PTL 011 Dr M Skinta - Compassion, Resilience, and LGBTQ+ Wellbeing
In this episode of the Power To Live podcast, host Ryan Blake sits down with Dr. Matt Skinta — clinical psychologist, researcher, and trainer — to explore the healing power of compassion and contextual behavioral therapies (ACT, FAP, and CFT). Dr. Skinta shares his personal and professional journey into psychology, the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ clients, and why cultivating both safety and safeness is essential for wellbeing.
With warmth and clarity, Dr. Skinta explains how compassion is more than empathy: it’s the active motivation to reduce suffering while remaining grounded. He discusses how therapy can provide LGBTQ+ clients with a unique space for vulnerability, authenticity, and resilience in a world that too often demands hiding.
Listeners will also hear about Selma, a young chimpanzee Dr. Skinta connected with at a sanctuary in Cameroon — a story that brings to life the importance of embodied compassion, playfulness, and remembering our animal need for connection.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
* How stigma and rejection impact LGBTQ+ mental health, and what compassionate therapy can offer in response.
* The difference between safety and safeness, and why both matter deeply in therapeutic spaces.
* How contextual behavioral therapies (ACT, FAP, CFT) can support LGBTQ+ wellbeing through mindfulness, values, and authentic connection.
* Why human connection is irreplaceable for resilience, and how even small acts of vulnerability can reshape our capacity for closeness.
* Practical steps anyone can take to reduce loneliness, find hope, and begin therapy when it feels daunting.
Resources & Links
* Learn more about chimpanzee rescue and donate to support the work of the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center [https://www.sychimprescue.org/].
* Connect with Dr. Matt Skinta and learn about his work: Roosevelt University Profile [https://www.roosevelt.edu/profile/mskinta].
Dr. Skinta
"Compassion is not just empathy — it’s the felt recognition of suffering, paired with the motivation to reduce it, while staying grounded enough not to be overwhelmed."
The Power to Live Foundation [https://www.powertolive.uk/] is a charity committed to breaking down financial barriers to therapy. We believe everyone deserves access to support that helps them live a meaningful life.
Our services include evidence-based behavioural therapies tailored to your income level, available online or at our clinic in Bishopsgate, City of London. [https://www.google.com/maps/dir/51.3640223,-0.1778609/''/@51.4435881,-0.3025671,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x48761cb2567e5005:0x5329463b3feee0e9!2m2!1d-0.0794114!2d51.5177118?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDEyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D]
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