Therapist Confidential

In this episode of Therapist Confidential, Travis Heath speaks with Mary Jo Barrett, a pioneering family therapist whose career spans nearly five decades of work with family violence, incest, and complex trauma. Together they explore what trauma really means, how the word has evolved culturally, and why trauma is best understood as an interruption of development rather than a single event. Mary Jo shares how she was forced to innovate early in her career—creating a collaborative, relationship-centered model based directly on what survivors themselves identified as healing. The conversation also examines power, safety, predictability, hope, and the reality of vicarious trauma for clinicians. This episode is a grounded, deeply human exploration of healing, responsibility, and staying present in the face of suffering.

In this episode, Travis sits down with social worker, researcher, and author Dr. Will Dobud to explore the “troubled teen industry” and what it reveals about how we think about kids, treatment, and risk. Drawing from his new coauthored book Kids These Days, Will talks about involuntary residential programs, the financial and systemic forces that keep them going, and how many young people experience “treatment” as a form of institutional trauma. Along the way, he reflects on his own evolution as a practitioner, the limits of one-size-fits-all models, and why success, mastery, and genuine engagement matter more than any branded therapy. It’s a provocative, thoughtful conversation about the stories we tell about youth, and why change may actually start with adults these days.

In this episode of Therapist Confidential, Travis speaks with Dr. Marlene Williams of Texas Woman’s University about intergenerational trauma, ancestral wisdom, and what it really means to “break the cycle.” Together they explore how trauma is transmitted through families and culture—psychologically, relationally, and even genetically—and how healing can begin by reclaiming personal and collective stories. Dr. Williams also shares insights from her work with Black women and mothers, offering a deeply human look at resilience, identity, and liberation through therapy.

In Part 2 of his conversation with therapist and educator Liliana Baylon, Travis Heath goes deeper into what cultural humility looks like in real clinical moments. They talk about unlearning as a playful, accountability-driven practice; how and when self-disclosure can support client safety; and why not getting ahead of the client matters when facilitating acculturation groups with youth. Liliana shares how she works across English, Spanish, and Spanglish, why language justice is central to healing, and how she navigates religious intersections without centering her own agenda. They also explore adapting therapy models to fit clients and contexts, supporting supervisees to find their own voice, attending to countertransference when identities are shared, and the everyday faces of activism in clinical work. They close with what’s giving them hope right now. Brought to you by Psychotherapy.net, the home of timeless and timely conversations in mental health. 

Thomas Doherty, who has been at the forefront of climate psychology, joins Travis Heath to trace an unconventional path—from wilderness therapy and Greenpeace to the APA’s first Climate Change Task Force—and to map today’s “climate elephant.” They explore eco-anxiety as feeling, diagnosis, and social phenomenon; taking news breaks; the “upside down pyramid” of stress; a shifting “horizon of hope”; and action identities (Climate Detective, Champion, Survivor). Doherty shares practical steps from identity work, and adapting existing skills, to implementing with congruence. Brought to you by Psychotherapy.net, the home of timeless and timely conversations in mental health. 

What does it mean to center neurodivergence as identity, not pathology? In this episode, Robert Jason Grant—founder of AutPlay Therapy—shares how therapists can use neurodiversity-affirming practices to make therapy a space of inclusion and acceptance. From “all-the-time goals” like self-worth, identity awareness, autonomy, and advocacy, to building better mental health outcomes for neurodivergent kids, this conversation is a call for therapists to lead the way in creating inclusive, identity-affirming practices. Brought to you by Psychotherapy.net, the home of timeless and timely conversations in mental health.

“Humans need humans. We need relationships in order for us to survive in this world.” In this episode, play therapist Clair Mellenthin shares her attachment-centered approach to play therapy that fosters child-led, systemic healing. From maximizing safety and security to reframing play as an attachment need, Mellenthin shows how change happens when parents are invited into the playroom — becoming resources, partners, and safe bases for their children. Brought to you by Psychotherapy.net, the home of timeless and timely conversations in mental health.

In this second half of an expansive conversation, Sanni Paljakka and Tom Stone Carlson return to join Travis Heath for a deeper dive into narrative therapy's evolving landscape. Together, they confront the implications of labels, the erosion of lived experience, and the role of neoliberalism in shaping modern therapy. With equal parts compassion and provocation, the trio explores what it means to honor the human story behind the diagnosis. From poetic interludes to powerful case illustrations, this episode brings narrative therapy back to its radical, relational roots. A Psychotherapy.net original.