Host Skylar Bytendorp interviews Utah therapist April O’neill about what led her to therapy, her MSW from the University of Utah (2017), and building her own practice after Utah’s licensing requirements. April shares past experience working in prisons and with criminal-justice-involved clients, including people with sex offense convictions, and her current focus on anxiety and OCD. They discuss reasons anxiety has risen, including post-COVID changes and ideas from The Anxious Generation about kids’ internet access, overprotection, smartphones, and social media. April explains acceptance and commitment therapy, emphasizing clarifying core values, finding meaning, and using “defusion” to create distance from negative thoughts. She recommends books (The Psychology of Money, A Liberated Mind, Spark, and The Read-Aloud Handbook), compares reading formats, and outlines mental health harms (too much social media, lack of purpose, victim mentality) and helpful practices (walks, thought defusion, reading/quiet hobbies and connection).

00:34 Why She Became a Therapist

04:17 Why Anxiety Is Rising

06:42 Kids and Smartphones

08:27 ACT and Core Values

18:48 Social Media and Attention

21:06 Building a Reading Habit

23:59 Starting Therapy Fears

24:31 Finding the Right Therapist

26:20 Top Mental Health Threats

29:00 Small Habits Build Change

30:34 Social Media and Connection

36:42 ACT Diffusion Skills

39:47 Reading and Quiet Hobbies

📲 Special thanks to our guest: April O'neillBe sure to check them out on:Instagram: @theantioptimisttherapistYoutube: ⁨@theantioptimisttherapist⁩ Website: https://seconddraftpsychotherapy.com/🙌Big thanks to Utah Podcast Studio for filming! If you have a podcast (or any content) that you need filmed, be sure to check them out!https://utahpodcaststudio.com/