Live Q&A with Tony and Sydney - Navigating Mental Health: Highly Sensitive People, Narcissism, Emotional Immaturity, ADHD, and “Good Therapy”

In this special bonus episode of The Virtual Couch, host Tony Overbay, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is joined by his daughter Sydney for a live Q&A session originally aired on TikTok. The duo addresses a variety of mental health topics, including ADHD management, the importance of setting realistic New Year's resolutions, and how to navigate emotional boundaries in relationships. Listeners can learn about the differences between CBT and ACT therapy, how to handle emotional immaturity and narcissism in relationships, and practical strategies for dealing with ADHD, such as medication and increasing emotional tolerance. Tony and Sydney also discuss complex emotional topics like disassociation, rejection sensitivity, and the impact of childhood defense mechanisms on adult behaviors. For those unable to join live, the episode is available on Tony's Virtual Couch YouTube channel. Viewers are encouraged to submit their mental health questions for future episodes.

00:00 Welcome to The Virtual Couch

01:18 Live Q&A Introduction

02:37 Discussing New Year's Resolutions

03:36 Understanding Socially Compliant Goals

04:44 Experiential Avoidance Explained

05:31 Setting Realistic Goals

08:06 Addressing ADHD and Rejection Sensitivity

12:02 Navigating Emotional Immaturity in Relationships

18:08 Falling in Love Outside of Marriage

21:15 ADHD and Attachment Styles

23:35 Gaslighting: A Childhood Defense Mechanism

28:41 The Impact of ADHD Medication

42:10 Addressing Basic Needs

42:22 Exploring Non-Stimulant ADHD Medications

43:53 Understanding the Window of Tolerance

46:10 Thoughts on TMS Therapy

47:49 Discussing DPDR Disorder

49:25 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

52:36 Navigating Emotional Sensitivity and Boundaries

57:00 Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder

01:00:00 The Role of Therapy and Validation

01:11:07 Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Traits

01:20:33 Concluding Thoughts and Q&A

Find more from Tony Overbay:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@virtualcouch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtual.couch/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonyoverbaylmft/

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-virtual-couch/id1275153998

Website: https://www.tonyoverbay.com/ 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/virtualcouch