Edge of the Couch

Jordan Pickell and Alison McCleary
  • 4.8 (45)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Two good friends and experienced therapists explore the topics that were either shied away from or dismissed because they were too big, too nuanced, too risky, or too uncomfortable to address in school or even in supervision. We want to inspire and encourage therapists to think more deeply, show up more fully, and find humour and self-compassion in navigating the messier parts of being a therapist.

  1. May 13

    Ending Sessions on Time

    We're currently on tour, but we are so excited to share this conversation with you! In this episode, we discuss all the interesting layers of this instagram reel by Jen Sims from The Redwood Center for Children & Families. As a trauma therapist herself, she decided to terminate therapy with her own therapist after the first session ran significantly over time. This sparked a huge conversation among therapists about what it means to end on time (or extend beyond the scheduled time.) People seem to feel strongly one way or another. We want to know: what do you think? ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  2. May 6

    The Role of Emotion in Therapy

    Emotion is the heart of our work as therapists. They can be slippery and elusive, hard to access, scary to tap into and feel fully. There are countless frameworks for understanding emotion, and in this episode we talk about how we personally conceptualize these phenomena.  ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  3. Apr 29

    How to Avoid Being Harmful on Social Media

    Even though we discussed being a therapist on social media fairly recently, we thought it was important to talk about it again because a therapist with a huge following (therapyjeff) posted things that were objectively harmful, intentionally or not, in recent weeks. It ignited a larger conversation across platforms about best practices for therapists on social media, because it's a good reminder: we can do actual harm, and it's important we take this risk seriously. But how? In this episode, we talk about our own evolving relationships with social media and how we thoughtfully show up to, hopefully, be a net good for the people who listen to our podcast, watch our videos, and read our writing. We'd love to know how you show up on social media as a therapist (or why you specifically avoid it.)  ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  4. Apr 22

    Has a Client Ever Hurt Your Feelings?

    You guessed it-- we saw something online this week that got us thinking. This time, it was a reel where a therapist claimed that clients cannot hurt her feelings. But... of course they can...? We're human, after all. But knowing when to process our emotional response directly with clients and when to let it lie and process it elsewhere is worth deeper reflection. Has a client ever hurt your feelings? What did you do about it? ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  5. Apr 15

    Confrontation is a Key Part of the Job

    This episode is all about confrontation, challenging, 'calling in'. We talk about how gentle confrontation is an essential part of our work as therapists. We believe it is ultimately a disservice to clients to avoid challenging their thoughts, beliefs, or patterns. The tricky question is when and how to confront people in therapy. It's so scary when you're new! What is the hardest part for you when it comes to (gently!) challenging clients? ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  6. Apr 8

    If You Want a Village, You Have to be a Villager

    In this episode, we talk about how this phenomenon shows up in the therapy room. Some clients feel their asking for help is burdensome to their friends, so they keep to themselves, even when they want to develop deeper relationships. Some people are discarding friendships for seemingly innocuous mistakes. This idea that we 'don't owe anyone anything' is costing us connection. As therapists, we can support these folks to approach their relationships in alignment with the kind of relationships they want to cultivate, rather than from a place of blame. So what do you think? Have some people taken the recent social messaging about boundary-setting too far?  ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  7. Apr 2

    PATREON PREVIEW: Therapist Red Flags

    This week, we wanted to give you a peek into what our content on Patreon looks like. Breaking with our usual format, we are a little looser, a little more personal, a little more controversial. So, if you want to join us over there, go to patreon.com/edgeofthecouch. We have over 120 bonus episodes of speaking off-the-cuff, with no notes, no ads, no edits.  We also want to give our deep thanks to our patrons. Without your support, we would not be going on tour, period. Times are tough, so for you to use some of your hard-earned money to help sustain our work means so, so much. ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

  8. Mar 25

    Therapists as Wet Blankets

    In this episode, we talk about how therapists can be humourless, anti-love, bubble-bursters. Not really... but maybe a little bit? We believe being the wet blanket is actually an important part of our jobs as therapists. We see when humour is being used as a defence mechanism. We spot love-bombing and other red flags. Exactly how we bring those observations to the client, that's more delicate work. How do we help clients see the full landscape of a situation rather than one angle of it? And when might we be overusing our power to make clients see 'reality'?  ********** Untangling the Ties that Bind is written specifically as a resource to recommend to your clients working through issues related to enmeshment, parentification, and setting boundaries with family members. It is now available wherever books are sold. Thanks for your support! Join us on Patreon for bonus content at www.patreon.com/edgeofthecouch, share your thoughts and questions via DM on Instagram, or email us at connect@edgeofthecouch.com. We have partnered with Janeapp, our favourite all-in-one practice management software. You can learn more at Jane.app/mentalhealth. Or, if you are ready to get started, mention Edge of the Couch in the note during sign-up for a free one-month grace period on your new account. Alison McCleary www.woodstovewellness.ca Jordan Pickell www.jordanpickellcounselling.ca @jordanpickellcounselling on Instagram Edge of the Couch www.edgeofthecouch.com @edgeofthecouchpod on Instagram

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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

Two good friends and experienced therapists explore the topics that were either shied away from or dismissed because they were too big, too nuanced, too risky, or too uncomfortable to address in school or even in supervision. We want to inspire and encourage therapists to think more deeply, show up more fully, and find humour and self-compassion in navigating the messier parts of being a therapist.

Information

  • Creator
    Jordan Pickell and Alison McCleary
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    168
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Edge of the Couch
  • Show Website
    Edge of the Couch