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Imagine getting a call one afternoon that your firstborn 12 year old child went into cardiac arrest while playing at a friend's house. Welcome to Episode 26 of Therapists IRL, where Jen & Steph talk with colleague Kati Saul.  Kati shares her experience of navigating the scary journey of medical trauma as her son went through the process of receiving and adjusting to a heart transplant. Join us as she shares her emotional and ultimately hopeful story.   

Kati's Practice:

www.hiddentreasurestherapy.com

Contact Therapists IRL at:

Instagram: TherapistsIRL
[email protected]

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

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Ever feel like you're one missed coffee away from a meltdown? Yeah, us too.  Listen, adulting is hard, but there are some things we can do to lighten our load, and they start with an understanding of EQ-- emotional intelligence.

In Episode 25 of Therapists IRL, Jen and Steph talk about how to float your own boat, how to resist the urge to throat-punch the guy who cut you off in traffic, and why crying in the shower is actually a sign of emotional strength.

Inspired by the very wise words of Brianna Wiest, author of 101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think, Jen and Steph cover her essay entitled 10 Things Emotionally Intelligent People Do Not Do.  Whether you're an emotional maestro or a hot mess express, this episode is your ticket to calm, cool, and collected.

Resources:

101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think, by Brianna Wiest

Emotional Intelligence Test Psychology Today
Psychology Today  Emotional Intelligence
 

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

Another one of those potentially hard days just passed (in the US)...Father's Day. Welcome to Episode 24 of Therapists IRL, where Jen and Steph reflect on their relationships with their own dads, and share a few fond memories. We were lucky enough to both have pretty darn good Dads, and we also acknowledge that it may have been a tough day for many of our listeners who didn't.  Whether you have a father, are a father, or want to be a father, this one's for you. 

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

It's the fight you pick with your partner after a horrible day at work. It's the 3 hours you spend scrolling social media instead of making the phone call you've been dreading. It's the sugary sweet way you greet that neighbor you simply can't stand.  Welcome to Therapists IRL, Episode 21, where Jen and Steph dive into defense mechanisms.

Defense mechanisms serve a purpose. They protect us when we feel emotionally unsafe or too vulnerable. We've all got 'em and we've all used 'em.  Some, however, are less helpful than others. In this episode, Jen and Steph talk about some of the most common defense mechanisms, and as always, get real about our own lives.

Resources:

A link to the quiz Jen & Steph took in the episode: 
https://psychologia.co/defense-mechanisms/

Jen's Blog:
When Good Becomes Bad: The Truth About Socially Accepted Avoidance

Therapists IRL Contact Info:

Email: [email protected]
Instagram: TherapistsIRL

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

What can you do when your "bestie" of 35 years suddenly decides the friendship isn't cutting it for her anymore and makes a unilateral decision to end it...without ever talking to you beforehand about why???  Welcome to Therapists IRL, Episode 22, where Jen revisit the trajectory of friendships - the good, the bad, and the heartbreaking. 

This week, Jen and Steph get real about how people-pleasing, avoiding conflict, and not communicating your feelings, wants, and needs in a relationship is not just damaging to you, but also to those you're in a relationship with.

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

June is World Infertility Awareness Month. A gentle trigger warning for our listeners.  If you have dealt with pregnancy loss and/or infertility, take care in listening to this episode.  I (Steph) would not have been able to listen to it at certain points of my story. Welcome to Episode 21 of Therapists IRL, where Steph shares about her painful 6-year journey walking the lonely path of infertility, only to come out on the other side with no little one to hold. Childless Not By Choice, Steph shares some of the details of her process, as well as the hope-filled and hard-won freedom from her years of grief.   We hope that hearing this story  brings you something you need in your own journey.

Resources:

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
Homepage | RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

Not So Mommy - A Blog for the Childless Not by Choice
Not So Mommy - Living this imperfectly perfect life

There are many Facebook Support groups.  
Childless Not by Choice
Childless Not by Choice: Embracing Life
The Childless Life

Find us:

Instagram:  TherapistsIRL
Email:  [email protected]

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

Have you ever felt impending doom? Gone to the ER thinking you might be dying? Obsessively pictured terrible outcomes to normal every day scenarios?   Welcome to Episode 20, where Jen & Steph chat with fellow therapist Nikki Blakesley about her battle with lifelong anxiety.  Anxiety is tricky. Sometimes it just feels normal to imagine the worst possible outcome of a situation so that you feel prepared in case it happens. Join us as we chat with Nikki about how she discovered that she had been anxious her whole life. And her secrets to recovery and peace. 

Nikki's Website: https://www.artfullyyoutherapy.com/

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

You walk into the house on your 18th birthday and hear "Surprise!" Your friends are all there, there's pizza, cake, and presents. Why do you feel like you're about to burst into tears? Welcome to Therapists IRL Episode 19, where Jen and Steph tackle the topic of depression, and Jen shares her personal journey living with low-level depression and S.A.D.,  hiding pain behind a smile. 

Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, and Seasonal Affective Disorder are fancy names for feeling like crap. In this episode, we chat about these diagnoses and talk a lot about what it feels like to experience them firsthand.

Resources:

Psychology Today  Basics of Depression 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255

Just for fun:
Tom Holland's "Umbrella"

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

You're standing in the card aisle desperately searching for just the right one.  The one that says something like "Happy Mother's Day. Thank you for birthing me. The end."  Welcome to Episode 18 of Therapists IRL, where Jen & Steph talk all things Mothering on the cusp of Mother's Day in the US.  Join us for real talk about our moms, the ways we relate to mothering (and don't), and the pressure put on moms (and their kids) on this often difficult day. 

Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram:  TherapistsIRL 

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph

Send us a text

POV: You're home for the holidays with your new husband, and your mom barges in your room at an ungodly early hour running the vacuum.  Oh, you haven't experienced that?  Congratulations!  You didn't grow up in an enmeshed family system. Welcome to Therapists IRL Episode 17, where Jen & Steph unpack the foundations laid by family dynamics in our boundary systems and relational patterns as adults.  Weaving personal anecdotes with some research-based educational info, join us as we examine the ways our families impact us - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  

Message us on Instagram or via email with any questions, anecdotes, or stories of your own about relationships that you'd like us to share on the air!

[email protected]
www.instagram.com/therapistsirl

No therapists were harmed in the making of this episode,  but vulnerability hangovers are real.

Please note: While our podcast aims to destigmatize and normalize mental health issues, increase awareness, foster understanding, and offer support with love and laughter, we are not a substitute for professional mental health advice or treatment. [Read our full disclaimer here.]

If you're struggling, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.

If you are in crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a mental health crisis hotline. In the U.S., dial 9-8-8 for immediate services.

Remember, your mental health matters, and seeking professional help is a sign of strength. We're here to share stories, insights, and a bit of humor, but your well-being is our top priority.

With care,

Jen and Steph