Recommendation: Therapist Uncensored
Everyone attends therapy differently, and those sessions might vary from week to week. Sometimes a session is just about being heard and validated. Sometimes it’s about learning new skills, coping mechanisms, and communication strategies. I often feel like my sessions are one-on-one tutoring sessions in emotional intelligence. But I struggle to take notes when I’m actively involved in a conversation, and it can be hard to remember everything I’ve learned in session.
So whenever my therapist has external resources to share, I pounce on them. It really helps me know that there are other people in the world struggling with similar issues, and I can learn theories and skills at my own pace and a little more objectively (i.e. when I’m not immersed in my own issues). When I find great resources, I feel duty-bound to share them far and wide to whomever might need them.
Therapist Uncensored is one such resource. It is a long-running podcast and website hosted by Dr. Ann Kelley and Sue Marriott LCSW, CGP, two therapists from Austin, Texas, who describe their podcast as:
“Learn to use the sciences of the mind to help you understand what makes you emotionally tick. Two Austin therapists and their world-recognized guest experts break down the research in modern attachment, rational neuroscience and trauma in a challenging but entertaining format to keep you off autopilot and moving towards closer connections.”
Maybe you've never been to therapy but are curious about some of the topics you've heard about here and elsewhere online. Maybe you are a lifelong learner who has wanted to do a deep dive ever since that intro course you took back in 1992. Maybe you’ve been in therapy for a while and would like the reinforcement that a podcast can provide. Or maybe you're on a waiting list for a therapist and want to start exploring and learning while you wait. Even if you’re a happy, securely attached grown-up who hasn’t yet worked with a therapist, their episodes cover fascinating topics that will help strengthen your relationship with yourself and with others.
I've been cherry picking from their catalog of almost 200 episodes. From the episodes I’ve enjoyed so far, these three episodes are great, useful episodes to download if you’re curious about subscribing:
TU153: How Good Boundaries Bring Us Closer - REPLAY - with Juliane Taylor Shore
Summary: Interpersonal co-regulation requires boundary setting. Therapist uncensored co-hosts Ann Kelley and Sue Marriott join the founder of IPNB Psychotherapy of Austin, Dr. Juliane Taylor Shore, in a discussion on interpersonal neurobiology and regulation. We’ll explore the three types of boundaries, how to co-create them plus how to stay regulated using internalized relationships with the self.
Summary: Unpack the neuroscience of shame with Dr. Stephen Finn and co-hosts, Dr. Ann Kelley and Sue Marriott LCSW, CGP. It is probably one of your least favorite feelings, but it contains important interpersonal information for us and is a good one to deep-dive around. This is a replay from the archives, but is highly relevant today as nobody is feeling very good about themselves right now.
TU169: Sue and Ann Explore Self Criticism and Internal Scripts
Summary: Hearing yourself criticized impacts your nervous system no matter if the voice is your own or someone else. Ann and Sue take a deep dive into self-criticism, self-attack, and internal criticism of others. They look at how it relates to attachment styles and use it as a window into unconscious scripts we carry about ourselves and the work.
So give them a listen and let me know if you learn anything about yourself. I would love to hear if you find episodes that particularly speak to you.
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