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 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
153 episodes
Our Thoughts on Acceptance and Forgiveness
In the finale of Season 9, we discuss the concepts of acceptance and forgiveness, and how they show up in therapy. Therapists can have strong opinions about these, and we are no exception! While this is the finale, because we have o...
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Season 9
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Episode 16
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38:03
Permissive Parenting, Spanking, and The Therapist's Conundrum
We started this episode with the working title, 'When You Watch Childhood Trauma Happening in Real Time', but as the conversation unfolded, so much of what we were talking about was a mixed bag of parenting choices that often fall within the cu...
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Season 9
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Episode 15
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42:44
Naming The Culture of Thinness in the Room
Inspired by conversations with clients about GLP-1s, today we're talking something particularly tender and nuanced: the cultural shift towards thinness and the myriad ways that is showing up in our work. We talk about our duty to our clients, a...
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Season 9
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Episode 14
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44:39
Heated Rivalry and Why We Need to Know What Our Clients are Watching
In this episode, we talk about how we can use our shared experience of media to enrich therapeutic work and deepen our relationships with our clients. We mention recent media like Heated Rivalry and the Oprah special on parental estrangement. W...
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Season 9
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Episode 12
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36:13
Working with Despair
When despair shows up in session, it can be challenging to know how to respond. It's delicate. You don't want to move too quickly, tip into toxic positivity, and look for the silver lining, nor do you want the client to dive into those feelings...
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Season 9
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Episode 11
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41:57
What Makes Someone a Specialist?
In this episode, we answer a DM about new grads calling themselves 'specialists' right out of school. We share about what we think the standards are (or should be) to consider yourself a specialist in a specific client population, presenting co...
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Season 9
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Episode 7
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37:52
Self-Awareness Can Become Its Own Problem
Self-awareness is a gift, right? Until it isn’t. Self-awareness can help us grow, connect, and live more fully. But when it goes too far, it can crystallize into self-criticism, intellectualizing, and anxiety. In this episode, we talk about wha...
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Season 9
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Episode 3
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37:03
Oversaturation Part 2: Fit and Rejecting Competition
For the first time on Edge of the Couch, we’re bringing you a Part 2! The response on Instagram (@edgeofthecouchpod!) to the topic of oversaturation was so engaging that we knew we had to continue the conversation. In this episode, we take it d...
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Season 9
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Episode 2
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54:07
Oversaturation: Graduate Programs and the Importance of Gatekeeping
Welcome back for Season 9 of Edge of the Couch! And hello to those of you who might be just starting your grad programs and finding us for the first time. When we were in school, professors kept bringing up their concern that there ...
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Season 9
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Episode 1
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39:16
Imposter Syndrome Revisited
In the final episode of the season, we revisit the topic of imposter syndrome. We talked about imposter syndrome in the very first episode of the podcast way back in 2021. How has our thinking about imposter syndrome evolved since then? In this...
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Season 8
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Episode 16
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50:14
Examining the "Victim Mentality"
What do therapists mean when they say someone has a "victim mentality"? In this episode, we unpack this flippant term and explore what’s going on underneath it. We recognize that "victim mentality" is applied to several distinct phenomena. We d...
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Season 8
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Episode 15
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47:22
Who is The Villain?
Have you ever found yourself being the villain in someone else’s story? In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to be perceived as "the bad guy." As therapists, we will get cast as the villain at some point. Our clients get cast as the ba...
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Season 8
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Episode 14
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49:08
Working "Harder" Than Your Client
Has another therapist ever told you, “You shouldn’t work harder than the client”? In this episode, we talk about what people really mean when they use this phrase. We unpack how privilege, trauma, the relationship, theoretical orientation, and ...
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Season 8
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Episode 13
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46:36
Honing Your Therapist Intuition
You know those moments in session when something inside says, "Something just shifted", "Pause here", or "Hmm..this is not lining up"? In this episode, we dig into what it means to follow our therapist intuition. We talk about how intuition gro...
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Season 8
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Episode 12
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43:47
Time to Grieve
In light of the recent mass killing at the Lapu Lapu Day festival in Vancouver, we decided not to publish an episode this week. We're honouring that our bodies need more time to grieve, recalibrate, and rest. We know many of you have also been ...
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1:26
Let's Talk About Mean Therapists
Are therapists who "call out" their clients more effective? This week, we’re responding to a Reddit post from a therapist who proudly claims to be a "mean therapist". They describe themselves as solution-focused, direct, and not afraid to hold ...
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Season 8
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Episode 11
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41:38
When Therapists Miss Key Information
All therapists miss essential information-- things like self-harm, abuse, and disordered eating. These can have major consequences.In this episode, we discuss what gets missed in the therapy room, why it happens, and what we can do about...
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Season 8
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Episode 10
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50:29
Working with Intellectualizing
In this episode, we’re talking about a dynamic that (dare we say) all therapists are familiar with: working with clients who over-intellectualize. We explore why some clients show up to therapy in their heads while disconnected to their bodies ...
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Season 8
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Episode 9
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45:28