Your Therapist is Not Okay

Your Therapist Wants You to Fight Like This

In this episode, Jess and Ryan shift into the “how do we actually work with this” side of conflict. They get into the patterns couples fall into and what therapists often focus on in couples therapy room when things get tense — especially when conversations start to spiral or shut down. They explore a few ways of approaching conflict that can make it feel less overwhelming in the moment, like slowing things down, reframing what’s actually being said underneath the words, and learning how to listen without immediately reacting or defending. It’s not about getting it “perfect,” but about creating a bit more space so both people can actually hear each other. Tune in for a conversation about what it really takes to fight well 🎙️✨ Click here to book a FREE consult with us: ⁠https://centredself.ca/contact⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnRnT0JLRkVNZkdmSHZJUHhmVmRhSktEUVdmUXxBQ3Jtc0tuMm0tcjZjMHdocHVIX2RqdlhFc2hBVlVUdG9yTnhobDNEZV96bEEySVJEdEd0dk1fVk53am5UaWdTWG51b2M5Zk1aRFFxVTA0WUlPZjAwbXR3U0Z1MWl4Wmk4SmRadHVyMTJYbGxvSlJwNnZKY1gxTQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fcentredself.ca%2Fcontact%E2%81%A0&v=QzYzl1asHLk] Hosted by: Dr Ryan Bittinger (they/them) and Dr Jess Erb (she/her) Cover art by: Una Grace Norona (she/her) Produced and edited by: Denise Danda (she/her) Follow us on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yourtherapistisnotokay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/yourtherapistisnotokay/?hl=en]

Your Therapist Knows Why You Keep Having the Same Fight

From the early honeymoon period where everything feels easy and connected, to the shift into patterns like bickering, shutting down, or giving each other the silent treatment, this episode is about exploring the full cycle of conflict that often shows up in couples work or that clients talk about in the therapy room. Jess and Ryan talk about why that transition happens, and how quickly relationships can move from closeness into disconnection when needs aren’t being expressed or understood. Rather than focusing on “right” or “wrong” ways of relating, they look at what these patterns are often protecting underneath—things like fear of rejection, unmet needs, or feeling unseen. Tune in for a conversation on conflict in the therapy room 🎙️✨ Hosted by: Dr Ryan Bittinger (they/them) and Dr Jess Erb (she/her) Cover art by: Una Grace Norona (she/her) Produced and edited by: Denise Danda (she/her) Follow us on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yourtherapistisnotokay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/yourtherapistisnotokay/?hl=en]

Your Therapist Can't Be Everything You Need

It’s not uncommon to leave a session and think about your therapist as a person. To wonder about their life, or how they’re doing, or what things are like for them outside that hour. In this episode, Jess and Ryan talk about what it means when that curiosity turns into care — and even into a desire to give something back. They explore why that can feel meaningful, and also why it can get complicated because even when the connection feels real, therapy still has boundaries. And those boundaries are essential to the therapeutic process. Tune in for a conversation about connection, boundaries, AI and everything in between 🎙️✨ Hosted by: Dr Ryan Bittinger (they/them) and Dr Jess Erb (she/her) Cover art by: Una Grace Norona (she/her) Produced and edited by: Denise Danda (she/her) Follow us on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yourtherapistisnotokay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/yourtherapistisnotokay/?hl=en]

Your Therapist Wants You to Know This About the Loneliness Epidemic

Let's talk about loneliness. In this episode, Jess and Ryan talk about the loneliness epidemic and how they’re seeing it show up in their clients’ lives from feeling disconnected even in relationships to struggling to find a sense of belonging, or even just feeling a bit on the outside of everything. They also get into what people actually do with that loneliness. The ways clients try to find connection outside of therapy — through friendships, dating apps, AI chatbots, online spaces, or putting themselves out there in new ways. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t, and sometimes it’s just complicated. Tune in for an honest conversation about how loneliness comes up in the therapy room 💕🎙️ Hosted by: Dr Ryan Bittinger (they/them) and Dr Jess Erb (she/her) Cover art by: Una Grace Norona (she/her) Produced and edited by: Denise Danda (she/her) Follow us on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yourtherapistisnotokay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/yourtherapistisnotokay/?hl=en]

Your Therapist Can Meet You in the Mess

In the last episode, Jess and Ryan talked about what it’s like for clients who feel like the villain in their own story — the guilt, shame, and self-blame that can make it really hard to open up in therapy. In this episode, they shift the focus to the therapist’s side of the room. What is it like for therapists when clients are afraid to share something because they worry it might change how they’re seen? Jess and Ryan explore the moments when people feel like there’s something fundamentally “bad” about them — whether that feeling comes from identity, past choices, relationship struggles, or long-held shame. They also touch on Fairbairn’s idea of the bad object wound, and why these fears of being seen as bad or unlovable can run so deep. Tune in for a conversation on what it means for therapists to sit with clients in those difficult, vulnerable spaces — the parts of a person’s story they might feel most afraid to reveal 🎙️💕 Hosted by: Dr Ryan Bittinger (they/them) and Dr Jess Erb (she/her) Cover art by: Una Grace Norona (she/her) Produced and edited by: Denise Danda (she/her) Follow us on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yourtherapistisnotokay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/yourtherapistisnotokay/?hl=en]