The Intentional Clinician: Psychology, Philosophy, Therapy, & Change

In this episode of The Intentional Clinician, Paul Krauss, MA LPC, talks with Doug Smith, creator of Emotional Attachment Behavioral Therapy (EABT). EABT is built on attachment theory and looks at how attachment styles interact with unhealthy behaviors, and how attachment stressors can intensify thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that lead to poor outcomes. Doug shares his story and why this work matters to him. His own experiences with substance use, depression, and physical abuse shaped his understanding of how early relationships affect the way we cope, connect, and survive. That personal history led him to build a model that helps people get to the root of their patterns instead of only managing symptoms. Paul and Doug discuss why EABT matters for patients and for society. They focus on schools, prisons, and other settings where people often show up already "in trouble," and where that moment can open the door to real change. Doug walks through examples from the EABT curriculum, which includes workbooks for adults, adolescents, couples, parents, families, students, peer support, helping professionals, LGBTQIA2S+ clients, and people with problematic sexual behaviors, plus a Spanish-language adult edition. In an unscripted stretch of the conversation, Doug talks about his current role as a trainer and curriculum developer and shares success stories from clinicians and clients using the model. He also explains why he created the Problematic Sexual Behaviors workbook. He offers a critique of current prison-system approaches, including Moral Reconation Therapy and other models that aren't trauma-informed, and makes the case for treating people as human beings capable of healing. The episode ends with practical takeaways on how to use EABT well: where it fits, when to bring it in, and which populations benefit most. Doug closes with a message about mental health for a general audience. His message is that healing and healthy connection are possible, and that understanding our attachment patterns is a powerful first step toward changing them. This conversation is for clinicians, addiction professionals, educators, justice-system workers, and anyone curious about how attachment shapes behavior. Doug Smith has 23 years of experience in behavioral health services, including work as a direct clinician, Clinical Director, and Director of Clinical Development. He holds a BS in Psychology from Eastern Oregon University and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor Level II. He has developed several modern, patient-centered treatment approaches, most notably the Emotional Attachment Behavioral Therapy (EABT) model, which he presents internationally to professionals in the field. Follow Doug: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-smith-eabt/ Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3) Donate Share with your network Write your congressperson Sign our Petition Preview an Online Video Course for the Parents of Young Adults (Parenting Issues) Unique and low cost learning opportunities through Shion Consulting Paul Krauss MA LPC is a Co-founder of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, Psychology Today, and  Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting a weekly online group.  For details, click here. For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization. Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids: Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube Original Music: ”Alright” from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Le Pardon" from Bonjour l'ambiance by Montag (Spotify)  

In this episode of The Intentional Clinician, Paul Krauss, MA LPC, talks with Dr. Shawn Hondorp, a board-certified clinical health psychologist, coach, community builder, and host of The Innovative Therapist Podcast. Shawn describes how she got into this work. She trained in clinical psychology, spent years in medical and academic settings working with binge eating, weight concerns, and behavioral health, and then gradually built her own path. That path became a practice, a podcast, retreats, and community spaces for therapists and helpers. Paul and Shawn spend much of the conversation on creativity and play, and how they have shaped Shawn as a clinician, leader, mother, and person. Shawn talks about "following the creative breadcrumbs": noticing what makes her feel curious, alive, and authentically herself, and taking the next small step even when she can't see where it leads. She reflects on how she never could have imagined where those steps would take her. They led her into podcasting, retreat hosting, community building, and back to dance and performance after a nearly 20-year break. The episode also looks at a connection that might seem surprising at first. Shawn's clinical focus on body trust, disordered eating, and binge eating can look very different from her work helping people build lives and careers that feel alive. She explains how closely the two are linked. Both ask us to listen to ourselves, unlearn protective patterns like perfectionism, overworking, people-pleasing, and dieting, and lead with self-trust and curiosity instead of control. Shawn shares how she keeps coming back to the basics: nourishing food, movement, and connection. Clinicians, helpers, and anyone feeling depleted will hear a warm, practical invitation to build a life and career that nourishes them and the people around them. Dr. Shawn Hondorp, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical health psychologist, coach, retreat facilitator, community builder, and host of The Innovative Therapist Podcast. She earned a B.S. in Psychology from Michigan State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University. Her work draws on Internal Family Systems (IFS), in which she has Level 1 training, and on body trust principles. In her private practice in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she helps adults struggling with people-pleasing, perfectionism, emotional or binge eating, chronic dieting, and disconnection from their bodies build lasting change rooted in self-trust. Her practice includes in person therapy, telehealth, and walk-and-talk sessions in local parks. Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3) Donate Share with your network Write your congressperson Sign our Petition Preview an Online Video Course for the Parents of Young Adults (Parenting Issues) Unique and low cost learning opportunities through Shion Consulting Paul Krauss MA LPC is a Co-founder of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, Psychology Today, and  Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting a weekly online group.  For details, click here. For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization. Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids: Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube Original Music: ”Alright” from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Dewy" Horizon by Resavoir & Matt Gold (Spotify)

In this episode, Paul Krauss, MA LPC talks with Dr. Amelia Kelley, trauma-informed therapist, TEDx speaker, and former school counselor, about her advocacy for routine mental health screening in schools as a proactive alternative to the after-the-fact scramble that follows tragedy. The conversation draws on Dr. Kelley's TEDx Raleigh talk, "The Case for Mental Health Screenings in Schools," in which she argues that when school tragedies occur, we search for missed warning signs after the fact, when a simple, validated screening tool administered during non-instructional time, much like routine vision or hearing checks, could surface a child's struggles long before they escalate into crisis. She points to a randomized clinical trial of nearly 13,000 Pennsylvania high school students in which universal depression screening identified struggling students nearly six times more often than referral-based approaches, and more than doubled the number who began treatment, and highlights states like New Jersey, Illinois, Colorado, and Utah that have already implemented statewide programs. Paul and Dr. Kelley dig into her broader advocacy work — including her call for federal guidance given the current patchwork of state-by-state implementation — and how any responsible screening model must center parental rights, including opt-out processes, annual timing tied to school transitions, and clear referral pathways when concerns are identified. The episode also touches on her books, including Powered by ADHD and Surviving Suicidal Ideation, her work training clinicians internationally on trauma and nervous-system-informed care, and her podcast Wired & Worthy, where she explores what it means to be neurodivergent, sensitive, or "wired differently" in a world built for neurotypical norms. It's a timely conversation for clinicians, educators, and parents alike, especially as Dr. Kelley continues to publish and speak publicly on school mental health prevention in the weeks following this recording. Dr. Amelia Kelley is a trauma-informed therapist, author, international trainer, and former school counselor whose work centers on transforming how we understand and support mental health across schools, families, and communities. A longtime advocate for school mental health reform, her TEDx talk on rethinking student mental health was named an Editors' Pick. She is the author of several books, including Powered by ADHD, Gaslighting Recovery for Women, and Surviving Suicidal Ideation, and trains clinicians internationally on trauma, ADHD in women, suicide prevention, and nervous system-informed care. Dr. Kelley's expertise has been featured in TIME, Psychology Today, Chicago Tribune, Psychotherapy Networker, ADDitude, NPR, and other national media. She also hosts the Wired & Worthy podcast, where she explores what it means to be wired differently — and worthy always. Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3) Donate Share with your network Write your congressperson Sign our Petition Preview an Online Video Course for the Parents of Young Adults (Parenting Issues) Unique and low cost learning opportunities through Shion Consulting Paul Krauss MA LPC is a Co-founder of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, Psychology Today, and  Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting a weekly online group.  For details, click here. For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization. Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids: Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube Original Music: ”Alright” from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Diversey Beach" featuring Mei Semones from Horizon by Resavoir & Matt Gold (Spotify)  

In this episode, Paul Krauss, MA LPC talks with Katie Asmus, MA, LPC, BMP founder of the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute, about what happens when trauma work moves off the couch and into the body, the wilderness, and ritual. Katie brings three decades of experience leading wilderness groups and treating trauma somatically, and she and Paul explore why so much healing lives below the level of language — in the nervous system, in movement, and in our relationship to the natural world. Katie traces her own path from a self-described indoor kid who hated getting dirty to someone who has spent 30 years guiding others through the wilderness, describing the moment on a high ropes course in college when she realized, "This is what I want to do with my life" — help people know in their bones that they're capable of more than they imagine. The conversation covers the range of work happening at Katie's institute: somatic and nature-based therapy trainings, EMDR training and consultation, wilderness quests, and ceremony and rites-of-passage facilitation for both clients and the therapists who serve them. Paul and Katie dig into why marking transitions and losses with intentional ritual matters clinically, how nature itself functions as a co-therapist rather than just a backdrop, and what it looks like to help clinicians avoid burnout by reconnecting with their own inner wisdom. It's a conversation that will resonate with therapists looking to expand beyond talk therapy, and with anyone curious about how the body and the land can become allies in healing. Katie Asmus, MA, LPC, BMP, is the founder of the Somatic Nature Therapy Institute in Boulder, Colorado, where she trains therapists, coaches, and healing professionals in somatic and nature-based approaches to trauma work. She holds an MA in Somatic Psychology from Naropa University and is a Certified EMDR Therapy Practitioner, Consultant, and Trainer, with more than 30 years of experience leading wilderness groups and counseling since 1995, including faculty roles at Naropa University and Prescott College. Her work blends somatic psychology, EMDR, wilderness therapy, and ceremony and rites-of-passage facilitation, rooted in her belief that the same inner brilliance that helps people survive hardship is what ultimately helps them heal from it. Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3) Donate Share with your network Write your congressperson Sign our Petition Preview an Online Video Course for the Parents of Young Adults (Parenting Issues) Unique and low cost learning opportunities through Shion Consulting Paul Krauss MA LPC is a Co-founder of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, Psychology Today, and  Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting a weekly online group.  For details, click here. For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization. Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids: Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube Original Music: ”Alright” from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Lilacs" from Themes for Dreams by Resavoir (Spotify) "Dream Theme" from Themes for Dreams by Resavoir (Spotify)

In this episode, Paul Krauss, MA, LPC speaks with psychotherapist and author Dr. Sylvia Kalicinski to unpack why so many people — including high-achievers and even therapists themselves — quietly struggle with feeling alone, even when surrounded by others. Drawing on her new book, Lonely AF: A Therapist's No BS Guide to Feeling Less Alone (Wiley/Jossey-Bass, March 2026), Sylvia shares the personal roots of her work: growing up as the child of Polish immigrants and losing her mother at a young age, experiences that shaped her clinical understanding of disconnection long before she named it professionally. The conversation centers on Sylvia's original HEART Method — Honor emotions, Explore family system, Acknowledge pain, Rewrite your narrative, Turn within — a trauma-informed framework she developed over 20+ years of clinical practice to help clients move from chronic disconnection toward genuine, sustainable relationships with themselves and others. Paul and Sylvia dig into why loneliness functions as an unspoken epidemic, how generational trauma gets passed down through family systems, and why even people with advanced degrees and outward success can feel like they're never quite "enough." Much more discussion goes over practical solutions for people, whether they be in the medical field or are just trying to navigate the current changes in the world as they attempt to connect with others.  Dr. Sylvia Kalicinski, Ph.D., LMFT, is a psychotherapist, speaker, and author with more than 20 years of clinical experience as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She currently serves as Clinical Lead at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and maintains a private practice, Mindfulness Family Solutions, PLLC, in Miami. Drawing on family systems theory, neuroscience, and trauma-informed care, she developed the HEART Method — Honor emotions, Explore family system, Acknowledge pain, Rewrite your narrative, Turn within — a compassionate, no-fluff framework for emotional healing Get involved with the National Violence Prevention Hotline: 501(c)(3) Donate Share with your network Write your congressperson Sign our Petition Preview an Online Video Course for the Parents of Young Adults (Parenting Issues) Unique and low cost learning opportunities through Shion Consulting Paul Krauss MA LPC is a Co-founder of Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids, home of The Trauma-Informed Counseling Center of Grand Rapids. Paul is also a Private Practice Psychotherapist, an Approved EMDRIA Consultant , host of the Intentional Clinician podcast, Behavioral Health Consultant, Clinical Trainer, Counseling Supervisor, and Meditation Teacher. Paul is now offering consulting for a few individuals and organizations. Paul is the creator of the National Violence Prevention Hotline as well as the Intentional Clinician Training Program for Counselors. Paul has been quoted in the Washington Post, NBC News, Wired Magazine, Psychology Today, and  Counseling Today. Questions? Call the office at 616-200-4433.  If you are looking for EMDRIA consulting groups, Paul Krauss MA LPC is now hosting a weekly online group.  For details, click here. For general behavioral and mental health consulting for you or your organization. Follow Health for Life Counseling- Grand Rapids: Instagram   |   Facebook     |     Youtube Original Music: ”Alright” from the album Mystic by PAWL (Spotify) "Lonely" from Closing Time by Tom Waits (Spotify) "Little Trip to Heaven (On the Wings of Your Love)" from Closing Time by Tom Waits (Spotify)