Chat with Dr. Kat

Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo
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  • Mental Health

With over 25 years of experience as a licensed psychologist, Dr. Kat was one of the pioneers of online therapy. She launched one of the first virtual platforms, MyTherapyNet.com, long before telehealth became the norm. She is the author of Online Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide to Expanding Your Practice, and has taught thousands of therapists through her lectures for AAMFT, CAMFT, and other national and international psychological associations. She has also served as a consultant for The Dr. Phil Show, bringing her expertise to a national audience. Now, through Chat with Dr. Kat, she shares the moments that spark the kind of clarity people have been searching for — sometimes for years. Her gift is helping people finally “get it” — to break through in ways they never have before. Whether it’s parenting struggles, relationship dynamics, emotional healing, communication challenges, or what’s happening in the world around us, Dr. Kat brings insight, compassion, and real talk that leads to real change.

  1. 12 hr ago

    How to Rebuild Your Life After Trauma — Survival Wasn't the End

    Surviving addiction, grief, illness, or loss doesn’t automatically make life feel better. Sometimes you make it through the crisis only to find yourself exhausted, grieving what’s gone, and wondering how to rebuild without simply waiting for the next thing to fall apart. Andrew Minuto, author of Fatally Resilient, shares what it has meant to keep starting over after addiction, the deaths of his parents, divorce, and recurring cancer. Dr. Kat and Andrew talk honestly about trauma’s physical triggers, why substances can be about relief rather than pleasure, and the difference between blaming yourself and taking accountability. They also explore EMDR, grief, small daily victories, and returning to the hopes and “fantasies” that give life direction. For anyone asking, “I survived—now what?” this conversation makes room for both exhaustion and the choice to keep building. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  2. 4 days ago

    Who Pays on the First Date? The Bill Isn't the Whole Cost

    Splitting the bill can sound fair—until you notice that the cost of a date often starts long before anyone reaches the restaurant. Women are navigating pay gaps, pressure to look a certain way, and safety calculations that can shape everything from what they wear to how they get home. Dr. Kat looks beyond the 50/50 debate at the hidden financial, emotional, and practical costs women carry. She talks about the pressure created by beauty standards, the everyday vigilance many women are taught around personal safety, and why focusing only on the check can become a form of cherry-picking. A story about a school dance offers a simple example of what it can look like to recognize the fuller picture. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  3. 27 Aug

    Ketamine Therapy With a Therapist: When Talk Therapy Stalls

    When you’ve tried therapy, medication, and all the usual advice but still feel stuck, it can be hard to know what else is worth considering. Dr. Kat talks with Myriam Barthes, co-founder and CEO of Journey Clinical, about ketamine-assisted psychotherapy—not as a shortcut or a “magic pill,” but as a treatment option that combines medicine with an ongoing therapeutic relationship. They break down the practical side of psychedelic-assisted therapy: medical eligibility screening, therapist training, preparation, dosing sessions, and integration afterward. You’ll hear why difficult or anxious moments during treatment are not necessarily “bad trips,” how safety and trust shape the experience, and why the work continues long after a session ends. For anyone wondering whether feeling stuck means they’ve run out of options, this conversation offers a more grounded way to think about what support can look like. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  4. 19 Aug

    Why Do I Repeat Toxic Relationships? The Pattern You Can’t See

    When someone betrays or humiliates you, forgiveness can feel like being asked to pretend it never happened. But holding onto the anger can keep you tied to the person long after the relationship is over—especially when you find yourself choosing the same painful dynamic with a different face. Dr. Kat offers a “three boxes” way to separate what they did, your own accountability, and the forgiveness that helps you release the emotional grip of the past. She explains why forgiving someone does not mean excusing them, forgetting, or returning to the relationship—and why forgiving yourself matters when you recognize a pattern of hoping you can change someone. It’s a conversation for anyone ready to stop revisiting old hurt and make different choices going forward. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  5. 11 Aug

    No Intimacy in Marriage? The Cow Theory Explains the Distance

    When intimacy fades in a marriage, it can feel like being “put out to pasture”—still carrying the daily responsibilities, but no longer touched, noticed, or treated like a priority. And when you finally say you feel unloved or unappreciated, a defensive response can make the distance feel even worse. Dr. Kat unpacks her Cow Theory: how couples become disconnected, why resentment can make affection hard to receive even when it’s finally offered, and how consistency helps rebuild trust over time. She also connects this pattern to the Yellow Room, where partners may feel that nothing they say or do matters. This is a candid look at how to respond with compassion, stop seeking fulfillment outside the relationship, and find your way back to each other. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  6. 4 Aug

    Why Adults Cut Off Their Parents — We're Blaming the Wrong Thing

    When someone you love pulls away — a grown child, a partner, a parent — the easy explanation is to blame a therapist who told them to leave, or call someone a narcissist because a checklist on TikTok said so. But the real story is almost always messier and more human than that. Dr. Kat breaks down what's actually driving parental and partner alienation, from social media's oversimplified diagnostic labels to the damage a divorcing parent can do by turning children against the other side. She talks about why most of us would meet at least a few criteria on those "narcissistic parent" lists, what therapists should actually be doing with options instead of directives, and why people don't leave relationships because of therapy — they leave because they finally had a space to say what they'd been feeling all along. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  7. 2 Aug

    How to Coparent with a Narcissist: They're Not Going to Change

    When someone knows exactly how to get under your skin — especially through your kids — co-parenting becomes less about logistics and more about survival. Simi Krishnan, a data scientist and author, joins Dr. Kat to talk openly about leaving an 18-year marriage, rebuilding her health and identity, and learning to co-parent with someone who still wants control. Dr. Kat reframes the challenge: stop being shocked by bad behavior and start being shocked by the good. She walks through practical tools — writing down every trigger so it loses its power, thanking the universe for each reminder that leaving was the right call, and choosing co-parenting apps that coach communication rather than just flagging conflict. There's also an honest conversation about forgiveness as self-protection, not grace for the other person, and why strong people are often the easiest to trigger. If you're co-parenting with someone who won't change, this one's worth your time. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

  8. 29 Jul

    Resentment in Marriage After Kids Starts Long Before You Notice

    Somewhere along the way, one person in the relationship kept going — to the gym, to golf, to lunch with friends — while the other quietly stopped. Not because they wanted to, but because someone had to hold everything together. And now, years into parenthood, there's a low-grade resentment that didn't arrive all at once. It crept in, unnoticed, while one partner's life stayed largely intact and the other's slowly disappeared into the household. Dr. Kat unpacks why this imbalance happens so gradually that neither partner fully sees it forming — and why the person who lost the most often ends up waiting for *permission* to reclaim something that was always theirs. She offers a grounded, step-by-step approach: writing down what you want (pen to paper, not your phone), naming a timeline, and bringing that list into the conversation with the same confidence your partner never had to think twice about. She also talks honestly about what pushback means — and what a healthy response actually sounds like. If you've been running the household on empty and aren't sure how to start asking for more, this one is worth your time. I want to hear from you!  To submit show ideas or be considered as a guest, visit https://chatwithdrkat.com/contact/ Follow Chat with Dr. Kat: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/chatwithdrkat Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chatwithdrkat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chatwithdrkat TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chatwithdrkat X:  https://x.com/ChatwithDrKat Health & Wellness Programs: https://mindbodyseries.com/

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About

With over 25 years of experience as a licensed psychologist, Dr. Kat was one of the pioneers of online therapy. She launched one of the first virtual platforms, MyTherapyNet.com, long before telehealth became the norm. She is the author of Online Therapy: A Therapist’s Guide to Expanding Your Practice, and has taught thousands of therapists through her lectures for AAMFT, CAMFT, and other national and international psychological associations. She has also served as a consultant for The Dr. Phil Show, bringing her expertise to a national audience. Now, through Chat with Dr. Kat, she shares the moments that spark the kind of clarity people have been searching for — sometimes for years. Her gift is helping people finally “get it” — to break through in ways they never have before. Whether it’s parenting struggles, relationship dynamics, emotional healing, communication challenges, or what’s happening in the world around us, Dr. Kat brings insight, compassion, and real talk that leads to real change.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Dr. Kat Derrig-Palumbo
  • Show Website
    Chat with Dr. Kat