S* Your Therapist Reads

Grief

For this episode, we read two books about grief: Grief is Love by Marisa Renee Lee and Grief is for People by Sloan Crosley. These books approach the topic from wildly different angles, but each offers a clear window into the experience of grief. In our conversation, we talk about what grief is "supposed" to look like versus what it actually looks like, the vulnerability inherent in grieving, and about who is permitted to grieve. We also talk about why finding a new therapist sucks, and ponder if our podcast is "poo." 

It's Not You

For the podcast this week, we tackled It's Not You with special guest, Maureen Bethea! We're happy to have Maureen join us as we wade into the narcissism discourse. Of course, according to social media, everybody and their mama is a narcissist, but the reality is a bit more complicated.
We talk about why narcissism can actually be hard to spot, what to do if you're in a relationship with a person with narcissistic traits, and the merits and pitfalls of diagnosing personality disorders. 
 

The Anxious Generation

We discuss whether the solution to kids' rising mental health issues is decreased screen time and more outdoor play, talk about why parenting in this day and age feels particularly hard, and one of us shares how this book has already directly impacted her own parenting. 

Devout

For this episode, we read our first memoir for the podcast, Anna Gazmarian's Devout. We discuss the role of religion in mental health education and treatment, and why both therapist fit and timing matter. 

Fat Talk

In this episode, we talk about the book Fat Talk, and discuss fatphobia and the worship of thinness, diet culture, the food industry's efforts to hijack our brains, and the merits of letting your kid eat a stick of butter. 

How We Heal

In this episode we discuss the book How We Heal and talk about why healing is a team sport, and the ethics of mental health professionals using their credentials to sell stuff (Marriage & Family Therapist Condoms, anyone?). Erica also shares her not-so-guilty pleasure. 

Fair Play

In this episode, we discuss Fair Play, and discuss what it means to gamify the mental load, whether you can solve the patriarchy in your own home, and why arguments about the dishes are not (usually) about the dishes at all.

Heal Your Nervous System

In this episode, we discuss the recently published book, Heal Your Nervous System. We talk about recognizing and healing a dysregulated nervous system, how to spot a grift, and the merits of taking advice from people simply because they're hot. 

Intergenerational Trauma: Break the Cycle & Where I Belong

We do something a little different with this episode--we put two books into conversation with each other. Break the Cycle and Where I Belong both discuss intergenerational trauma, and we discuss the merits (and struggles) of healing your trauma on your own, representation and the myth of the model minority, and which book we felt was like a warm hug :) Also, if you're an MFT listening to this episode, you will also appreciate the shoutout to the genogram! 

Becoming a Citizen Therapist

In Episode 2 of SYTR, we discuss how Becoming a Citizen Therapist provides a framework for therapists who want to use their skills to help their communities outside the therapy room. *And* we talk about why everyone should read this book, not just therapists :)