Make a Mental Note

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Jennifer Biddle, a licensed professional counselor, discusses emotional distress, the causes of distress and how the therapeutic relationship and techniques such as mindfulness can help clients regulate their emotions. Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Click here to subscribe to the Make a Mental Note podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/make-a-mental-note/id1035476864?mt=2 Mental Notes: * Some therapists who have struggled with emotional distress such as anxiety and depression find that these experiences give them keen insights into clients who are struggling with similar emotions. * The emotional pain that clients experience may be a by-product of a biological predisposition and an environmental condition (e.g., dysfunctional family/home life) that triggers this emotional response. * Dialectical Behavior Therapy is an evi

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Steven Davidson, a licensed clinical social worker, discusses human sexuality and how he applies principles of human sexuality to his work with couples. Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Click here to subscribe to the Make a Mental Note podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/make-a-mental-note/id1035476864?mt=2 Mental Notes: * Sexology - the study of human sexuality, behavior, & relationships. * Basic education pertaining to human sexuality is important. * People who enter into sex therapy need validation that their (sexual) thoughts and behaviors are not odd or unusual. * Pop culture gives messages about sexuality that is not realistic and sometimes people hold themselves to unrealistic ideals or expectations that don’t play out well in their relationships. * Traumatic experiences can have a negative impact on sexu

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Jim Frost, a licensed senior psychological examiner, talks about the importance of changing the viewing and doing of problems in making meaningful life changes. Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Click here to subscribe to the Make a Mental Note podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/make-a-mental-note/id1035476864?mt=2 Mental Notes: * Some clients want to incorporate their faith into counseling sessions with a therapist who shares their faith perspective. * People may experience problems in life because they take on too much or too little responsibility. * People who enter into counseling have oftentimes tried to solve their problems – using the same self-defeating strategy over and over again – without any luck. * Carl Jung – “Most emotional suffering results from people being unwilling to do the work

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Brynda Quinn, a licensed psychologist, talks about how adults oftentimes do not feel like they are “good enough” and fail to treat themselves with compassion. However, things can change for the better when people change their perspectives and learn how to treat themselves with kindness and tenderness. Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Click here to subscribe to the Make a Mental Note podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/make-a-mental-note/id1035476864?mt=2 Mental Notes: * Oftentimes people who enter the helping profession do so because of their personal experiences. * It is important for helpers to have participated in counseling themselves so they understand what it is like to be a client and the issues they experience (e.g., vulnerability, trust). * If a person has never participated in counseling then they mi

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Barbara Sanders, a licensed clinical social worker, talks about how people develop mental health problems and ways they can place negative past experiences into proper context to facilitate their growth and development. Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Mental Notes: * Why do clients experience problems? * Developmental experiences - sometimes it’s related to a breach of connection and attachment to parents early on in life.    **Biological - genetics also play a role.    **Environmental - neglect and abuse – even mild forms of neglect and abuse – results in low self-esteem.    **People may seek out love and attachment in relationships – sometimes in unhealthy ways – when their needs were not met as infants and children. * It’s important that people don’t give

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Jeff Morgan, a licensed marriage and family therapist, talks about the elements of addiction and how people become addicted to things.  There are many forms of addiction – sex addiction, alcohol addiction, drug addiction – that can have detrimental effects on the lives of people.  Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Mental Notes: * There are many forms of addiction (e.g., pornography addiction; alcohol addiction; gambling addiction). * People who suffer from addiction feel a compulsion to engage in a particular behavior despite the fact that they (or others) may experience negative consequences (e.g., divorce; lose jobs; DUI).  Guilt, shame and even suicide may follow. * Secrecy is oftentimes involved in addiction. * Mental health professionals use diagnostic criteria to determine whether a person suffers f

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Dawn Eaton and Jennifer Drake-Croft discuss how parent education classes can help stem the tide of child abuse and neglect.  In addition, the role that “adverse childhood experiences” play in perpetuating the cycle of abuse and neglect are discussed as well as other illuminating topics.  Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com Mental Notes: The Family Center is about empowering parents to be better parents and to raise their children to be happy and healthy adults.  The bottom line is to prevent child abuse & neglect.  This is done by offering parenting classes to parents – one of the top five strategies of prevention. The Family Center was founded by the Exchange Club - their mission is to prevent child abuse. Parents are the experts who can do amazing things if they’re provided with educa

In this episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Jenny Emerson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, discusses how some women may accomplish amazing things in their professional lives, but struggle with regard to personal relationships.  She provides insights as to why this is the case and what any client can do to discover their authentic selves and enhance their mental wellness.  Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Jenny Emerson is a licensed marriage and family therapist at The Estuary in Nashville, Tennessee. Mental Notes: * The body is impacted by emotions and emotions impact the body. * Physical symptoms (e.g., muscle tension) can serve as cues to exercise and/or use relaxation skills to cope with tension/stress. * Important to identify how the physical self impacts the emotional self and vice-versa. * Themes that underlie problems: Successful women can –

In this first episode of the Make a Mental Note podcast, Rod Kochtitzky, a psychotherapist & couples counselor, discusses the nature of problems experienced by couples and what they can do to resolve those problems.  Rod also provides tips as to how listeners (i.e., "mental notetakers") can enhance their mental wellness.  Give it a listen and find out why this episode is worthy of a mental note!  Get the show notes on the "Make a Mental Note" page at http://www.chrisquarto.com/ Rod Kocktitzky is a pastoral counselor and psychotherapist who specializes in couples counseling in Nashville, Tennessee.      Mental Notes:      You select a partner who complements you and, in some ways, has characteristics (good and bad) of your primary caregiver as an infant/child ·      Childhood experiences with primary caretakers impact adult relationships ·      “Developmental arrest” – if ne