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What if the most powerful tool in mental health isn’t a pill or a protocol, but disciplined curiosity? We sit down with Marcus Evans—psychoanalyst, longtime psychiatric nurse, and trainer at the Tavistock—to explore how a psychoanalytic lens can make care more humane for people living with psychosis, borderline states, and severe distress.

Marcus takes us from old asylum wards to modern outpatient clinics, showing how labels help as rough maps but fail as destinies. He explains why some patients act out when supervision eases, how a harsh inner critic and fragile ego can be mistaken for manipulation, and what staff can do to contain projected fear and shame without losing boundaries. We talk through the practical balance between medication and psychotherapy: when small doses open the door to therapy, why “therapeutic omnipotence” is a trap, and how multidisciplinary support—psychiatry, OT, family systems—creates the holding environment needed for real change.

Across stories and strategies, one theme repeats: people want to be understood, not processed. Instead of chasing a magic bullet or a perfect code in the DSM, Marcus shows how to read behavior as communication and build plans that pace risk, supervision, and discharge to the person’s actual capacity. It’s a grounded, compassionate approach that protects clinicians from burnout and helps patients feel less alone with their minds.

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Let’s Connect

Dr Dan Wesemann

Email: daniel-wesemann@uiowa.edu

Website: https://nursing.uiowa.edu/academics/dnp-programs/psych-mental-health-nurse-practitioner

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wesemann

Dr Kate Melino

Email: Katerina.Melino@ucsf.edu

Dr Sean Convoy

Email: sc585@duke.edu

Dr Kendra Delany

Email: Kendra@empowered-heart.com

Dr Melissa Chapman

Email: mchapman@pdastats.com