In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Brett Cushing and Christa Overson discuss forgiveness, what it is, why it helps our mental health, and who exactly it is for. They also examine questions: Does forgiveness mean I am condoning someone else's behavior? Does the other person have to apologize in order for me to forgive them? Listen in with a friend or partner to learn not just WHY to forgive but HOW to forgive. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at podcast@nystr...
Apr 11, 2023•42 min•Ep. 53
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Brett Cushing and Christa Overson go over the concept of neuroplasticity - the idea that our brains are much more malleable than we think. Actually, our thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are not set in stone but rather highly changeable over time. Brett and Christa share examples of how we can get "set in our ways" and some ideas for forging a new path. Listen with a friend or partner to find out why trying something new—and sticking to it...
Apr 04, 2023•31 min•Ep. 52
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Brett Cushing and Christa Overson break down rumination, a term that means thinking about the past over and over again-- often to the point of becoming bothersome. Brett and Christa discuss why we ruminate, as well as some ways to help ourselves stop ruminating. Listen in with a friend or partner to gain some ideas for breaking free of rumination. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at podcast@nystromcounseling.com We'd love t...
Mar 28, 2023•35 min•Ep. 51
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Brett Cushing and Christa Overson discuss four main communication styles and how to know which one you tend to use in day-to-day life. They also wonder-- which of these communication styles will help me to get what I want? Brett and Christa share an easy-to-use formula for how to clearly share with a friend, partner, or boss what you actually want and why. Listen, with a friend or partner, to find out your own way of communicating and whet...
Mar 21, 2023•38 min•Ep. 50
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Brett Cushing and Christa Overson share the four different personality types, what motivates each type, how each respond when under stress and how this understanding can transform your work, home and personal self-talk. Listen, with a friend or partner, and gain a super-easy understanding of personality types, that will effectively resource you towards greater connection, healing and effectiveness in your relationships at home, work and wi...
Mar 14, 2023•34 min•Ep. 49
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Brett Cushing and Christa Overson share how active listening bolsters connection and relational quality. Whether in a work setting, home setting, or any relational setting, Active Listening is imperative. However, it is a skill that does not come naturally; and takes practice. Listen, with a friend or partner, to find out how you are doing in terms of using the skill of Actively Listening and what concrete steps you can take to improve thi...
Mar 07, 2023•28 min•Ep. 48
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Brett Cushing shares how invalidation, whether it be intended to harm or to help, can be effectively utilized to maintain and enhance relationships. Brett shares why invalidation hurts, how to extend invalidation without harm, and how to respond to invalidation in helpful ways. Listen to find out how to effectively utilize invalidation as a relational skill and transform relationships into safer, happier, and more secure ones. Invalidation ...
Feb 28, 2023•32 min•Ep. 47
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Brett Cushing shares the desperate need and relevant power of validation upon relationships, ourselves, and our culture. Brett provides clarity on what validation is and is not; while giving practical steps on being validating in a manner that can transform relationships with others and with oneself. Listen to find out how to effectively utilize validation skills and transform relationships into safer, happier, and more secure ones. We ofte...
Feb 21, 2023•35 min•Ep. 46
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the psychology behind goodbyes and closure as the podcast says goodbye to co-host Michelle in her final episode. Michelle has been honored to be a part of the podcast from its very beginning, and you'll hear about her hopes for the podcast and our listeners. Listen to find out why our brains seek out closures in our goodbyes and what research says about both the difficulties and benefits in...
Feb 14, 2023•30 min•Ep. 45
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the use of DBT skills in your daily life of "Alternate Rebellion" and "Adaptive Denial." Listen to find out how these skills relate to our lives and the clients we work with daily. You'll even hear how Michelle's pink hair is a form of these skills, and why these skills will help you if you are feeling stuck, helpless, or even rebellious (in unhelpful ways). Episodes Mentioned: Are You Rea...
Feb 07, 2023•31 min•Ep. 44
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the fork and spoon theory concepts and how they relate to understanding our stress and energy levels throughout the day. The theories are helpful in understanding the difference between our internal resources (spoons) and external stressors (forks). Listen to find out why we might say the phrase "stick a fork in me, I'm done" when we have reached our maximum capacity for stress for the day...
Jan 31, 2023•24 min•Ep. 43
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing learn about EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy with special guest Christa Overson, LMFT. Christa is the Clinical Site Director at Nystrom's Bloomington clinic and a lifelong Minnesotan raised in the north woods of Duluth. She has 10 years of clinical experience and seven years of experience with EMDR. She works with adults, couples, and families and provides supervision t...
Jan 24, 2023•38 min•Ep. 42
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the topic of behavior change, which many clients seek help for in therapy. They talk about what makes it hard to change a behavior, but also give strategies and tools for better understanding why the behavior itself occurs in the first place and giving yourself compassion when it is hard to make a change. Listen to find out more about how therapists use a behavior chain to help clients bet...
Jan 17, 2023•33 min•Ep. 41
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing talk about their lives and what led them to become the therapists they are today. They talk about Carl Jung's concept of "The Wounded Healer", and what it means to have a therapist who also gets their own therapy due to encountering and overcoming their own experiences with mental health and family dynamics. Listen to learn more about Michelle and Brett's stories, how they navigate issues around c...
Jan 10, 2023•32 min•Ep. 40
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Michelle Iversen discusses her "Anti-New Year's Resolutions" and why the New Year's resolutions we most commonly set are often linked to toxic diet culture and also fail 91% of the time. But rather than blame ourselves for this, Michelle would like us to think about the goals and whether they are designed in a way that isn't helpful for us and our self-esteem. Listen as Michelle talks more about toxic diet culture and the new year an...
Jan 03, 2023•22 min•Ep. 39
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the most common myths around therapy and "bust" them along with special guest Scott Steinbarger, LMFT. Scott is the Clinical Site Director at Nystrom's Edina clinic and a "Midwestern Millennial Middle Child." He has always had an interest in counseling but needed to take a detour into Nuclear Engineering in college before figuring out Marriage and Family Therapy was just the ticket. A self-...
Dec 27, 2022•38 min•Ep. 38
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing interview their first client guest on the podcast, Vicky. Vicky is a Nystrom client who completed the DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) program. Today, she shares her story of how treatment helped her find happiness and a way out of suffering. Listen to find out more about Vicky's story, how she continues to use skills to help her through the holiday season, and the hope that comes with treatment...
Dec 20, 2022•37 min•Ep. 37
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing continue their holiday stress series by talking about the importance of boundaries over the holiday season and learning what setting a boundary with others really means for your mental health. Listen to learn more about how boundaries will reduce your stress and get a step-by-step guide on how to use assertiveness skills to help you have these conversations with others during the holidays and all ...
Dec 13, 2022•33 min•Ep. 36
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing continue their holiday stress series by talking about how to manage holiday expectations, including expectations related to spending time with others, finances, and gifts. Listen to find out more about the "broken promises theory" that impacts our mood, how we experience high expectations around the holiday, and strategies to use that will help you feel prepared to handle the stress of the holiday...
Dec 06, 2022•33 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss domestic violence and dispel myths and assumptions about what it is and who it affects. Brett will share his training in using the "Duluth Model," a domestic abuse intervention program and an innovative way of holding batterers accountable and keeping victims safe. Listen to find out more about what domestic violence is, who it affects, and better understand the characteristics of those wh...
Nov 29, 2022•28 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the relationship between increases in eating disorders in US society and its connection with diet culture. Eating disorders affect more than 28 million people in the US, and diet culture is the best-known environmental contributor to this... but what do we do about it? Listen to find out more about myths and assumptions around eating disorders, why diet culture is toxic (especially during ...
Nov 22, 2022•36 min•Ep. 33
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the concept of gratitude in the first part of our "Managing Holiday Stress" series. Did you know gratitude isn't just an action or saying "thank you"? Together we will look at what research says gratitude is, and the mental and physical health benefits of making gratitude an intentional daily practice. Listen to learn more about how an "attitude of gratitude" helps with stress (not just du...
Nov 15, 2022•33 min•Ep. 32
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the concept of Radical Acceptance along with special guest Dr. Karin Ryan, PsyD. Dr. Ryan is a psychologist and director at Nystrom's Eden Prairie clinic and has over 23 years of experience working in the field using a variety of evidence-based and trauma-informed approaches. You can also tune in to KSTP and listen to Dr. Karin Ryan on Twin Cities Live and Minnesota Live talking about ment...
Nov 08, 2022•34 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss election stress. The APA has found that every election year, Americans are feeling more and more stressed. This year they found that 76% feel that the election has been a significant source of stress in their lives. Brett and Michelle explore the factors that cause people to experience election stress and strategies for managing and coping while increasing your ability to feel empowered wi...
Nov 01, 2022•37 min•Ep. 30
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss Halloween and why some people seek out fear during the "spooky season." You'll learn the biochemical and emotional factors of fear, the benefits of experiencing fear, and how Halloween can provide safe ways to explore and challenge fears. Learn more about how watching a scary movie and riding a roller coaster has similar effects on the body and brain and how our bodies jump into "superhero...
Oct 25, 2022•23 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Michelle Iversen is all alone in the studio this week and continuing to talk about psychology in the workplace. Studies show that 7 in 10 employees report the pandemic being the most stressful time in their careers, and more people than ever are reporting experiences with trauma. More organizations recognize their role in helping employees with their mental health, but how does becoming a trauma-informed organization help support emp...
Oct 18, 2022•20 min•Ep. 28
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the idea of finding joy in work and why it is an integral part of our mental health. Studies show that 90% of people expect joy, but only 37% experience it at work. You'll learn more about why there is a disconnect and how to overcome this through "Harmony, Clarity, and Party!". Listen to find out more about how to find meaning, purpose, and joy in work. If you like this topic, please also...
Oct 11, 2022•33 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Michelle Iversen discusses the therapy technique of Hypnotherapy along with special guest Jamie Houk, LPCC. Jamie is a therapist at Nystrom's Lakeville clinic and has 14 years of experience working in the field. Jamie is certified in multiple areas of expertise, including hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to help clients achieve an altered state of consciousness, access their unconscious state of mind, and help them achieve sp...
Oct 04, 2022•21 min•Ep. 26
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss the condition of Hoarding along with special guest Wade Crandall, LPCC. Wade has worked with people who hoard for the past 13 years in various capacities and is currently a Clinical Site Director of Nystrom's Hugo location. Wade served as the Vice President of the Minnesota Hoarding Task Force from 2018 - 2022, and he is currently their Mental Health Consultant. Listen as Wade, Brett, and ...
Sep 27, 2022•28 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs) Michelle Iversen and Brett Cushing discuss 4 of the most misunderstood mental health diagnoses: Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder), Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Pyromania, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. They will discuss some of the most common misconceptions about these illnesses and how this diagnosis impacts people who experience it in their daily lives. Listen to learn more about how to...
Sep 20, 2022•35 min•Ep. 24
