The Holistic Counseling Podcast Chris McDonald, LCMHCS

What are holistic therapy intensives, and how do they differ from traditional therapy sessions? How do holistic therapy intensives address the interconnectedness of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being?
MEET Leah Barnes
Leah Barnes, LCMHCS, is the owner of Ridgeline Counseling and Supervision, PLLC where she provides online therapy to adults in North and South Carolina. She focuses on working with late-diagnosed or suspected Autistic and ADHD adults to get rid of internalized shame and ableism surrounding their neurotype, and learn ways to work with their brain, not against it. In addition to traditional weekly therapy, she offers therapy intensives to help clients dig deep into healing over the course of 1 to 3 days. She uses a variety of approaches during intensives, such as brain spotting, polyvagal techniques, therapeutic yoga, parts work, and more. 
Find out more at Ridgeline Counseling, and connect with Leah on Instagram and Facebook
IN THIS PODCAST:
What are therapy intensives? 2:58What are the benefits of therapy intensives? 9:19What therapy modalities can be used in therapy intensives? 15:45 What are the challenges that come with this type of therapy? 25:09
What Are Therapy Intensives?What is the difference between intensive and traditional therapy?Can you do therapy intensives virtually?How to schedule therapy intensivesThe importance of flexibility for intensivesWhy use therapy intensives?
What Are The Benefits Of Therapy Intensives?How can therapy intensives allow you to go deeper with clients?What type of clients would benefit from intensives?Who would not benefit from therapy intensives?
What Therapy Modalities Can Be Used In Therapy Intensives?The importance of having training in the modalities that you useHow to schedule your intensive sessionsThe importance of utilizing an intake form beforehandWhat should your session's timeblocks look like?How to follow up after intensive sessions
What Are The Challenges That Come With This Type Of Therapy?Managing your time and energy as a therapistHow to integrate multiple modalities into a sessionCreating another revenue stream with therapy intensives
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How can you begin to incorporate unique self-care techniques into your practice? How can you begin to expand your self-care toolkit and elevate your overall well-being?
IN THIS PODCAST:
In today’s episode, we dive back into some lesser-known self-care practices. We will look at 7 more self-care strategies that you can incorporate into your practice today!
Episode 173 Self-Care Practices You Might Not Have Heard Of Part 1
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work LessOutdoor Labyrinth behind Millbrook Baptist Church, 1519 E. Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC 2760
The Horse Shoe Farm
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Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)
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How does sleep affect mental and emotional well-being from a holistic perspective? What are the common sleep-related issues clients face, and how do these impact their overall health?
MEET Kevin Handley
Kevin Handley is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology in Virginia.  His private practice focuses on providing Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and other evidence-based approaches (CBT, ACT & Positive Psychology) to help people thrive.  His coaching, consulting, and continuing education for behavioral health professionals focuses on practice growth, self-care, ethics and risk management, and practical strategies to help improve their clients’ sleep health.  As an award-winning professor and a frequent speaker, he often speaks to professional and community groups about sleep, positive psychology, and other topics in the hopes of helping as many people as possible apply psychology to improve their everyday lives.
Find out more at Kevin B. Handley, PhD, and connect with Kevin on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook
Use this link to get a 20% discount or use code HOLISTIC
The Ethics of Sleep Health: Efficacy, Equity, and Clinician Self-Care on June 27th
IN THIS PODCAST:
What is healthy sleep? 4:17How is insomnia diagnosed? 9:23Holistic solutions for better sleep 12:28Why is sleep health so important for practitioners? 30:44
What Is Healthy Sleep?Defining what healthy sleep is on an individual basisHow much sleep do you need?Why is it important to ask clients about their sleep habits?Sleep health and mental health
How Is Insomnia Diagnosed?Focusing on better quality sleepWhat puts you at risk for insomnia?Examining the correlation between depression and insomnia
Holistic Solutions For Better SleepWhat factors go into sleep hygieneHow to make simple changes for better sleepThe importance of a sleep scheduleWhat is the R.I.S.E.U.P method?What is the CBT-I Sleep program?
Why Is Sleep Health So Important For Practitioners?Modeling sleep health to your clientsSelf-care and ethics for therapistsHow to begin addressing better sleep with your clients
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Why is integration important in clinical practice? What challenges exist in aligning unconventional practices with conventional therapy?
MEET Tina Vitolo
Tina Vitolo, LCSW, is a Doctor of Social Work with almost 20 years of experience. Her doctoral dissertation, focusing on Complementary and Alternative Interventions in clinical social work practice, was published in the Journal of Research on Social Work Practice.  In her private practice, Tina integrates Human Design, Crystal Healing, and Intuitive Practices with established clinical theories such as Psychodynamic, Transpersonal Psychology, Existential Humanistic, Jungian, and Person-Centered approaches.  Tina also runs The Black Sheep Therapist, where she coaches unconventional therapists on integrating unconventional interventions within an evidence-based framework. Her Innovative Practitioner Accelerator Program offers education and empowerment to therapists seeking to broaden their therapeutic approaches
Find out more at The Black Sheep Guide, connect with Tina on Instagram, and join her FB Group: Black Sheep Therapists: Embracing Unconventional Practices In Mental Health
IN THIS PODCAST:
What are the limitations of more traditional therapy? 4:12Complimentary modalities vs. holistic modalities 9:47What are the misconceptions of alternative healing modalities? 25:10
What Are The Limitations Of More Traditional Therapy?What is evidence-based Practice?What are the 3 components of evidence-based practice?The importance of building rapport with your clients
Complementary Modalities Vs. Holistic ModalitiesAligning with health and healingWhat are the benefits of complementary therapy modalities?Providing a safe space for your clients and colleaguesHow can therapists begin to embrace authenticity in their practice?
What Are The Misconceptions Of Alternative Healing Modalities?Understanding the research that goes into alternative modalitiesFinding research on these modalitiesThe importance of knowing your clinical theoryHow to determine which modalities to use with your clients?
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What is Multidimensional Psychiatry and how can this integrative approach to mental health help your overall well-being? How can water healing be brought into your mental health practice to provide physical and spiritual healing?
MEET Elizabeth Nguyen
Elizabeth Nguyen, MD was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents were refugees from Vietnam who arrived in Honolulu in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. She received her BA from Stanford University in Human Biology, her MD from Northwestern University, and her Psychiatry Residency and Child Psychiatry Fellowship training at UC Davis. She started her career in community mental health, with specific interests in cross-cultural psychiatry, the intersection of spirituality and mental health, and the healing power of water and the natural world. She is currently in private practice in Davis, CA where she incorporates energy healing into her psychiatry work. She recently published her first novel Aloha Vietnam about a Vietnamese American family navigating cross-cultural issues in mental health treatment and recovery. Of the inspiration behind and the intention for Aloha Vietnam, Elizabeth says: "There is so much trauma and healing in the human ancestral lineages, and water, art, and storytelling help us in becoming whole and natural again." 
Find out more at Multidimensional Psychiatry, and connect with Elizabeth on Instagram and Facebook
Water Keepers Community
Aloha Vietnam
IN THIS PODCAST:
Multidimensional psychiatry vs. traditional psychiatry 7:23What is water healing? 8:40Restoring your own water flow 14:10
Multidimensional Psychiatry Vs. Traditional PsychiatryUnderstanding ourselves and our clients as a “whole person”Using our own energy for healing
What Is Water Healing?How does our disconnect with water affect us?What is your relationship with water?How to restore your connection with water?What is your “own body of water?”Finding water resources wherever you are
Restoring Your Own Water FlowHow does energy work in your body?What causes energy stagnation?Incorporating movement and what is the “Melt Method?”Restoring water flow walkthrough!What is Blue Health?
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How do you integrate somatic interventions with traditional talk therapy approaches? What are some common misconceptions about somatic therapy, and how do you address them with clients?
MEET Kim Bevans
Kim Bevans is a body-oriented therapist and Embodiment Expert. Kim received her master's degree from Columbia College Chicago in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. Kim is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts. Kim provides therapy to women who over-intellectualize, spend too much time in their thinking minds, and feel emotionally overwhelmed. Kim helps women hear the call in their bodies and hearts to facilitate deeper connection, understanding, and healing within themselves. Her private practice is in Boston, Massachusetts.  Based on her years of embodied clinical experience and ongoing learning, Kim provides education and consultation for therapists who want to level up their mind-body toolbox. 
Find out more at Kim Bevans, and connect with Kim on Instagram
Check out her Top 6 Somatic Intervention, a quick reference guide of dependable somatic skills to deepen your sessions by bringing your client into embodiment now
IN THIS PODCAST:
Somatic Therapy Vs. Traditional Therapy 4:00What are the different kinds of Somatic interventions? 6:04What role does a therapist's own embodiment play in facilitating Somatic interventions? 14:30
Somatic Therapy Vs. Traditional TherapyUnderstanding the difference between Somatic therapy and body-oriented therapyIntegrating multiple modalities into a session
What Are The Different Somatic Interventions?The importance of movement and body sensations in sessionLearning to put words to how we feel in our bodiesUnderstanding the client's individual needsWhat is a “verbal run?”How to teach your clients to tap into their own movement
What Role Does A Therapist’s Own Embodiment Play In Facilitating Somatic Interventions?The importance of understanding how movement feels to you as a therapistHelping your clients understand what Somatic therapy isUnderstanding your client’s specific needsHow to educate your clients in Somatic interventionWhat are the challenges when integrating Somatic interventions into sessions?
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