
Edge of the Couch
Two good friends and experienced therapists explore the topics that were either shied away from or dismissed because they were too big, too nuanced, too risky, or too uncomfortable to address in school or even in supervision. We want to inspire and encourage new therapists to think more deeply, show up more fully, and find humour and self-compassion in navigating the messier parts of being a therapist.
Episodes
120 episodes
Live Q+A
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Being a Therapist in 2024 conference at the beautiful Jane Headquarters in North Vancouver. In this special episode, we dive into questions from the audience about niching, overcoming imposter syndrome...
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Season 7
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Episode 20
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49:03

Working with Discernment
How can we support clients in navigating the big life decisions, including to stay or leave relationships, choose career paths, or family planning? In this episode, we explore the therapeutic role of discernment. Often, people are grappling wit...
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Season 7
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Episode 19
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37:47

Managing Crisis (Without Becoming a Crisis Worker)
Content note: This episode discusses suicide and abuse. Are therapists crisis workers? We believe that the role of the therapist and the role of the crisis worker are distinct, yet, in certain situations, we can still find ourselve...
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Season 7
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Episode 18
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47:54

What Does 'Following the Client' Mean?
Did you hear the phrase “follow the client” in graduate school and wonder what it really means in practice? In this episode, we dive into the nuances of this concept, exploring how therapists balance the art of staying present with the client’s...
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Season 7
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Episode 17
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41:33

When Does Compassion Cross Over into Complicity?
Have you heard the phrase 'The worst person you know has a therapist encouraging and validating their behaviour'? In this episode, we tackle a tricky line in therapy-- when compassion tips into complicity in a client's harmful, toxic, or otherw...
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Season 7
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Episode 16
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37:49

Watching Our Very First Recording: When Edge of the Couch was Reel Therapy Talk
In this special episode, we watch and react to our first recording together, before Edge of the Couch, an unpublished episode of a podcast that would never be: 'Reel Therapy Talk' where we would talk about pop culture from the perspective of th...
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Season 7
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Episode 14
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1:09:17

DEI is Not Enough: A Conversation with Bhupie Dulay and Abby Chow
In this special episode, Bhupie Dulay and Abby Chow come on the podcast to talk about how we can rather than rely on the reductionist approach to working with clients with marginalized identities, radically reimagine what relationality looks li...
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Season 7
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Episode 13
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43:25

Getting Dumped: When the client decides to terminate
In this episode, we talk about the roller coaster of emotions that come with getting "dumped" by clients. We discuss the different ways clients can terminate therapy, how each one hits us differently, and the common mistakes we make that might ...
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Season 7
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Episode 12
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30:27

Working with Dreams
Do all therapists engage in dream work, or is it more of a niche practice? We discuss what might hold newer therapists back from exploring their clients' dreams and share how we integrate dream work into our own practices. Plus, we open up abou...
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Season 7
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Episode 11
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27:26

Is This Client Being Passive Aggressive?
Sometimes clients will come right out and tell you what they are feeling frustrated, annoyed, or concerned about. Sometimes clients may have a harder time communicating “negative” things and their frustrations may come out in passive aggressive...
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Season 7
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Episode 10
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31:57

Clients Recording Their Therapist: An emerging trend
In this episode, we dive into a recent trend of clients secretly or openly recording their therapy sessions. We discuss how it might feel as a therapist to discover you're being recorded and wrestle with the ethical implications surrounding thi...
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Season 7
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Episode 9
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39:08

How to Create Continuity from Session to Session
In this episode, we dive into who is responsible for creating a sense of continuity in therapy-- the client or the therapist. We discuss the role of homework, strategic note-taking, and what you might say at the beginning or end of sessions to ...
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Season 7
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Episode 8
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30:52

Erotic Transference
After receiving 4 (FOUR!!!!) emails asking about an erotic transference episode, we finally had a chance to discuss the topic. Erotic transference happens in a lot of therapeutic relationships and some theoretical orientations lean in to its ex...
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Season 7
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Episode 7
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45:05

The Misuse of Therapy Speak
In this episode, we tackle the misuse of therapy speak and its impact. We delve into popular buzzwords, how these terms are being used (and misused), and discuss the important role therapists can play in educating clients on their proper use an...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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39:19

The Meaning of Silence
In this episode, we explore what might be happening with clients when there is silence. Sometimes it's an awkward silence, sometimes they are contemplating what to say next or they are dissociated, and sometimes they are waiting for us to take ...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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30:00

Rethinking Unconditional Positive Regard
Unconditional positive regard, a concept introduced by Carl Rogers, emphasizes accepting and supporting clients without judgment regardless of what the client says or does. We have thoughts!
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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33:53

When Clients Dismiss Their Trauma
What do you do when a client describes a traumatic experience, but then proceeds to shrug it off? In this episode, we explore what might be going on when clients dismiss what we gather are traumatic experiences. We discuss possible reasons behi...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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31:40

Working with Clients who are "Too Emotional"
Now, we don’t believe that clients can be “too emotional” but many clients come to therapy with narratives around emotion that may make them feel that they are being too much when they are emotional in session - crying is a weakness, anger is a...
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Season 7
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Episode 2
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46:28

Are Therapists Becoming Enmeshed?
This week, we talk about therapist enmeshment - what it is, how it happens, and what therapists can do to ensure they have appropriate boundaries with clients. For this conversation, we’re placing the context at the feet of the therapists and e...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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43:30

Why Therapists Aren't Talking about Genocide
We're in between seasons right now, but we feel it is long overdue to talk about Palestine and what therapists are wrestling with when it comes to speaking up about genocide in session and in public. We are taught "do no harm" but at what point...
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17:26

Celebrating 100 Episodes: A Love Letter to Ourselves and to You, Our Listeners
In this special episode, we look back at the history of our podcast, our favourite episodes, and the vulnerable things about doing the podcast. We read some recent DMs from Instagram, a one-star review, and we listen to some voice notes sent in...
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Season 6
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Episode 16
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57:50

Managing Our Own Shit When It's Activated in Session
Our penultimate episode this season explores what can happen when the content of the session tugs at all of our own shit! Maybe we’re experiencing something similar to our clients in our own lives or the client says something that reminds us of...
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39:15

When You Feel Like You Need to Prove Yourself
In this episode, we dive into a common struggle suggested by one of our awesome listeners: the nagging feeling of not "doing enough" in therapy. Join us as we unpack this topic and ask ourselves the question: Do trainings really make you a bett...
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Season 6
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Episode 14
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40:52
