In this episode, we tackle the misuse of therapy speak and its impact. We delve into popular buzzwords, how these terms are being used (and misused), and discuss the important role therapists can play in educating clients on their proper use and definitions.  Join us on October 26th for our 1-day conference in beautiful North Vancouver. For more information, visit EventBrite and search Edge of the Couch. Secure your spot before June 30th for an early bird ticket! See you there ..read more

In this episode, we explore what might be happening with clients when there is silence. Sometimes it's an awkward silence, sometimes they are contemplating what to say next or they are dissociated, and sometimes they are waiting for us to take the reigns. We share our perspectives on sitting in the silence versus breaking it, and talk about the different types of silences that show up in therapy. What happens if there are no silences? Join us as we uncover the significance behind these quiet moments. Join us on October 26th for our 1-day conference in beautiful North Vancouver. For more inform ..read more

Unconditional positive regard, a concept introduced by Carl Rogers, emphasizes accepting and supporting clients without judgment regardless of what the client says or does. We have thoughts! Join us on October 26th for our 1-day conference in beautiful North Vancouver. For more information, visit EventBrite and search Edge of the Couch. Secure your spot before June 30th for an early bird ticket! See you there ..read more

What do you do when a client describes a traumatic experience, but then proceeds to shrug it off? In this episode, we explore what might be going on when clients dismiss what we gather are traumatic experiences. We discuss possible reasons behind this phenomenon, including denial, dissociation, or simply seeing it as common and therefore, normal and not worth discussing. We use examples like Alec Baldwin's 2007 voicemail to his daughter and an anecdote about Gabor Mate. This conversation mostly focuses on developmental or relational trauma, and so, there are a few points where we have trouble ..read more

Now, we don’t believe that clients can be “too emotional” but many clients come to therapy with narratives around emotion that may make them feel that they are being too much when they are emotional in session - crying is a weakness, anger is a bad emotion, I’m a cry baby, stoicism is best etc. As clinicians we have to sit with the full spectrum of emotionality from clients, but we can sometimes be shocked by our own reactions to client emotional expressions (and many programs don’t specifically train clinicians for sitting with big feelings). We also have to be aware of our own beliefs about ..read more

We're in between seasons right now, but we feel it is long overdue to talk about Palestine and what therapists are wrestling with when it comes to speaking up about genocide in session and in public. We are taught "do no harm" but at what point is our silence more harmful than speaking out? As always, we ask for openness and curiosity as we engage with the nuance about this "controversial" topic. How do we talk about genocide? How do we bring our feelings and stance into sessions? How do we centre the client in front of us and their experiences? These are questions therapists are confronted wi ..read more

In this special episode, we look back at the history of our podcast, our favourite episodes, and the vulnerable things about doing the podcast. We read some recent DMs from Instagram, a one-star review, and we listen to some voice notes sent in by listeners. We recorded this one late at night (for us at least!) so we get a little loopy at the end saying thank you thank you thank you, but truly, thanks for listening and being a part of our Edge of The Couch community. This marks both our 100th episode as well as the finale of Season 6. If you want more, and can't wait until Season 7, join us on ..read more

Our penultimate episode this season explores what can happen when the content of the session tugs at all of our own shit! Maybe we’re experiencing something similar to our clients in our own lives or the client says something that reminds us of ourselves. Maybe the client experience is pulling forward memories of something we’ve said or done before. This episode is all about what to do in the moment when we are flooded with our own stuff AND we still need to be present for the client. We share examples of topics that tend to poke at our personal stuff, times when we were more susceptible to b ..read more

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This is a highly requested topic that comes with so much charge and tenderness. This week, we’re talking about being rejected by a client. We explore the myriad of rejections that can happen in the relationship - both micro and macro moments. We tenderly share what can come up for therapists when a client stops scheduling sessions or tells us they want to stop seeing us. This is an especially vulnerable moment for new therapists and we remember well how crushing it felt in the beginning. Throughout the episode, we discuss the many reasons that clients reject therapists and we dive into the p ..read more