Finding Middle Path Podcast
By Rachael Julstrom LPC
Finding Middle Path PodcastAug 17, 2021
Top 5 Reasons People Start Therapy
Here are the top 5 Reasons People Start Going to Therapy.
Is it the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?
With the stress of the holidays it is important to know what are the things making this holiday season vastly different than the past few years. Remember we have had a rough 2 years and now all the sudden we are "back in the swing of things". This is the perfect time to practice boundary setting and making sure we are using our Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills from DBT.
Also, to COPE AHEAD we want to make sure we set good intentions for the season and Decide what YOU want this Holiday season is going to look like for you. What will it look like time, finically and who do you want to spend it with. Be sure to listen for more tips and tricks on how to survive this season.
Pros and Cons of Telehealth Therapy with Bonnie Monahan
In this episode we are joined by Bonnie Monahan, LPC, PLPC to explore the various Pros and Cons that are associated with Telehealth and In-Person therapy. Depending on the type of therapy your are doing and your type of therapist there are many pros and cons. From saving money and time by doing Telehealth to wanting to just get away to a quite place outside of your home for in-person therapy. It is important to see all sides of something to help you make a decision on what works best for you.
Want to learn more about how to work with Middle Path Counseling MO ? Visit us at www.middlepathmo.com
The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance
We are officially back! Welcome to season 2 of Finding Middle Path, a podcast that explores all things DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and the resources around it. We are excited to be back and to continue to explore resources.
The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance is a vital part of therapy.
Music : Journey by Atch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaZg9d6mjg
Interview with Emily Keehn with Timberline Knolls
We are so honored to have Emily Keehn, LPC - Speak with us today on behalf of Timberline Knolls a treatment facility in the suburbs or Chicago. Timberline Knolls ( TK ) is a Mental Health Residential Treatment program that focuses on using DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ) with their clients. They have many other programs that and we are thrilled to talk to Emily who has been with TK for 6years and to see the development of many of their programs. If you want to find out more about TK please visit https://www.timberlineknolls.com/. They also have a wonderful YouTube presence with helpful videos. Be sure to follow them.
Kevin Hart is a DBT Resource
Ever wonder how to get yourself to feel more in control of your emotions? It takes practice. In this resource we are practicing "Turning the Mind" and "Opposite to Emotion." With Kevin Hart it is shifting any emotion to humor. It is a distraction that helps to step away from whatever intense emotion you are having to help you self regulate. Then once you feel more in control you go back to whatever was causing you distress and you can validate and problem solve if needed.
Kevin's book "I can't make this up" is a great example of humor and vulnerability. I used Audible to listen to the book and you can find it on Amazon by clicking this affiliate link - https://www.amazon.com/shop/rachaeljulstrom?listId=31805RNWCT22&ref=idea_share_inf
Why Telehealth is important for Mental Health
Since our office has been doing Telehealth since March 2020, we havn't had anytime to discuss the benefits of Telehealth in a Mental Health Setting. It is no secret that there is a Mental Health crisis that we are still in. Many are from the original wave of COVID and a mix of the political environment. Now it is a mix of wanting to find a normal and still trying to fit in the old way of doing things. There has been so much change in the the last year alone, it has been hard for people to find a routine or a baseline.
This is why continuing to have some routine around mental health is important and making it easy for clients to get connect with their therapist weekly and bi-weekly is just as important. We have noticed the following benefits:
1. Convenience - you can meet with your therapist in much more flexible time slots
2. No commute - you dont have to drive through traffic at lunch or 5pm when it can be the most stressful
3. Cost - while the cost of Telehealth remains the same, many insurance companies have decided to cover quite a bit of the cost if not all of it.
4. Consistency - You are still able to meet with your therapist and set a routine. Even when everything else feels like it might be changing around you, you know that on Tuesday at 2PM you still will see your therapist.
Need help finding a therapist near you? Try these resources:
Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
Meet Monarch https://meetmonarch.com/
Interview With That Darn Amygdala
Meet Carissa Weber who is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a clinical substance abuse counselor (CSAC). She has always been drawn to mental health, especially in ways to help others feel better. While she was in college, she studied nursing and how the brain works. She is applying this knowledge to the Finding Middle Path Podcast and teaching us about the biology of validation.
https://thatdarnamygdala.com/about-me-the-short-version/
FB/P/IG: @ThatDarnAmygdala
Twitter: @AmygdalaDarn
Book Club: https://thatdarnamygdala.com/book-club/
Carissa also has a Workbook coming out in September that is helpful for anyone in therapy or not in therapy. Be sure to follow her on Instagram and find out how to get involved.
Interview with Amber Seater
A Moment of Vulnerability ( from a therapist )
Know the Warning Sings of Suicide 1-800-273-8255
Applying Dialectics
We use 2 resources this week. Lane Peterson - DBT Skills Training Manual and Atomic Thinking - James Clear ( all on amazon ) .
Understanding Dialectics
Dialectics are helpful way to view the world. In simple terms, it is when two opposing truths can be true at the same time.
Dialectics are helpful way to view the world.
a.) Dialectics teach us that there are more than one way to see a situation and more than one way to solve any problem.
b.) Dialectics consider all people to have unique qualities and different points of view.
c.) Dialectics stress the important of looking at the world with an open mind, without absolutes, avoiding black and white, all or nothing thinking.
d.) Dialectics points out that only change is constant.
Behavior Chain Analysis Tool
Find the worksheet at www.findingmiddlepath.com
Relationship Repairs and the 25 Red Flags
DBT+5 Love Languages
Find out more at www.findingmiddlepath.com
DBT + 10 Laws of Boundaries
See more at www.findingmiddlepath.com
Therapy Interfering Behaviors
Therapy Interfering Behaviors are behaviors that a client or therapist can have that interrupts the therapeutic process. This list is important ( find list at www.findingmiddlepath.com ) to keep handy to revert to when you feel something is “off” or you are “plateauing” in therapy.
Call out the behavior so you can have the best therapeutic experience.
Effectively saying YES and NO.
Find more at www.findingmiddlepath.com
The FAST Skill and Bringing It All Together
Give Skill and Levels of Validation
Interpersonal Effectiveness - DEAR MAN
Intro to Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills
Emotion Regulation - ABC PLEASE Skill
Resource : Seasonal Affect Disorder
Emotion Regulation - Changing Emotions / Opposite Action
These simple acts of recognizing the emotion, validating it and then deciding what to do next is starting to add up. You will start to see where the change is happening. Find the chart and other information at www.findingmiddlepath.com.
Emotion Regulation - Problem Solving
Resource : 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD
Emotion Regulation - Fitting the Facts - Part 2
Remember, learning DBT skills is learning small changing skills that add up to big change for a life time.
Be sure to check out the chart at www.findingmiddlepath.com .
Emotion Regulation - Fitting the Facts - Part 1
Each one of our emotions has a purpose and knowing how to Validate them first helps us to control them and then learn what to do next. This skill is so powerful in teaching you how to understand their true purpose. Be sure to check out the chart that goes along with it at www.findingmiddlepath.com.
2021 Mental Health Vision Board and Setting Goals
Find the worksheet at www.findingmiddlepath.com and we can get going together.
3 Pillars of Mental Health ( not 4 )
Grief around the Holidays
Distress Tolerance Review and the Beginning of Emotion Regulation
The STOP skill and DBT Pros and Cons
Learn how to Quickly regain control of a highly distressing situation. Then if we need to do a longer DBT skill to help problem solve we move into DBT Pros and Cons.
Are you being Willing or Willful?
Learning the difference between Willing and Willful and how to challenge yourself to take away judgment and open your awareness and how to have small changes to lead you to happiness.
The DBT Improve Skill``
Learn how to improve the moment by using the DBT acronym IMPROVE.
Self Soothe through the 5 Senses
Using the basic skills you were born with. Learn how to use the simple 5 senses to help through distressing times.
Boundaries during COVID-19, Election Year and the Holidays.
Resource - Carol Lozier - DBT Therapeutic Activities Ideas for Kids an Caregivers
As a therapist I have used a few of the mainstream DBT books that help clients individually and in a group setting and while they are good, I would like for you consider the following workbook as a great addition for your DBT toolbox.
Carol Lozier is a wonderful DBT writer and social worker who has been doing this for 30+ years and has written other books on DBT and helping those to understand the skills.
I was gifted this book during the COVID-19 Pandemic and while writing my own workbook. This workbook is so wonderful for children who are in an age group that I am not trained in ( under 14 ) and she does such a great job with her examples on mindfulness and how she describes these abstract ideas/concepts to a younger population. She has some wonderful activities for the parent/caregiver or therapist to use with the client. I have not seen a workbook for this age range that truly tackles all of the DBT skills.
Distress Tolerance - TIPP Skill
The TIPP Skill is a quick intervention that is used to change your body chemistry, so that you can begin to regain some control and then look for validation or problem solving. This is especially helpful in a panic attack situation or where you have just been triggered and feel numb.
Distress Tolerance - ACCEPT Skill
Practicing Mindfulness with Mindful Eating
www.findingmiddlepath.com
Mindfulness - The What & How Skills
Sleep Hygiene - DBT Sleep Protocol
Reducing Vulnerabilities - DBT Please Skill
Goal Setting in DBT Therapy
How to get the most out of therapy, set goals and achieve them. What are some ways you have tried to set goals in the past and what caused them to not get achieved?
Top 3 Non DBT Books ( Resources )
These are my Top 3 Books that are NON-DBT:
Boundaries – Dr Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Co-Dependent No More – Melody Beattie
Trauma Stewardship -Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
What to know when beginning DBT.
What to know at the beginning of starting DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). Some key elements all clients should be aware of are:
- Individual Therapy Sessions
- Coaching Calls
- Diary Cards
- Group Therapy
Each is a vital part of DBT and add an extra element that some other therapies do not offer. What questions do you have about DBT? Find me on IG @FindingMiddlePath. www.findingmiddlepath.com
