate to codependency, the fawn trauma response, and fam...

Therapedia the Podcast is excited to welcome Chelsea Anderson - writer, social media content creator, and podcaster - to this week's episode. Jenn and Audriannah interview Chelsea about her battles with anxiety and depression as well as her recovery from a substance abuse disorder. Chelsea speaks openly about how the shame of not living authentically as a queer person colored this experience, and how finding community helped her develop the tools and resources needed to recover.Ab...

In this unique episode, Audriannah and Jenn explore a concept often discussed in therapeutic settings: meaning-making. Coming from the core frameworks of narrative therapy and existentialism as well as spiritual influences, therapists often help people uncover the meaning in their suffering to support mental health recovery. This episode is a fluid, open discussion of how practicing meaning-making has shifted the quality of life for Jenn and Audriannah, as well as many of their cl...

In this episode of the "Normalize Recovery" series, Jenn and Audriannah discuss the colloquial (maybe even overused?) concept of "dysfunctional" with regards to relationships and provide a working definition to help listeners more clearly understand what relationship dysfunction means to them. The ladies discuss how being misaligned on the spectrum of distance and enmeshment can be related to childhood attachment wounding and lead to long-term dissatisfaction, resentment, irritability, ...