Psychotherapist and author Roland Evans joins Johanne Schwensen to talk about his book Surface and Depths: A Story of Adolescence with Reflections on the Inner Journey. Together they explore adolescence, family, and the lifelong process of becoming ourselves — and how therapy can help us revisit and repair the patterns formed early in life.
Therapy Talk is back! Johanne speaks with psychologist and researcher Lea Schäfer about how AI is showing up in therapy – for clients, therapists, and the future of mental health care. They explore the promises, pitfalls, and ethical questions of bringing technology into the therapeutic space.
Full conversation here.
*The BDI (Beck Depression Inventory) was first published in 1961 by Dr. Aaron T. Beck.
linkedin.com/in/lea-schäfer-1b3894103?originalSubdomain=de
ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lea-Schaefer-10
Literature
Schäfer, L. M., Krause, T., & Köhler, S. (2025). Exploring user characteristics, motives, and expectations and the therapeutic alliance in the mental health conversational AI Clare®: a baseline study. Frontiers in Digital Health, 7, 1576135.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/digital-health/articles/10.3389/fdgth.2025.1576135/full
Schäfer, Lea Maria. "Künstliche Intelligenz als Dritte Instanz in der Psychotherapie: Wie eine sinnvolle Integration von Künstlicher Intelligenz in den psychotherapeutischen Binnenraum aussehen könnte". Was machen Digitalisierung und Künstliche Intelligenz mit der Psychotherapie?: Einwürfe und Provokationen, edited by Bert te Wildt, Gerhard Lauer and Robin Schmidt, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2024, pp. 111-128. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111509341-007
In this episode, therapist Dariia Milinchuk shares her expertise on working with survivors of narcissistic abuse. We explore how narcissistic traits differ from narcissistic personality disorder, why even trained professionals can miss the signs of manipulation, and the subtle but powerful ways narcissistic behaviour shows up in relationships. Dariia also discusses the long-term impact of narcissistic abuse and why regaining trust in oneself can be a complex but transformative journey.
Full conversation here.
In Breaking Negative Cycles in Relationships, Sára Ritter explains:
Join us as we unpack these themes and learn how deeper emotional understanding can transform relationships.
Watch the full interview here.
In this episode, Johanne speaks with Matias Castagnola, a clinical psychologist and psychodrama facilitator, about the transformative power of psychodrama. Matias shares how this therapeutic approach uses role-playing, sociometry, and group dynamics to explore possibilities, expand roles, and create meaningful change in a safe and playful environment. We also discuss the balance of creativity and structure in psychodrama sessions and how this method integrates personal growth with group collaboration.
Website: https://matiascastagnola.com/
In this episode, host Johanne Schwensen sits down with psychological counsellor Aranja Berkmüller to explore the fascinating and often misunderstood role of kink in the therapy space.
This thought-provoking conversation challenges societal norms and encourages deeper reflection. Johanne and Aranja discuss:
Read more about Aranja here: https://www.amplified-humanity.com.
To celebrate ADHD Awareness month, we're diving into the ADHD brain and the struggles that come with it. In this episode, Johanne speaks with clinical psychologist Anna Bellack, who not only researched ADHD in women for her thesis but also received her own ADHD diagnosis during her studies. Anna provides insight into the neurological workings of ADHD and sheds light on common challenges faced by people with ADHD, including some that often go overlooked. Whether you’re personally affected by ADHD or just curious, this conversation offers a deep and relatable perspective.
Resources
In this episode of our mini-series on dreams, clinical psychologist and dream expert Roland Evans explores how we can better understand our dreams by working with them in altered states of consciousness (ASCs). From naturalistic trance and EMDR to active imagination and hypnosis, Roland looks into how these non-ordinary states of awareness help us access deeper layers of dream meaning that are often inaccessible in waking life. Whether you're new to dreamwork or looking to deepen your practice, this episode offers fascinating perspectives on working with dreams using ASCs.
In this insightful episode, Johanne sits down with Aranja Berkmüller, an experienced psychological counsellor and death doula, to delve into the world of end-of-life care. Aranja sheds light on the important role of death doulas—what they really do, and what they don’t. With her unique perspective, she shares powerful lessons from her journey, offering a compassionate exploration of death doula work.
In this episode, Johanne Schwensen sits down with co-founder of It's Complicated, Jungian psychoanalyst, and author Jakob Lusensky to discuss his new book, C.G. Jung: Face to Face with Christianity - Conversations on Dreaming the Myth Onward. Together, they explore Jung’s complex relationship with Christianity, the process of writing the book, and the deep insights from leading Jungian scholars. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of psychology and spirituality.
In this episode of Therapy Talk, I sit down with seasoned psychotherapist Vasiliki Loumpa, who brings more than a decade of experience in family therapy. We explore the rewarding and challenging aspects of parental counselling, the transformative approach of non-violent resistance and discuss family therapy's powerful impact on supporting children by empowering their parents. Tune in to discover how this type of therapy can foster healthier family dynamics and provide meaningful support to both parents and children.
Resources:
Family Therapy
Breaking free of anxiety
Non-violent resistance
In this episode, psychologist Valentina Calandra, explores the realms of liberatory psychology and feminist therapy, and what it means to be "queering" therapy. Calandra highlights the interconnectedness of personal and political struggles in therapy, and envisions therapy as a form of activism that supports individual and collective liberation.
Enveloped in the Therapy Talk podcast, here comes a mini-series about dreams by Roland Evans, and accredited clinical psychologist who has 40 years of experience unlocking the mysteries of dreams.
In this episode, Eugene Belilovsky, explains what it means to take a holistic approach to mental health counselling, and illuminates the value in integrating health factors, societal influences and concepts such as awareness and alignment in working with wellness.
List of resources can be found here.
What do friendship and therapy have in common? In this episode, Johanne Schwensen explores this thought-provoking question with fellow psychologist Valentina Calandra. Tune in to discover how the nuanced overlap between these two realms offers insights into boundaries, queering therapy, and the political dimensions of friendship.
Music by Kadri Arula
Visit the Relationship Garden where the conversation about friendship will continue
An increasingly popular specialty within the therapy world is psychedelic integration. But what does it mean to engage in psychedelic integration work? Do you need to have experienced a drug-induced trip, and is it legal? These questions are just a few of the many covered when It's Complicated co-founder and psychologist, Johanne Schwensen, speaks with integrative, person-centred therapist and psychedelic integration workshop facilitator, John Sandblom.
Therapists who do psychedelic integration work here.
Music by Kadri Arula.
Some therapists never fully retire, for the main reason that their profession stays a source of passion and purpose. Roland Evans who joined me for the bi-weekly It's Complicated webinar, Mind Mingles, to talk about his dream work, is one of these therapists. In this episode, which is the raw recording of our Mind Mingles, he gives a peak into what he's learnt from listening to about 20,000 dreams over the past 40 years. Whether you want to learn how to start remembering your dreams, or how to gauge what your dreams are trying to convey, Roland Evans has got you covered in this inspiring interview.
If you have any questions regarding dream work, join this community Dream space.
In this Therapy Talk episode, family psychotherapist Emonie Carter-Hale provides an engaging overview of systemic therapy, while exploring its application in trauma contexts. She shares her moving story about what it means to be a well-adjusted eldest daughter who went to law school to work with survivors of trauma, and ended up rebelling by becoming a psychotherapist working in an intersectional and holistically trauma-informed manner.
In this moving conversation, Noémie Gmür reveals how studying history and doing their own podcast was the perfect preparation to becoming a relationship and sex-counsellor. While generously sharing their personal journey, Noémie reflects on the many ways in which being their own guinea pig has helped shape their approach to therapy.
Keep up to date with Noémie's workshops here
Visit our newly established community garden for neurodiversity
Join this open and free Mind Mingles on neurodiversity
Music by Kadri Arula
Most therapists like to occasionally explain to their clients how the nervous system plays into the issues at hand, but did you know that there is a body-oriented approach called Somatic Experiencing that has the understanding of humans' survival response at it's core? In this episode, Johanne asks trauma-therapist Ariane Fuechtner to give an overview of how Somatic Experiencing works. She explains just how creative Somatic Experiencing is, why we can't just shake off trauma like other mammals, and much more.
