Infidelity doesn’t just damage trust, it changes the emotional landscape of a relationship almost overnight. In this episode of Therapists’ Take, we unpack the complex shifts couples often face in the aftermath of betrayal, exploring how identity, connection, and stability can suddenly feel uncertain. Rather than focusing only on the event itself, we look at the relational ripple effects: evolving roles, fluctuating power dynamics, and the emotional disorientation many partners experience.

Drawing from clinical insight and real-world patterns, we discuss concepts like liminal space, ambivalent attachment, and the unexpected relational dynamics that can emerge during repair attempts. This conversation is designed for clinicians, couples working through rupture, and anyone interested in understanding how relationships reorganize after a breach of trust — and what healing can realistically look like.

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00:00 - Hi, Zander & Mackenzie

06:47 - Episode Breakdown

07:14 - The Liminal State

16:21 - The Mother-Son Phenomenon

29:03 - The One-Down Position

30:30 - Desire for Retribution

34:29 - the Progress Paradox

39:40 - Community

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Books:

• Ambiguous Loss by Pauline Boss - https://amzn.to/3ZTA2CV
• The Betrayal Bond by Michelle Mays - https://amzn.to/3MorrVy
• Hurting with God by Glenn Pemberton - https://amzn.to/4ahOqe0
• Sapiens by Yuval Harari - https://amzn.to/4copqTJ
• State of Affairs by Esther Perel - https://amzn.to/4kvysjU

As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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More on Mackenzie Camp

Article: Better Boundaries: Introducing The PARC, a New Relational Tool - Family Solutions Counseling

Profile Page: Mackenzie Camp - Family Solutions Counseling_________________

For more great content or to learn more about the services we offer at Family Solutions Counseling, please click on our LinkTree - https://www.linktr.ee/familysolutionsok

In this episode of Therapists’ Take, we welcome back published author and practicing family law attorney Brian Putnam to continue our conversation on Escaping Domestic Abuse, the title of his book and the framework for this important series. This time, our focus is on one of the most critical and practical aspects of leaving an abusive relationship - safety planning.

Together, we walk through how to thoughtfully develop a safety plan, what essential items and documents should be gathered in advance, how to safely execute the plan, and what survivors can expect in the immediate aftermath of leaving. Brian brings both his legal expertise and his deep understanding of the lived realities survivors face, helping translate complex decisions into clear, actionable steps.

We also discuss a comprehensive safety planning checklist that Brian has created and generously shared with our listeners (see like below). This resource is designed to help individuals think through each phase of the process with greater clarity, preparation, and support.

This episode is an empowering, practical continuation of our exploration of how to move from surviving abuse to taking concrete steps toward safety and stability.

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00:00 - Hi, Carrie (introduction)

01:37 - Introducing Our Guest, Brian Putnam

03:00 - The Book

06:28 - Empowered through Leaving

11:15 - The Checklist

13:10 - Preparing to Leave

21:05 - Items to Take

26:55 - Executing the Plan

34:32 - You Left, but It's Not Over

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The Checklist - https://shorturl.at/pzAj3

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About Our Guest:

Brian Putnam is an experienced attorney, advocate, and author of Escaping Domestic Abuse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Breaking Free. Through his legal work and writing, Brian provides survivors with clear, compassionate guidance for navigating the legal system and safely leaving abusive situations.

For more information about Brian and/or the legal services his team provides, please visit https://www.PutnamLawOffice.com.

To purchase the book, Escaping Domestic Abuse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Breaking Free, you can do so by clicking the following link - https://amzn.to/47zeFeS

As Amazon Affiliates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Domestic Abuse Resources:

Escaping Domestic Abuse (book) by Brian Putnam – see link above

National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1 (800) 799-SAFE(7233)YWCA - ⁠https://www.ywca.org/⁠

Oklahoma Specific Domestic Abuse Resources:OK Domestic Violence Hotline – 1 (800) 522-SAFE (7233)

YWCA OKC– ⁠https://www.ywcaokc.org/⁠

Palomar - ⁠https://palomarokc.org/

⁠Cardinal Point - ⁠https://cardinalpointok.org/

⁠Latino Community Development - ⁠https://www.lcdaok.com/

⁠Sanctuary Women’s Development - ⁠https://www.lcdaok.com/

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For more great content or to learn more about our mental health services, please check out our linktree - https://linktr.ee/familysolutionsok

Therapists are often expected to be calm, neutral, and unaffected, regardless of what enters the room. Yet therapists are human—and that humanity is not a liability; it is an essential part of the clinical process. In this episode of Therapists’ Take, we examine what it truly means when therapists are human and why that matters in practice. We explore the distinction between having internal reactions and acting on them, how self-awareness functions as clinical data, and why professionalism is not the absence of feeling, but the capacity to regulate and use it ethically.

The episode concludes with our bonus segment, “Would We Say That in Session?”, where we evaluate popular mental health phrases and separate social media advice from sound clinical practice.

This conversation is for clients, clinicians, and anyone interested in how therapy remains both deeply human and clinically safe

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00:00 - Introduction | Hi, Carrie!

02:00 - The Unaffected Therapist

09:25 - Self-Disclosure as a Tool

17:45 - Problem Solvers

19:32 - Course Correction

30:27 - Would we say that in session?

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Book: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb - https://amzn.to/4pDQEbZ

Book: Letters to a Young Therapist by Mary Pipher - https://amzn.to/4pEfXL3

As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases

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For more great content or information on mental health services we provide, please check out our linktree - https://linktr.ee/familysolutionsok.com