Claim OwnershipTell Me About Your Mother
Subscribed: 2Played: 21
Subscribe
© 2026 Tell Me About Your Mother
Description
Tell Me About Your Mother is a podcast guided by a psychotherapist duo-- Evan Miller and Melissa Martin. If you are a therapist, enjoy learning from experts, or curious as to how therapists conceptualize complex characters, this is your podcast.
If you'd like to connect further, we are on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. You can also send us an email-- contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run.
57 Episodes
Reverse
Send a text In this episode, we unpack one of the most misunderstood dynamics in therapy: masking.We start with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model and how somatic work helps clients notice real shifts in their nervous system. Then we get into what therapists often miss — clients who look “fine” in session but are shutting down outside the room. We cover: Why clients mask in therapy (often without realizing it)How therapists can misread progressDorsal vagal shutdown and what it actually looks like...
Send a text Guest Elizabeth Morrison is a licensed therapist, MS, LPC, in Texas, that specializes in treating Neurodivergent individuals. We talk through what’s happening as mental health language goes mainstream: it’s helping more people seek support, but it’s also creating confusion, oversimplification, and “pop psychology” that gets repeated as fact. We unpack what neurodivergence and neurodivergent actually mean, why traits aren’t the same thing as diagnoses, and how real clinical work de...
Send a text Welcome back our guest Sandra Killebrew, a therapist specializing in high-conflict couples therapy in Seattle, WA. This episode dives into the messy, magical work of being a therapist. We unpack what happens when clients come in with chaos—blame throwers in hand—and how playfulness, props, and presence can shift the energy in the room. From adolescent therapy and couples work to private pay dilemmas and therapist boundaries, we explore the art of staying human while holding space....
Send a text Welcome our guest, Rhiana Holmes Turner, LPC, LAC, is a licensed mental health professional and Approved Clinical Supervisor based in Denver, Colorado, with multi-state licensure across Colorado, Florida, Texas, and Kansas. She has expertise in trauma-informed, care and a career spanning community advocacy, international mental health work, and psychopharmacology education, Turner brings a unique lens to this raw and resonant conversation. In this episode of Tell Me About Your Mot...
Send a text In this raw and wide-ranging episode of Tell Me About Your Mother, Evan and Melissa explore what it means to be a therapist, parent, and human being—flawed, opinionated, and under pressure to perform. From setting boundaries on the soccer field to navigating adolescent risk-taking and drug use, the conversation covers the deep discomfort of losing control, the power of regulation, and the dangers of sanitized professionalism. Topics include: Why regulating yourself is the most pow...
Send a text In this fiery and insightful episode of Tell Me About Your Mother: Evan and Melissa respond to the backlash after their viral EMDR TikTok clip (24k+ views).They clarify what EMDR is actually doing in the brain—hint: it’s not magic or hypnosis.The hosts tackle common misunderstandings about working memory theory, bilateral stimulation, and exposure therapy.Evan shares a powerful campfire story involving a dysregulated parent and shame spirals.Melissa explores how trauma theory inte...
Send a text In this episode, we dive into a fresh look at EMDR therapy and how new research reframes it as “working memory therapy.” We explore the cultural differences in how trauma and sexuality are discussed in clinical training, the challenges of certification in our field, and the ways client conversations about sex, cursing, and honesty become litmus tests for therapeutic trust. Along the way, we swap stories on therapy frustrations, parenting young adults, and how history and culture s...
Send a text Sandra Killebrew is a high-conflict couple therapist with a boutique private practice in Tacoma, WA. She offers therapy intensives for couples in addition to weekly therapy. She likes to get on her soapbox about excellence in therapy, boundaries, telling the truth, even when it hurts, and is not afraid to say fuck. She hosts networking groups in Tacoma & Seattle and is on the board of the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association. Guest intro: Sandra’s unique styl...
Send a text Evan shares a personal story from a therapy group where power and bias were misusedHow therapists can be abusive — even to other therapistsThe danger of bringing personal values, beliefs, or shame agendas into the therapy roomWhy opacity (not transparency) can be safer and more ethical for clientsReader bias and how it distorts perception in clinical workThe myth of sexuality as a binary on/off switchThe shame response and how it gets used as a tool of controlWhy many men feel dis...
Send a text Melissa and Evan share their past experiences with unspoken agreements in relationships Passing off anxieties to partner to resolve insecurities Finances are a common reason for divorceUnspoken agreements utilized in an attempt to resolve attachment traumaFawning to prevent from abandonment, maladaptive self-preservation Mind reading We need to deal in realities, not “shoulds” Support the show Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us a...
Send a text "Christian Counseling" directly opposes the ACA Code of EthicsCounselors' political biases creating division with clientsThe new-age drama of "right and wrong think"Therapists should not be truth-seekersThe importance of sitting with clients that have different ideologiesMelissa shares about her love of Ricky MartinWhy is the counseling profession becoming a banner flag for social justice and advocacy?Approaching a client relationship similarly to visiting a foreign countryWe are ...
Send a text Faulty torture tactics in the Iraq warCarl Jung's Devouring Mother ArchtypeBarriers when applying boundaries to parentsParents of children with addiction feel a sense of closeness in crisis Internal conflicts that occur when experiencing incongruence Support the show Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run
Send a text Please reach out via email or social media if you'd like to participate in our FREE wellness audit where we take a brief snapshot of your presenting problems and offer insight into establishing possible new strategies of engaging with self and others. Wellness AuditTransference begins even in the initial consultation with a clientOperating from “control pattern"Ineffectiveness of solely practicing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Rogerian TherapyThe importance of conflict in thera...
Send a text Evan and Melissa explore how clients have been their greatest teachers. Topics also include: Negative attribution styles Evan and Melissa discuss what they view as their greatest accomplish with a client Sexual trauma response of eliciting “testing behaviors” to possible aggressors The power of entertaining the clients presenting problemExploring with the client: What are we contracting to do?Evan talks about this upcoming climbing trip Support the show Have a...
Send a text Evan and Melissa discuss the nature of recovering from codependency, its benefits, and challenges. Finding recovery from codependency or other mental health struggles CODA a 12-step recovery program for people recovering from CodependencyRecovery is not an arrival Complications of personal growth journeyThe risk of outgrowing relationships Stages of change Support the show Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellme...
Send a text Evan and Melissa discuss the vagus nerve and its implications in emotional regulation and treatment. 3 stages of polyvagal theoryTechnology outrunning our limbic systems evolutionAnxiety tension and fear are attempts to intellectualize feeling Feeling avoidance compared to a nicotine cravingNeurolinguistic programming Melissa also is gracious enough to offer her charts to any of our TMAYM supporters! Feel free to reach out to our email contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run...
Send a text Evan and Melissa explore the often deductive and maladaptive conceptualizations pop psychology shares on social media and its negative consequences. We plan to make this a series since there's a lot of material to cover. This episode focuses on social media reels that are giving advice as to what types of texts to send to your partner that has an anxious attachment style. Support the show Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellm...
Send a text Evan and Jamie Kay meet and discuss the healing, reflective, and connecting elements of songwriting with the writer and its audiences. Jamie has written over 300 songs in the course of his 50 years of songwriting. He's a gifted storyteller whose sincerity penetrates throughout our conversation. We're happy to share his energy with our listeners! Support the show Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run
Send a text Evan and Eli join for another episode to explore how therapists can unintentionally assume understanding of clients' stories based on personal bias. They then explore the evolution of porn and its possible future implications on sexuality, dating, and identity. Only fans AI becoming a sexual sphere Sex dollsSpecifically identifying the core When we feel stuck Men being “too nice” ripple of toxic masculinity Support the show Have any questions or insights ...
Send a text Evan, Meliisa, and Eli explore the a case that Melissa is processing. A great resource from Dr. Nicole LePera helps us get startedParentified child case study How are crises adaptive systemically?Reenactment between parent, peers, and therapistCaretaking to avoid self careEmphasizing choice with client archetypes that exhibit signs of learned helplessness"Mom anchors"-- a client's unintentional confession Support the show Have any questions or insights about this episod...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States