Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week we're talking about the communication dynamics and boundaries of families that could be described as unhealthy, toxic, dysfunctional, abusive, or emotionally immature.

My guest for this replay episode from 2021 is Dr. Sharon Martin. Sharon has been working with adults whose parents were emotionally immature, emotionally neglectful, emotionally unavailable, substance abusing, or otherwise unable to meet their children's attachment needs for 20 years, and she has written several books about healing from difficult childhoods.

Her latest book, "Cutting Ties With Your Parents: A workbook to help adults make peace with their decision, heal emotional wounds, and move forward with their lives," comes out in mid-October, 2024. Next week I'll share a new interview with Sharon about this book, so this week I wanted to give some context about these relational patterns.

Pre-order Sharon's new book now and find other great resources via her website: https://livewellwithsharonmartin.com !

🌟Trauma Therapists🌟 my membership community, Trauma Therapist Network, is opening to new members this week! Add your name to the waiting list here for first access and a special discount!

I'm excited to share that I'll be exhibiting at the Integrative Medicine for Mental Health (IMMH) Conference, October 10-13, 2024 in Washington, DC! Experience four days of learning about the latest scientific evidence and best clinical practices in integrative mental health and functional medicine psychiatry. My friends Linda Thai, Benjamin Fry and Dr. Leslie Korn will both be presenting along with Seth Porges, Dr. Robert Lustig, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Chris Palmer, Dr. Dale Bredesen, Dr. Georgia Ede, Dr. James Greenblatt, Dr. Kat Toups, and many others, including the newly announced Dr. Aseem Malhotra! Earn up to 24.0 CE/CMEs*! You can save $100 using code TRAUMATH100 at https://immh.org! Both in-person and virtual tickets are available. I hope to see you there!

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy.

And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! I recently connected with Amber Trejo, LMFT, who I've been following on Instagram (The Integrative Trauma Therapist) for a while. I really appreciate how she creates content for social media that educates people with accurate information about complex trauma in a compassionate and authentic way.

We got together to talk about being trauma survivors and showing up authentically to help trauma survivors with the content we create. We ran out of time to go deeper in our conversation so we decided we'd follow up with another talk live on Instagram sometime later this month. I'm so happy I got the chance to meet Amber (virtually) and start this conversation about what it feels like to be a therapist with complex trauma creating content to educate people with complex trauma, and why this is so important to both of us. Check out Amber's website to find all of the resources she's created to help survivors of childhood trauma heal!

More about Amber Trejo, LMFT: Amber is a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified clinical trauma professional who specializes in complex childhood trauma and the family system. She is the owner of Holding Hearts Counseling in Indianapolis. She is also a wife and mama to 3 wild boys on her own journey to heal from childhood trauma and break generational cycles of trauma and abuse.

Learn more about the many offerings Amber has created to help survivors heal via her website: https://www.theintegrativetraumatherapist.com/

Get Amber's freebie on healing the nervous system using a Polyvagal approach

Follow Amber's Instagram here

🌟Trauma Therapists🌟 my membership community, Trauma Therapist Network, opens for new members THIS MONTH! Add your name to the waiting list here for first access and a special discount!

Watch this episode in video format on YouTube!

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! I've been eager to find residential treatment programs that are truly trauma sensitive and even better if they actually include bottom up healing methods. This has not been easy to find, but this summer I visited my colleague and friend Benjamin Fry's Khiron Clinic in Oxfordshire, UK.

I was able to see the beautiful grounds and meet the highly skilled staff. They generously answered my questions about their work and I learned about the investment Khiron Clinics have made in bringing in leaders in the trauma field to provide training, supervision and consultation to the clinicians and staff. It's pretty amazing, and I was honored to interview Benjamin about why he started Khiron and how the programs serve trauma survivors through communal living and bottom up therapies in a beautiful setting in the English countryside.

He shared his healing journey and what he learned from his nervous breakdown. I encourage you to watch this episode on YouTube where you can see images of the location and grounds of Khiron House and watch the two of us do this interview in person.

Benjamin Fry is the founder of Khiron Clinics, one of the world's leading residential trauma-treatment centers, and Televagal, an innovative mental health technology platform. An accredited psychotherapist, couples therapist, speaker, author, and entrepreneur, he has written four books, including The Invisible Lion: How to Tame your Nervous System and Heal your Trauma. With a diverse career spanning psychology, media, and business, Benjamin read Physics and Philosophy at Oxford and then attended film school, directing a feature-length film distributed by HBO and Paramount.

He later went on to set up various enterprises in the hospitality industry before completing an MA in Psychotherapy and Counseling and an Executive MBA from Oxford University. His first book led to his role as the expert psychotherapist on the BBC series Spendaholics. Benjamin speaks at mental health conferences worldwide, raising awareness of the effectiveness of nervous system-based therapies for treating trauma. He also delivers workshops to help people optimize and heal their relationships through trauma-informed practices and education.

Learn more about Khiron Clinics here

Visit Benjamin Fry's website here

*Trauma Therapists*, my membership community, Trauma Therapist Network, opens for new members in September! Add your name to the waiting list here for first access and a special discount!

Watch this episode in video format on YouTube!

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week I was honored to interview Sivan Perdue, LCPC, ATR-BC, an art therapist who specializes in working with individuals and families impacted by dementia. We had a beautiful conversation that was thought provoking in terms of how our society treats individuals with dementia.

I'm so appreciative of Sivan and the work she does. Sivan Perdue, an art therapist located in Salisbury, MD, is dedicated to advancing mental health care for older adults, with a particular focus on those living with dementia. Sivan earned her bachelor's degree in studio art from Nazareth College of Rochester and continued her education at Nazareth, obtaining a master's degree in art therapy.

Through her private practice, Perdue Art Therapy, Sivan seamlessly blends creativity with therapeutic support. She specializes in assisting individuals coping with dementia and leads a tailored support program designed for people navigating the complexities of caring for their partners during this challenging phase. Beyond her studio practice, Sivan holds certification in Dementia and Sexual Health. In a consulting capacity, she collaborates with diverse facilities and organizations, offering guidance in the development of environments and policies that foster sexual health and affirm identity.

Get Sivan's free guide to Reframing Agitation in Dementia here.

Find her private practice website here. Interested in Consultation with Sivan? Go here.

Find Sivan on social media @sivanperdue .

*Trauma Therapists*, my membership community, Trauma Therapist Network, opens for new members in September! Add your name to the waiting list here for first access and a special discount!

Watch this episode in video format on YouTube!

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2024 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

This week's episode of Therapy Chat features Trauma Therapist Network member Dr. Julia Knach. Julia has worked for years with survivors of child abuse and is now the owner of a group practice North of Baltimore, Maryland as well as a training institute. In our conversation, Julia shares how she uses Brainspotting with sand tray therapy and play to help her clients work through their trauma. Listen to our conversation and be inspired to use some new ways of working with clients!

Julia Knach is the owner and founder of My Crossing Paths Counseling Center and My Crossing Paths Training Center. Julia was previously the Manager of Clinical Services at Baltimore Child Abuse Center (BCAC) and before that she was the Clinical Supervisor with Family and Children’s Services (FCS), supervising both Baltimore City and County. She works with all populations dealing with trauma and abuse. She is currently an adjunct professor at the Community College of Baltimore County, teaching in the human service counseling department. She published her first book called Crossing Paths: The Intersection between Trauma and Addictions. She recently received her PsyD at California Southern University, with her dissertation focusing on sand tray therapy, entitled "Using sand tray therapy to encourage healing from adverse childhood experiences."

Find Julia on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Find Julia's practice website here.

*Trauma Therapists*, my membership community, Trauma Therapist Network, opens for new members in September! Add your name to the waiting list here for first access and a special discount!

Watch this episode in video format on YouTube!

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is an EMDRIA-approved EMDR Therapy training institute created by Dr. Jamie Marich, a clinician and author who is on a mission to confront stigma around mental health, trauma, and dissociation.

They’re offering a special discount to Therapy Chat listeners! Save 15% on any of their courses or CE programs including EMDR basic training until the end of 2024. Go to instituteforcreativemindfulness.com and use promo code: 15OffForListeners.

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in 2024 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! This week's guest is Jeremy Mohler a licensed therapist, men's coach, and writer. We talked about how he facilitates men's groups and works with individual clients to help men connect with their emotions using IFS. Jeremy shares from his own experience of connecting with his vulnerable younger parts. I really appreciate what Jeremy is doing to help men have healthy relationships with the important people in their lives. Jeremy is the author of Make Men Emotional Again, an email newsletter helping men and couples have better relationships. He sees therapy clients in Baltimore and Silver Spring, Maryland.

Follow Jeremy on Instagram

Subscribe to his Substack here.

Find Jeremy's website here.

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is an EMDRIA-approved EMDR Therapy training institute created by Dr. Jamie Marich, a clinician and author who is on a mission to confront stigma around mental health, trauma, and dissociation.

They’re offering a special discount to Therapy Chat listeners! Save 15% on any of their courses or CE programs including EMDR basic training until the end of 2024. Go to instituteforcreativemindfulness.com and use promo code: 15OffForListeners.

Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week’s episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching toTherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe! Use promo code “chat” at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes!!

Join the TTN e-mail list to learn what's coming up in the second half of 2024 with Therapy Chat, Trauma Chat and Trauma Therapist Network and get my free PDF 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Searching For A Trauma Therapist here!

Find my most frequently recommended resources for learning about trauma here – includes recommended books and trainings.

Find a trauma therapist near you via findtraumatherapy.com! We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available at Trauma Therapist Network.

Love Therapy Chat? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe where you listen to your podcasts! Thank you!

Podcast produced by Vaudeo Productions - https://vaudeoproductions.com