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Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell

By: Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam
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Summary
I’m Emma McAdam, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and my mission is to make mental health resources more easy to access. I take therapy skills and psychological research and condense them down into bite-sized nuggets of help.

I’m here to spread the message that while mental illness is real, it’s common, it’s debilitating, it’s also treatable. There are dozens of research-backed approaches to treating depression, anxiety, and other mental illness. Change, growth, and healing are possible. Please keep courage! Try one little thing every day to improve your life and health and things can get so much better!

Therapy in a Nutshell, and the information provided by Emma McAdam, is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and is not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

Therapy in a Nutshell and it’s logo are Registered Trademarks of Therapy in a Nutshell, LLCCopyright 2020 All rights reserved.
Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Does the Body Actually Keep the Score? Misconceptions About Nervous System Dysregulation
    Oct 30 2026
    Nervous system regulation has gotten oversimplified. Let’s clear up 3 big misconceptions about trauma, dysregulation, Polyvagal Theory, and healing. Learn the skills to regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Download of Figma chart: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/misconceptions-about-nervous-system-dysregulation-figma-download Is your nervous system really “dysregulated”? Is the goal of nervous system regulation to feel calm all the time? And does past trauma permanently change or damage your nervous system? Nervous system dysregulation has become a huge mental health buzzword—and along with some genuinely helpful ideas, there are plenty of misconceptions, oversimplifications, and “vagus nerve hacks” floating around. In this episode, I break down three common misconceptions about nervous system regulation. Polyvagal Theory articles referenced in the video: https://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/download/why-the-polyvagal-theory-is-untenable-an-international-expert-evaluation-of-the-polyvagal-theory-and-commentary-upon-porges-s-w-2025-polyvagal-theory-current-status-clinical-applications-and/ https://drarielleschwartz.com/clinical-reflections-on-the-critique-on-polyvagal-theory-proposed-by-grossman-et-al/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12302812/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12937496/ Sign up for my free Grounding Skills course https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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    22 mins
  • How to Get Your Kid to Listen to You Evidence Based Parenting with Dr. Kat Green
    Oct 23 2026

    If gentle parenting isn’t working for you, or you want to learn how to create healthy discipline for your kids, learn how to get your kid to listen to you with Dr. Kat Green.

    Sign up for my free Panic Attacks course https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/ending-panic-attacks-and-anxiety-attacks

    In this episode, child psychologist Dr. Kat Green shares evidence-based strategies for how parents can effectively get their kids to listen, especially children with challenging temperaments. We explore practical techniques to improve communication, reduce power struggles, and build stronger parent-child relationships. Dr. Green also explores effective parenting strategies, focusing on structured discipline, managing anxiety, and fostering cooperation through evidence-based methods. You’ll get practical tips for reducing chaos, increasing compliance, and supporting children's emotional regulation.

    Check out the Membership https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

    Kat’s course on Teachable: Parenting Preschoolers with Big Emotions https://back-in-charge.teachable.com/l/pdp/parenting-preschoolers-with-big-emotions?coupon_code=EMMATIN

    Coupon code: EMMATIN

    Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

    FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources

    Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

    In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

    And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

    If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

    Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Emotional Regulation - How to Actually Sit with Your Feelings
    Sep 18 2026

    If you want to learn how to regulate your emotions, you have to learn the crucial emotional regulation skill of acceptance.

    Learn the skills to regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

    Free Course: Grounding Skills for Stress, Anxiety and PTSD: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd

    Sometimes when I’m feeling a little cold, or hurt, or stuck, or frozen, or just like I’d like to have a little more love and light and energy in my life- I like to do this gentle little 9-minute meditation called Healing Beam of Light, and it’s perfect for healing and energizing at the start of the day. So let’s try it together. This exercise can help you fill with light, warmth, and healing energy. We’re now going to visualize 9 minutes of the sunrise.

    Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell

    FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources

    Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

    In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

    And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

    If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.

    Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

    Show More Show Less
    10 mins
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I love all the therapy in nutshell podcasts, they are short, straight to the point, full of golden nugets that helped me to make sense of many things.

Brilliant

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Honest, simple yet profound. She makes perfect sense and is professionally sound. I listen to as many of her podcasts as possible and download the additional material.

Great info

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