Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW LICSW leads you through a tour of Therapy For Real Life Podcast's greatest hits. Anna started the Therapy For Real Life Podcast in 2019 to expand access to burnout prevention concepts by adapting them into self-care skills for everyday use. Listen in as Anna shares favorite clips from past episodes, including relaxation exercises, self-care tips, and interviews with guest experts. The full library of Therapy For Real Life Podcast episodes is available on the...

Burnout was not a new concept for most helping professionals even before the start of the global pandemic. Now, the pressures facing helping professionals can better be described as burnout on top of burnout on top of burnout. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW talks with guest expert Elizabeth Horevitz, PhD, LCSW about the unique challenges that healthcare professionals face working with limited resources and amidst overwhelming need. Dr. Horevitz has experience working in safety net...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW interviews Jennifer Heisz, PhD to discuss the healing power of exercise. Dr. Heisz is a neuroscientist, the Director of the NeuroFit Lab at McMaster University, and author of the book, Move The Body, Heal The Mind: Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Dementia and Improve Focus, Creativity and Sleep . Dr. Heisz describes the many powerful benefits of exercise throughout her book and even offers step by step suggestions on how to use exercise to shape desirable...

Coping with uncertainty is profoundly challenging. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW shared simple self-care strategies two years ago as the global pandemic was just beginning. Now, we revisit that episode as an opportunity to refresh our ability to cope with uncertainty. As we know, uncertainty is a stressful trigger for human beings at any time, but the prolonged uncertainty of a global pandemic requires endurance and more consistent self-care. Learn what you can do to manage difficult...

Martha Kauppi is a marriage and family therapist, educator, supervisor, and certified sex therapist who specializes in working at the intersection of sex and relational issues. She recently published the book Polyamory: A Clinical Toolkit for Therapists (and Their Clients). Kauppi joins Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW on the show today to discuss important terms for understanding consensual non-monogamy and alternative relationship structures. Together, they discuss specific therapy...

Therapy For Real Life Podcast Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW interviews Dr. Nate Zinsser about his experience as the Director of the Performance Psychology Program at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Zinsser has trained U.S. Military Academy’s cadets and world-class athletes, including a Super Bowl MVP, numerous Olympic medalists, professional ballerinas, NHL All-Stars, and college All-Americans, to help them perform at their maximum potential in high stress...

What roles do you play throughout your life? Which of these roles are voluntary vs. involuntary? How do the roles that you play impact your level of burnout? Tune in to this episode of the Therapy For Real Life Podcast to learn about the difference between role strain, role conflict, and role loss to better understand your own burnout prevention needs. Think about ways that you can support the roles you play, while also protecting the roles that matter most to you. This is not therapy. This...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW is joined by two guest experts in today's episode to discuss research-backed communication strategies to help children build motivation and make healthy choices. William Stixrud, Ph.D. and Ned Johnson are the best-selling authors of the Self-Driven Child and have more than 60 years of combined experience mastering the art of effective and respectful dialogue with kids. They discuss their newest book in today's episode, What Do You Say? How To Talk with Kids...

Today's episode is an opportunity to learn about the specific role of psychiatry in mental health care as Dr. Adam Stern talks with Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW about his new memoir, Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training. Dr. Stern shares lessons from the field of psychiatry and the intersection of physical and mental health. Cedar interviews Dr. Stern about how he learned to balance his own mental health while overcoming imposter syndrome as a resident in Harvard's...

How do you recognize depression when our society rarely talks about what that means? Depression negatively impacts your mood, self-esteem, habits, and physical wellbeing, and yet — each experience of depression is unique. A lot of people don’t recognize the signs of depression because they don’t know how different it can present in person to person, culture to culture. Most folks with depression would agree... “I just don’t feel like myself anymore.” Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA LCSW helps us...

Therapy For Real Life Podcast Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW interviews Fern Schumer Chapman to discuss her latest book, Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation. Chapman's book combines memoir with survey research findings to describe the painful experience of sibling estrangement and how to understand this neglected topic. Chapman describes the ripple effect that estrangement can have in families and mental health implications that individuals...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW interviews guest expert, Melody Warnick, on today's show to discuss what it takes to build a sense of belonging in your community. This story is personal for Warnick, who admits that she previously believed that moving would solve all of her problems before discovering that problems will follow you anywhere. Warnick changed her thinking when she launched a series of "love where you live experiments" after moving from Austin, TX to settle down in Blacksburg,...

You may have noticed that the Therapy For Real Life Podcast has been on a mini-hiatus lately and wondered why. Therapy For Real Life Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW shares a BIG PERSONAL ANNOUNCEMENT on today's episode to explain this recent break from the show and gives a preview of what to expect as the show gets ready to return very soon. You will be delighted to hear a preview of upcoming guests, including Melody Warnick, author of This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You...

Practice DBT’s fast-acting bio-mood hacks to channel your body’s natural ability to self-regulate in this interactive episode. Burnout prevention psychotherapist and mood hacker Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW explains the research behind DBT’s mood regulation skills. She gives listeners quick tips for interrupting a difficult mood in a crisis and even practices these tips along with you in this episode. Get yourself ready for some bio-mood hacking by finding a private space, a few minutes of...

The Therapy For Real Life podcast translates therapy concepts into everyday self-care strategies. But wait — What do we mean when we say ‘therapy’ anyways? Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW answers your burning therapy FAQs, including: WHAT is therapy? HOW does therapy work? and WHY does therapy work? Learn about different therapy styles, including motivational enhancement therapies, relationship counseling options, and acceptance-based strategies, such as mindfulness. Learn about therapy...

Therapy For Real Life Podcast welcomes clinical psychologists Danyelle Dawson, Yara Mekawi, and Natalie Watson-Singleton for a discussion of anti-racism and organizational psychology. Today’s panel co-founded The D.E.A.R. Project and recently published an article on Medium titled “How To Not Be A Karen: Managing The Tensions Of AntiRacist Allyship.” (Found here: https://bit.ly/31fqsLT ). The panelists share their perspectives on integrating research-backed therapy methods with anti-racist...

Research shows that specific patterns of behavior reliably predict relationship success or failure. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA, LCSW explains how research from the Gottman Method can help us understand key differences between “relationship masters and relationship disasters.” Learn practical skills to interrupt unhealthy patterns in your relationships and help you get your needs met. Practice the communication skills you need to stay connected during quarantine, or any crisis. This is not...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW chats with author and artist Allyson Dinneen about the release of her book, Notes From Your Therapist. Dinneen was featured in the New York Times article, “Instagram Therapists Are the New Instagram Poets.” Dinneen is known for her ability to translate complex ideas about emotions and relationships into brief, handwritten notes. This interview interrogates the complexities of authentic expression online, including a consideration of the potentially harmful...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA, LCSW shares her list of favorite books to share in therapy to extend learning beyond the session. Anna highlights authors who translate mindfulness and relationship research into practical strategies that anyone can use, including several guests who have been interviewed on the show. The beneficial effects of therapy requires practice in real life, which is why therapists often assign reading between sessions. Enjoy this self-care reading list to continue your...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW talks with Vania Deonizio, AMFT about the healing power of dance and movement. Deonizio is the Founding Director of the nonprofit Dancin Power, which gives individuals access to creative and expressive arts during hospitalization. Deonizio shares how dance helped her recover from a difficult time during her childhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and how she has shared the positive impact and power of music, movement, mindfulness, and dance with others since....

The holidays are upon us, which usually includes a lot of happy celebrations. This year, however, canceled plans, shelter in place, and abundant caution are called for to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The holidays can also bring a lot of difficult emotional triggers, such as painful memories, grief for family members who can’t be with us, or challenging dynamics with those who are with us. Listen to Therapy For Real Life host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA, LCSW as she describes tiny self-care...

Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW talks with Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD who explains how neuroscience can help you better understand your physical needs and their associated moods. Dr. Barrett shares the analogy of the “body budget” to explain that the brain’s core function is to regulate complex needs in the body. She goes on to describe how difficult moods can serve as an abstraction of these needs, giving you important cues to care for yourself. Dr. Barrett explains that a difficult mood...

Randy Wolbert, LMSW, CAADC, CCS joins the Therapy For Real Life Podcast to discuss where behavior therapy and mindful spiritual practices align. Randy shares his own path to Zen, which overlaps with a long career in providing Dialectical Behavior Therapy, clinical supervision, and DBT trainings around the world. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar, MPA, LCSW asks Randy to explain how DBT's core theories trace back to Zen. Randy gives examples of the many dialectical tensions that arise in mindfulness...

Get organized in your self-care with the Therapy For Real Life Podcast by learning about tools from Problem Solving Therapy in today’s episode. Host Anna Lindberg Cedar MPA, LCSW helps you get strategic in your approach to self-care by setting up simple routines to support decision making. Anna explains why stress is so disorienting and how feeling competent with problem solving can help protect your mood. Learn from concepts adapted from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you improve your...