Do you ever feel stuck between a rock and a hard place - unsure how to cope? Acceptance and Commitment Therapy teaches us that there are 6 active ingredients in psychological flexibility - the skillset that allows you to engage in a purposeful and meaningful life despite life's painful realities. ACT is backed by research showing that psychological flexibility is linked with reduced suffering, even when anxiety and depression remain persistent.  Anna invites you to think about psychological flexibility concepts in your own life as she translates therapy concepts for everyday self-care. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLIfe.com

What is Psychological Flexibility?

Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW hosts the Therapy For Real Life Podcast to make burnout prevention concepts more accessible to everyone, everywhere. The Therapy For Real Life Podcast breaks beyond the traditional therapy hour to adapt research-backed therapy concepts into practical self-care tips and tricks for everyday use. This is not therapy. This is Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com and WorkshopsForRealLife.com .

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW LICSW leads you through a tour of Therapy For Real Life Podcast's greatest hits. Anna started the Therapy For Real Life Podcast in 2019 to expand access to burnout prevention concepts by adapting them into self-care skills for everyday use. Listen in as Anna shares favorite clips from past episodes, including relaxation exercises, self-care tips, and interviews with guest experts. The full library of Therapy For Real Life Podcast episodes is available on the TherapyForRealLife.com > Podcast tab. Listen to favorite past episodes anytime you like to support your ongoing self-care. Today’s episode includes an important show announcement. This is not therapy. This is real life. Therapy For Real Life. Learn more: WorkshopsForRealLife.com and TherapyForRealLife.com .

Greatest Hits

Burnout was not a new concept for most helping professionals even before the start of the global pandemic. Now, the pressures facing helping professionals can better be described as burnout on top of burnout on top of burnout. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW talks with guest expert Elizabeth Horevitz, PhD, LCSW about the unique challenges that healthcare professionals face working with limited resources and amidst overwhelming need. Dr. Horevitz has experience working in safety net systems of care and specializes in burnout prevention among helping professionals. Together, they discuss the overall concept of burnout as well as many of its interlocking parts, such as: compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and moral injury. Learn about the psychological theories and practical concepts that guide these experts in their work in burnout prevention, both for themselves and others. This is not therapy. This is real life. Therapy For Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com and WorkshopsForRealLife.com .

Preventing Burnout Among Helping Professionals with Elizabeth Horevitz, PhD, LCSW

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW interviews Jennifer Heisz, PhD to discuss the healing power of exercise. Dr. Heisz is a neuroscientist, the Director of the NeuroFit Lab at McMaster University, and author of the book, Move The Body, Heal The Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia and Improve Focus, Creativity and Sleep . Dr. Heisz describes the many powerful benefits of exercise throughout her book and even offers step by step suggestions on how to use exercise to shape desirable functioning in the brain and mood. Listen in to learn some surprising facts about the neuroscience of exercise. This is not therapy. This is real life. Therapy For Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com and WorkshopsForRealLife.com

Move the Body, Heal the Mind with Jennifer Heisz, PhD

Coping with uncertainty is profoundly challenging. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW shared simple self-care strategies two years ago as the global pandemic was just beginning. Now, we revisit that episode as an opportunity to refresh our ability to cope with uncertainty. As we know, uncertainty is a stressful trigger for human beings at any time, but the prolonged uncertainty of a global pandemic requires endurance and more consistent self-care. Learn what you can do to manage difficult feelings, such as anxiety, overwhelm, and despair, during times of crisis or uncertainty. Learn about self-care and relationship skills that you can use to boost a sense of security, even when you are facing legitimate fear or danger. This is not therapy. This is real life. Therapy For Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com and WorkshopsForRealLife.com [This episode was originally published in March of 2020.]

Coping With (Prolonged) Uncertainty

Martha Kauppi is a marriage and family therapist, educator, supervisor, and certified sex therapist who specializes in working at the intersection of sex and relational issues. She recently published the book Polyamory: A Clinical Toolkit for Therapists (and Their Clients). Kauppi joins Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW on the show today to discuss important terms for understanding consensual non-monogamy and alternative relationship structures. Together, they discuss specific therapy skills that can help individuals navigate consent in their romantic relationships, explore tensions in therapist self-disclosure, and describe how members of a marginalized community can find a better client-therapist match. This is not therapy. This is real life. Therapy For Real Life. Learn more: TherapyForRealLife.com and WorkshopsForRealLife.com

What is Psychological Flexibility?

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