Think Act Be Podcast

How can you find more peace in each day, even when things aren't going exactly the way you want them to? Joel and I discuss many ways to cope with life's daily struggles, from changing our perspective to removing the source of predictable problems. You can't eliminate daily hassles, but you can experience a lot less stress and strain. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

Therapy is a place where you can say things you wouldn't share anywhere else. But what if you're afraid of what your therapist is going to think of you? Joel and I explore common fears that come up in psychotherapy, what's behind them, and how to address them so they don't get in the way. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

Out-of-control anxiety can dominate your thoughts and direct your actions. In this conversation Joel and I explore many effective ways to tame anxiety so you can live more freely. Use these practices every day to loosen the grip of anxious thoughts and feelings and find greater peace.The practices we discuss come from my just-released book, Your Daily Reset. This guide offers 366 exercises for managing stress and anxiety, one for every day of the year. If you use one of these links, some of the purchase price will go toward supporting this podcast, at no additional cost to you: Amazon Bookshop . Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

Your mental habits have a powerful effect on the health of your relationship. In this episode Joel and I explore some of the common cognitive distortions that can drive a wedge between partners, such as mind reading, personalizing, shoulding, and the blame bias. Discover how to recognize and see through these distortions. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

Stress management includes more than just trying to calm down when you’re overwhelmed. Joel and I explore a 360-degree approach to managing stress, from what you eat and how you spend your time to doing breathwork and setting boundaries in relationships, and more. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

There is an ongoing debate about what makes therapy effective. Is it aspects of the therapist? What the patient brings to treatment? Common factors that cut across all psychotherapy, or specific elements of certain treatment programs? Joel and I explore these questions and discuss our own views on why therapy works. Here is a link to the classic review that Joel mentioned about psychotherapy clinical outcome studies: Meta-analysis of Psychotherapy Outcome Studies. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I discuss some ongoing health challenges I’ve had, why I decided to pause the podcast for the time being, and why you don’t have to take your struggles so personally. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Dr. Paul Kesselman, a clinical psychologist and close friend of mine. It was Paul’s second time on the podcast (the previous episode is here) and another great discussion. This time we focused on how to keep open lines of communication with our kids. Topics we discussed included: The advantages of keeping open dialogue with our kids Creating a safe environment for our kids to talk with us The downside of coming to our kids with an agenda Talking at, to, or with kids Making sure children are engaged when we’re speaking with them Capitalizing on moments when our kids are available to talk with us How early to start thinking about open dialogue with children Many children’s preference to go to Mom to talk rather than Dad How to deal respond when our kids do something wrong Shifting from content to process with our kids Remembering our goals in our interactions with our children Our expectations for how children “should” respond to our critiques and corrections Letting kids know we’re there while also respecting their privacy and space The downsides of jumping in to fix or resolve things for our kids The book Paul referenced, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee (affiliate link) Paul Kesselman, PsyD, completed his doctoral degree in psychology at Yeshiva University. He has taught college level courses in child psychology. He has been working in private practice seeing individuals, families, and running groups since 2003. Paul works with children as young as four years of age and sees children, pre- teens, adolescents, families, young adults, and adults. He has also conducted research studies on social anxiety at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Paul grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He and his wife have five children; he enjoys spending time with his family, listening to music, and playing baseball when he is not helping patients and families. He has a passion for his work and enjoys the opportunity to work with issues such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, learning issues, OCD, anger issues, impulse control disorders, school avoidance and refusal, and adjustments issues. Paul has spoken at both public and private area schools on a variety of topics including ADHD, anxiety, special needs children, and school anxiety. Learn more about Paul and his therapy practice at his website. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe