Everyday Therapy

Brett Cushing, Dr. Karin Ryan

Do you find therapy overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be. The concepts in therapy are simple and practical, and you can use them to change your life today! Hosts Brett Cushing, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Dr. Karin Ryan, Licensed Psychologist, bring the life-changing concepts of therapy into your daily life. To learn how to apply therapy to your everyday life and become the best version of yourself, subscribe to “Everyday Therapy” wherever you get podcasts!

  1. Oct 23

    Can’t Stop Checking the News? How to Manage Political Anxiety and Election Stress

    With a constant barrage of 24/7 news alerts, social media algorithms, and campaign commercials, the hosts explore how political stress creates an ongoing sense of emergency that wears on our minds, bodies, and relationships. Tune in to discover actionable coping strategies, from redefining boundaries around media to using the "circle of control" and find out how best to navigate tense conversations around the dinner table. Tune in to Discover: The "Running from a Tiger" Effect: How the 24/7 news cycle triggers chronic cortisol spikes and adrenal fatigue, leaving your nervous system stuck in prolonged fight-or-flight mode.The Trap of Poll Doomscrolling: Why obsessively tracking poll margins reduces complex futures into frightening, black-and-white binaries that feed powerlessness and insomnia.Boundaries as Intentionality: Practical methods to take charge of your information diet, including muting televised campaign ads, setting app cutoff timers, and creating screen-free morning routines.Moving from Anxiety to Action: How focusing on what is within your direct circle of control, such as local volunteering or helping neighbors get to the polls, translates core values into meaningful community impact.Navigating Holiday and Family Tension: Communication tools and exit strategies to manage political disagreements with loved ones while protecting personal peace and preserving relationships.Resources Sagent Behavioral Health Therapy ServicesMore About AnxietyContact the podcast: Podcast@SagentBH.comSubscribe & Review If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to Everyday Therapy and leave us a review. It helps others discover the podcast and take the next step toward meaningful mental health support. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at Podcast@SagentBH.com We'd love to hear from you! Follow along: InstagramFacebookNystrom & Associates

  2. Oct 2

    Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, OCD, and Psychosis: Recognizing the Signs

    Dr. Kohlhi shares expert clinical guidance to help parents distinguish between common, short-term "baby blues" and conditions requiring professional care, including postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety (PPA), postpartum OCD, and postpartum psychosis.  This conversation offers essential insight, destigmatizes intrusive thoughts, and outlines immediate action steps for families navigating perinatal mental health challenges. Tune in to Discover: How the sudden hormonal drop 7 to 10 days after delivery causes temporary emotional shifts, and how to recognize when low mood, self-doubt, or guilt persist beyond two weeks.Why PPA often feels like an "engine that won't turn off," leading to exhaustion, physical tension, and an inability to sleep even when the baby is resting.The key differences between normal postpartum worry and sticky, distressing intrusive thoughts or compulsions that interfere with daily caregiving.The distinct signs of rapid-onset psychosis—including hallucinations, delusions, and loss of reality—and why loved ones must seek immediate ER care or call 911.How stabilization, medication, and up to a year of structured therapy help mothers fully heal, rebuild trust in themselves, and thrive in parenthood.Resources Sagent Behavioral Health Perinatal & Maternal Mental Health ServicesContact the podcast: Podcast@SagentBH.comSubscribe & Review If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing to Everyday Therapy and leaving us a review. It helps others discover the podcast and take the next step toward meaningful mental health support. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at Podcast@SagentBH.com We'd love to hear from you! Follow along: InstagramFacebookNystrom & Associates

  3. Sep 24

    Beyond Sadness: Understanding Difficult-to-Treat Depression and How TMS Works

    Dr. Jasberg shares why she prefers the term "difficult-to-treat depression" over "treatment-resistant," emphasizing that a lack of improvement on first-line medications does not mean someone is broken or untreatable. From cognitive slowing and irritability to the brain's neurocircuitry, this conversation offers clinical validation, an honest look at what a daily TMS session feels like, and genuine hope for anyone who feels stuck. Tune in to Discover: The Hidden Signs of Depression: Why depression frequently surfaces as severe brain fog, executive function slowing, appetite loss, and chronic irritability rather than overt sadness or crying spells.Neurotransmitters vs. Neurocircuits: Why simply adding more serotonin or dopamine via medication does not always relieve symptoms if underlying neural firing rates remain sluggish.Reframing "Treatment-Resistant Depression": Why Dr. Jasberg advocates for the term "difficult-to-treat depression" to remove patient self-blame and preserve hope for recovery.What TMS Actually Feels Like: The practical reality of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation—a non-invasive, 20-minute outpatient session that requires no anesthesia, causes no memory loss, and lets patients drive themselves home or back to work immediately.Brain Mapping & The Motor Threshold: How clinicians use precise magnetic pulses on the motor cortex (finding the area that controls the thumb) to accurately target the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.The Synergy of TMS and Therapy: Why combining TMS with talk therapy works like "going to the gym on a steroid"—using magnetic stimulation to re-energize dormant brain regions while actively cementing healthy thought patterns and coping behaviors.Clinical Outcomes & Remission Rates: Neuromodulation data show a 70% to 80% response rate and over 60% full clinical remission for patients who haven't found success with medications.Resources Sagent Behavioral Health Psychiatry & Medication ManagementSagent Behavioral Health Depression Care & ServicesContact the podcast: Podcast@SagentBH.comSubscribe & Review If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to Everyday Therapy and leave us a review. It helps others discover the podcast and take the next step toward meaningful mental health support. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at Podcast@SagentBH.com We'd love to hear from you! Follow along: InstagramFacebookNystrom & Associates

    Beyond Sadness: Understanding Difficult-to-Treat Depression and How TMS Works
  4. Aug 21

    Understanding Addiction: From Substance Use to Behavioral Patterns

    Addiction isn’t limited to drugs or alcohol. From gambling and shopping to social media and other compulsive behaviors, many things can activate the brain’s reward system and become difficult to control, especially when they begin interfering with relationships, responsibilities, and everyday life. Tune in to Discover: What addiction is and how it can extend beyond drugs and alcohol How dopamine and the brain’s reward system contribute to addictive patterns Why addictive substances or behaviors can begin to feel necessary for survival How stress, loneliness, boredom, and other triggers can reinforce the addiction cycle The connection between addiction and co-occurring concerns like anxiety and ADHD How shame and isolation can keep the cycle going The difference between substance dependence and behavioral addictions Why connection, routine, and community can be important parts of recovery How recovery can become an opportunity to rebuild your life in a new way Resources Sagent Behavioral Health Substance Use Disorder Treatment Sagent Behavioral Health Therapy Services Contact the podcast: Podcast@SagentBH.com Subscribe & Review If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing to Everyday Therapy and leaving us a review. It helps others discover the podcast and take the next step toward meaningful mental health support. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at Podcast@SagentBH.com We'd love to hear from you! Follow along: InstagramFacebookNystrom & Associates

  5. Jul 29

    How to Find a Psychiatrist: Online vs. In-Person Care

    Dr. Utter shares her clinical perspective on why psychiatrists ask about sleep, social history, and lifestyle, and how medication acts as a collaborative tool to reduce symptom intensity rather than a quick fix. Whether you are curious about starting psychiatric care or deciding between virtual and clinic visits, this episode offers a practical, reassuring roadmap for your mental health journey. Tune in to Discover: What to Expect at a First Visit: Why initial psychiatric intakes last over an hour and why providers ask broad questions about medical history, sleep, and lifestyle. Virtual vs. In-Person Care: The unique benefits of virtual psychiatry (convenience, accessibility) compared to in-person care (physical exams, tracking specific movement side effects). The "Lowest Effective Dose" Principle: How psychiatrists avoid over-medication and polypharmacy by starting low, titrating slowly, and prioritizing evidence-based, non-medication recommendations. How Medications Actually Work: A simplified look at how SSRIs support brain plasticity and why full benefits can take 6 to 8 weeks as new neural connections form. The Traction Analogy: How medication and therapy work together to help patients stop "spinning their wheels" and make meaningful progress. Resources Sagent Behavioral Health Psychiatry Services Contact the podcast: Podcast@SagentBH.com Subscribe & Review If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing to Everyday Therapy and leaving us a review. It helps others discover the podcast and take the next step toward meaningful mental health support. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at Podcast@SagentBH.com We'd love to hear from you! Follow along: InstagramFacebookNystrom & Associates

  6. Jun 25

    Men’s Mental Health: Why It’s Hard to Ask for Help (And Where to Start)

    This episode challenges the common narrative that men are simply "stubborn" or "proud," and instead focuses on how traditional male socialization forces men into a psychological double bind—feeling a societal pressure to remain completely stoic and impenetrable while trying to navigate modern expectations of emotional availability. Tune in to Discover: The Alarming Statistics: The numbers surrounding men's mental health and why struggles frequently go unnoticed and unspoken. The Socialization Trap: How traditional expectations of strength and stoicism cause men to view emotional vulnerability as a weakness. Masked Symptoms: Why male depression and anxiety often present on the surface as irritability, explosive anger, or emotional withdrawal rather than sadness. The "Alibi" of Self-Medicating: How behaviors like working excessively or turning to substances are used as socially acceptable ways to suppress internal pain. Action-Oriented Support: Practical strategies for partners and friends to bridge the gap, including the power of "how" and "what" questions over "why" questions. Resources Sagent Mental Health Services Sagent Behavioral Health Substance Use Resources Contact the podcast: Podcast@SagentBH.com Subscribe & Review If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing to Everyday Therapy and leaving us a review. It helps others discover the podcast and take the next step toward meaningful mental health support. Do you have feedback or topic requests? Email us at Podcast@SagentBH.com We'd love to hear from you! Follow along: InstagramFacebookNystrom & Associates

4.6
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Do you find therapy overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be. The concepts in therapy are simple and practical, and you can use them to change your life today! Hosts Brett Cushing, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Dr. Karin Ryan, Licensed Psychologist, bring the life-changing concepts of therapy into your daily life. To learn how to apply therapy to your everyday life and become the best version of yourself, subscribe to “Everyday Therapy” wherever you get podcasts!