146 - Jessica Fern - Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy
Conversations With a Wounded Healer
Release Date: 01/20/2021
Conversations With a Wounded Healer
Look for the helpers. It’s a simple axiom meant to comfort small children, a reminder to find supportive adults in times of distress. But good advice doesn’t stop being good just because we’ve aged out of the original target audience. Adults need helpers, too. David Allen is an absolute gem of a helper, an art director turned tattoo artist who works with post-mastectomy clients in Chicago. While breast cancer survivors aren’t the whole of his business, David gratefully acknowledges the indelible mark that these warriors have left on his personal life and professional outlook. GUEST BIO...
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If you work inside a group practice, why do you stay? And if you lead a group practice, do you know why your employees stay? Or… why they don’t? Jennifer Fromel is a bilingual mental health clinician with over 30 years of experience across various clinical and supervisory settings, specializing in trauma, evidence-based interventions, and integrative therapy approaches. She is actively involved in professional networks, serving as a leader in counseling organizations, advisory boards, and community collaborations while advocating for accessible mental health care for diverse populations....
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Ready to dive into artificial intelligence in the therapy space?! Steve Duke, founder of The Hemingway Group, is back for part two of our conversation. Steve helps us think more purposefully about how we can AI-proof the relational component of therapy while acknowledging that the tech may make other aspects of the job easier, like note-taking. GUEST BIO Steve Duke (he/him) is the founder of The Hemingway Group - a business working with mental health organisations to help them succeed clinically and commercially. He also writes an industry publication called The Hemingway Report, which is read...
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How are y’all doing while the United States (specifically) plummets into political, social, and economic freefall? Therapists are freaking tf out right with good reason. We're at a tipping point in the evolution of our field, especially when it comes to the rapid ascendancy of venture capital, consolidation, and technology––those AI chatbots lurking and learning in the digital shadows. I sound the alarm to encourage resistance. Steve Duke is one of the bright minds I turn to for data-driven inspiration and motivation. He founded The Hemingway Group, a business working with mental...
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“I thought I knew what this conversation might be like. I had all my worries, concerns, and anticipations of what might be brought up––and it didn't go that way,” laughs Heather Lovegood. Intrigued?? Check out part one, and then come back here for the conclusion of my conversation with Heather, a holistic bodyworker and lymphatic drainage expert who provides healing-centered, trauma-trained services to clients in Chicago. We’re exploring the interconnectedness of everything, the subtle energy of Indigenous wisdom, and the power we claim (or not) in spaces where healing...
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I’m a firm believer in the connectedness of everything. Healing happens at the intersection of spirituality, science, and Indigenous wisdom. Sure, each principle can (and has!) exist in its own sphere, but the true magic is in the mix. Heather Lovegood agrees. She’s a holistic bodyworker and lymphatic drainage expert who provides healing-centered, trauma-trained services to clients in Chicago. She helps people build the capacity to identify and release buried, inflammatory emotions–those squishy, sticky, and often devastating sensations that our bodies hold onto in the wake of complex...
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How do we bridge the divide between practice owners and employees in the therapy field to create better healing environments for everyone? Discover how innovation, open communication, and shared values can transform group practices, resulting in a culture of connection. Group Practice Revolution is a new platform and podcast series offering insights from owners, employees, and experts, and resources to support this wildly ambitious vision for the future! Learn more about how you can join the *** Group Practice (R)evolution platform is in beta testing mode! We're just getting everything...
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Leadership is lonely, y'all. It's also hella rewarding. Cara Chae, LCPC, knows this duality all too well. She's working on finding (and holding!) the balance between the two––an evolutionary pursuit that resonates with many. GUEST BIO Cara Chae, LCPC, (she/her) is a psychotherapist working in a group private practice in Chicago. Her professional interests include working with issues related to Attachment (parenting, relationships, childhood wounds), and, more recently, Neuroplastic Symptoms. Cara’s second full time job is parenting her two elementary school aged children while...
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Cue the klieg lights and gift bags because THIS episode marks the seventh anniversary of Conversations With A Wounded Healer! Major thanks to everyone from the OG fans to the newbies. I couldn’t do it without you, which is the perfect segue to today’s episode. Cara Chae, LCPC, is a psychotherapist at Inner Voice Psychotherapy, a group private practice in Chicago. She focuses on issues related to attachment (parenting, relationships, childhood wounds) and, more recently, neuroplastic symptoms. Cara also spent eight months as a member of my Authentic Leaders Group. I thought it might be...
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If you missed Part One of my conversation with sociocracy expert Ted Rau, PhD., hit play on that episode now. You won’t be disappointed, nor will you want to miss our introduction to sociocracy, the decentralized way for organizations, workplaces, and communities to make decisions. In Part Two, Ted and I expand on how sociocracy might work in the group practice environment and how the fundamental issues of trust, personal power, and organizational accountability inform its success. GUEST BIO Ted Rau is an advocate, trainer, and consultant for self-governance with a focus on...
info_outline“I think as therapists, there is no such thing as true neutrality, right?...The importance is knowing and owning your bias so that we can prevent it from doing harm.” ~Jessica Fern
Polyamory. Well, now that I have your attention…let’s get into it, shall we? Ohhh, y’all, this episode is meaty with material courtesy of the brilliant Jessica Fern, psychotherapist, coach, public speaker, relationship expert, and author. Her new book Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy* explores healthy attachments through a refreshingly non-traditional lens.
But hold up, monogamy-minded folks! You’ll want to pay close attention as insecure attachment styles can sabotage any relationship; we either feel safe and secure within them, within ourselves, or we don’t.
We can, however, foster securely functioning relationships - no matter the number of participants.
Still, too many therapists disregard the validity of monogamy, incorrectly citing it as a byproduct of childhood misattunement rather than a healthy way of being. Jessica points out that “people who are nonmonogamous are not doing nonmonogamy because they’re insecurely attached.” Instead, they’re committed to working at their relationships often with a therapist, a practice that many monogamous couples could learn from.
There’s plenty more to my conversation with Jessica including definitions! acronyms! NARM talk! Awesome links! and everyone’s favorite healer questions! Give this one a listen no matter your preferred relationship style.
Jessica Fern is a psychotherapist, public speaker and trauma and relationship expert. In her international private practice, Jessica works with individuals, couples and people in multiple-partner relationships who no longer want to be limited by their reactive patterns, cultural conditioning, insecure attachment styles and past traumas, helping them to embody new possibilities in life and love. Jessica is the author of the book Polysecure: Attachment Trauma and NonMonogmamy and you can learn more about Jessica and her work at JessicaFern.com.
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For full show notes, resources, and links to connect with our guest, visit: http://www.headhearttherapy.com/podcast
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