Edge of the Couch

Oct 23 2024 119 ep. 38 mins 49
Edge of the Couch Podcast artwork

Two good friends and experienced therapists explore the topics that were either shied away from or dismissed because they were too big, too nuanced, too risky, or too uncomfortable to address in school or even in supervision. We want to inspire and encourage new therapists to think more deeply, show up more fully, and find humour and self-compassion in navigating the messier parts of being a therapist.

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Working with Discernment

Oct 23 2024 36 mins  
How can we support clients in navigating the big life decisions, including to stay or leave relationships, choose career paths, or family planning? In this episode, we explore the therapeutic role of discernment. Often, people are grappling with the pros and cons of each choice. Some of these conversations are vital and productive, and other times, it feels like we are spinning our

Managing Crisis (Without Becoming a Crisis Worker)

Oct 16 2024 46 mins  
Content note: This episode discusses suicide and abuse. Are therapists crisis workers? We believe that the role of the therapist and the role of the crisis worker are distinct, yet, in certain situations, we can still find ourselves pulled into that role. In this episode, we break down the crucial differences between emergencies, crises, and general distress, and explore where our

What Does 'Following the Client' Mean?

Oct 09 2024 40 mins  
Did you hear the phrase “follow the client” in graduate school and wonder what it really means in practice? In this episode, we dive into the nuances of this concept, exploring how therapists balance the art of staying present with the client’s story while holding the bigger picture in mind. We talk about how goals in therapy can shift over time and how we can support clients

When Does Compassion Cross Over into Complicity?

Oct 02 2024 36 mins  
Have you heard the phrase 'The worst person you know has a therapist encouraging and validating their behaviour'? In this episode, we tackle a tricky line in therapy-- when compassion tips into complicity in a client's harmful, toxic, or otherwise unkind behaviour. We talk about the skill and risk involved in calling clients in when they’re not acting in alignment with their own

Clients are Lonelier Than Ever Before

Sep 25 2024 46 mins  

Watching Our Very First Recording: When Edge of the Couch was Reel Therapy Talk

Sep 18 2024 67 mins  
In this special episode, we watch and react to our first recording together, before Edge of the Couch, an unpublished episode of a podcast that would never be: 'Reel Therapy Talk' where we would talk about pop culture from the perspective of therapists. On April 6, 2020, we recorded our first and only episode. Love is Blind was having a cultural moment, and it inspired us to talk a

DEI is Not Enough: A Conversation with Bhupie Dulay and Abby Chow

Sep 11 2024 42 mins  
In this special episode, Bhupie Dulay and Abby Chow come on the podcast to talk about how we can rather than rely on the reductionist approach to working with clients with marginalized identities, radically reimagine what relationality looks like in relationships inside and outside the therapy room. We talk about what it means to practice hope, how our work is essentially about lov

Getting Dumped: When the client decides to terminate

Sep 04 2024 29 mins  
In this episode, we talk about the roller coaster of emotions that come with getting "dumped" by clients. We discuss the different ways clients can terminate therapy, how each one hits us differently, and the common mistakes we make that might lead to their departure. We talk about mistakes that we make that have lead to clients terminating. We also explore whether or not it is wis

Working with Dreams

Aug 28 2024 26 mins  
Do all therapists engage in dream work, or is it more of a niche practice? We discuss what might hold newer therapists back from exploring their clients' dreams and share how we integrate dream work into our own practices. Plus, we open up about our experiences in an informal projective dream group and how it has shaped our approach as therapists. How do you incorporate dreams into

Is This Client Being Passive Aggressive?

Aug 21 2024 30 mins  
Sometimes clients will come right out and tell you what they are feeling frustrated, annoyed, or concerned about. Sometimes clients may have a harder time communicating “negative” things and their frustrations may come out in passive aggressive ways. But what do we do when clients are communicating passive aggressively? Do we let the little remakes pass, do we respond to them d