Psyched to Practice
Join us as your hosts, Dr. Ray Christner and Paul Wagner, as we explore the far reaches of mental health and share this experience with you. We’re going to cover a wide variety of topics in and related to the field, as well as having experts share their findings and their passion for mental health. We look forward to taking this adventure with you and hope we can get you Psyched!“ Be well, and stay psyched!”
Episodes
143 episodes
Beyond the Bot: Introduction to AI in Mental Health Report Writing
This episode focuses on AI report writing in psychological assessment, with a special emphasis on school psychology. Dan Florell and Adam Lockwood look at why AI is being adopted so quickly, where it genuinely helps, and where human judgment st...
Practice in Action : Estrangement Should be the Nuclear Option
Social media often makes it sound like there’s only one answer to difficult family relationships: cut them off. But is that always the healthiest choice?In this episode, Paul Wagner and Dr. Ray Christner take a thoughtful look at family ...
Beyond the Bot: How Agentic AI Can Transform Education and Practice
AI is moving far beyond simple chatbots, and many mental health professionals are wondering what comes next.In the first episode of Beyond the Bot, Dan Florell and Adam Lockwood break down one of the fastest-growing areas of artificial i...
‼️New Podcast Update‼️
We are excited to announce the launch of a brand new podcast, Beyond the Bot, hosted by Dr. Dan Florel and Dr. Adam Lockwood. Starting Friday, July 31st, you’ll find episodes of Beyond the Bot appearing right here on the Psyched To Practice fee...
Masters in Practice: LGBTQ+ Mental Health and DBT w/ Dr. Kiki Fehling
Most therapists overlook one of the most powerful tools for supporting LGBTQ+ clients: the deep connection between minority stress, emotional validation, and joy. In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Kiki Fehling—an expert in queer-affirmative...
Practice in Action: Loaded Words Matter
The words we choose shape far more than conversation—they shape emotions, treatment, documentation, and even access to care.In this episode, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner explore how language influences the way clients experience their s...
Practice in Action: Wearable Insights
Smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart rings, and other wearable devices are collecting more health data than ever before—but what does that mean for mental health care?In this episode, Paul Wagner and Dr. Dan Florell explore t...
Practice in Action: Boundaries vs Avoidance
Boundaries are often presented as the answer to difficult relationships, workplace stress, and emotional well-being. But what happens when a boundary is actually avoidance in disguise? In this episode, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner explore the ...
Practice in Action: Diagnosing Differentially
What happens when the symptoms fit… but the diagnosis doesn’t?In this episode of Psyched to Practice, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner break down the messy reality of differential diagnosis and why so many mental health conditions can look ...
Masters in Practice: Prolonged Exposure for PTSD: Innovations to Improve Access, Engagement, and Outcomes
Why do so many therapists hesitate to use exposure therapy for PTSD, even when the research strongly supports it?In this episode of the Psyched to Practice podcast, Ray sits down with Dr. Carmen McLean and Dr. Elizabeth Goetter to unpack...
Practice in Action: It's the Final (School Year) Countdown!
As the school year winds down, many students hit a wall. They’re tired, overwhelmed, and often feel like it doesn’t even matter anymore. Missing assignments pile up, motivation drops, and even high-achieving students start to question whether i...
Masters in Practice: Real Skills for Real Life, DBT for Everyday Living w/ Dr. Jesse Finkelstein
What if the problem isn’t that your clients don’t have the right tools—but that the tools don’t feel usable in real life? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jesse Finkelstein to unpack how DBT moves beyond worksheets and into everyday decisi...
Masters in Practice: School Refusal Behavior & Family Collaboration w/ Tom Brant, Eric Elias, & Courtney Huguenin
School refusal isn’t just about kids staying home. It shows up in subtle ways—frequent nurse visits, missed classes, late arrivals, and quiet disengagement that often goes unnoticed until it becomes a major problem.In this episode, we br...
Practice in Action: Turning Teens Towards Social Media Literacy
Social media isn’t going anywhere, but the way we’re handling it with kids and teens might be making things worse. In this episode, we sit down with Kelly McCullough, LCSW, to unpack what’s actually happening when kids spend hours on their phon...
Practice in Action: Specialization Is a Verb: Building Focus Without Chasing Trends
Many clinicians leave graduate school with strong foundational skills but very little guidance on how to shape their professional path. Over time, therapists begin to notice patterns in their work—certain populations, problems, or clinical ques...
Practice in Action: When the Case on Your Schedule Feels Off
Most clinicians enter this field wanting to help everyone. But over time, we learn a hard truth: being willing isn’t the same as being the right fit. In this episode of the Psyched to Practice Podcast, Paul Wagner and Ray Christner unpack what ...
Practice in Action: Embracing the Imposter Within
Most mental health professionals have felt it at some point but rarely say it out loud: the fear that they don’t really belong, that they’re one mistake away from being exposed as a fraud. In this episode of the Psyched to Practice Podcast, Pau...
Technical Difficulties
Hey everyone, quick heads up.For the first time in our recording history, we ran into some technical issues, and the audio from a really solid conversation between Ray and Paul on imposter syndrome didn’t survive. We’re still holding out...
Masters in Practice: Living Well with Adult ADHD w/ Laura Knouse
Adult ADHD is often misunderstood as a motivation problem or a lack of effort. In this episode, psychologist and researcher Dr. Laura Knouse joins Psyched to Practice to explain why that framing misses the mark—and how cognitive behavioral ther...
Masters in Practice: Living Well with Social Anxiety w/ Deb Dobson
Social anxiety isn’t just about nerves in social situations, it slowly shrinks lives through avoidance, self-judgment, and fear of being seen. In this episode, Dr. Deb Dobson joins The Psyched to Practice Podcast to talk about what actually kee...
‼️Bright Minds Subscription Announcement‼️
Too often continuing education is expensive, rigid, or disconnected from real clinical work, until now. Our Bright Minds Subscription is officially live, and it’s built for how clinicians actually live and practice. This all-access membership g...
Practice in Action: Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance w/ Marie Hooper
In this episode, Paul and Ray sit down with psychologist Marie Hooper to break open one of the most misunderstood autism profiles: PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance), or the pervasive drive for autonomy. Marie explains why these kids look oppo...
Practice in Action: The Difference Between Feeling Gratitude and Performing It
In this episode, Paul and Ray take on gratitude in a way that cuts deeper than the usual holiday routine. Instead of listing three things you’re thankful for or posting something online that sounds good, they explore what it looks like to e...
Practice in Action: Check the Why, Not Just the What
This episode explores how naming and checking intention — the deeper “why” behind a goal — helps clients (especially those with ADHD and executive-function challenges) keep going when motivation fades. Paul explains how intention works with com...
Practice in Action: Finding Your Clinical Sweet Spot
Every therapist can talk for days about difficult cases. But what about the cases that work? In this episode, Paul and Ray break down how success leaves clues — from therapist strengths to client readiness to the role of meaning and ex...