Today’s episode is about trauma and healing. We’ll explore science, lived experiences, and expert wisdom including insights from books like My Grandmother’s Hands, The BodyKeeps the Score, Trauma and Recovery, It Didn’t Start With You, Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection, Healing the Shame That Binds You, No Bad Parts, and No Racial Elephants in the Therapy Room. We will discuss what trauma is or what experiencing trauma can look like, how it may develop, as well as explore what clinical treatment options are available for trauma-based concerns.

As always, due to the nature of today’s episode there may be information that is distressing for some listeners. Please feel free to skip this episode and return to the a following one if you experience any symptoms of distress while listening tothis episode.

Resources:

Adonis, M., Loucaides, M., Sullman, M.J.M. et al. The protective role of self compassion in trauma recovery and its moderating impact on post traumatic symptoms and post traumatic growth. Sci Rep 15, 8145 (2025).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91819-x

Bradshaw, J. (2015). Healing the shame that binds you. Health Communications, Incorporated.

Dana,D., & Porges, S. W. (2020). Polyvagal exercises for safety and connection: 50 client- centered practices. W.W. Norton & Company.

Haeyen S. (2024). A theoretical exploration of polyvagal theory in creative arts and psychomotor therapies for emotion regulation in stress and trauma. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1382007.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1382007

Herman, J. L. (2020). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence - from domestic abuse to political terror. BasicBooks.

Menakem, R. (2021). My grandmother’s hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and Bodies. Penguin Books.

Schwartz, R. C., Morissette, A., & Mechling, C. (2024). No bad parts: Healing trauma & restoring wholeness with the internal family systems model. PublishDrive.

Shapiro, F. (2014). Getting past your past: Take control of your life with self-help techniques from EMDR therapy.

Van der Kolk, B. A. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma: Key takeaways, Analysis & Review. Instaread.

Walker, R., & Waltman, S. H. (2024). No racial elephants in the therapy room: An unapologetic approach to providing culturally affirming mental health care to black and African American clients. PESI Publishing, Inc., PESI.

Walker, P. (2021). Complex PTSD: From surviving to thriving. Azure Coyote.

Wolynn, M. (2022). It didn’t start with you the international bestseller - how inherited family trauma shapes who we are and how to end the cycle. Ebury Publishing.

Yehuda R, Lehrner A. Intergenerational transmissionof trauma effects: putative role of epigeneticmechanisms. World Psychiatry. 2018 Oct;17(3):243-257. doi: 10.1002/wps.20568.

Today’s episode is about the societal shift towards artificial intelligence. On the one hand, the rising use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields including healthcare could potentially alleviate the scarcity and barriers with mental health services. However, with the advancement of AI-driven platforms providing counseling-related information, there is a growing need to assess the efficacy and ethical implications of these technologies in addressing mental health issues. Throughout this episode, I aim to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence when it comes to mental health care. So, let’s dive right on in and ask yourself, is it possible that AI will replace how we perceive and treat mental health?

Resources:

Fiske A, Henningsen P, Buyx A (2019). Your Robot Therapist Will See You Now: Ethical Implications of Embodied Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Psychology, and Psychotherapy. JMIR Publications, Volume 21(5). doi: 10.2196/13216

Johnson, Jarvis. “People Are Marrying Their AI.” YouTube, YouTubewww.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7XTTaXfOk&list=PLdtJu1LG7HO3Y93gMyJytMNY69 LWx7ZQv&index=1Accessed 6 Sept. 2025.

Khawaja, Z., & Bélisle-Pipon,J. C. (2023). Your robot therapist is not your therapist: Understanding the role of AI-powered mental health chatbots. Frontiers in Digital Health, Volume 5https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1278186.

Rehman F., & Sajjad S. (2024). MentalHealth in the Digital Age: Comparing AI Counseling with Traditional Counseling among University Students. Journal of Social Sciences and Media Studies (JOSSAMS) Volume 8(2). ISSN: (Print) 2518-8046; (Online) 2663-7049

Zhang, Z., & Wang, J. (2024).Can AI replace psychotherapists? Exploring the future of mental health care? Frontiers in Psychiatry, Volume 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1444382

Socials: https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Hello Listeners!

Today’s episode is about preventing burnout. Whether you’re a therapist, counselor, social worker, or anyone else in the mental health field, your work can be incredibly rewarding but also emotionally and mentally taxing. It's vital to take care of yourself, so you can show up for your clients in the best way possible. In this episode, we’ll explore practical self-care techniques that can help you recharge, reduce burnout, and maintain your mental and emotional health while you continue to do important work.

Warning in advance, I will be disclosing some of my own personal experiences and struggles in this episode. If you would like to skip this episode due to these disclosures, feel free and we will catch you on the next episode!

Resources/Media:

https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Today’s episode is about Family Dynamics and Family Systems. With the recent holidays, I thought it would be important to discuss how one’s family dynamics or how one’s family systems can influence or impact you. I know for many of my client’s the stress and anxiety with being around family on the holidays can be overwhelming. Being around family can potentially even trigger one’s negative view of self, their disordered eating behaviors, their substance use/abuse, or their trauma reminders. My hope for today’s episode is to give the listeners more information about family dynamics and family systems as well as provide suggestions for those feeling affected by these dynamics. I hope you all enjoy!

Resources:

Hammond, R., Cheney, P., & Pearsey, R. (2015). Sociology of the Family Textbook. Rocky Ridge Press. http://freesociologybooks.com/.

Bowen, M. (1978). Family therapy in clinical practice. Jason Aronson.

This text is taken from Family Theories: A New Direction for Research with Resettled Populations by Jaime Ballard, Elizabeth Wieling, Lekie Dwanyen,and Catherine Solheim, used under a CC BY NC 4.0 license.

https://heidi-c-priebe.medium.com/an-introduction-to-dysfunctional-family-roles-d2b79380c2ac

https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Today’s episode is about breaking the stigma around mental health. With mental health being talked about more openly, it’s important to explore and challenge some of the misconceptions about mental health. Mental health is a topic that affects millions of people worldwide, yet there is still a stigma associated with mental health. Listen for more.

Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

Corrigan, P. (2004). How stigma interferes with mental health care. American Psychologist, 59(7), 614–625.

Ghiasi N, Azhar Y, Singh J. Psychiatric Illness and Criminality. [Updated 2023 Mar 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537064/

https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/myths-and-facts

Today’s episode is about ‘Celebrating wins.’ Those who have been in therapy or working through their own battles have heard the phrase ‘just think positively.’ And as problematic and invalidating as that statement can be to anyone working through their own mental health journey, there is some truth in that statement. However, how can one shift their thinking from the negative biases or from automatically believing the worst-case scenarios, to having a neutral or positive bias? Listen for more.

Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

https://www.tarabrach.com/rain/?cn-reloaded=1

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34854352/

Trenton, Nick. “Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present.”

Hello listeners and welcome to Breaking Down where we explain emotions, behaviors, and everything else that makes us human.

Today’s episode is about balancing our wellbeing with  a healthy work-life balance. We spend a significant portion of our lives at work, and the state of our mental health and well-being is deeply intertwined with our professional lives. It's crucial for both employees and employers to understand the importance of maintaining mental health in the workplace. In this episode, we'll explore strategies for fostering a mentally healthy work environment and achieving work-life balance.

Resources: https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces

Demir, S. (2018). The Relationship between Psychological Capital and Stress, Anxiety, Burnout, Job Satisfaction, and Job Involvement. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 75, 137-153.

Gragnano, A., Simbula, S., & Miglioretti, M. (2020). Work-Life Balance: Weighing the Importance of Work-Family and Work-Health Balance. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(3), 907. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030907

Jermsittiparsert, K., Petchchedchoo, P., Kumsuprom, S., & Panmanee, P. (2021). The impact of the workload on the job satisfaction: Does the job stress matter?. Academy of Strategic Management  Journal, 20, 1-13.

Maulik P. K. (2017). Workplace stress: A neglected aspect of mental health wellbeing. The Indian journal of medical research, 146(4), 441–444. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1298_17

https://www.nami.org/Home

https://www.osha.gov/

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work

Hello listeners, and welcome to Breaking Down where we explain emotions, behaviors, and everything else that makes us human.

Today’s episode is about body image and eating disorders. This is our part two in our two-part series about eating disorders and body image. In today’s episode we are sitting down with an expert in eating disorders and body acceptance to discuss resources for eating disorder treatment as well as provide us skills for working toward self-acceptance. If you haven’t listened to part one, I would highly encourage it as we will cover similar themes covered in that episode. Knowing this episode will be heavier in nature, I want to give a trigger warning regarding topics involving eating disorders, disordered eating, body image, and body dysmorphia. Feel free to skip this episode if this content is uncomfortable to listen to.

Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/revivecounselingfayetteville/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

https://www.aedweb.org/resources/publications/nine-truths-weight Body of Truth by Harriet Brown

Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith

Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings

Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon

Intuitive Eating by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole

https://www.maintenancephase.com/

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/nine-truths-about-eating-disorders

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4855514/

Reclaiming Body Trust by Hillary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant

The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

The Wisdom of Your Body by Hillary McBride

https://uncnewsarchive.unc.edu/2008/04/22/survey-finds-disordered-eating-behaviors-among-three-out-of-four-american-women-2/ What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

“You just need to lose weight” and 19 other myths about fat people by Aubrey Gordon