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Guest Elizabeth Morrison is a licensed therapist, MS, LPC, that specializes in treating Neurodivergent individuals.

We talk through what’s happening as mental health language goes mainstream: it’s helping more people seek support, but it’s also creating confusion, oversimplification, and “pop psychology” that gets repeated as fact. They unpack what neurodivergence and neurodivergent actually mean, why traits aren’t the same thing as diagnoses, and how real clinical work depends on nuance, context, and felt safety. The conversation also zooms out to schools and families, exploring how kids’ behavior often reflects unmet needs, overstimulation, and a lack of support rather than “badness.”

• Why social media spreads both awareness and misinformation about mental health
• Neurodivergence vs. neurodivergent vs. neuroinclusive (and why the labels matter)
• Bottom-up vs. top-down processing and how that changes therapy approaches
• Common neurodivergent presentations discussed: autism, ADHD, OCD (and the broader spectrum)
• Stimming and fidgets as regulation tools, not “bad habits”
• Burnout, dopamine/energy drain, and why everyday tasks can cost more for ND brains
• The difference between having traits and meeting diagnostic criteria (clinical significance)
• Limits of assessments: masking, self-awareness gaps, and the nuance tests can miss
• Medication basics: what it should and shouldn’t do, and when to revisit dosage/prescriptions
• School systems, missed support, and why behavior is often communication
• Practical parenting ideas: reducing demands after school and asking better questions
• How family patterns repeat across generations and how therapy helps revise the “old contract”

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Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run

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Welcome back our guest Sandra Killebrew, a therapist specializing in high-conflict couples therapy in Seattle, WA. This episode dives into the messy, magical work of being a therapist. We unpack what happens when clients come in with chaos—blame throwers in hand—and how playfulness, props, and presence can shift the energy in the room. From adolescent therapy and couples work to private pay dilemmas and therapist boundaries, we explore the art of staying human while holding space.

Topics include:

• The “blame thrower” metaphor and how to manage chaotic energy
• Using props and playfulness to disarm resistance and build trust
• Working with teens: safety, attunement, and how to not take the bait
• Couples therapy, contempt, and staying grounded in the storm
• Therapist self-awareness: when over-identifying does more harm than good
• Navigating private pay vs. insurance expectations
• What happens when clients want therapy to “fix” someone else
• The loneliness of solo practice and the beauty of professional community
• Energetic integrity: how we show up when the room feels off

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Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run

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Welcome our guest, Rhiana Holmes Turner, LPC, LAC, is a licensed mental health professional and Approved Clinical Supervisor based in Denver, Colorado, with multi-state licensure across Colorado, Florida, Texas, and Kansas. She has expertise in trauma-informed, care and a career spanning community advocacy, international mental health work, and psychopharmacology education, Turner brings a unique lens to this raw and resonant conversation.

In this episode of Tell Me About Your Mother, Evan and Rhiana open up about their work with some of the most misunderstood populations — from genocide survivors in Cambodia to clients who have committed murder. The discussion explores what it means to show up authentically as a therapist, the projections therapists carry, and the radical empathy required to do the work well.

Topics include:

• Working with genocide survivors in Cambodia and unintentional publication
• Narrative therapy and reintegration between victims and perpetrators
• Coercion, moral ambiguity, and the psychology of violence
• Treating clients who have killed someone — and confronting therapist bias
• Rejection-prevention behaviors and shame in clinical relationships
• Blank slate therapists vs. authenticity and immediacy
• Attachment dynamics, regulation, and what actually makes couples therapy work
• The universal human need to feel loved, accepted, and safe — even for therapists

Support the show

Have any questions or insights about this episode? Reach out to us at contactus@tellmeaboutyourmother.run