Episode 51
Peter Levine, PhD
Years ago, trauma was defined more by external events rather than the responses human beings have to those events. Psychological trauma can happen to anyone when they perceive a situation as a threat and are unable to complete a satisfactory fight, flight or freeze response.
The nervous system is designed to keep us psychological intact when we perceive we cannot keep ourselves safe in a situation. However, if we do not address the way in which our nervous and memory system categorized the event, the aftermath can be quite devastating.
Episode 50
Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
When searching for a clinician, most people will rely on the internet. Keeping that in mind, it is important that your website is easy to navigate and up to date with the best practices. Keith dives into some useful tricks to having a successful website that not only gets your authentic self across but also keeps clients coming in the door.
Every detail going into your website will have an effect on your viewers’ opinions, so understanding the anatomy of a therapist’s website is a key to success. Improving your website can be as easy as paying attention to your ‘about’ page, focusing on your specialty pages, or polishing your home page so you standout amongst others.
Episode 49
Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
Mr. Rogers teaches us many beautiful lessons: that you are special the way you are, that we must respect the inner experience of a child, and that children ask very big questions if we are willing to listen. He had a capacity to delve into the inner life of a child and how much their world can enrich the lives of everyone. But that wasn’t the only side of Mr. Rogers.
In his documentary, you get to glimpse into the complex nature of this individual and what inspired him to inspire an entire generation of children. Keith discusses both the benefits and limitations of the Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and why this documentary is so relevant to every therapist.
Episode 48
Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
When looking at clients’ symptoms, integrative psychiatrists often take a distinct approach by looking at the entire body and its individual systems as a possible culprit of root causes to psychiatric symptoms. Acknowledging what is happening in the body can open numerous doors to what is going on for your client’s mental health. In this episode, Keith notes how the conventional western medical paradigm of psychiatric diagnosis falls short in certain areas and the power of having just a little knowledge of root causes in the body for mental health conditions.
Keith explains what an integrative assessment could look like and the things to look out for that are often missed. He gives examples of places clinicians could focus on; for example gut health, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and fungus or mold issues. Looking for the basic signs of issues in the body can radically improve treatment outcomes and also make your practice more lively.
Episode 47
Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
Life is a rollercoaster of ups and downs; so as a clinician, it can be difficult to decipher whether your client is legitimately “better” following treatment, or if they are just temporarily happy. In this podcast, Keith dives into what it really means to be “better,” and what that looks like through a clinician’s eyes.
It is important to set treatment objectives with your client based on symptom reduction, but it is also equally important to imagine with your client what they are truly capable of. When asking your client what they are hoping to get out of treatment, remember to challenge your clients to think bigger, and dig deeper. When that is achieved, the purpose of therapy can move out of a model of illness and into a model of wellness.
Episode 46
Dr. Will Van Derveer, MD
In this podcast, Dr. Will Van Derveer, founder and Medical Director of the Integrative Psychiatric Healing Center, shares his knowledge about Ketamine and its clinical uses in a psychiatric context. Ketamine has a long history in medicine, however, it is only recently that its healing benefits for treatment-resistant psychiatric patients are being discovered. When correctly used, it has been found to literally create breakthroughs for people with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, suicidality, and OCD.
Dr. Van Derveer explains the history and psychopharmacology of this medicine, and how it’s being administered in a clinical setting. He elaborates on what it’s like for a patient to under this treatment, how psychotherapy comes into play, an exploration into how it dissolves the ego defenses, and the deeper revelations a patient can have during the process.
Episode 45
Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
Children generally rest in a state of relaxation, joy and play, with bouts of discomfort and pain. With this said, childhood is a mixture of magic and suffering. If a child’s process is not properly honored, mentored and helped through the magic and suffering can become extremely polarized for years to come.
We often assume that suffering is directly correlated to a person or event in the present, when in reality the root likely stems from our most early years of life. Keith explores the mind of the child and how mental accomplishments and struggles follow you into adulthood and what impact that has on your life. With this said, it’s safe to say that, most likely, what you’ve been struggling with, you’ve always been struggling with.
Episode 44
Keith Kurlander, MA, LPC
It is common to come across clients who resist treatment even though they keep seeking out therapy services. Resistance to change is both an important strategy for maintaining familiarity, as well as a roadblock to making necessary shifts. Keith explores certain coaching techniques, particularly the study of values and cognitive and behavioral applications as a way to help clients move beyond treatment resistance and into a state of transformation.
Typically, clients who fight change feel as though they are disconnected from their purpose. This is evident in the fact that purpose grounds people into a direction for their life where they will embrace both difficulties and rewards along the way to achieving it. Once we can help clients bridge that gap into their deepest purpose, things become more clear and they tend to become more adaptable and fluid in their lives. With this this in mind Keith will share a number of other coaching tools on how to inspire resistant clients to get off the couch and go after what they want in the world.have an easier time inspiring your treatment-resistant clients’ into a place of clarity and hope.
