

Therapy in a Nutshell
Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam
I’m Emma McAdam, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and my mission is to make mental health resources more easy to access. I take therapy skills and psychological research and condense them down into bite-sized nuggets of help.I’m here to spread the message that while mental illness is real, it’s common, it’s debilitating, it’s also treatable. There are dozens of research-backed approaches to treating depression, anxiety, and other mental illness. Change, growth, and healing are possible. Please keep courage! Try one little thing every day to improve your life and health and things can get so much better! Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.Therapy in a Nutshell and it’s logo are Registered Trademarks of Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 4, 2021 • 13min
1/30 Name It to Tame It: How to Process Emotions
Ready to change your life? Buy the full, ad-free Emotion Processing course now for only $147: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/emotion-processing?utm_campaign=Feb%2004,%202021&utm_medium=Description&utm_source=podcast
When we don't know what we're feeling, we tend to be reactive and impulsive in ways that mess up our life. When our emotions are vague, nebulous, unexplored sensations - when we feel something, but we don’t know what it is or we aren’t sure where it comes from - we have little power to change it. In this video, the first of 30 skills in my Emotion Processing course, you’re going to learn how to get better at feeling by getting better at naming your emotions.
Emotion check-in chart: therapynutshell.com
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=02042021
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books
Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
About Me: I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons

Jan 28, 2021 • 15min
How to Process Your Emotions- Course Introduction/30 Depression and Anxiety Skills Course
How to Process Your Emotions
Ready to change your life? Buy the full, ad-free Emotion Processing course now for only $147: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/emotion-processing?utm_campaign=Jan%2028,%202021&utm_medium=Description&utm_source=podcast
Invest in yourself! Use my link and check out the first chapter of any course for FREE! https://bit.ly/3qHLWvZ
When I talk about processing emotions, I mean we literally need to go through a process to regulate and resolve our emotions. In this video, you’re going to learn what emotion processing is, what gets in the way of it, and how you can work through your emotions so they don’t build up in a harmful way in your life.
Over the next 30 podcasts I’m going to teach you skills that help you process through not only feelings of anxiety and depression, but emotions in general. This is how to work through big, painful emotions. You could call this emotional intelligence or controlling or coping with your emotions, but it’s better than that. It’s actually resolving your emotions. Knowing how to process emotions is essential to living a happy life, to having healthy relationships, to being a good boss or friend or lover. Research shows over and over that these are the skills that help people live a good life, but most people have never even heard of them.
This course uses exercises, video, audio, quotes, visuals, narratives, short readings, workbook exercises, and links to extended resources. If you want to access all of these essential resources, ad-free, in one convenient location, you can buy the full course here: https://therapyinanutshell.teachable.com/p/emotion-processing
Don’t skip over these if you want the full benefits.
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01282021
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books
Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
About Me: I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io
Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons

Jan 26, 2021 • 8min
How to Set Better Goals With This One Shift in Thinking
You can learn to set better goals. Most people don't realize it but they are accidentally setting negative goals and this just isn't how your brain works. If you want to set better goals, then you need to learn how to set positive goals. Setting positive goals is about focusing on the smallest possible steps to accomplishing what you DO want in your life instead of focusing on what you DON'T want in your life.
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor BetterHelp connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanuts...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01262021
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC ---- Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons

Jan 21, 2021 • 6min
Fight Depression And Burnout in 2 Minutes a Day - 3 Good Things Activity
You can fight depression and burnout in just a few minutes a day. Your brain is so much better at focusing on survival than it is at focusing on being happy, and it's because of this fact that your brain is constantly scanning for threats, trying to pick out or notice anything bad, dangerous, or negative instead of looking for the positive or dwelling on the good things that happen in your life. Your brain’s default setting is to keep you alive by really paying attention to anything threatening or dangerous. This focus on survival was imperative to our ancestors, but in today's world, if left unchecked, it can lead to stress, burnout, and depression. But I have good news. There is a simple way to combat this challenge of focusing on the negative, and to turn up the volume of the positive things in your life. In this video, I'll teach you how to fight burnout and feel happier.
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor BetterHelp connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanuts...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01212021
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC ---- Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons

Jan 19, 2021 • 14min
Creating an Environment where Healing Mental Illness is Possible: A Treatment Team Approach
In this video I’m going to talk about how you can create an environment where healing is possible and increase your chances of beating your mental illness. And while most people don’t have the opportunity to go to residential treatment if they need it, there is one thing that I’ve taken from my experience there that helps me be a better therapist now than I was before. And that’s taking a team approach to treatment.
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Thanks BetterHelp for sponsoring the video: BetterHelp- Professional, Affordable Online Counseling starting at around $65 a week https://www.betterhelp.com/therapyina...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental-health classes: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01192021
Check Out My Favorite Books for Mental Health: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Jan 12, 2021 • 5min
Change the World with One Skill: World Mental Health Day Find a Way #WithMe
Hello everyone, Today is World Mental Health Day. Right now around a billion people experience a mental illness or a substance abuse disorder and depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. But the solution sometimes seems overwhelming. So it’s needless to say that mental Illness is a big problem for many people.
And the causes are complex, from biology to experience to how we think and act, and in my opinion depression and anxiety are often caused by a lot of tiny little thoughts or behaviors that we don’t even notice, but over time these pile up. But the research is clear, most mental illness is treatable, we can change how we feel, we can improve mental health and fight depression and anxiety by changing how we think and changing how we act and seeking professional and medical support.
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Thanks BetterHelp for sponsoring the video: BetterHelp- Professional, Affordable Online Counseling starting at around $65 a week https://www.betterhelp.com/therapyina...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01122021
Check Out My Favorite Books for Mental Health: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Jan 7, 2021 • 17min
How to Stop Worrying About the Future
In this video you’re going to learn what to do when your brain just won’t shut up with all the worries about what’s going to happen in the future. I’m going to teach you one antidote for when you’re stuck ruminating on your fears, and I’ll teach you why you should never worry in your head.
A Little worry is ok. Worry serves a function. Beneficial worry prompts action, it can help us plan for the future by thinking through possible problems and their solutions. But compulsive worry makes us feel sick and freeze up When we imagine danger our body has the exact same physiological reaction as if there was real danger present. That’s why your body pumps out adrenaline when you’re safe at home watching a scary movie. And when we’re stuck in chronic worry, that can make us so anxious that we get sick or can’t function.
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor BetterHelp connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01072021
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Jan 5, 2021 • 15min
Mental Filtering: Why you may only notice the Negative
Mental filtering is the cognitive distortion where we only see one aspect of a situation, usually the negative side of it when it comes to depression or anxiety. You focus on the negative and disregard or filter out all the positive. You pick out a single negative detail and hyperfocus on this instead of everything else going on. If you can’t see anything positive, then your thoughts are lying to you. Mental filtering makes us more anxious, but anxiety makes us mental filter more- because anxiety attunes our brain to threats, making it so that we’re more likely to notice the bad. Mental filtering makes us more depressed, when we only notice the bad, life is depressing. But when we feel crappy, when we feel depressed, we’re more likely to mental filter.
Sign up for my Newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Thanks BetterHelp for sponsoring the video: BetterHelp- Professional, Affordable Online Counseling starting at around $65 a week https://www.betterhelp.com/therapyina...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental-health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=01052021
Check Out My Favorite Books for Mental Health: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Dec 29, 2020 • 15min
How Loneliness Affects the Immune System
Loneliness impacts the immune system, mental health, and physical health in dramatic ways. But you can counteract its effects through intentional human connection. Loneliness contributes to depression, anxiety, heart disease, a weakened immune system, cognitive decline, and other mental and physical health problems, but you can find ways to connect with others in a way that strengthens your physical health, even during coronavirus.
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional for $65/week. Try it now for 10% off https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanuts...
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=12292020
Sign up for my newsletter: www.therapynutshell.com Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Dec 28, 2020 • 19min
Anxiety, Worries and What if’s-Rewiring Anxiety through Intentional Risk Assessment- Acceptable Risk
So here’s another of the most common questions I get on my “Rewiring the Anxious Brain” video- People asked “What if the dog bites you?” Now in that video I was explaining how when you avoid something it makes your anxiety go up, and this is really harmful when you avoid something that feels dangerous, but is actually safe- like public speaking, taking a test, or asking for a raise. So I used the example of being afraid of dogs and then explained how gradual exposure can help you overcome that fear by gradually spending time with dogs. But of course, when making a video about anxiety, the anxious people watching the video are going to say- but how can I do that, what if the dog bites you? Many people with anxiety focus on the worst-case scenario, instead of focusing on the potential for growth and healing. And that’s because when your brain is in anxiety mode, it’s attuned to threats, it only notices and pays attention to the potential dangers around you. But dogs can actually be dangerous. So when you’re in anxiety mode the 1 in 1,000 chance of being bit by a family’s pet dog feels like a serious, immediate, most likely occurrence. In Anxiety mode our brain is going to assume the worst about so many things- “What if they all hate me?” “What if I get Covid from my groceries?” “What if the car swerves into my lane?” It’s so easy to get wrapped up in all the “What-ifs” that you completely lose sight of your goals. Like overcoming anxiety, or visiting your son who has a dog. But there are some practical steps you can take to manage your brilliantly anxious brain instead of letting anxiety run your life. First realize that your brain’s most natural job is to “prevent dying” to keep you from bad things happening. And unlike other mammals, that are mostly instinctual about these things, running from an immediate threat like a tiger, and then relaxing when the threat is gone. Our brain has the ability to imagine danger in the future, remember danger in the past, and that makes us feel like we’re in danger in the present moment. But just because our brain is really good at imagining dangers, doesn’t mean that avoiding those fears is the way for us to live a good, happy life. I think most people with anxiety can see how feeling anxious all the time and avoiding stuff is making their lives worse…
Thanks BetterHelp for sponsoring the video: BetterHelp: Professional, Affordable Online Counseling starting at around $65 a week https://www.betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=12282020
Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell
Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapynutshell.com
Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books
Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
If you are in crisis please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC