Things You Learn in Therapy

Beth Trammell PhD, HSPP
  • 4.5 (25)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

A behind-the-scenes look at the best tips and techniques from clinicians around the world. This podcast shares practical techniques for a wide range of mental health topics, from parenting to substance use, mindfulness, anxiety, depression and so much more. If you are looking for great mental health advice from experienced therapists & psychologists, you are in the right place! AND... if you are you are a clinician who is looking to learn new techniques, this podcast is right for you, too!Listen, like, and subscribe!

  1. 2d ago

    Ep190: Building Trust With Teens

    Send us Fan Mail Your teenager doesn’t need you to be a mind reader, a private investigator, or a walking grade portal. They need you to be a safe place. I’m Dr. Beth Trammell, and I’m unpacking what a group of teens directly asked their parents to do differently, plus the small communication shifts that make a big difference in connection, trust, and long-term influence. We talk about the pressure teens carry today: identity, friendships, big emotions, body changes, social media, and rising academic expectations. Then we get practical about parent teen communication skills that lower defensiveness, including modeling feelings language, using tools like a feelings wheel, and validating without automatically agreeing. You’ll also hear what teens want around trust and repair, including why “I’m sorry” matters, why “I’m sorry, but…” is not an apology, and how your first reaction can either open the door or slam it shut. From there, I share three places parents can reorient: grades, risk, and respect. If your teen is generally doing fine, constant grade checking can create avoidable conflict and weaken trust. For risk, we move from controlling every variable to coaching better judgment with simple questions like “What could go wrong?” And when “attitude” shows up, we consider brain development and how to stay warm and firm while still requiring respectful speech. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with another parent of a teen, and leave a review so more families can find the show. What part of parenting a teenager feels hardest right now? This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  2. Sep 18

    Ep189: What To Say When Your Child Refuses School

    Send us Fan Mail “I don’t want to go to school” can sound like defiance, but it’s often a doorway into what your child cannot quite name yet. I’m Dr. Beth Trammell, and I walk through the most common versions of school refusal I hear from parents, from “I just want to stay home and play Minecraft” to morning tears that make drop-off feel unbearable. Instead of jumping straight to lectures, reassurance, or panic, we slow down and use curiosity to uncover what’s underneath the words. You’ll hear simple, real-world parenting scripts that validate emotions while keeping the boundary: you can understand the feeling without automatically removing the expectation. We talk about how not every uncomfortable feeling means something is wrong, and why rescuing a child from anxiety can bring short-term relief but reduce long-term confidence. I also share practical ideas for separation anxiety, including small comfort items, ways to check in with teachers, and how to tell the difference between missing you and something more serious. We dig into the hidden meaning behind “school is boring” and “school is too long,” and I offer questions that reveal whether the struggle is academic, social, sensory, or emotional. Finally, we cover the red flags that warrant extra support, and when it’s time to contact a pediatrician, therapist, or school counselor. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a parent who needs better words for hard mornings, and leave a review. What phrase does your child use when something deeper is going on? This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  3. Sep 12

    Ep 188: Why Recovery Cannot Keep Up with Modern Life with Marie Sloane

    Send us Fan Mail Burnout doesn’t always show up as collapse. Sometimes it shows up as competence that never turns off, a brain that can’t tolerate quiet, and a calendar packed with “necessary” things that somehow never end. Marie Sloane, LPC, joins us to name what so many people are living right now: life moves fast, but recovery moves slower, and that mismatch is exhausting. We talk about why time can feel warped in a world of constant stimulation, and why boredom has become strangely hard for both kids and adults. From there, we get practical about self-care strategies that work in real life, not influencer life. We break down the guilt loop of “I should be doing something else,” the all-or-nothing trap that makes people quit, and a simple framework we love: small daily actions that remove a few “pebbles” from the heavy backpack you carry every day. We also go deeper into trauma-informed therapy insights, especially overfunctioning. We unpack how overfunctioning can start as a survival skill, then get rewarded by work culture and relationships until it becomes physically and emotionally unsustainable. If you’ve ever felt selfish for having needs, or you only feel safe when you’re producing, this conversation will land. We close with ways to plan for obstacles before motivation disappears, including accountability and community support that keeps self-care from becoming another broken promise. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with someone who’s running on fumes, and leave a review so more people can find these burnout recovery tools. This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  4. Sep 4

    Ep187: Your Kids Learn Friendship by Watching You

    Send us Fan Mail Friendship advice for kids is everywhere. The harder question is what our children learn from the friendships they see us live. In this CEV crossover episode, we dig into adult friendship as a parenting model: how we prioritize people, how we handle conflict or hurt, and how our everyday choices quietly teach kids what “healthy relationships” actually look like. We also get honest about a common reality: many kids rarely see their parents with friends, especially as schedules fill up and social time gets squeezed out. So we talk through practical, appropriate ways to give kids a lens into adult connection without oversharing, including how to share friendship stories, values, and lessons before a problem hits. Then we shift to the real-world challenge of making friends as an adult. When kids’ activities slow down, the easy pathways disappear, and “put yourself out there” can feel intimidating. We share doable steps: start with the people already near you, choose one small way to invest, say yes more often, and use community spaces like a public library, the YMCA, volunteering, or helping at a school. And if loneliness or anxiety is making connection feel out of reach, we name when it makes sense to talk with a therapist or your doctor, because social connection matters for mental health. Subscribe for more practical parenting conversations, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your best tip for building adult friendships. This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  5. Aug 28

    Ep186: Parents Can Teach Calm Skills at Home with The Therapist Parent Krysten Taprell

    Send us Fan Mail A child wakes up terrified, your nervous system snaps online, and suddenly everyone is exhausted. In this throwback episode from Kids These Days!, we sit down with Australian psychologist Krysten Taprell, known as The Therapist Parent, to share practical, evidence-based tools you can use right in your living room to help kids with nightmares, big feelings, and the daily stress that comes with being a family.  Krysten explains a surprisingly simple technique for child nightmares: rewrite the ending of the dream while your child is awake, so their brain rehearses safety and control instead of fear. We also talk about what to say in the middle of the night, why “don’t think about it” backfires, and how the same approach can help kids replay tough moments like playground conflicts and try a better ending. If you’ve been looking for realistic parenting support that does not require perfect timing or endless appointments, this is a strong place to start.  From there, we get into gratitude for kids as a true mental health skill, not a one-time question at dinner. Krysten shares why many children get stuck on the same answers and how prompts can help them notice memories, strengths, and challenges they’ve overcome. We also connect the dots between teaching skills instead of punishing behavior, and why mindfulness for kids helps both children and parents regulate emotions. Krysten breaks down the brain science in plain language, including the vagus nerve, relaxation, and how mindfulness supports the prefrontal cortex so we react less and think more clearly.  If you want more tools, Krysten shares where to find her resources, including her website, blogs, and her nightmare book available on Amazon. Subscribe, share this with a parent who needs sleep, and leave a review so more families can find these strategies. This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  6. Aug 24

    Ep185: Purpose From the Pull Before You Scroll

    Send us Fan Mail You ever hit the point where you’re ready to delete every social app, then somehow end up back on Instagram or TikTok a few days later? We get honest about that social media push pull, including the part that feels most frustrating: even when you understand what’s happening in your brain, you can still get pulled in.  We walk through how reinforcement works, why variable rewards keep us checking, and how quickly a simple post can turn into scrolling, comparison, and chasing numbers. Then we zoom out to the bigger question that doesn’t get enough airtime: what happens when being seen isn’t occasional, but part of how you make a living? When views affect opportunities, engagement affects income, and “authentic” becomes a brand expectation, the platform can start asking more of you than you meant to give.  The practical takeaway is a small shift we’re trying in real time: purpose from the pull. Before opening an app, we pause and ask why we’re going there, what we’re searching for, what our body is craving, and what we actually need. That gap between craving and need is where intentional social media use and digital wellbeing can start to grow, without falling into all-or-nothing thinking.  If this hits home, share it with a friend who’s stuck in the scroll, subscribe for more, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What pulls you back in most? This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  7. Aug 21

    Ep184: Teaching Integrity to Children: From Little White Lies to Hard Truths

    Send us Fan Mail The hardest part of teaching kids honesty is that we want truth and we also want peace, and those two don’t always arrive together. In this crossover episode with Core Essentials, we explore integrity, and we define it in the most practical way possible: being truthful in your words and in your actions. Leslie Bolser and psychologist Dr. Beth Trammell talk through what that looks like in real family life, from the tiny lies of early childhood to the higher-stakes half-truths that can show up in middle school and the teen years. We get honest about why kids lie in the first place. For young children, lying can be a simple survival strategy: it feels easier than facing trouble or discomfort. Rather than treating every lie like a character flaw, we focus on calm, consistent coaching that protects the parent-child connection while still holding the line on family values. The goal is to plant seeds of integrity that grow over time, not demand perfect truth-telling from a four-year-old who is still learning cause, effect, and consequences. Then we move into the real gut-check for many parents: when older kids lie and it actually hurts. Dr. Trammell explains why your first reaction when a child admits something hard can increase or decrease future honesty. We also talk about modeling integrity as adults, including those “blurry line” moments where we rationalize small dishonesties, and how repair can be one of the strongest integrity lessons you ever teach. You’ll leave with concrete language, a more empathetic lens, and a long-view mindset for building trust. If this helps, subscribe, share it with a parent friend, and leave a review so more families can find these tools. What’s one situation where you want to respond with more calm the next time truth shows up? This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

  8. Aug 14

    Ep183: What If Your Greatest Strength Is Connection

    Send us Fan Mail Two days before Mya leaves for college, the countdown gets real. We sit down as mom and daughter and try to say what’s actually true under all the logistics: stress, hope, anxiety, and that weird denial that shows up when you still haven’t packed. Using a feelings wheel sounds simple, but it changes the tone fast because you can’t problem-solve what you won’t name. Then we go practical with budgeting for college students. We talk meal plans, coffee runs, fast food stops, Target temptations, and the moment your budget collides with your social life. We role-play the “everyone’s going out” scenario and unpack the harder question behind it: how do you stay connected without spending like belonging has a price tag? We also wrestle with the savings-versus-stress tradeoff, and how to make a choice and actually enjoy it instead of replaying it all day. From there we shift into Clifton Strengths and a coaching conversation with a Gallup certified strengths coach. Mya’s top strength, Woo (winning others over), sparks a bigger hope for college: classmates aren’t strangers, they’re friends she hasn’t met yet. We connect Woo with Harmony, Consistency, Includer, and Communication, and talk about how strengths can help teens build community, handle conflict, and feel confident in a new season. Finally, we face the goodbye and share a few gifts, including a lighthouse reminder that home stays steady while you learn to sail. We also introduce a simple journal practice, “Growing Together, Apart,” built for short daily reflection instead of endless scrolling. If you’re navigating a college transition, a parent-child relationship shift, or just trying to do the next right thing with money and emotions, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a family who needs it, and leave a review with one thing that helped you feel ready-ish. This podcast is meant to be a resource for the general public, as well as fellow therapists/psychologists. It is NOT meant to replace the meaningful work of individual or family therapy. Please seek professional help in your area if you are struggling. #breakthestigma #makewordsmatter #thingsyoulearnintherapy #thingsyoulearnintherapypodcast If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, please contact 988 or seek a treatment provider in your area. If you are a therapist or psychologist and want to be a guest on the show, please complete this form to apply: Podcast Application Form Feel free to share your thoughts at www.makewordsmatterforgood.com or email me at Beth@makewordsmatterforgood.com Support the show www.bethtrammell.com

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About

A behind-the-scenes look at the best tips and techniques from clinicians around the world. This podcast shares practical techniques for a wide range of mental health topics, from parenting to substance use, mindfulness, anxiety, depression and so much more. If you are looking for great mental health advice from experienced therapists & psychologists, you are in the right place! AND... if you are you are a clinician who is looking to learn new techniques, this podcast is right for you, too!Listen, like, and subscribe!

Information

  • Creator
    Beth Trammell PhD, HSPP
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    267
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Things You Learn in Therapy
  • Show Website
    Things You Learn in Therapy