So, How's Therapy?

What sort of considerations should a person in the LGBTQIA+ community make when finding a therapist?

Our gender identity and sexuality are intensely personal and nuanced facets of who we are as human beings, and finding a therapist who understands and accepts us for those facets, whatever they may be, can be incredibly daunting.

Karen and Kieran use this episode to create an open dialogue to help listeners better understand many of the common terms used to refer to gender, sexuality, and romantic relationships.

What You’ll Learn

• About Dr. Kieran Grosman
• An unexpected impact of transitioning
• Avoidance VS Self-Protection
• What do AFAB, queer, and cis mean?
• Why we should consciously create spaces for open dialogue?
• What is the difference between transgender and transsexual?
• How does the trans experience differ between generations?
• Why are pronouns so important?
• What is polyamory, and how do polyamorous relationships differ from monogamous relationships?

When you hear the word "psychiatry", what comes to mind?

Psychiatry is a medical and mental health practice that lives somewhere between what we think of as medical care and mental health care. This episode aims to dispel the myth that psychiatrists can prescribe a pill to take all your problems away and clear the muddied waters around what psychiatric treatment looks like for patients, whether they're dealing with anxiety, depression, or managing chronic illness.

What You’ll Learn

• Psychiatry VS Therapy - which is right for you?
• Why can't I talk to my primary care doctor instead of a psychiatrist?
• How do appointments differ?
• Insurance and OON benefits
• What are the top three things you are seeing come in through your practice?
• How do you decide which medication to prescribe?
• Are there medications that are specific to mental health that are often abused?
• Can holistic practices be combined with psychiatric practices? What would you recommend?
• What is one common misconception about psychiatry/mental health?

You cannot force yourself to be something you are not.

On this week’s episode of So, How’s Therapy?, our guest is psychologist, coach, and expert in the field of therapy for men, Dr. Heather Stevenson.

There are certain boxes that our societies expects us to fit into, and these expectations change across cultures, generations, and genders. The world that we live in today holds men in particular to a standard of leadership, courage, and strength.

And that's exactly what we'll be discussing today.

What You’ll Learn

• Seeking out therapy: Men vs Women
• How societal gender norms affect men’s relationship with mental health
• How cultural/work stigma affects men’s relationship with mental health
• Same-gender vs different-gender patient-therapist relationships
• The most common reasons men seek out therapy
• Why it is important that men are allowed and encouraged to express their emotions
• What we can do to help men feel more comfortable seeking out therapy

Your Brain And Your Gut Are Connected.

On this week’s episode of the So, How’s Therapy? Podcast I am joined by Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CEN to discuss the brain-gut connection and how the two systems affect each other. We also discuss how DGBIs and how anxiety can exacerbate symptoms, along with much more.

Lastly, there is a lot of shame around DGBIs, and we take a moment to discuss why and how being open with your healthcare providers can be incredibly helpful overall.

What You’ll Learn

• About the brain-gut connection
• What DGBIs are, and what they are not
• How IBS can be treated
• IBS mimickers (and how to tell if you might be experiencing one)
• How anxiety can impact DGBIs
• What role adherence takes

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/brain-gut-connection/

Episode One Of Two!

Be sure to tune into episode 11 for the second half of our conversation.

OCD Is Not An Adjective.

On this week’s episode of So, How’s Therapy? I am joined by Tatyana Mestechkina, Ph.D. to dive deep into the topic of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Thoughts / Thoughts Of Harming Others: We discuss a few examples of intrusive thoughts within the context of OCD that have content of violent and/or sexual nature. 

While the term OCD is commonly known, it is also commonly misunderstood. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is often portrayed in the media as someone who washes their hands over and over again, or someone who has to have everything in its place – but it’s much more than that.

Today we'll be demystifying OCD, and helping you understand it at a much deeper level.

What You’ll Learn

• What OCD is (and what it is not)
• Causes of OCD
• How OCD affects the lives of those who experience it
• Different types and subtypes of OCD
• Treatment of OCD

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/010-ocd-demystified/

Episode One of Two!

Be sure to tune into episode 11 for the second half of our conversation.

OCD Is Not An Adjective.

On this week’s episode of So, How’s Therapy? I am joined by Tatyana Mestechkina, Ph.D. to dive deep into the topic of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Thoughts / Thoughts Of Harming Others: We discuss a few examples of intrusive thoughts within the context of OCD that have content of violent and/or sexual nature. 

While the term OCD is commonly known, it is also commonly misunderstood. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is often portrayed in the media as someone who washes their hands over and over again, or someone who has to have everything in its place – but it’s much more than that.

Today we'll be demystifying OCD, and helping you understand it at a much deeper level.

What You’ll Learn

• What OCD is (and what it is not)
• Causes of OCD
• How OCD affects the lives of those who experience it
• Different types and subtypes of OCD
• Treatment of OCD

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/010-ocd-demystified/

Trauma's impact on the mind and body is far-reaching - both psychologically and physically.

This week on the podcast, I am joined by my colleague, Danielle DiCamillo, LCSW to discuss the effects that trauma has on both the body and the mind - it’s all connected.

We’ll discuss the different categorizations of trauma, the importance of recognizing your trauma as valid, and how you can find some relief from your symptoms - whether they are physical, mental, or emotional. Join us to learn about these topics and so much more! 

What You'll Learn

• The body and mind are interconnected and interdependent
• Trauma is stored in the body and the mind
• Trauma can affect your physical, emotional, social, and mental health
• The difference between “Big-T” and “Small-T” Trauma
• How trauma and anxiety are connected
• Some tools and techniques to calm anxiety

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/009-traumas-impact-on-mind-and-body/

Everyone has kindness inside of them.

Sometimes, we don’t take the time to nurture or express kindness as much as we could. Kindness is linked to happiness, satisfaction in relationships, and improved quality of life overall. It helps people feel more connected to one another.

What You'll Learn

• How to express loving-kindness toward yourself
• How to express loving-kindness toward people you love
• How to express loving-kindness toward those around you
• How to express loving-kindness toward difficult relationships

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/008-loving-kindness-meditation-with-host-karen-conlon-lcsw/

Therapy doesn't always feel good.

Sometimes it can feel really uncomfortable, difficult, or challenging. But you should never feel like therapy is retraumatizing, and you should certainly not feel like you are getting worse. In this episode, I'm covering all the ways that therapy might be making you worse, and how to address them.

What You'll Learn

• What 'Good Therapy' should feel like
• How to know when things are turning for the worse
• How your Clinician's skill set has to match your needs
• What to look out for
• That feeling bad in therapy doesn't mean your therapy is bad

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/007-can-therapy-make-you-worse-with-host-karen-conlon-lcsw/

There are so many myths about what you should talk about in therapy.

Deciding what to bring up and when can feel daunting – especially if you have a lot to talk about. In this episode, I’ll walk you through how to decide what topics to bring up, and when. Often the overlooked, uncomfortable, and hard-to-talk-about topics can lead to the biggest realizations.

What You’ll Learn

• How talking about things you don’t think are important can be the missing piece to a larger puzzle
• Why progress in therapy can cause bigger, underlying things to come up
• That therapy is an ’emotional sandbox’
• Why there’s always a reason to talk about things, even if you think you can’t do anything about them
• That talking about your problems does not make you a bad person, friend, family member, or spouse
• What limits there are – confidentiality

Full Show Notes

https://cohesivetherapynyc.com/blog/006-what-should-i-talk-about-in-therapy/