Judith Belmont, MS is a psychotherapist and author who offers practical approaches to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Through examples, she translates CBT principles into user-friendly tools for personal growth, emotional wellness, and mental health education. Her work focuses on helping people identify and challenge negative thought patterns, build healthier habits, and improve self-esteem. With actionable strategies her approach helps to manage anxiety, stress, and everyday challenges. www.belmontwellness.com; amazon.com/author/judithbelmont

Mary Anne Cohen, Director of the New York Center for Eating Disorders, coined the term "emotional eating". In this episode, she offers a nuanced perspective on Ozempic acknowledging its potential to provide relief from compulsive eating yet cautions that this benefit is only part of the story: the need to adress the deep emotional wounds at the heart of many eating disorders. She warns that Ozempic can feed dangerous cultural narratives that equate thinness with moral or emotional worthiness—reinforcing stigma around body diversity and compounding shame. Although we are still learning all of the information around weight-loss drugs, Cohen feels that Ozempic must be paired with a comprehensive personal strategy and invites us to think critically

There's a lot we can understand about the sibling abuse experience and outcome for the survivor through a theoretical lens. Dr. Meyers presents the theories in a digestible manner that helps anyone seeking to learn more about themselves or survivors and how relationships can be challenging. There is a bright side: resiliency is addressed as is therapy as an imperative measure to leading a more satisying life and a sense of self-worth.

One of many anxieties about working with people and their emotional lives is contending with suicidal gestures. This case presentation of a 16 year old with depression and anxiety and a history of child abuse uncovers the importance of accurate diagnoses and highlights the need for collaborative efforts to intervene appropriately. Further, rectifying one's own capabilities as a therapist based on needed expertise with particular populations must be prioritized over the desire to handle all.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->After ten years of sexual abuse by her stepfather, Nicole Braddock Bromley found the courage to disclose to her mother at 14 years old. Though she encountered a receptive and supportive response from her mother, the trauma of abuse and subsequent events created deep wounds. Speaker/author/survivor and internationally recognized advocate for sexual abuse and trafficking victims, Nicole shares how she has turned her wounds into scars and became a model for healing, finding forgiveness, and using storytelling to transform lives.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->How do we undertand the trauma immigrants have experienced in their home country and now our own? A professor, community social worker, and BSW student share personal and professional experiences that fuel their passion and compassion for the immigrant population. Join us as we dispel the notion that immigration is a new issue and confront this administration's conflation of terrorism and immigration and the need for border security. How do we help navigate the fears of immigrants and citizens? Our guests make a call to challenge dis/misinformation and speak truth to power.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->The stigma of mental illness is reflected in Regina, a social worker who contends with her own mental illness diagnosis and its implications for working in the field. Having been let go from a few jobs, she raises the ethical dilemma of disclosure: the pathologizing impact vs. the potential for accomodations. Where is the boundary or adaptation in the social work profession regarding embracing employees who may be struggling with the same disorders as those we treat? Regina shares her personal experience navigating her BiPolar II disorder and calls to action the need for societal awareness and social work advocacy.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->Making the move to private practice requires several considerations: When is the right time? Will I be financially stable? What is the cost/benefit ratio? Am I prepared personally and professionally? What is needed to be successful? Barbara Murphy, a seasoned professional, discusses her own trajectory to private practice and along the way, answers some common questions and anxieties about making the transition. She also provides an invaluable resource to support private and agency practitioners.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->A sibling sexual abuse survivor and a mother of a SSA survivor and perpetrator share their experiences in the hope of coming to terms with "how did this happen?!". Their stories help each other try to make sense of each other's lens and what evolves is an empathic development for each other's plight. A very enlightening conversation ensues about how to disclose this assault to parents and what victims and survivors want and need.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->It may be challenging to consider how there is joy in working with ill youth, and even chronically and terminally medically ill children. To her own surprise, Cloe Southard, LMSW has certainly found that joy. She gives us a new perspective about this work and engages in conversation about ethical dilemmas including the debateable issue of sustaining life vs. quality of life. She also is quite transparent about her countertransferential challenges.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->There are many ways to treat trauma from psychotherapy to CBT, Ketamine, and EMDR. Dr. Meyers is interested in exploring it all. This week she is joined by Dr. Kammer, an expert on EMDR who discusses the use of it as a method to reprocess painful memories by reformulationg negative beliefs. She explains how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing works. Both complicated and fascinating, we delve into how trauma is processed by the brain and because it is overwhelming, there can be an inability to process it. As a result, the trauma remains stored in the limbic system. By following the therapist’s hand movements or a moving light, listening to audio stimulation, or tapping on their shoulders, the therapist helps the client reprocess the natural information that occurs during REM sleep. How is this done? Tune in to find out.

Kellyanne Brady, PhD is pregnant. How might this impact her treatment? Transference is likely to occur. How might her clients' feelings be overtly or subtly communicated, or not revealed at all? How does Dr. Brady's countertransference come into play? What happens when a therapist is going through their own major life transition? These are questions anyone can relate to regarding how to remain present and how much to share or self-disclose.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->From the last podcast episode on sibling abuse, my guest, Lorene Stanwick wanted to ensure that she communicated specific aspects of her experience. In a follow-up conversation, she focuses on the insidious nature of abuse and her road towards healing. She discusses the catharctic aspect of writing a play on sibling abuse and her desire to be the voice for others. Many folks can relate to feeling you may have left out important things during a conversations. But perhaps for Lorene, the desire to revisit our conversation conveys the deep need to be heard and understood, something a sibling abuse victim never had.

Not being believed when someone has been abused magnifies the experience of trauma. What happens when ones own family doesn't acknowledge the abuse from parents to siblings to perpetrators? Lorene Stanwick, an adult survivor of sibling abuse talks about these implications and the profound impact this has had on her. In this episode, Lorene shares her truth and shares her processing around losing her family, and her ultimate decision to choose herself.

Meet Alma, a BSW student who is just beginning her social work education. In spite of how astute, insightful, and self-aware she is, she still contends with feelings of insecurity and finding her voice. Dr. Meyers strives to normalize Alma's feelings and in doing so, addresses areas of anxiety and concerns most practicing professionals grapple with. Along the way, they have some important lessons to ease the discomfort of doing the work.

In this episode you are sure to gain a better understanding of what is at the root of most couple conflict; the need to focus on the underlying feelings that are raised for each member of the pair; and the path towards empathy for the other's perspective. Dr. Meyers' guest, Sindee Gozansky emphasizes the discord and upset found in couples conflict that usually originates in historical, early and familial relationships. She offers her own challenges in working with couples, and the necessity of balancing alignment with both individuals.

Many of us have some form of body dysmorphia, and so we can all relate to this episode. Societal pressures make it almost impossible not to contend with a disorted perspective of our personal appearance. Ruth Kalai, LCSW works with young professionals whose bodily perceptions often indicate a representation of some other aspect of unhappiness, anxiety, or failure. Learn a cognitive-behavioral technique that can ease the suffering that comes with this disorder. Ruth also shares her personal struggles with body perception and normalizes the "obsession" we share with physical appearance. Check out more about Ruthie at Ruthiekalai.com

Dr. Meyers has a pointed, open and honest conversation with two racially different professors who co-teach a course on diversity. As they engage in processing their differences and making decisions about how to navigate the course, they and their student model how to optimize discussions on racial differences and positions of power, privilege, and oppression. In the midst of this socially and politically stressful time, let's accept discomfort as we pave a path towards self-awareness, openness to others, and bridging the biases that can divide us.

Join Dr. Meyers as she celebrates her 100th episode with some reflections on her favorite episodes, responses to listener's questions about therapy and podcasting, and banter with her guest on topics of self-care and of all things, cursing.

There are some challenges facing the field of social work and education. COVID exacerbated issues already plaguing the field in terms of staffing and burnout; staff and supervisors are overwhelmed with caseloads and supervisors vary in their ability to provide quality supervision. As gatekeepers, three field directors chat about the state of the social work field and its impact on the provision of educational experiences for students. They also discuss the shifts that needs to happen for students, field instructors and higher education personnel to meet the needs of each and subsequently client populations.