Therapy in a Nutshell - podcast cover

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdamtinpodcast.podbean.com
I’m Emma McAdam, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and my mission is to make mental health resources more easy to access. I take therapy skills and psychological research and condense them down into bite-sized nuggets of help. I’m here to spread the message that while mental illness is real, it’s common, it’s debilitating, it’s also treatable. There are dozens of research-backed approaches to treating depression, anxiety, and other mental illness. Change, growth, and healing are possible. Please keep courage! Try one little thing every day to improve your life and health and things can get so much better! Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. Therapy in a Nutshell and it’s logo are Registered Trademarks of Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Episodes

How to Build an Internal Locus of Control

Get the FREE Locus of Control Exercise here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148648319 Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Locus of control refers to how much you believe you can influence what happens in your life. People who focus on what they can change, have an Internal locus of control. They believe that their efforts make a difference. They acknowledge what they can’t change and they focus their atten...

Apr 10, 202521 minEp. 186

How to Create a Crisis Safety Plan for Suicidal Thoughts

Get the Free Safety Plan Worksheet here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/safety-plan Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership My wish for the world is that everyone who is in crisis can have someone in person to talk with them and help them create a safety plan- but I understand that isn’t reality. So in this podcast I’m going to walk you through the steps for creating a safety plan. We’re going to figure out some r...

Apr 04, 202511 minEp. 184

Talking about Trauma won't heal you

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Talking about trauma doesn’t heal trauma. For a lot of people, it makes them feel much worse especially if you have PTSD. This is one thing that sets human brains apart from animals. When we visualize something, whether it’s a past trauma or a worry about the future, we perceive danger. And our brain triggers the same physiological reaction to perceived danger as it does to real dan...

Mar 22, 202522 minEp. 183

The Hidden Root Cause of Anxiety and Depression- Codependency With Dr. Sarah Michaud

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Sometimes anxiety attacks and panic attacks are actually suppressed anger and caretaking that are showing up as Anxiety. In this conversation with Dr. Sarah Michaud, we explore how our anxiety around other people's feelings often shows up as caretaking, codependency, and unhealthy relationships. When we learn to be more assertive, more clear, and to allow other people to be responsi...

Mar 17, 202548 minEp. 185

9 Life Changing Treatments for Treatment Resistant Depression

Intensive treatments for Treatment Resistant Depression, Anxiety or PTSD When you’ve tried two or three or six treatments for your depression, anxiety, or PTSD and nothing helps, you might feel even more hopeless, like a fulfilling life is not possible for you. But I have good news for you. There are literally 500–five hundred treatments for depression. We’re talking treatments for severe forms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. And most of them are surprisingly effective. So let’s explore 9 inte...

Mar 13, 202524 minEp. 182

THIS Mental Habit Fuels Depression - The Cognitive Distortion of Discounting the Positive

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Depression isn’t just feeling sad, it’s actually not being able to feel much happiness. Good things happen and you feel nothing. Nothing excites you anymore, food doesn’t taste good, someone tells you they love you and you think, “Yeah, but you probably just said that because you’re family”. It’s hard to care about anything. Where does this come from? Today you’re going to learn abo...

Mar 10, 202517 minEp. 180

10 Quick Questions about OCD with Nathan Peterson

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership In this video I talk with Nathan Peterson, a licensed clinician and OCD specialist about various aspects of OCD. The host asks 10 quick-fire questions, covering topics such as how the neurotypical brain differs from the brain of someone with OCD, whether everyone has a bit of OCD, and the best treatments for the disorder. Peterson explains the role of genetics and life experiences, ...

Mar 07, 202533 minEp. 181

Lasting Treatments for Anxiety vs. Coping Skills - Is THIS why Therapy isn't working?

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Have you tried a bunch of stuff to manage anxiety and depression, but you’re still struggling? This might be why: Some strategies that work great for the short term, don’t help in the long run. They might make you feel better in the moment, but they do nothing to resolve your anxiety in the long run. A lot of articles, books, your friends, and even therapists recommend over and over...

Feb 20, 202516 minEp. 176

5 Lies Depression Tells You - Depression Motivation, it gets better

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Use coupon code with coupon code CYB-YT-FREE to get the Change Your Brain Course for FREE here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/offers/u7KxQqAp Depression is a liar because it warps your perception of reality. It twists your thoughts, making you believe things that aren’t true, even though they feel real. Here are 5 of the biggest lies depression tells—and the truth behind th...

Feb 14, 202510 minEp. 179

Depression in the Nervous System

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Depression isn’t just in your mind—it’s in your nervous system. In this video, we take a somatic and polyvagal-informed approach to understanding depression as a state of nervous system dysregulation. Learn how shutdown, freeze, and dorsal vagal states keep you stuck and how somatic therapy can help you shift into safety, connection, and regulation. Using insights from polyvagal the...

Feb 07, 202520 minEp. 178

Setting a Boundary vs. Trying to Control Someone

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Learning how to set boundaries is an important part of mental health and relationships. One of the biggest problems I see people have when they’re learning to set boundaries is learning the difference between setting a boundary and trying to control someone. And I found this ridiculous video that shows some great examples of the difference. Now this video is a little intense, and i’...

Jan 30, 202513 minEp. 175

Hate Affirmations? How to Improve your Self-Esteem Anyway

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Today, we’re going to talk about what you can do to improve your self-esteem even if you hate positive affirmations. For me, and for many of my clients, it never works to just replace the negative self-talk with positive affirmations. The first step is to question all of this negative self-talk. Instead of trying to say something super duper positive, shift to more neutral language....

Jan 23, 202518 minEp. 174

The Body Keeps the Score - Book Summary by a Therapist w/o the Triggering Bits

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Download the PDF Workbook that goes with this video: Therapy Modalities for Healing Trauma https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148622299 I think a lot of people are intimidated by “The Body Keeps the Score”, to be honest I was too. It’s pretty long, and it has a lot of triggering examples of real-life trauma. But it’s a great book for understanding how trauma affects the brai...

Jan 13, 202539 minEp. 173

The Keto Cure? Groundbreaking Research into Metabolic Treatments for Mental Health Conditions

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Can the Keto Diet Revolutionize Mental Health Treatment? Emerging research suggests that metabolic treatments like the ketogenic diet could be groundbreaking for mental health. Traditionally used to manage epilepsy, the keto diet—a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein approach—induces ketosis, a state where the body uses fat as its primary energy source. This metabolic shift may imp...

Jan 03, 202512 minEp. 172

Why Trauma and Stress Trigger Weight Gain and Diabetes (Hint, it's Cortisol)

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Why are people who experienced more trauma in their childhood more likely to develop diabetes and obesity? One of the lasting impacts of trauma is that it damages our brain’s ability to regulate stress. So let’s talk about the stress cycle, and we’ll come back to how that impacts insulin and weight gain. When someone experiences repeated trauma or chronic stress, their nervous syste...

Dec 27, 202411 minEp. 167

Re-Regulating your Nervous System after CPTSD with Crappy Childhood Fairy Anna Runkle

Learn the skills to regulate your emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Check out Anna's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCZlDCbFTqHkzV_rUP4V5bg In this episode, we delve into the concept of complex PTSD and how dysregulation plays a key role in its manifestation. Highlighting the groundbreaking work by James Pennebaker, a psychology professor, we discuss a study where participants wrote about their traumatic experiences for 15 minutes ov...

Dec 19, 202443 minEp. 171

The Science Behind Morning Depression (And What to Do About It)

Learn the skills to regulate your emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Morning depression is a common experience where symptoms of depression, such as fatigue, hopelessness, brain fog, and difficulty getting out of bed, are at their worst upon waking. This is largely influenced by biological factors, including the cortisol awakening response, where stress hormones spike in the morning, causing a sense of overwhelm or shutdown. Misalignment of the circa...

Dec 16, 202418 minEp. 170

Setting Boundaries with Kindness

https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Learn to Mind your Boundaries with Jess: https://www.youtube.com/@UCpFOiBujrj00OAxWnCpsX_g Free Guide to manage holiday boundaries: https://crafty-composer-5127.kit.com/55a7a3a7e9 Today, I'm super excited that we're going to be talking about boundaries with a boundaries expert, Jess Miller. We'll explore the nitty gritty of setting boundaries. Why do we feel anxious when we do it? Why do we feel guilty after we do it? Why do we maybe shake or cry...

Dec 13, 202442 minEp. 169

What to Eat to Improve Your Mood

Learn the skills to regulate your emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership The most effective diet for mental health appears to be what is called the Mediterranean diet- this is a diet high in vegetables, fruit, legumes, beans, nuts, fish, unsaturated fats like olive oil, and it’s low in processed foods, red meat, and highly processed grains. There have been a lot of studies on this type of diet, an overview of 41 studies involving over 1.5 million health ...

Dec 06, 202411 minEp. 168

How Childhood Trauma Affects the Brain and Body - The ACES Study

Learn how to regulate your nervous system in my FREE online course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd Childhood trauma can have a direct, lasting impact on physical health, mental health, and ability to function in society. But we didn’t have any idea how much impact it had until the late 1990’s, when a curious doctor made a groundbreaking discovery. They found that a huge number of people have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experienc...

Nov 18, 202413 minEp. 166

14 Things that Actually Help Severe Anxiety

Learn to Regulate your Nervous System with my FREE online Course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd Defusion Phrases: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/opt-in-8ed048f8-b60f-418b-9d80-cb6374eb68c6 Defusion Phrases Video: https://youtu.be/8Ws8_Y_PQ8E?si=ScD4gA4Nk3tXZuLd Today I talk with my friend, Rachael, about her experience with a severe anxiety disorder. Rachael struggle with anxiety and depression, insomnia and appetite changes for years...

Nov 12, 202426 minEp. 165

Overthinking and Intrusive Thoughts - 6 Phrases to get Unstuck from Overthinking and Uncertainty

Download the free PDF: "6 Phrases to Help with Intrusive Thoughts or Repetitive Worries" https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148585686 Do you struggle with intrusive thoughts, worries, or constant "What if?" scenarios? Whether you're imagining catastrophes or obsessing over something you said, these difficult thoughts can quickly spiral out of control. In this podcast, we break down why this happens and how to manage it effectively. Using relatable metaphors and evidence-based techniques ...

Oct 25, 202411 minEp. 163

Feeling Like You're Never Good Enough?

Learn to process your emotions: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z5-lgnIMqNw I polled my audience and 92% of you said you always or sometimes feel like you are never good enough. This is so crushing. Believing that “you’re never good enough” can contribute to depression and anxiety, so we’re going to break it down in a way that won’t make you feel like a failure for feeling like a failure and explore some ways we can work through t...

Oct 16, 202417 minEp. 164

4 Essential Sleep Routines

When people can’t fall asleep or they struggle with insomnia, they often look for bedtime routines to help them, and while sleep hygiene can be helpful, it’s kinda like waiting until you retire to plan for retirement, it’s kinda too late at bedtime to really create the optimal sleep situation- so in this video I’m going to share 4 essential routines that can actually help you fall asleep quickly and sleep better. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a...

Oct 04, 202410 minEp. 160

Complex Feelings and Shame about Childhood Sexual Abuse

Learn to regulate your nervous system with my free course- Grounding Skills for Anxiety, and PTSD: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd/?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube This podcast is for those of you who were sexually abused as children, who perhaps carry some shame because you had mixed and complicated feelings about that abuse. And what I mean by that is you were groomed, and maybe you liked or initiated some aspects of the situa...

Sep 26, 202414 minEp. 162

Why am I Anxious? A Quick Assessment

Download the worksheet and resources here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148572004 Check out my membership, where you can take the online courses "Stop the Anxiety Cycle in 30 Days" or "How to Process Emotions": https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Anxiety is often caused by micro-habits that we don’t even notice but build up over time. So let’s troubleshoot, today we’re going to explore 7 common reasons why someone might feel anxious without realizing the cause. These ...

Sep 20, 202410 minEp. 161

Diagnosis Creep

You may have noticed that there’s an upswing in people identifying with mental health diagnoses lately. Here’s my take on this, I think there are 4 reasons. The first is what I’m going to call Diagnosis Creep. People are using clinical terms much more broadly than was intended in the past. You’ll see this when people say “I’m so OCD” or “I’m so ADD”. Or when you watch a video that talks about “High Functioning Depression” or “High Functioning Anxiety”. But, for a clinical diagnosis, with PTSD, D...

Sep 12, 20248 minEp. 159

Why You Blame Yourself for Everything

Join our membership here: https://therapyinanutshell.com/member Get the How to Process Emotions course here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/emotion-processing In this podcast, you’ll learn why you might blame yourself for everything, how this can be a trauma response from your childhood, and how to stop doing it. And we’re going to use Batman as an example. It’s clear to see how taking the mental shortcut of “It’s all my fault” is actually a much easier route than the emotional gymnastic...

Sep 05, 202416 minEp. 158

Stop Struggling with Insomnia with Dr Martin Reed

In this interview, psychotherapist and insomnia coach Martin Reed discusses the common causes and solutions for insomnia. Insomnia often starts with a single night of disrupted sleep and is exacerbated by our responses to it. Reed highlights that insomnia is common and manageable by understanding its mechanics and practicing less effortful responses to wakefulness. His free email series provides further education and strategies for improving sleep without the common pitfalls that many insomnia s...

Aug 22, 202442 minEp. 149

How to Forgive

Ready to transform your mental health today? Get all 8 of Emma’s courses plus live Q&A here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Forgiveness can be a really challenging subject. On the one hand, forgiving someone can be a powerful path to emotional freedom, but on the other, the word forgiveness is often used in a way that is hurtful or harmful for victims of abuse. In this podcast, I hope to take a nuanced and thoughtful approach to the ways that forgiveness can be helpful for...

Aug 15, 202421 minEp. 152