Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell

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, LLC

Episodes

July 25, 2025 26 mins

Medical trauma can cause PTSD, with signs like fear of doctors, flashbacks, anxiety, avoidance, panic attacks, and emotional numbness after medical experiences. Check out my FREE grounding Skills course here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd

Here's the guide about recognizing distress so you can help to prevent medical trauma: https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources//pe...

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Dealing with OCD, Intrusive Thoughts, or unwanted thoughts? Dr. Kat Green teaches us valuable strategies from CBT and ERP to help you stop intrusive thoughts. Check out Kat's courses here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/ocd-courses

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

Struggling with OCD, intrusive thoughts, or unwanted mental images that just won...

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Anxiety can make you feel tense, tight, or have other bodily symptoms. In this exercise, learn to soften and relax that tension. Check out the FREE grounding Skills course 

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

Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, body tension, or racing thoughts? This 3-minute mindfulness meditation is designed to gently calm your nervous syst...

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Struggling with Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder, or Anxiety attacks? Learn how to stop Panic Attacks with skills from CBT. Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

Check out Kimberley's YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMGMsxHVAfuveLsah_EmBRg

Struggling with panic attacks, panic disorder, or anxiety attacks? You’re not alone—and you’re not broken. ...

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Struggling with depression and self-blame? Learn why it’s not your fault, how guilt fuels depression, and how to break the cycle and heal. Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

Are you stuck in a cycle of depression, self-blame, and guilt? Do you constantly think, "It’s my fault I feel this way"? In this video, we dive deep into the connection between depr...

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

The speaker discusses the metabolic theory of mental health, suggesting that brain disorders classified as mental illnesses are largely metabolic conditions. Traditional treatments—like therapy and medication—can benefit from an understanding of brain metabolism, potentially leading to new strategies, including weight ...

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

Check out Hazel's Program here: https://www.strongmindclimbing.com/

I love climbing because there's an amazing intersection of mental and physical skills, and it pushes me every time I go out. Today I get the incredible blessing to interview one of my favorite climbers- Hazel Findlay!

I've been watching Hazel in climbi...

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Free mini-course on How to Stop Panic Attacks and Anxiety Attacks: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/ending-panic-attacks-and-anxiety-attacks

Are you in the middle of an anxiety attack or feeling that rising wave of panic? Your body’s going haywire—shaky hands, racing heart, dizziness, nausea—and it feels like there’s no way out.

In this video, I guide you step-by-step through my favorite way to stop an anxiety attack in its t...

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Jess's Free download- The CLEAR Method for setting boundaries with Emotionally Immature People

Join Therapy in a Nutshell’s membership and get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&As, and a supportive community for just $27/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience. Take small, powerful steps toward healing and a richer, more meaningful life. Sta...

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June 14, 2025 46 mins

Therapy in a Nutshell membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

Every therapist upholds the professional and ethical standards required in their role. Knowing what signs to look for can help you protect your mental health and ensure you receive the care you deserve. In this video, we’ll discuss the subtle yellow flags in therapy—small warning signs that something might be off—as well as the more obvious red flag...

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June 2, 2025 11 mins

You can learn to face your fears slowly and gently with exposure therapy, it's great for anxiety and PTSD.

Join Therapy in a Nutshell’s membership and get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&As, and a supportive community for just $27/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience. Take small, powerful steps toward healing and a richer, more meaningf...

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May 26, 2025 12 mins

Join Therapy in a Nutshell’s membership and get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&As, and a supportive community for just $27/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience. Take small, powerful steps toward healing and a richer, more meaningful life. Start your journey today! https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

A lot of people who e...

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Learn to Regulate your Emotions: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

Intrusive Thoughts, Overthinking, ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Passengers on the Bus, Negative Thoughts

Have you ever felt like your negative thoughts are running the show? Like no matter how hard you try to push them away, they keep coming back, louder than ever? Maybe you deal with intrusive thoughts that feel terrifying, or you constant...

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Join Therapy in a Nutshell’s membership and get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&As, and a supportive community for just $27/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience. Take small, powerful steps toward healing and a richer, more meaningful life. Start your journey today! https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

Check out the Therapy ...

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Join Therapy in a Nutshell’s membership and get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&As, and a supportive community for just $27/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience. Take small, powerful steps toward healing and a richer, more meaningful life. Start your journey today! https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

View the Guilt, Shame,...

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

So many of us have picked up messaging that emotions are negative or embarrassing, that they need to be controlled, that crying is shameful. We’ve internalized a mental rule that says something like, “I don’t let myself feel so-called “negative” emotions, because that makes me weak.” And then, in trying to not have fee...

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

Nightmares are a common symptom of PTSD and can impact sleep, mood, energy, and contribute to more PTSD symptoms.

Today I'm speaking with Dr. Joanne Davis, Clinical Psychologist on how to treat nightmares in adults with or without PTSD.

You can find her nightmare training for clinicians here: https://cbtnightmares.org

...

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Get the FREE Locus of Control Exercise here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148648319

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

Locus of control refers to how much you believe you can influence what happens in your life.

People who focus on what they can change, have an Internal locus of control. They believe that their efforts make a difference. T...

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Get the Free Safety Plan Worksheet here: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/safety-plan

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

My wish for the world is that everyone who is in crisis can have someone in person to talk with them and help them create a safety plan- but I understand that isn’t reality. So in this podcast I’m going to walk you through the s...

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March 22, 2025 22 mins

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

Talking about trauma doesn’t heal trauma.

For a lot of people, it makes them feel much worse especially if you have PTSD.

This is one thing that sets human brains apart from animals. When we visualize something, whether it’s a past trauma or a worry about the future, we perceive danger. And our brain triggers the same ...

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