A mental health professional, and a professional trying to become mentally healthy, get real about what happens in that 50-minute hour.

Episode 14 – I beat therapy and so can you!

The end boss of a therapy is a doozy.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear therapist cardigans.

In today’s episode, we get into a new segment, called “Post-Game Analyses,” where we examine events that happened during our week, in therapy, or otherwise.

In Olivia’s case, we talked about how tempting it can be to intervene when she sees a child seemingly in distress, as well as the legal and ethical boundaries of doing such a thing. It turns out, you can’t simply suplex people who are appearing to mistreat their children.

In addition to explaining why you can't go Judge Dredd on seemingly-crappy parents, Olivia drops some incredible gems of wisdom and knowledge in here, as well as revealing how she regulates her emotions, in order to use her powers only for good.

Tanya discusses how she stumbled upon her latent Daddy Issues, and how frustrating it can be, to feel like there’s a whole new steaming pile of healing to wade through, after having done the work for so many years.

Lastly, we discuss the parallels between the BJJ and therapeutic journey, especially in how the work never stops, how prevalent the blue belt blues are, and how levelling up requires a solid foundation.

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(1:26) - The sound of silence
(4:06) - Post-game analysis
(15:36) - Reframing the good parent/bad parent dynamic
(23:42) - Therapy/BJJ blue belt blues
(31:37) - Performance vs process-based outcomes
(36:12) - My inner children are black belts

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 15 – Combat, Based ft. Alan Shebarro | Part 2

Episode Summary

In part two of this episode with Alan Shebarro, we talk about topics such as the question of whether or not to seek a therapist who’s qualified in treating veterans, the healing that comes from saying nothing at all with people who get it, the paradox of how curious we are for the welfare of others, but not ourselves, and how the mask we wear can suffocate us.

Once again, we are honoured that Alan took the time to take his mask off and be vulnerable, all in the name of spreading the word of mental health awareness for veterans.

Resources

Alan on IG
WeDefy Foundation for veterans mental health

Topics discussed:

Post-traumatic stress symptoms and destructive patterns
How all-or-nothing thinking can be a hinderance, when it comes to daily life
How healing can happen without words
How being considered "badass" can get in the way of seeking help
The pitfall of the "Asset or Liability" mentality
Challenges veterans face in finding the right therapist

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(1:13) - Are you qualified?
(3:44) - King of the Hill
(12:13) - Compassion for oneself
(20:49) - High/Low
(26:02) - Closing remarks

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 15 – Combat, Based ft. Alan Shebarro | Part 1

Episode Summary

In part one of this episode, we sit down with Alan Shebarro, who's a Special Forces veteran and BJJ black belt and talk about his post-service journey towards both mental health healing and finding purpose.

Alan reveals when he realised that he carried mental scars from serving overseas, and how they impacted his daily life.

We hope this podcast gives insight to those who serve their country, and to echo Alan's words, to seek help sooner.

Resources

Alan on IG
WeDefy Foundation for veterans mental health

Topics discussed:

Post-traumatic stress symptoms and destructive patterns
How all-or-nothing thinking can be a hinderance, when it comes to daily life

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(4:50) - Prelude to rock bottom/li>
(15:15) - Ranger is the best boy/The Night
(24:42) - Asset or liability
(31:45) - Walker Booth, MSG

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Episode 14 – Emotion is Lotion - Miles Pruznick | Pt. 2

Episode description

This is part two of our episode with Miles Pruznick, certified strength and conditioning coach, massage therapist, occasional strong man, bjj brown belt, and neurospicy kinesthetic adventurer. In this episode, we talk about the fragility narrative in both mental and physical wellness spaces, the benefits of pelvic floor therapy and breathwork, polyvagal theory, and the last segment, Miles answers a few of our listeners’ questions.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and statements expressed by guests on this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast’s hosts, producers, or affiliated parties. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and seek independent professional advice before making any decisions based on the content discussed in this podcast.

Resources

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(1:16) - Fragility narrative
(10:29) - Polyvagal theory
(18:55) - Ask Miles Anything
(24:40) - Question #2
(30:15) - Final remarks

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Dead Grandma's Society

Episode Summary

Olivia and Tanya got together in early 2024 to recap all that happened over their hiatus. And boy, did things happen.

In this episode, we discuss:

What happens when your client is going through it, and how that impacts therapy.
Post-game analysis: How oftentimes, we just need someone with us, as we experience hardship.
What a mature client-therapist relationship can look like
Move of the day: That feel when you hit a therapy skill in real life.

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(2:50) - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
(5:16) - Therapy training wheels come off
(8:25) - Post-game analysis
(18:53) - Training wheels come off, pt. 2
(28:26) - Bad vibes only
(32:00) - Repression? Or just changing gears?
(34:00) - Move of the day
(44:28) - Empathy/Compassion
(45:54) - Ender's Game

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Olivia Pruznick is a Licensed Professional Counselor who graduated with a Masters from Monmouth University, specializing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has over 5 years of experience working in the mental health field.

Tanya Lam is an unlicensed human being, just trying to go pro at mental health. In her off-time, she's an illustrator, designer, and photographer.

Episode 13 – Emotion is lotion - Ft. Miles Pruznick | Pt 1

Maxin' your relaxin'

Episode description

This is part one of our episode with Miles Pruznick, a certified strength and conditioning coach, massage therapist, strongman, jiujitsu brown belt, and all around movement enthusiast.

Also, he’s Olivia’s brother.

In this episode we talk about his background, his experience with physical and mental healing after injuries had him sidelined for over a year, and how the healing journey for both body and mind look virtually identical.

Resources

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(1:05) - Mile's background
(3:05) - Mind-body connection
(5:35) - Why do you stand funny on a basketball?
(8:13) - A year off of training
(21:07) - Mental health journey
(23:45) - First session
(33:11) - You can't heal what you hate
(36:14) - The buy-in
(43:56) - Brilliant at the basics

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Groundhog Day

Fuck, marry, kill: Waffles, pancakes, or French toast?

Episode Summary

In this episode, Olivia and Tanya get into what it means to build trust with others. Oftentimes, we want to fast-track intimacy, and that often ends in pain and hurt. Olivia explains how she applies Brené Brown's concept of the "Trust Marbles" into her real life, and they also get into the beauty that is small talk. We even play a game of "Fuck, Marry, Kill" with breakfast foods!

Lastly, Olivia answers some reader questions about confronting one's abuser, and how to combat loneliness.

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic Drop
(2:08) - Guanxi
(3:30) - The Trust Marble Jar
(13:40) - Fuck, Marry, Kill: Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast
(21:40) - AMA Question #1: Loneliness
(30:20) - AMA Question #2: Confronting your abuser

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Bonus - Horsin' around with Amanda Slugoski, equine therapist

Do horses need therapy after equine therapy?

After our epic conversation (Ep. 12, go check it out!), Amanda Slugoski, equine therapist, stayed for a few minutes to answer a few questions.

In this bonus episode, she describes:

What is a safe state experience, and how animals can facilitate the rewiring of a traumatised nervous system
Do horses need to decompress after a therapy session, like their human counterparts?
How her relationship with horses changed, after she retired from competing in equestrian, to incorporating horses and equines into animal-assisted therapy

Equinox Therapeutic

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co

Equine-librium, ft. Amanda Slugoski, M.A.

A Trojan horse for healing.

Episode Summary

Equine therapy; does it involve horses laying on a couch, talking about their fear of intimacy? Or is it therapy for humans, given by horses? Perhaps a therapist throw you on top of a horse and ask you about your relationship with your mother.

We wanted to know, so we contacted Amanda Slugoksi. She is a registered psychologist, and founder of Equinox Therapeutic, which provides both traditional and equine-assisted therapy to patients.

Amanda got into what equine therapy is, how it can bypass a lot of the hurdles that traditional therapists can face, such as the challenge of getting patients to open up, and how equine assisted therapy can act as a trojan horse for healing.

Resources

You can find Amanda and her team at Equinox Therapeutic or on Facebook, or Email

What is Equine-assisted Therapy?
Complex PTSD

Chapters

(0:00) - Mic drop
(01:18) - Intro to Amanda
(13:22) - First session
(19:06) - Experiential healing
(23:58) - Rapport building
(32:53) - How do you want to be with this?
(35:45) - Working with veterans
(38:37) - C-PTSD isn't a thing
(40:24) - C-PTSD apparently is in fact, a thing
(41:33) - N.B.
(46:30) - Why do the sessions start on the ground
(49:59) - Goal vs process
(53:33) - Big takeaways
(58:41) - Resources

Find out more at http://therapyismytherapy.co