Finding Middle Path Podcast

Here are the top 5 Reasons People Start Going to Therapy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/support

With the stress of the holidays it is important to know what are the things making this holiday season vastly different than the past few years. Remember we have had a rough 2 years and now all the sudden we are "back in the swing of things". This is the perfect time to practice boundary setting and making sure we are using our Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills from DBT. Also, to COPE AHEAD we want to make sure we set good intentions for the season and Decide what YOU want this Holiday season is going to look like for you. What will it look like time, finically and who do you want to spend it with. Be sure to listen for more tips and tricks on how to survive this season. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

In this episode we are joined by Bonnie Monahan, LPC, PLPC to explore the various Pros and Cons that are associated with Telehealth and In-Person therapy. Depending on the type of therapy your are doing and your type of therapist there are many pros and cons. From saving money and time by doing Telehealth to wanting to just get away to a quite place outside of your home for in-person therapy. It is important to see all sides of something to help you make a decision on what works best for you. Want to learn more about how to work with Middle Path Counseling MO ? Visit us at www.middlepathmo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

We are officially back! Welcome to season 2 of Finding Middle Path, a podcast that explores all things DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and the resources around it. We are excited to be back and to continue to explore resources. The Therapeutic Relationship and Alliance is a vital part of therapy. Music : Journey by Atch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaZg9d6mjg --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

We are so honored to have Emily Keehn, LPC - Speak with us today on behalf of Timberline Knolls a treatment facility in the suburbs or Chicago. Timberline Knolls ( TK ) is a Mental Health Residential Treatment program that focuses on using DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ) with their clients. They have many other programs that and we are thrilled to talk to Emily who has been with TK for 6years and to see the development of many of their programs. If you want to find out more about TK please visit https://www.timberlineknolls.com/. They also have a wonderful YouTube presence with helpful videos. Be sure to follow them. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

Ever wonder how to get yourself to feel more in control of your emotions? It takes practice. In this resource we are practicing "Turning the Mind" and "Opposite to Emotion." With Kevin Hart it is shifting any emotion to humor. It is a distraction that helps to step away from whatever intense emotion you are having to help you self regulate. Then once you feel more in control you go back to whatever was causing you distress and you can validate and problem solve if needed. Kevin's book "I can't make this up" is a great example of humor and vulnerability. I used Audible to listen to the book and you can find it on Amazon by clicking this affiliate link - https://www.amazon.com/shop/rachaeljulstrom?listId=31805RNWCT22&ref=idea_share_inf --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

Since our office has been doing Telehealth since March 2020, we havn't had anytime to discuss the benefits of Telehealth in a Mental Health Setting. It is no secret that there is a Mental Health crisis that we are still in. Many are from the original wave of COVID and a mix of the political environment. Now it is a mix of wanting to find a normal and still trying to fit in the old way of doing things. There has been so much change in the the last year alone, it has been hard for people to find a routine or a baseline. This is why continuing to have some routine around mental health is important and making it easy for clients to get connect with their therapist weekly and bi-weekly is just as important. We have noticed the following benefits: 1. Convenience - you can meet with your therapist in much more flexible time slots 2. No commute - you dont have to drive through traffic at lunch or 5pm when it can be the most stressful 3. Cost - while the cost of Telehealth remains the same, many insurance companies have decided to cover quite a bit of the cost if not all of it. 4. Consistency - You are still able to meet with your therapist and set a routine. Even when everything else feels like it might be changing around you, you know that on Tuesday at 2PM you still will see your therapist. Need help finding a therapist near you? Try these resources: Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us Meet Monarch https://meetmonarch.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

Meet Carissa Weber who is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a clinical substance abuse counselor (CSAC). She has always been drawn to mental health, especially in ways to help others feel better. While she was in college, she studied nursing and how the brain works. She is applying this knowledge to the Finding Middle Path Podcast and teaching us about the biology of validation. https://thatdarnamygdala.com/about-me-the-short-version/ FB/P/IG: @ThatDarnAmygdala Twitter: @AmygdalaDarn Book Club: https://thatdarnamygdala.com/book-club/ Carissa also has a Workbook coming out in September that is helpful for anyone in therapy or not in therapy. Be sure to follow her on Instagram and find out how to get involved. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rachael-k-julstrom/message

Meet Amber Seater, LPC. She has a heart to work with those who are struggling with trauma and sexual assaults. She uses a wholistic approach and integrates yoga with various types of therapies. Listen as Amber talks about validation and how she uses it in her counseling.

Learning to be vulnerable comes from practice. Here is a moment to learn more about Rachael Julstrom and hear her heart and how she struggles with anxiety and how she uses DBT to help with her everyday emotions.

National

After learning what dialectics are, it is important to see how we apply the concept and how we challenge the old black and white / opposite thinking.  We use 2 resources this week. Lane Peterson - DBT Skills Training Manual and Atomic Thinking - James Clear  ( all on amazon ) .

Dialectics are helpful way to view the world. In simple terms, it is when two opposing truths can be true at the same time. Dialectics are helpful way to view the world. a.) Dialectics teach us that there are more than one way to see a situation and more than one way to solve any problem. b.) Dialectics consider all people to have unique qualities and different points of view. c.) Dialectics stress the important of looking at the world with an open mind, without absolutes, avoiding black and white, all or nothing thinking. d.) Dialectics points out that only change is constant.

The Behavior Chain Analysis Tool is used many times through out the DBT treatment. It can feel overwhelming to some and it is designed to help the client and therapist both understand all the surrounding elements that cause problematic behavior.  Find the worksheet at www.findingmiddlepath.com 

Relationships take work. The healthy ones show signs of repairs and valuing each other in the relationships. The Toxic ones have warnings signs and Red Flags. Be Sure to check out the full list of the 25 Red Flags at our Website www.findingmiddlepath.com   

Have you head of the 5 Love Languages? This is a book written by Gary Chapman that helps any relationship to understand how they give and receive love. Identifying and defining each one will help you in communicating with your partner what you need and better understand their needs as well. Find out more at www.findingmiddlepath.com  

When learning how to be the most effective in relationships we not only need to learn the criteria of when to say no and when to say yes, it is nice to have additional criteria to build from. This is information that is found in the book Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.  See more at www.findingmiddlepath.com 

Therapy Interfering Behaviors are behaviors that a client or therapist can have that interrupts the therapeutic process. This list is important ( find list at www.findingmiddlepath.com )  to keep handy to revert to when you feel something is “off” or you are “plateauing” in therapy. Call out the behavior so you can have the best therapeutic experience. 

Do you know how to effectively say YES and NO? The following is the DBT criteria for how to learn the intensity and the criteria on asking for a need to be met or for you to say no effectively and still maintain the relationship. Find more at www.findingmiddlepath.com 

In Interpersonal Effectiveness the DEAR MAN, GIVE, FAST skills they all work together. We finish up the 3 part skill series as we discuss the FAST skill and then talk about how all 3 come together.

The GIVE Skill in Interpersonal Effectiveness is a great reminder of our approach and how we address people who we are asking something from or saying No to. It is hard to set boundaries and learning how to ask for our needs to be met. The give skill is a way to slow it down, focus on the things you can control ( such as your body, tone of voice and approach ) and getting what you need.

Therapy Interfering Behaviors are behaviors that a client or therapist can have that interrupts the therapeutic process. This list is important ( find list at www.findingmiddlepath.com )  to keep handy to revert to when you feel something is “off” or you are “plateauing” in therapy. Call out the behavior so you can have the best therapeutic experience. 

Want to learn how to effectively ask for what you WANT and what you NEED? DEAR MAN is the skill for you. Now that I have given you the sales pitch, I am sure you are wondering how true and effective this skill is. Why not try it?

While we move into the section of Interpersonal Effectiveness of DBT it is important to know our goals and set a corse of what we are intending to learn. Learn more at www.findingmiddlepath.com   

The ABC Please skill are important for many reasons. We not only need a way to validate our emotions when they happen ( like we just learned in Fitting the Facts ) we also need to know all the different reasons our mood is impacted. Find out more at www.findingmiddlepath.com   

Winter can be tough for many reasons. It is dark, there is snow and many times we just want to stay in. Most of that is ok, it is when it starts to impact other areas of our lives and we start to see our mood declining. This is the purpose of knowing the difference between down mood, a depressive episode and something called Seasonal Affect Disorder.  Find out more at www.findingmiddlepath.com 

Since we have been journeying through the Emotion Regulation part of DBT we have gotten to the Changing your Emotion and Opposite Action. This is where we move from validation into action. We identify the initial urge we feel when the emotion pops up and what action we need to engage in to start to conquer the emotion. These simple acts of recognizing the emotion, validating it and then deciding what to do next is starting to add up. You will start to see where the change is happening. Find the chart and other information at www.findingmiddlepath.com.  

When you have a problem ( any problem ) we can become overwhelmed in finding an answer. Often times we need some steps to help us get control of our emotions and know where to even begin. Problem Solving in DBT happens after we have realized that an emotion is justified ( or Fits the Facts ) and we have given ourself some validation.Check out the chart and find out more at www.findingmiddlepath.com 

We recently reviewed the book 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD: How to overcome Chronic Distraction & Accomplish Your Goals on our Podcast. I discussed how I have personally used this book and how I use it in our practice. As a DBT therapist I use the skills in my daily life and I teach them. Yet as I use the skills I find ways to expand the skills and interweave books that help a person become an overall Skillful Person.

We are finishing up the Fitting the Facts/Justified Emotions with discussing : Jealousy, Shame, Guilt and Love. Learn that emotions have a purpose and when they fit in the facts then you can learn to validate those emotions. Remember, learning DBT skills is learning small changing skills that add up to big change for a life time. Be sure to check out the chart at www.findingmiddlepath.com . 

This is Part 1 of Emotion Regulation and understanding the skill Fitting the Facts and Justified Emotions. Each one of our emotions has a purpose and knowing how to Validate them first helps us to control them and then learn what to do next. This skill is so powerful in teaching you how to understand their true purpose. Be sure to check out the chart that goes along with it at www.findingmiddlepath.com. 

Setting goals are not just for the New Year. Let's do a check up on our Mental Health and talk about some In Session and Out of Session goals for the year. Find the worksheet at www.findingmiddlepath.com and we can get going together.  

Learn how to Quickly regain control of a highly distressing situation. Then if we need to do a longer DBT skill to help problem solve we move into DBT Pros and Cons. 

Learning the difference between Willing and Willful and how to challenge yourself to take away judgment and open your awareness and how to have small changes to lead you to happiness. 

Learn how to improve the moment by using the DBT acronym IMPROVE.

Using the basic skills you were born with. Learn how to use the simple 5 senses to help through distressing times. 

COVID Fatigue, Election Fatigue and the Holidays are a great time to sure up your boundaries and make sure you are staying true to your values and what you can control and what you are responsible for. Saying NO is NOT easy, so I have provided a few easy concepts to use during this time to help take care of self and say NO! 

As a therapist I have used a few of the mainstream DBT books that help clients individually and in a group setting and while they are good, I would like for you consider the following workbook as a great addition for your DBT toolbox.Carol Lozier is a wonderful DBT writer and social worker who has been doing this for 30+ years and has written other books on DBT and helping those to understand the skills.I was gifted this book during the COVID-19 Pandemic and while writing my own workbook. This workbook is so wonderful for children who are in an age group that I am not trained in ( under 14 ) and she does such a great job with her examples on mindfulness and how she describes these abstract ideas/concepts to a younger population. She has some wonderful activities for the parent/caregiver or therapist to use with the client. I have not seen a workbook for this age range that truly tackles all of the DBT skills. 

The TIPP Skill is a quick intervention that is used to change your body chemistry, so that you can begin to regain some control and then look for validation or problem solving. This is especially helpful in a panic attack situation or where you have just been triggered and feel numb. 

In DBT it is important to know what to do in the time of Crisis or BIG EMOTIONS. In this episode we discuss Distress Tolerance and practical ideas in what to do in those moments. These are excellent life skills for anyone and how to interrupt any behavior that brings on additional distress in your life. 

This is a BONUS episode to help practice mindfulness. You will need a Piece of Chocolate or Candy to do this activity. I used Hershey Chocolate Kisses. www.findingmiddlepath.com  

www.findingmiddlepath.com 

How to get the most out of therapy, set goals and achieve them. What are some ways you have tried to set goals in the past and what caused them to not get achieved? 

These are my Top 3 Books that are NON-DBT:Boundaries – Dr Henry Cloud and John TownsendCo-Dependent No More – Melody BeattieTrauma Stewardship -Laura van Dernoot Lipsky

What to know at the beginning of starting DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). Some key elements all clients should be aware of are: Individual Therapy SessionsCoaching CallsDiary CardsGroup TherapyEach is a vital part of DBT and add an extra element that some other therapies do not offer. What questions do you have about DBT? Find me on IG @FindingMiddlePath. www.findingmiddlepath.com 

Welcome to a new Podcast about all things DBT ( Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and all resources around it.Though this podcast it will be structured around the Fundamentals and skills and to share personal stories of people who have grown through DBT and have developed a life worth living.Overall, I want you to ask any questions about therapy and get over the stigma of reaching out for help. “It is Ok Not to Be Ok.”