Call the Psychiatrists

In this episode an anonymous listener is struggling with guilt over how she treated others as a teenager. Her therapist thinks she has punished herself enough. Lizzie B (19:54) wonders if therapists actually care about their patients or if they are working an assembly line.  Please send in your questions or feedback on our website.      

In this episode a listener recently ended a relationship with her therapist after she violated her trust. Now she is grieving the loss and wonders if she should go back.  We would love to hear from you! You can email or send a voicemail on our website or contact us directly at [email protected]

Who is responsible for setting the agenda in a therapy session? Angie wonders if it's really up to her to bring up hard topics with her therapist.  Chelsea's therapist (8:48) doesn't ask questions about her life, making her feel like her therapist doesn't care about her.   Finally, Claire's therapist (17:31) likes to explore the topics that interest him and she finds herself trying to please him by playing up those aspects of her life. We were warmed up by Act 3 so don't give up before the end. We'd love to hear from you! Send us a questions or feedback at our website or email us at [email protected]    

On this episode Karol asks for our opinion on The 5 Love Languages: are they useful or are they harmful? The study we referenced from University of Toronto which summarizes recent attempts at empirically validating the "love languages" can be found here.  In part 2 (19:30), a listener feels like her therapist is not on her side and said something hurtful to her on purpose. We discuss confrontations and countertransference among other things. We'd love to hear from you! Send us a questions or feedback at our website. 

 Krystal's therapist would prefer she not use marijuana before a session even though she thinks it would be helpful to loosen her "emotional logjam".  Michael (17:02) questions his decision to be a therapist and whether he is actually helping anyone. We discuss possible burnout and steps Michael could consider before making any major career changes.  We have an update from Rachel from episode 40 (29:18) who feels bad she didn't end her relationship with her therapist sooner.  Lastly, Christopher (34:00) is a therapist who wonders if we handle vacations around the winter holidays differently.  If you have questions or feedback please send a message (voicemail or email) on our website.  

On this episode Tess's psychiatrist revealed a shared diagnosis in their final session, making Tess wonder if withholding information is necessary. Lilith's therapist (16:50) visited her at work, leaving her feeling confused, especially since she would like the relationship to be closer. If you have questions or feedback please send a message (voicemail or email) on our website.

On this episode a listener's therapist hid behind a magazine after they saw each other in public.  Yazmin (12:31) wonders if therapy could be helpful for the grief she's experiencing a year after her husband died. The resource about prolonged grief at Columbia University can be found here. A listener (21:20) gave a thank you card to their therapist but he didn't acknowledge it which is creating distance in the relationship. The very end of our discussion highlights one of the themes in the show.  We have a review at 11:22 which includes a suggestion to review _Freud's Last Session_ once it's released. Please contact us if you think you'll see the movie and would like to discuss it.  "No regular listener of this podcast thinks that I believe I'm above ridiculousness." If you have questions or feedback please send a message (voicemail or email) on our website.

On this episode Yolanda has a question about the moments before and after a therapy session. Lindsay specifically wonders about her preference for the relationship she has with her therapist at this periphery of the therapeutic encounter  Jim (18:14) worries that he may be too smart for therapy to work. Marion (25:49) wants to know if it would be weird to give her therapist a thank you note. If you have questions or feedback please send a message (voicemail or email) on our website You can also message us on Facebook or Instagram @callthepsychiatrists

On this episode Amalia is annoyed that her therapist asks for lots of feedback at the end of each session. Kim (12:30) wants to address the "elephant in the room" after her therapist cut off all communication between sessions without an explanation. If you have questions or feedback please send a message (voicemail or email) on our website You can also message us on Facebook or Instagram @callthepsychiatrists

On this episode a listener's therapist has started rubbing her back when she's upset and she wonders if this is normal. Then we return to questions about vacation: A listener (9:03) is upset by their therapist's upcoming vacation and is thinking of not going back to the office; Beth's therapist (16:08) just got back from vacation and they're having a hard time getting re-connected; and a therapist asks (23:48) how we prioritize our patients after a vacation.  Feedback at (8:30). If you have questions or feedback please send a message (voicemail or email) on our website  You can also message us on Facebook or Instagram @callthepsychiatrists