Decoding Personalization with the Shrink Chicks

This week, Dr. Tracy is sitting down with Jennifer Chaiken and Emmalee Bierly, licensed marriage and family therapists, co-owners of the therapy practice “The Therapy Group,” and co-hosts of the “Shrink Chicks” podcast. The two kick off the episode by taking us back to their grad school days and the reasons why their ultimate goal as therapists, podcast hosts, and public figures is to make therapy more relatable, digestible, and accessible for all. They then open up about the reality of starting a podcast about therapy as a practicing therapist and the ways it’s impacted their relationships with their clients. For the main event, the conversation dives into the roots of personalization and why some of us are quick to take the blame for other people's feelings or behaviour. From childhood experiences and parental dynamics to how personalization can manifest in our various adult relationships, the trio provides valuable insight and guidance on how to navigate, find empathy, set boundaries, and respond instead of reacting in triggering situations with the people closest to us. Ultimately, this episode emphasizes the power of personal agency and how to honor your authentic self in adult relationships, just in time for the holidays. 

Today’s topics include: 

• Breaking down the traditionally clinical walls of therapy  
• Deepening the client/therapist relationship  
• What personalization is and how it shows up for people  
• Chaotic upbringings and the various ways personalization can develop  
• The importance of reflecting inward and acknowledging some of the survival mechanisms you’ve brought into adulthood  
• Having a highly sensitive child and approaching that as a parent  
• Finding empathy and understanding generational behaviour 
• What it means to be hard on the inside and soft on the outside 
• Preventative care and how to step into responding instead of reacting 
• The power of personal agency  

You can find more from Jennifer and Emmalee on their Instagram, website and podcast!  

A special thank you to our incredible sponsors for making this show possible!

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