Connection Therapy

94. How Eye Contact Affects the Delivery of Telehealth Services

Good news! There is research, actually a lot of it, that supports therapists in understanding how best to deliver telehealth services. In this episode, Dr. Murrow reviews findings related to eye contact impacts on telehealth services. Brenda often does an episode about eye contact during Mental Health Awareness month each year, and this episode adds to that ongoing discussion. In this episode, she also integrates previous discussions about individual differences with regard to eye contact. Attend a Course at Connection Therapy: https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events [https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events] We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us [https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us] Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast [https://www.instagram.com/connectiontherapypodcast/] Enjoying the podcast? There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist [https://connection-therapy.com/playlist] References: Fitzpatrick, J. A., & Tickle, J. J. (2025). Eye contact matters: exploring its influence on interpersonal comfort and self-disclosure in virtual interactions. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 38(4), 617–635. https://doi-org.pgi.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09515070.2024.2436964

93. Mental Health Awareness: Healing in Community

This year, for Mental Health Awareness, Brenda reviews current statistics for mental health in the US. To support clinicians with skillful interventions that are informed by research, she also shares how her practice is shaped by some research she participated in at an early training site that still resonates. She then invites mental health therapists themselves to consider being part of communities, as a way to deepen their skills and bolster their longevity in the field. Attend a Course at Connection Therapy: https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events [https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events] We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us [https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us] Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast [https://www.instagram.com/connectiontherapypodcast/] Enjoying the podcast? There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist [https://connection-therapy.com/playlist] References: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7226a2.htm National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) https://www.nami.org/ Stephen Porges (2011). Polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. Bessel Van der Kolk (2015). The Body Keeps the Score. Health Resources & Services Administration: https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas

92. Reading the Nervous System Through Facial Movement in Clinical Practice

Learning to improve assessment capacity is a continual journey for the practicing mental health practitioner. This episode provides a research article that endorses the clinician’s instincts and highlights ways that what is happening inside for our patient (i.e. nervous system activation, etc.) is displayed in facial movements. Brenda then adds a discussion of interventions she uses, and offers them for listeners to consider for applications in their own practices. References: Additional podcast episodes on heart rate variability: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist Rachael Draaisma’s discussion about Calming Signals are in Connection Therapy episodes 48, 49, and 50 Optimal HRV https://www.optimalhrv.com/ [https://www.optimalhrv.com/] Stephen Porges (2011). Polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. Torres EB and Elsayed M (2026) Facial micro-movements as a proxy of increasingly erratic heart rate variability while experiencing pressure pain. Front. Neurosci. 20:1702124. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2026.1702124 Attend a Course at Connection Therapy: https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events [https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events] We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us [https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us] Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast [https://www.instagram.com/connectiontherapypodcast/] Enjoying the podcast? There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist [https://connection-therapy.com/playlist]

91. What Humans Can Learn from Horses to Improve Relationships with Janet Jones, PhD

In this last part of Brenda’s interview with Janet Jones, they discuss the many ways learning to understand how horses communicate make humans better at communicating overall. In this episode, listeners will hear clear indications for the practice of mental health, rather it be in animal-assisted or in-office environments. Janet also discusses how there are wide-ranging audiences gaining interest in her work, so all listeners are welcomed and encouraged to apply her expertise to their environments. For More Information about our Guest: Janet Jones, PhD https://janet-jones.com Attend a Course at Connection Therapy: https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events [https://connection-therapy.com/courses-and-events] We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us [https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us] Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast [https://www.instagram.com/connectiontherapypodcast/] Enjoying the podcast? There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist [https://connection-therapy.com/playlist]

90. How to Recognize Emotional States Across Species with Janet Jones, PhD

In this part of Brenda’s interview with Dr. Janet Jones, they explore the differing ways that horses and humans display their emotional states. Dr. Jones emphasizes significant differences in meaning and preference for some behaviors, particularly eye contact. The conversation yields important information that can be used to improve equine-assisted services by learning the differences in needs between species, and exploring how that can be communicated to make interactions more effective and supportive. For More Information about our Guest: Janet Jones, PhD https://janet-jones.com Also, Brenda reviewed some of Dr. Jones’ work in podcast episode #85 Attend Dr. Janet Jones’ Course at Connection Therapy: https://connection-therapy.com/product/janet [https://connection-therapy.com/product/janet] We Want to Hear Your Feedback! Please Contribute to the Conversation: Share your thoughts on the podcast and how these concepts work in your practice, or ask a question and I’ll answer it in an upcoming episode: https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us [https://connection-therapy.com/contact-us] Leave feedback or ask a question with a message on Instagram: @theconnectiontherapypodcast [https://www.instagram.com/connectiontherapypodcast/] Enjoying the podcast? There are now playlists for you to navigate to your favorite topics: https://connection-therapy.com/playlist [https://connection-therapy.com/playlist]