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

March 12, 2026 12 mins

Using this short meditation, visualize a healing beam of light helping you overcome hurt, giving you energy, and helping you heal.

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

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

Sometimes when I’m feeling a little cold, o...

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Depression and anxiety can come from physical problems like thyroid, hormones, sleep, or nutrient deficiencies—learn the top medical causes to check

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

How to Sleep Better Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiUrrIiqidTWdplSnedICFAMlMN-8ikae

If you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, it might not be “ju...

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February 26, 2026 30 mins

Learn how to get the most out of therapy, how to choose the right therapist and how to know if therapy is right for you.

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

In this conversation, Emma McAdam and Barry Fell discuss how to maximize the benefits of therapy. They share practical tips, including the importance of setting clear goals, the therapeutic relations...

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Alan Gordon is the author of the Way Out, he developed and tested Pain Reprocessing Therapy as an evidence based treatment for Chronic Pain

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

In this engaging conversation, Alan and I delve into the concept of neuroplastic pain, exploring how the brain can misinterpret safe signals from the body as dangerous, leading to ...

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Back pain and other chronic pain can be managed with pain reprocessing therapy. Alan Gordon’s book The Way Out can teach you how to retrain your brain to manage chronic pain

The Pain Psychology Center: https://painpsychologycenter.com/ The Way Out book: https://a.co/d/053sW1L0

Chronic Pain Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiUrrIiqidTXq4l8CetR1bQqoQfONrh4c

Somatic Tracking Exercise: https://youtu.be/HeNRMr8uJbI

Le...

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Internal family systems Founder Richard Schwartz does an IFS therapy session with Emma McAdam, we work with her inner critic and Self in IFS

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

In this conversation, Emma McAdam interviews Dick Schwartz, the creator of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic approach that emphasizes understanding the mind as composed...

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Learn how the stories you tell yourself fuel anxiety, depression, and triggers—and discover practical skills like cognitive defusion to rewrite your life.

Free worksheet: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/opt-in-4a614f1a-99a9-46dd-b2e4-69e58990c7ea

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

In this episode, you’ll learn the hidden thought pattern that fuel...

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January 22, 2026 15 mins

Want to learn how to stop comparing yourself to others? Jealousy is often seen as negative, but you can learn to deal with jealousy through curiosity and values work.

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

Jealousy and envy are emotions we all feel, especially when we get stuck in comparison—seeing someone confident or attractive and instantly wondering wha...

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If you have ADHD and your emotions feel overwhelming, fast, or hard to control—you’re not broken, lazy, or “too sensitive.” In this episode of Therapy in a Nutshell, I explain the brain science behind ADHD and emotional dysregulation—including delayed prefrontal cortex development, dopamine and norepinephrine differences, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and why emotions can hit before your “brakes” have time to turn on.

Up to ...

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High Functioning Depression looks like coping with depression by keeping busy and distracting yourself with overwork. Learn 5 ways to overcome depression in this interview w/ Dr. Judith Joseph

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

Learn more about Dr. Judith's work and book: https://drjudithjoseph.com/ https://highfunctioningbook.com/

In this conversatio...

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New research shows people with anxiety have lower choline in the brain. What choline does and is choline a good supplement for anxiety

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

Break the Anxiety Cycle in 30 days: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills

New neuroscience research suggests that people with anxiety disorders have lower levels of cho...

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Making amends, making repairs is even more powerful than self forgiveness or self-compassion. When you learn to fix the harms you've caused you can truly find emotional freedom.

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

Where to find Dr. Sarah Michaud https://www.youtube.com/@leavingcrazytown https://drsarahmichaud.com/

Ted Talk: Our story of rape and reconc...

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top relying on goals that fail. Learn how tiny habits, systems, and 1% improvements create real, lasting change for mental health, motivation, and daily life.

Join the 31-day Emotion Processing challenge: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/htpe-30-skills-in-30-days-landing-page-1

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

Tired of setting big goals on Monda...

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Many people experience trauma not from accidents or violence—but from medical events. ICU stays, surgery, birth trauma, or even routine procedures can leave lasting emotional wounds. In this conversation, Emma McAdam (Therapy in a Nutshell) and Christen Mullane, LMHC, unpack what medical trauma really is, how it differs from medical PTSD, and practical ways to heal.

Christen explains how medical experiences can damage trust in your...

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7 micro habits to escape the freeze response, climb the polyvagal ladder, boost energy, heal burnout, and get unstuck from dorsal vagal shutdown and depression.

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

If you feel sluggish, numb, depressed, or burnt out, your nervous system might be stuck in the freeze response. In this video, I’ll teach you 7 tiny habits tha...

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Mapping your parts is a powerful exercise from Internal Family Systems IFS to heal from trauma

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

Today we’re going to do something a little different. We’re going to do an exercise from Internal Family Systems called “Mapping your Parts”. In IFS we come to see our different feelings, inner voices, thoughts, urges or habi...

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Your nervous system has a built-in Freeze and Appease response to manage the threat of sexual assault, aka the Fawn response.

Learn to forgive yourself and train to respond differently. Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

When someone experiences sexual harassment or sexual assault, their body often doesn’t react the way they expect. Instead of fighting ...

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Book summary of No Bad Parts written by Richard Schwartz, it's an introduction to Internal Family Systems model aka IFS Therapy.

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

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://b...

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Have you ever felt more anxious when you've tried to calm down? Learn how to lean in to feelings with acceptance and meditation expert Thomas McConkie.

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

Check out Thomas' School: https://lowerlightswisdom.org/

Learn how to lean in to your feelings, how to sit with them and accept emotions with this exercise and debrief...

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

Childhood trauma doesn’t just live in your memories—it rewires how you show up in relationships. If you’ve ever panicked when someone leaves your text on read, overshared on a first date, or pulled away when closeness feels scary, you’re not alone. These patterns are often rooted in attachment wounds from early experie...

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