The Relationship Whisperer

11/30/21 • 32 min

Dr. Beth O'Brien PhD (AKA "the relationship whisperer") has been a psychologist in practice for 25 years, specializing in couples work. Dr. O'Brien utilizes PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy) principles, and in this interview she shares some tools that can help couples develop and strengthen their bond. There were tons more relationship tips that were edited out of this wonderful interview, as well as insights regarding the pandemic's impact on couples, so sign up for the Women Strong membership if you'd like to learn more about this topic!
Connect with Dr. O'Brien (and read her published articles on relationships!) here:
https://bethobriencounseling.com
The Women Strong member who asks a question toward the end of this recording gave permission for her conversation with Dr. O'Brien to be included in this podcast episode. Her name was edited out of the interview to protect the anonymity of our private Women Strong community.
This episode was edited by Kai of "Fam Band", filling in for Jordon of "Frankly Speaking". You can listen to both of these talented musicians/bands on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or check them out here:
https://www.famband.co
https://www.franklyspeakingmusic.org
If you'd like to watch the complete video of this interview and be present on live interviews like this one in the future, sign up for the Women Strong membership at womenstrongtogether.com!

Previous Episode

Together We Recover

In this very moving and honest interview, Shelly Dutch and Amanda share their personal stories of recovering from addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions. Themes that are highlighted include: addiction is a chronic, relapsing, emotional, spiritual, and physical medical condition that requires lifelong attention and treatment; predisposition to addiction can run in families; substance use disorders often co-occur with other mental health symptoms including but not limited to anxiety, depression, disordered eating, self-esteem challenges, trauma, and other co-occurring addictions; addiction impacts the entire family and community, and family members have their own healing work to do alongside their loved ones with addiction; women in particular face unique challenges re: prioritizing self-care and obtaining treatment for addiction; a holistic treatment approach (body-mind-spirit-family-& more) can help recovery; there is lots of hope for recovery from addiction, and mentors/community support can make a huge difference in maintaining successful, long-term recovery from substance use disorders and many other mental health conditions!
Shelly Dutch has dedicated her working life to people seeking recovery and their families. She has built community and tools to support long term recovery including founding Connections Counseling LLC, founding Recovery Foundation (a 501(c)(3) to support individuals seeking recovery), co-founding the non-profit recovery focused Horizon High School, and co-founding the TMS Center of Madison for medication resistant, severe depression. Shelly emphasizes mentoring, service, accountability, and personal connections as keys to recovery. Shelly strengthens local recovery supports via partnerships with various community organizations, staff training and development, and relentless support of internship and fellowship training with local and national institutes of higher learning. In 2018, Ms. Dutch was recognized by the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) as the Mel Schulstad professional of the year.
Amanda is a yoga instructor, businesswoman, mother, and a phenomenal mentor to other women at Connections Counseling.
Connect with Shelly and her team here:
https://connectionscounseling.com
This episode was edited by Kai of "Fam Band" and is dedicated to Jordon of "Frankly Speaking". You can listen to both of these talented musicians/bands on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or check them out here:
https://www.famband.co
https://www.franklyspeakingmusic.org
If you'd like to watch the complete video of this interview and be present on live interviews like this one in the future, sign up for the Women Strong membership at womenstrongtogether.com!

Next Episode

'Tis the Season for Setting Boundaries

Maggie Tibbetts, LCSW has been a therapist in private practice for 25 years specializing in grief and loss, anxiety, depression, life transitions, spirituality and mindfulness. In this wonderful interview Maggie educates us on the many ways grief, loss, and transitions impact our lives. Maggie shares several helpful strategies for coping with grief and loss, especially during the holiday season which can be particularly challenging and triggering for those who are actively grieving. No matter what specific circumstances you're experiencing this year, Maggie will inspire you to nourish yourself, create new traditions, set healthy boundaries, and practice radical self-care this holiday season!
Connect with Maggie here:
https://www.maggietibbettslcsw.com/
More grief resources that Maggie mentions during this interview:
https://www.griefrecoverymethod.com/
http://www.megandevine.co/
The Women Strong member who shares during the last portion of this interview gave permission for her voice and words of wisdom to be included in this podcast episode.
Additionally, during this interview, I (Dr. Brooke) botched my description of the Holmes & Rahe research that focuses on the contributions of stress to the development of illness. Check out the Holmes & Rahe Stress Scale for examples of some seemingly "positive" and other obviously "negative" life transitions that all have the potential to create stress (you'll find "major holidays" on the list)!
If you'd like to watch the complete video of this interview and be present for live interviews like this one in the future, sign up for the Women Strong membership at womenstrongtogether.com!