Therapist Uncensored Podcast

Welcome 2026!

Kicking off the new year with a replay episode from our powerful interview with Dr. Stan Tatkin, this discussion dives into inner workings of relationships from a biological and societal perspective, and his book, In Each Other’s Care.

Click Here to View the Original Episode Shownotes 

Conflict in relationships is inevitable – find out the ins and outs of repair for healthy relationships.

We are back with relationship expert, Dr. Stan Tatkin to explore the inner workings of relationships from a biological and societal perspective, and his new book, In Each Other’s Care. All humans are complicated creatures and if we spend enough time with each other, it’s going to get tense.  That part is OK, but what happens after arguing disconnection or tension is what really matters.

Sue Marriott & Dr. Tatkin take a deep dive into addressing conflicts, building secure attachments, and abandoning gender stereotypes for a more inclusive discussion. Follow along to explore healthy interdependence, couples’ purpose, and secure functioning.

“A secure functioning partnership works on problems, not each other” – Dr. Stan Tatkin

Time Stamps for In Each Other’s Care – Healthy Relationships 

5:44 – Dr. Tatkin’s view on telehealth & virtual therapy

8:36 – How PACT approaches virtual therapy

16:05 – Understanding procedural memory

19:08 – Break down of insecure attachment

22:53 – What does secure functioning look like?

28:48 – Attachment in polyamorous relationships

37:47 – Exploring healthy interdependence in relationships

44:50 – An example of a couple’s purpose

53:41 – The importance of gender inclusivity when talking about relationships

Resources for today’s episode, In Each Other’s Care – Healthy Relationships

Stan Tatkin’s Website – Information about his practice, sessions

The PACT Institute – Dr. Tatkin’s official website

Relationships are Hard, but Why? – Dr. Tatkin’s TedTalk

A free excerpt – from Dr. Tatkin’s new book

@DrStanTatkin – Instagram account

Dr. Stan Tatkin – Facebook Page

@DrStanTatkin – Twitter account

Dr. Stan Tatkin – LinkedIn account

Dr. Tatkin’s newest book.







About our Guest – Stan Tatkin, PsyD, MFT

Clinician, author, researcher, PACT developer, and co-founder of the PACT Institute.  Dr. Tatkin is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine.  He maintains a private practice in Southern California and leads PACT programs in

the US and internationally. He is the author of We Do, Wired for Love, Your Brain on Love, Relationship Rx, Wired for Dating, What Every Therapist Ought to Know, and co-author of Love and War in Intimate Relationships, and the recent, In Each Other’s Care.

 

Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!  

Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others.

Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s – Next one is January 23rd!

Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout

As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.

Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!

You are invited! 

Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!

Join us again in Washington, DC for the 49th Annual Psychotherapy Networker!

March 19-22nd! In person and online options available. Get your discounted seat HERE!

A replay episode from our powerful interview with Lisa Kays on how improv can deepen conversations around tough topics like race and oppression.

Click Here to View the Original Episode Shownotes

Improv in Therapy and in Life –

Explore the power – and sheer fun – of using improvisation in therapy!

Dr. Ann Kelley and Lisa Kays discuss how improv can deepen conversations around tough topics like race and oppression. They examine white supremacy culture and show how improv values like collaboration, slowing down, and embracing complexity can challenge these norms. Improv fosters creativity, playfulness, and self-reflection to help reduce defensiveness and strengthen relationships in everyday life, at work, or in our closest relationships. By creating a supportive, collaborative environment, improv deepens connections and helps people tap into a wider range of emotions.

“A culture of improvisation is collaborative – it is nature – you cannot do it by yourself.” – Lisa Kays

Time Stamps for Improv in Therapy & Life

03:30 The integration of improv and tough conversations

10:03 The origins of improv and its connection to social justice

14:27 Contrasting white supremacy culture and improv culture

19:20 Questioning cultural norms and valuing relationships

25:29 The power of the ‘And’ in joining and connecting

38:27 The power of improv in building secure relationships

53:25 Embracing creativity and letting go of perfectionism

58:12 Creating a culture of support and collaboration

01:05:04 Applying improv in everyday life

01:09:10 Deepening connections and accessing different emotions

About our Guest for Improv Therapy – Lisa Kays LICSW, LCSW, LCSW-C

Lisa Kays, LICSW, LCSW-C, LCSW, is an independently licensed clinical social worker in Washington, D.C, Maryland, Virginia, Oregon and New Jersey. She obtained her MSW from Catholic University in 2011 and has worked in a variety of clinical settings. Since 2013, she has been in private practice, providing individual, couples and group therapy to adults. She has interest in social work ethic and has published on and leads ethics training on the intersection of technology, social media and social work ethics as well as anti-racism and systemic oppression. Her practice also provides opportunities for other presenters to develop CE trainings on under-taught topics linked to social justice, systemic racism, and oppression. In addition to her traditional psychotherapy work, Lisa was a performing improviser from 2007-2019 and was on the faculty of Washington Improv Theatre from 2008-2016. She developed Washington Improv Theater’s first Improv for Therapist’s class and has offered Improv for Therapists courses, workshops and trainings to individual clinicians, pastors, life coaches, and psychiatrists, as well as clinical agencies. Since its inception, Lisa has trained more than 500 people in the application of improvisation to foster personal growth and stronger and more cohesive groups. Lisa has been invited to lead trainings in improv-informed therapy at the American Academy of Psychotherapists, the Mid-Atlantic Group Psychotherapy Association, the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and at The Psychotherapy Networker, among others. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post and on NBC4. Recently, Lisa launched a humor, humility-infused podcast, “What if Nothing’s Wrong With You?” with co-host Paula D. Atkinson on themes related to therapy, mental health, oppression, patriarchy and how it’s all interconnected.

Resources for Improv Therapy – 

Lisa Kay’s – Website & Resources

The Fierce Urgency of Now: Improvisation, Rights, and the Ethics of Cocreation (Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice) – by Fischlin, Daniel; Heble, Ajah; Lipsitz, George

Theater Games – Viola Spolin Resources

Rehearsals for Growth – Website and Educational Resources

Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice – book by Jennifer Mullan, PsyD

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – Book and Resources

Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art – Nachmanovitch, Stephen

Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!  

Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others.

Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s – Next one is January 23rd!

Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout

As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.

Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!

You are invited! 

Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!

A replay episode from our powerful interview with Jeff Lutes, this discussion dives into raising families, the evolution of the community, allyship, gender, and the importance of advocacy.

Click Here to View the Original Episode Shownotes 

 “There are a lot of therapists that see themselves as affirming, but I think you have to get actively involved in order to be an ally.” – Jeff Lutes

Time Stamps for Advocating for the LGBTQ+ Community 

2:00 – Jeff’s anecdotes about religion and sexuality

11:18 – How advocacy can be a thankless job 

12:00 – Introduction to the Contemporary Relationships Conference 

14:34 – The difference between being trained in accepting versus educated 

16:48 – The importance of knowing the correct terminology 

20:39 – What we can learn from the polyamorous community 

22:58 – Definition of queer and who that represents

24:37 – Let’s talk about pronouns 

31:21 – Explanation of dead naming and why it is wrong

42:15 – Conversion therapy research and findings 

47:00: Trailblazers in Love, Jeff’s book 

Resources for today’s episode Advocating for the LGBTQ+ Community 

Jeff Lute’s Website – Information, credentials, presentations and publications

Contemporary Relationships Conference – Conference information and proposals

Get your copy of his book, Trailblazers in Love, here!!

About our Guest – Jeff Lutes, LPC

Jeff specializes in creating collaborative conversations with clients that generate new possibilities for change.  Using a postmodern approach, he listens carefully to each client’s story and strives to understand how they might make meaning of themselves, others, and the world around them. He founded the Contemporary Relationships Conference and has presented to audiences around the country, including the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy,  the American Family Therapy Academy, the American Counseling Association, and the Texas Psychological Association. He is also the author of Trailblazers In Love, as well as chapters in three counseling textbooks. Lutes also wrote a children’s book about adoption, deaf culture, and non-traditional families and has been a contributing writer at Bilerico and Therapy Matters.

Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!  

Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others.

Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s – Next one is January 23rd!

Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout

As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.

Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!

You are invited! 

Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!

Please support our sponsors – they keep our podcast free and accessible to all! 

Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/TU to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.

A replay episode from our powerful interview with Dr. Shena Young

Click Here to View the Original Episode Shownotes 

“The more that we unlearn, the more that we decolonize our minds, bodies, hearts and spirits” – Dr. Shena Young

Join co-host Sue Marriott and Dr. Shena Young as they dive into liberation psychology and the conflict between intuition and the traditional European model of psychology. Dr. Shena highlights embodying a holistic approach to help heal traumas and deeply root us in our most authentic selves. Whether through connections with nature or the exploration of ancestral traditions, this discussion is enriched with various opportunities to reconnect and liberate our mind, body, heart, and spirit.

About our Guest – Dr. Shena Young (She/Her)

Affectionately known as Dr. Shena (she/her) & spiritually as Iya Osunbunmi Orisasewa, she is a licensed embodiment-focused psychologist–healer, artist, mental health futurist, on-set wellbeing professional, and priestess in the Isese tradition of Ifa. She holds space internationally for individuals, couples, groups, and organizations committed to the ritual of calling themselves back into their bodies as a freedom practice. She owns a private practice, embodied truth healing & psychological services, rooted in Los Angeles, CA where she offers mind–body–heart–spirit care in healing from sexual, racial, intergenerational, and ancestral traumas.

Time Stamps for Embodying Liberation Psychology 

1:30 – Dr. Shena’s journey with liberation psychology and decolonization

7:25 – Dr. Shena’s early life and intuition

9:48 – Body language is one of our first languages

18:58 – Understanding the pillars of authenticity 

20:52 – Embracing the mind, body, heart, spirit approach

28:21 – Unlearning scarcity and expecting abundance

33:29 – Thinking of currency as seeds

41:37 – New interests in ancient traditions

44:11 – What the act of grounding may look like 

51:45 – The decriminalization of psychedelic plant medicines 

56:30 – There is power in practicing choice

1:05:01 – Impact of The Color Purple

Resources for today’s episode – Embodying Liberation Psychology

EmbodiedTruthHealing.com – Dr. Shena’s website

Healing Opportunities with Dr. Shena

@EmbodiedTruthHealing – Dr. Shena’s Instagram

Invest in healing programs for BIPOC

Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems website – Where Dr. Shena first learned about Africana Womanist theory

Body Rites – Dr. Shena’s book. Get your copy!!

Please support our sponsors – they keep our podcast free and accessible to all! 

Whether it’s your first time in therapy or your fiftieth, Grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. Sessions average about $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0, depending on their plan. Visit GrowTherapy.com/TU today to get started. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

Behind every family estrangement is a story of love, hurt, and boundaries

Dr. Ann Kelley is joined LIVE from Psychotherapy Networker with Dafna Lender, to explore the complex dynamics of parent-child estrangement. Focusing on the emotional and psychological impacts of cutting off family relationships, together they highlight the cultural influences that contribute to these estrangements, the therapeutic perspectives on navigating such situations, and the importance of empathy and boundaries in managing family dynamics. This conversation is about learning to hold both empathy and boundaries – understanding why someone might step away, and how to stay grounded and compassionate in the process. It’s an honest look at the heartbreak, the healing, and the hope that can emerge when families face difficult truths.

Time Stamps for Navigating Family Estrangement: The Space Between Love & Self-Protection with Dafna Lender (284)

03:06 Understanding the impact of estrangement

05:58 Cultural influences on family cutoffs

09:14 Therapeutic perspectives on estrangement

17:54 Boundaries and the spectrum of estrangement

32:52 Navigating boundaries and self-protection

46:31 Finding meaning in senselessness

52:21 Exploring values in relationships

About our Guest – Dafna Lender 

Dafna is a family therapy expert and attachment specialist. Dafna is an international trainer and supervisor for practitioners who work with children and families. She is a certified trainer and supervisor/consultant in both Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), as well as an EMDR therapist. Dafna’s expertise is drawn from 28 years of working with families in many settings: at-risk after school programs, therapeutic foster care, in-home crisis stabilization, residential care and private practice. Dafna is author of Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (2023) and the co-author of Theraplay the Practitioner’s Guide (2020). She teaches and supervises clinicians in 15 countries in 4 languages: English, Hebrew, French and Spanish.

Resources for Navigating Family Estrangement: The Space Between Love & Self-Protection with Dafna Lender (284)

Dafna’s website – Resources, courses & additional information

Integrative Attachment Family Therapy: A Clinical Guide to Heal and Strengthen the Parent-Child Relationship through Play, Co-regulation, and Meaning-Making – Get your copy of her paperback

Theraplay the Practitioners Guide – The definitive guide to Theraplay® for practitioners, officially endorsed by the Theraplay® Institute

Beyond Attachment Styles course is available NOW!  

Learn how your nervous system, your mind, and your relationships work together in a fascinating dance, shaping who you are and how you connect with others.

Online, Self-Paced, Asynchronous Learning with Quarterly Live Q&A’s!

Earn 6 Continuing Education Credits – Available at Checkout

As a listener of this podcast, use code BAS15 for a limited-time discount.

Get your copy of Secure Relating here!!

You are invited! 

Join our exclusive community to get early access and discounts to things we produce, plus an ad-free, private feed. In addition, receive exclusive episodes recorded just for you. Sign up for our premium Neuronerd plan!! Click here!!

Please support our sponsors – they keep our podcast free and accessible to all! 

Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/TU to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.