Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

How To Build Competence and Confidence in Integrating Yoga Into the Therapy Room

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Episode 186 Practical Strategies For Developing Intuition & Spiritual Gifts: Interview With Janee Paige

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

06/19/24 • 53 min

What are some practical strategies for unlocking your intuition and spiritual gifts? How can we begin to trust our intuition and let it help us guide us as clinicians?

MEET Janee Paige

Janee is a Spiritual Advisor who specializes in Mediumship, Intuition Development, and Energy Healing.

Find out more at Goddess Of RJHS and connect with Janee on Instagram

EPISODE 161 BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY & MENTAL HEALTH: INTERVIEW WITH JANEE PAIGE

IN THIS PODCAST:

What is intuition? 2:58
What blocks you from your intuition? 8:22
Tips on developing your intuition 15:52
Sit in on a reading with Chris McDonald 36:37

What Is Intuition?

Learning to listen to our inner voice
Why does connecting with your inner self matter?
What’s the difference between intuition and anxiety?
What are some misconceptions about intuition?
What is the difference between intuition and spirituality?

What Blocks You From Your Intuition?

Understanding what you need to work through as an individual
What is Shadow Work?
Interpreting and developing your intuition
Why is intention so important when tapping into your intuition?

Tips On Developing Your Intuition

The importance of meditation and self-care
Breathwork and the importance of breathing properly
How do you practice listening to your intuition
What is energy work?
Journaling and intuition
How to incorporate movement into developing your intuition

Sit In On A Reading With Chris McDonald

Asking for consent
How to close out a reading

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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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Find out more at Goddess Of RJHS and connect with Janee on Instagram

EPISODE 161 BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY & MENTAL HEALTH: INTERVIEW WITH JANEE PAIGE

Episode 185 Breaking Free From A Religious Upbringing & Embracing Spirituality & Your Intuitive Gifts: Interview With Samantha Bell-Walker

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

06/12/24 • 38 min

How can you break free from the restraints and judgments of a religious upbringing and begin to embrace your spiritual and intuitive gifts? How can you find your own healing path through spirituality?

MEET Samantha Bell-Walker

Samantha is an Intuitive, Healer, Psychotherapist, and Coach. She is a bright, bubbly person who loves to help heal others but has to walk through the shadows a time or two. She comes from a Southern Baptist upbringing where her gifts were dulled at an early age because she was “imagining things.” Suffering through generational and other traumas to find her voice took years, but she finally embraced her true self. The years of struggle, sacrifice, grit, and darkness that I endured led her to heal herself. This path of healing came after the death of her father. Helping him transition in those last days, made her realize her strength and selflessness. But the real test came within those next years, her dark knight of the soul era when the healer needed healing. Samantha’s personal therapy journey led her to holistic methods which led her to reiki and the rest was history. Her gifts resurfaced and magnified and her spirit pushed her out of her comfort zone to use them within her practice. Her sessions focus on creating a sacred space for individuals to be themselves holistically, spiritually, and mentally. She invites spirit into sessions for clients to be able to release things that no longer serve them. Her approach is collaborative and results in healing on a subconscious and conscious level. Samantha combines educational tools from the world of psychology such as Mindfulness, CBT, Somatic Therapy, and Family Systems with holistic and spiritual methods like Reiki and Energy Healing, Chakra clearing, EFT Tapping, Hypnotherapy, Herbalism, Sound Healing, and Oracle Readings. Her passions are trauma, generational trauma, ancestral healing, reading Akashic records and past lives, past life regression, hypnotherapy, shadow work, mirror work, cord cutting, and boundaries.

Find out more at The Attuned Clinician, A Ray Of Sunshine, Just Right Reiki, and connect with Samantha on Instagram

IN THIS PODCAST:

How to recognize and embrace your intuitive gifts? 6:45
Overcoming judgment when embracing your intuitive gifts 25:10

How To Recognize And Embrace Your Intuitive Gifts?

The importance of finding a supportive community
Incorporating holistic modalities into your healing journey
Working through your core beliefs and embrace your intuitive gifts
Spirituality vs. religion
Accepting all parts of yourself as a healer
What is your purpose?

Overcoming Judgment When Embracing Your Intuitive Gifts

The power of acceptance
Learning to grieve relationships that don’t work within your spiritual journey
Combining religion and spirituality
Using your intuitive gifts as a clinician

Connect With Me

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

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Self-...

Episode 179 Effective Somatic Interventions In Therapy Sessions: Interview With Kim Bevans

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

05/01/24 • 36 min

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

IN THIS PODCAST:

Somatic Therapy Vs. Traditional Therapy 4:00
What are the different kinds of Somatic interventions? 6:04
What role does a therapist's own embodiment play in facilitating Somatic interventions? 14:30

Somatic Therapy Vs. Traditional Therapy

Understanding the difference between Somatic therapy and body-oriented therapy
Integrating multiple modalities into a session

What Are The Different Somatic Interventions?

The importance of movement and body sensations in session
Learning to put words to how we feel in our bodies
Understanding the client's individual needs
What 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 therapist
Helping your clients understand what Somatic therapy is
Understanding your client’s specific needs
How to educate your clients in Somatic intervention
What are the challenges when integrating Somatic interventions into sessions?

Connect With Me

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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Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

Resources Mentioned And Useful Links:

Find out more at Kim Bevans, and connect with Kim on Instagram

Check out her Top 6 Somatic Intervention, a quick reference guide of dependa...

206 The Ethics of Scope of Practice & Scope of Competence With Yoga In Therapy: Episode By Chris McDonald

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

10/23/24 • 33 min

In this episode, I discuss the ethical and practical considerations of integrating yoga into therapy sessions. Emphasizing the importance of adhering to one's scope of practice and competence. I share insights from consultations with the American Counseling Association's ethics committee and my own extensive research. I also discuss the need for specialized training, informed consent, and cultural competence to ensure safe and effective therapeutic practices. It features practical examples and a case study.

"Scope of competence is more of an ethical concern, and the definition refers to the specific areas or interventions in which a therapist has appropriate education, training, supervision, and experience." -Chris McDonald

Understanding Scope of Practice
Scope of Competence and Ethical Considerations
Case Study: Ethical Issues in Yoga Integration
Informed Consent in Yoga Therapy
Understanding Informed Consent
Competence and Ongoing Development
Building Confidence in Integrating Yoga
The Importance of Supervision and Consultation
Adapting Yoga for Individual Needs
Practical Tips for Integrating Yoga

Connect With Me

Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58

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)

Join the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room

TikTok: @YogaChris58

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195 Exploring Ketamine Therapy | The Transformative Benefits: Interview With Austin Francom & Candace Curzon

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

08/21/24 • 37 min

What is ketamine therapy and how does it work? How can you go beyond talk therapy to treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD?

MEET Austin & Candace

Austin Francom is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). He started his work in health care at Volunteers of America social detox and the University of Utah’s Neuropsychiatric Institute while obtaining undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology.

After starting a nursing career, with experience largely in mental health and critical care, he earned a master’s degree in nursing from Westminster College. He has been practicing in the Salt Lake Valley in primary care since 2013.

Candace Curzon graduated from the University of Utah in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and in 2012 with a Master of Social Work. She worked at the University of Utah’s Neuropsychiatric Institute as a member of their crisis team and as a therapist on the inpatient psychiatric unit at LDS Hospital.

While working at LDS Hospital, she saw excellent results with Ketamine treatment for severe depression, OCD, and suicidal ideation. Realizing she wanted to do deeper work with clients beyond the initial crisis of being in the hospital, she opened Ally Counseling in 2016.

Candace and Austin have both trained in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP). They have also trained through the Ketamine Training Center by Phil Wolfsen, who is the leading researcher on Ketamine and Ketamine Assisted Therapy. Together, Austin and Candace began Ketamine Therapy at Therapeutic Alternatives in February 2019. They believe that Ketamine therapy could be safely and effectively administered in a setting that is less clinical, more welcoming, and safe. They set out to create a clinic that reflected this belief that inviting and comfortable surroundings could foster a more ideal environment for healing to happen.

Find out more at Ketamine Therapy At Therapeutic Alternatives

IN THIS PODCAST:

What is Ketamine? 9:06
What are the effects of Ketamine on the brain? 13:23
What does a Ketamine session look like? 19:58

What Is Ketamine?

A History of Ketamine
What has Ketamine been used for in the past
What is Ketamine in therapy?
The importance of self-compassion for healing

What Are The Effects Of Ketamine On The Brain?

What is the Neurobiology behind Ketamine
Does Ketamine react differently to different people?
What is Neurogenesis?
What can Ketamine be used to treat?

What Does a Ketamine Session Look Like?

The importance of a psychiatric evaluation before Ketamine treatment
Setting expectations for your clients
What is Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy?
How long is a Ketamine session?
Dealing with negative Ketamine sessions
What are the benefits of Ketamine use?
What are the side effects of Ketamine?

Connect With Me

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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Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

210 Yoga Snack | Pranayama Color Breathing Practice Episode By Chris McDonald

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

11/20/24 • 17 min

In today’s” Yoga Snack,” we focus on a Pranayama practice called color breathing. This practice combines breathwork with visualization to help clients manage stress, connect with their inner world, and achieve greater self-awareness. We discuss how therapists can integrate these techniques into their sessions, providing clients with easy-to-implement tools to enhance their well-being.

"This is something you could do while you’re driving, you can do them while you're in a waiting room, and we can do them as we take breaks during the day as therapists for our own self-care”

Colour For Health

Connect With Me

Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58

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)

Join the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room

TikTok: @YogaChris58

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Episode 189 Unlocking Healing | Integrating Poetry Therapy In Holistic Counseling: Interview With Ashley Steineger

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

07/10/24 • 35 min

What is poetry therapy, and how does it differ from traditional forms of therapy? How can poetry in therapy help your clients on their healing journey?

MEET Ashley Steineger

Ashley Steineger is a holistic psychologist and poetry therapist who has a passion for using holistic and creative healing modalities. She is the author of ‘The Poetry Therapy Workbook’ and runs workshops on how poetry can be used to help with anxiety, depression, and grief. Ashley works in a variety of settings including private practice. She has a special interest in working with Empaths, Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs), and anyone who has been told they are “too emotional” or “too sensitive.” Ashley is trained in Reiki and mindfulness instruction and loves collaborating with other holistic healing professionals.

Find out more at The Poetry Therapist and connect with Ashley on Instagram

The Poetry Therapy Workbook by Ashley Steineger

IN THIS PODCAST:

Who is poetry therapy for? 6:35
What are the benefits of poetry therapy? 8:32
Poetry prompts for integrating into sessions 18:49

Who Is Poetry Therapy For?

Using poetry as a tool for evoking emotion
The importance of finding what works for each client
How to guide your clients through the process

What Are The Benefits Of Poetry Therapy?

Finding beauty and healing in your pain
How to promote empathy
How to share your emotions in a safe way
How to start incorporating poetry into your sessions
Which clients resonate best with poetry therapy?

Poetry Prompts For Integrating Into Sessions

What is “The Poetry Therapy Workbook?”
Using song lyrics instead of poetry
What is the “Power of the Mind?”
How to be trauma-informed when using poetry in a session
What are some challenges when using poetry in therapy?

Connect With Me

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)

Join the private Facebook group

Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Resources Mentioned And Useful Links:

Find out more at The Poetry Therapist and connect with Ashley on Instagram

The Poetry Therapy Workbook by Ashley Steineger

196 Live The Life You Deserve: How To Let Go Of What No Longer Serves You & Embody Your Highest Self: Interview With Sylvester McNutt III

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

08/28/24 • 47 min

What does it mean to live the life you deserve? Can your mindset be the key to your success and well-being?

MEET Sylvester McNutt III

Sylvester McNutt, III is the author of "Live the Life You Deserve: How to Let Go of What No Longer Serves You and Embody Your Highest Self.". He is the author of ten books, a self-mastery coach, a father, a podcaster, and a course creator. Sylvester teaches people how to transform their mindsets through self-awareness and healing practices. His core message is no matter what you are going through there is so much greatness, power, and possibility inside of you. He helps people tap into their potential, upgrade limiting beliefs, and live in alignment with the life they want.

Find out more at Sylvester McNutt and connect with Sylvester on Instagram and YouTube

IN THIS PODCAST:

What does it mean to be in alignment? 7:09
What is your highest self? 12:38
What is the Law of Attraction 26:19

What Does It Mean To Be In Alignment?

What does it feel like to be in alignment
The importance of inner work when finding alignment
Embracing the trial and error process

What Is Your Highest Self?

Getting to know the different versions of yourself
What is Internal Family Systems?
What are the signs of being out of alignment?
What does it mean to have integrity?
Learning to let go of things that don’t serve you in a positive way

What Is The Law Of Attraction?

What is the philosophy behind the Law of Attraction?
The importance of changing your negative thoughts
Finding energy and believing in yourself
The Law of Attraction in Therapy

Connect With Me

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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Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Resources Mentioned And Useful Links:

Find out more at Sylvester McNutt and connect with Sylvester on Instagram and YouTube

201 Embracing The Yogi Within | Stepping Into Your Role & identity With Yoga: Episode By Chris McDonald

Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

09/18/24 • 28 min

In this episode, we explore therapists' challenges in integrating yoga into their practice and embracing a new identity as a yogi. We will discuss professional boundaries, cultural considerations, client misconceptions, and building competence and confidence. We will also look at practical advice, such as starting with breathwork, creating personal yoga practices, and seeking support within the therapist community. I will share personal experiences and encourage therapists to adopt a gradual approach to help them integrate yoga and therapy.

"As therapists, we often focus on guiding our clients towards healing, self-discovery, and the present moment awareness. Yoga can offer us a unique opportunity to do that with clients, to help them connect deeply with their own bodies, minds, and spirits, and to bring that sense of grounding and authenticity into our therapeutic work." -Chris McDonald

Embracing the Yogi Identity
Overcoming Obstacles to Integration
Role Clarity and Professional Boundaries
Training and Competence
Client Perceptions and Misunderstandings

Connect With Me

Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58