Dr. Melanie Joy, PhD speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about her new book How to End Injustice Everywhere: Understanding the Common Denominator Driving All Injustices.  Melanie's How to End Injustice Everywhere shows the underlying denominator driving all types of injustice and provides an assessment of unjust structures and behaviors, as well as practical techniques to help increase awareness, eliminate infighting, and develop more resilient and successful justice movements. She explains that all injustices, including racism, patriarchy, animal exploitation, environmental degradation, and d ..read more

From early labels like “kindergartner” or “English-language learner” to later designations such as “honor roll student,” how do categories assigned in school affect a young person’s life? Paul Krauss MA LPC speaks with Dr Emily K Penner and Dr Andrew M Penner about their new book “Schooled and Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality.”  Schooled and Sorted: How Educational Categories Create Inequality, a new book by Andrew M. Penner, UC Irvine professor of sociology; Emily K. Penner, UCI associate professor of education; and Thurston Domina, professor of educational policy and ..read more

Brittani Decess, LLPC speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about the importance of relationship counseling programs for the LGBTQIA+ community in the lives of those involved in a relationship as well as the community that surrounds them. Brittani and Paul discuss the current offerings of a Premarital & Commitment Relationship Counseling Program for LGBTQIA+ Couples and a Healthy Relationship Dynamics program for LGBTQIA + Couples (for those who have been together for a time).  Also discussed: What each program entails, why they can be effective, the research surrounding couples therapy in t ..read more

Brittani Decess, LLPC speaks with Paul Krauss MA LPC about the importance of relationship counseling programs in the lives of those involved in a relationship as well as the community that surrounds them. Brittani and Paul discuss the current offerings of a Premarital Counseling Program and a Relationship Maintenance Counseling Program (for those who have been together for a time).  Also discussed: What each program entails, why they can be effective, the research surrounding couples therapy, why health insurance doesn't cover traditional couples counseling, Drs. Julie and John Gottman's ..read more

This episode features Paul Krauss MA LPC and Dr. Richard Brockman, MD in conversation about Dr. Brockman’s story of loss, healing, and piecing together the self. Psychiatrist, playwright, and survivor Richard Brockman delves into his childhood trauma in Life After Death: Surviving Suicide. This deeply personal exploration weaves loss, resilience, and the power of storytelling through a man fractured, then reforged. Richard Brockman, MD, is a clinical professor in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University and a visiting professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Na ..read more

Paul Krauss MA LPC and Laurie Belanger LCSWR speak about the foundations of what Trauma-Informed Care really means in the context of our greater society, not just mental health practice or trauma therapy. Laurie and Paul discuss the intersections of Trauma-Informed Care and change in greater society This is a different way of approaching human behavior and it really ought to help us question, reorganize or even dismantle many of our institutions of care (medical, educational...for starters) and build something better. That may sound a bit ambitious, yet it becomes pretty clear once you begin u ..read more

Dr. Ryan Lambros and Paul Krauss MA LPC discuss: Is Religious Deconstruction Good for your Mental Health? Deconstruction is the free act of valuing (evaluating) what was, experiencing what is, and holding a posture of curiosity moving forward.  Some points to consider: A.The intention of this discussion is not to destroy a faith system. It’s not even to deconstruct a faith system. “De” words won’t provide holistic health. Rather, the intention is to evaluate systems, dogmas, and ideas based on our experience and reason. Curiosity and compassion are key to pursuing spiritual health. The i ..read more

Dr. Sandeep Vaishnavi, MD, PhD is interviewed by Paul Krauss MA LPC about his new book Healing the Traumatized Brain: Coping after concussion and other brain injuries (co-authored by Vani Rao, MBBS, MD). If you are interested in the brain, brain injuries, neural plasticity, the various issues that brain injuries may cause, as well as how one may recover from a brain injury than this episode is for you. Also discussed: ways to increase neural plasticity and overall brain health. Sandeep Vaishnavi, MD, PhD, is a Duke Institute for Brain Sciences faculty member and an adjunct ..read more

Paul Krauss MA LPC speaks to trauma experts Duygu Balan, LPCC & Yener Balan, MD, DFAPA about how trauma counseling and treatment is changing as well as how expressive writing can help between sessions. They are the authors of Re-Write: A Trauma Workbook of Creative Writing and Recovery in Our New Normal. Re-Write is a comprehensive medical textbook that explores the identification and treatment of trauma-related stressors through creative expression and mindfulness. It features illustrative case studies, various writing prompts, and a discussion of the financial benefits for businesses, ma ..read more

In this special episode, Paul Krauss MA LPC interviews Katy Jaramillo LPC, ATR about the psychology of horror as a genre, why some people like being scared, what being scared can do to your nervous system and much more. Katy also discusses many types of horror genres, the sociology of horror, and the fear/stress cycle that can occur due to reading a horror book or watching a horror movie may be useful for some people. Katy goes into depth about how movies and stories can offer people a safe place to be scared--versus the unpredictable elements of regular life. Katy Jaramillo MEd, LPC, ATR  ..read more