Age of Ultron, Terminator, I, Robot, The Matrix, and R2D2. What do they all have in common? Yup- they are all movies about AI. Most of the books, movies, and television shows about AI seem to be about machines rising up to take over the world. Well, except R2. Having an R2 may just be worth the risk. But the fact is, AI is here and touches on almos…

Shayna and Kathy are joined by Ana, a clinical social worker who you may remember from the Steven Universe episode (7). Ana discusses what it was like growing up with Percy Jackson and with ADHD, and how those two things are related. Her cat, Percy, also provides some entertainment. Citations, resources and credits Percy and ADHD Artwork by Matthew…

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a celebration of life, death, and family that is typically celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Shayna and Kathy are joined by Jose, a Mexican American mental health therapist, and Yessica, a Mexican American student intern studying to become a mental health therapist, as they discuss thi…

Shayna and Kathy talk with Kaitlyn, a Florida based artist, cosplayer, and convention meetup host, who is better known as NerdyNostalgia. Kaitlyn talks about how she got into cosplaying, making the it more accessible to beginners like herself, social media, mental health and, of course, Critical Role. Kaitlyn first caught Shayna's eye when they wer…

Shayna and Kathy visit another dimension and discuss the classic television show, The Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone debuted in 1959 and still influences much of the culture today. The creator, Rod Serling, developed the show in part to explore social issues in a way that could buck the censors. His trauma symptoms from his experiences in WWII al…

On this episode Shayna and Kathy talk to Angel- a pediatric mental health expert, and Kayla- a Bluey expert, to talk about the immensely popular children's television show, Bluey. Bluey is a cartoon focusing on an anthropomorphic family of dogs. This show is beloved by children and parents alike- for good reasons! It is relatable and heartwarming a…

Shayna shares her top 10 favorite therapy interventions that integrate pop culture references. From Steven Universe to The Twighlight Zone to SpongeBob and more, get a glimpse into how geeky therapists like us integrate pop culture into our work with clients. Plus- WE STARTED A PATREON!! Citations, resources and credits Steven Universe- Here Comes …

**Spoiler alert for Inside Out and Inside Out 2. Inside out 2 has already crossed the billion dollar mark at the box office. This is pretty incredible for a sequel released 9 years after the first movie. And there's a reason these movies are so popular. The movies enlisted psychologists, as well as teenaged girls, to literally get into the mind of …

In honor of Pride month, Shayna and Kathy explore the "A" in LGBTQIA+. And no, it does not stand for "ally". We are talking all about asexuality. We tackle myths and misunderstandings. We try to see if we can identify any good representation of asexuality in media. And, of course, we discuss mental health issues related to the asexuality spectrum. …

Finally- the second part to episode 45! Shayna and Kathy discuss even more psychology terms and concepts that you may be misusing or overusing. Today we tackle "toxic", triggers and trigger warnings, and the much maligned "safe spaces". Citations and credits A meta-analysis of the efficacy of trigger warnings, content warnings and content notes Art…

Shayna and Kathy had to call an emergency meeting of The Tortured Swiftie Department by bringing back several return guests to discuss Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department. You might remember Kayla and Melody from our first Taylor Swift Episode (ep 32), and Melissa from our episode on using music to help with emotional regulation…

Gaslight, narcissist, anti-social, toxic, triggering.... these are just a few of the psychology related terms that you just might be using incorrectly! Shayna and Kathy actually watched the 1944 movie, Gaslight, so we could talk about the genesis of the term that is overused and misused today. Gaslighting is a real and insidious thing... but it's n…

It can be really confusing trying to figure out which mental health professionals do what, especially given that depictions of therapists in pop culture don't offer a realistic depiction of therapy or who provides therapy. Shayna and Kathy break down the differences and similarities in different mental health providers and different mental health t…

WE ARE BACK!! After taking several months hiatus, Shayna and Kathy are back to talk about all things related to mental health and pop culture. This week, we update everyone with some pretty big life changes! Shayna discusses her journey with adoption and her new role supervising student interns at work, and Kathy discusses managing her medical cond…

Amanda Jacobson of Wine and Crime Podcast joins Shayna and Kathy to talk about everyone's obsession about true crime. We see it EVERYWHERE. On podcasts, the news, on social media, on cute shirts. But an interest in true crime is anything but new. We talk about why people are drawn to true crime. How it impacts us. When to take a step back. What we …

A returning guest, Manami (from episode 5 about Superstitions), joins Shayna and Kathy to talk about the Candyman movies. We will be thoroughly discussing Candyman (1992) and Candyman (2021), with brief references to Candyman 2 & 3- so SPOILER ALERT for the franchise. Candyman is based off a Clive Barker short story and draws inspiration from urban…

Girl Scouts is a rite of passage for many girls. It has always been girl led and centered on making friends, having fun, meeting goals, and serving community. Recently Girl Scouts has been making even greater efforts to address mental health issues. Shayna and Kathy are joined by Nicole, who is a troop leader and volunteer with Girl Scouts for 10 y…

Cat's Café is a delightful web comic that has provided joy to millions of people. Shayna and Kathy are so grateful for the opportunity to talk to Cat's Café creator, Maxx Tarpley for this episode. With Cat's Café, Maxx is able to explore universal struggles and joys in a way that is at once so simple, yet so profound. Plus- all of the characters ar…

Shayna and Kathy are joined by Isabella Suttle, a 2nd year veterinary student with a degree in Integrative Animal Biology with a criminology minor, as well as a masters in Veterinary Forensic Sciences. She also has 5 fur babies. We talk all about our own animals, but delve into why we love animals, how they are good for our mental health, but also …

Cricket Leigh (Alexander) is a voice actress, who is best known for voicing Mai in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is also a Licensed Master Clinical Social Worker (LMSW) for individuals, couples & families. She works with all ages on a variety of issues including anxiety, mood disorders, family conflict, trauma, PTSD and personal growth. Cricket j…

Abby Gangelhoff is a mental health therapist, podcaster (catch her on Book Baddies), and dancer. She joins Shayna and Kathy to talk about mental health and dance. From dancing in your kitchen, to competitive dancing, to conscious dancing, to teaching dance, to being a dance mom- we've got you covered. You may also learn some surprising information …

We are back after a brief break!! Today Shayna and Kathy talk about signs and symbols. What function do they have? How do they relate to mental health? How do they come up in pop culture? We discuss the origin of our logo and the difference between a Caduceus and the Rod of Asclepius and which one REALLY relates to healthcare. You will also discove…

Shayna and Kathy are so excited to talk about their speciality today- child and adolescent mental health. They discuss the concepts behind integrating play and art into therapy with children and how it isn't just fun and games- real healing takes place. If you have children, if you know children... even if you ever were a child- you will get someth…

May the 4th be with you! In honor of Star Wars week, we are talking about the original trilogy. Shayna and Kathy are joined by Shayna's mom, Cindy, and Kathy's husband, Matt- both of whom watched A New Hope in the theater way back in 1977. We talk about what a game changer the movies were at the time, why they resonate with so many people, and how …

Taylor Swift is a force- and there is a reason she is breaking records and selling out stadiums. She is a gifted songwriter who taps into some universal human emotions. Shayna (who is Taylor neutral) and Kathy (a recent Swifty) and joined by two long time Swifties, to chat abut mental health and Taylor Swift. Our return guest, Melody Granzow, is a …

In this episode, Shayna and Kathy talk about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from both sides of the couch. Pop culture and social media is rife with misinformation about OCD, and minimization of the debilitating nature of the disorder. Not only that, a lot of mental health therapists don't even understand the disorder, thinking it is about bein…

***Spoiler warning for season/part 1 of The Last of Us tv show and video game. Trigger warning for violence and fungus. Two mental health therapists, Shayna and Kathy, are joined by their nerdy editor, Ryan, to finish talking about the first season of The Last of Us. If you haven't already, listen to episode 28- talking about the first half of the …

On our first episode about Dungeons and Dragons (episode 13), Shayna was helping Kathy create her character in preparation for joining her first campaign. Now, we are joined by our friend, and fellow therapist, Olivia to talk more about the game in general, what we like about it, how it relates to mental health, and also check in on how our campaig…

**Spoiler alert for episodes 1-5 of The Last of Us. Shayna and Kathy are joined by their favorite nerdy editor, Ryan, to talk about the first half of the series, The Last of Us. Ryan brings his perspective of how the tv adaptation is compared to the video game. We delve into how Joel's trauma impacts how he interacts with the world, and of course t…

Shayna and Kathy are joined by chef to the stars, Severin, to finish our series on taste. He also happens to be Kathy's brother. Severin trained under Caroline Fidanza in NYC, and has cooked for the likes of Alice Waters and the Beastie Boys. Join us on this twisty, turny ride as we discuss taste, bonding over food, Brussel sprouts, potatoes, cats,…

Kathy and Shayna are joined by Joey Pagano, author, therapist, professor, licensed social worker and recovering addict. Joey talks about his own history of addiction, his recovery and his commitment to helping other people struggling with substance abuse issues. Of note, we struggled with identifying realistic, empathetic representations of substan…

Shayna and Kathy are back from vacation and jumping back into the series on the 5 senses. On this episode they talk about scent. You get to hear Kathy geek out about one of her favorite topics. Learn about some of the ways scents impact our mental health, as well as how you can integrate scents into your routine, in a relatively unobtrusive way. Ka…

We continuing our series on using the five senses to help regulate our mood and help us heal. We are joined by Franchesca Lastra Vicente, a board certified art therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and by Matt Gwaltney, a graphic designer, who also happens to do the artwork for Mental Mages. They bring their different perspectives on the …

For the second episode in our series on using our senses to help us emotionally regulate, we are joined by Melody Granzow. Melody is a licensed clinical social worker, registered 500 hour yoga instructor, and social work professor. She's also one of our favorite humans. Not only do we talk about the power of touch, we also touch on the vestibular s…

Creating soothing sensory experiences are an integral part of developing individualized coping skills and self-care. This is the first in our series on our senses and we talk about sound and music. Shayna and Kathy welcome 3 guests this week. Emily plays the flute and works in instrument repair, Megan is a music educator, and Melissa integrates mus…

Very special Halloween bonus episode with JV Hampton-VanSant, podcaster, voice actor, maker, geek, where we chat about cosplay! We had so much fun chatting. **Kathy apparently had some technical difficulties so her audio isn't great. Ryan did what he could to minimize that. Citations and Credits: Where can find and follow JV Becoming Another Person…

Shayna and Kathy love creepy pastas. Creepy pastas are horror related stories that bounce around the the internet. They are short, fiction (or are they?), and are often created by anonymous writers. They are amazing. Shayna and Kathy chat about some of our very favorite creepy pastas and urban legends, and of course touch on the mental health aspec…

Believe it or not, there is research that suggests that consuming horror content may actually be beneficial for some people with anxiety or a history of trauma. Shayna and Kathy are joined by fellow horror enthusiasts, Domo and Myles, to chat about movies that we love and scare us. We talk about how horror content can actually help with anxiety and…

Shayna and Kathy are joined by Nyeisha Brown (aka The Book Babe) to chat about our love of all things Stephen King. We talk about how reading has impacted all of our lives and get into specifics about some of our SK faves. Citations and credits: Nyeisha's Website The Divine Madness of Stephen King: A Neurocognitive Examination Artwork by Matthew Gw…

Memento Mori is Latin for "Remember that you must die," and is an artistic or symbolic reminder to live life to the fullest because we all must die. Shayna and Kathy are joined by Lucy Fitzgerald of the Wine and Crime Podcast, to discuss this life affirming, if a bit creepy, concept. You will learn about the stages of grief, Kathy's unexpected asse…

Shayna and Kathy are joined by best selling author and therapist, Megan Logan, to chat about the mental health benefits and pitfalls of participation in sports, particularly in youth and collegiate levels. But don't you worry, even if you aren't into sports, the discussion was largely relevant to all areas of life. Megan also provides some insight …

SPOILER ALERT FOR EPISODE 1 OF SHE-HULK on Disney+. Shayna and Kathy explore all things anger while also chatting about the new She-Hulk tv series. We explore stigma around anger, how people manage anger differently, and sometimes very poorly, and also give some strategies for managing anger. All this while exploring how the Hulk Family manages ang…

Kathy and Shayna talk with Ryan (our editor and also the love of Shayna's life) about Stonemaier Games. You may recognize some of the games, such as Tapestry, Viticulture, Wingspan and Scythe. Shayna and Ryan are board game fanatics and got to geek out discussing some of their most favorite games ever. Ewok and Jawa (two of Shayna's cats) make an a…

This episode is a little different. Shayna decided that she wants to try her hand at being a Dungeon Master and she helps Kathy (a total D&D newbie) create a Dungeons and Dragons character. What does this have to do with mental health? Lots actually- but in this case- Kathy and Shayna are going to start playing some self-care D&D. You will hear Sha…

Join us for this bonus episode for Harry Potter's birthday. We talk about trauma and identity and floating baby head tattoos. In honor of Harry's birthday, please consider donating to organizations fighting for rights of transgender individuals. Here at Mental Mages, we know that trans woman are women and trans men are men and all people should be …

Shayna and Kathy are joined by Sam Mitchell. Sam has autism and runs his own podcast called, Autism Rocks and Rolls. He was diagnosed at the age of 4, and today at 20 years old, is a well-known podcaster, entrepreneur, writer, podcast coach, international public speaker, TEDX Speaker, and Executive Director of Autism Rocks and Rolls NonProfit 501c3…

Arnelle (Shayna's bestie) and Matt (Kathy's husband) join Shayna and Kathy to talk video games. Matt and Kathy bring the Gen X perspective, and Shayna and Arnelle weigh in as Millennials. And believe it or not, there are some very real mental health benefits to playing video games. Citations and Resources: The Psychology Behind Video Games During C…

To round out Pride Month Shayna and Kathy are joined by Shelby Bouck to discuss queer representation in Young Adult Literature. Shelby has a Masters degree in library and information science is a voracious reader and is obsessed with YA literature. Randomly, we have mild spoilers for the 2003 thriller, Identity. 100% of the profits from the sale of…

Trigger warning- discussion of homophobia, suicidal ideation Shayna and Kathy and joined by Carly and Rachel to talk LGBTQ+ representation in media. In honor of Pride Month and in the face of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation we felt it was important to highlight mental health issues impacting the community. We explore the history of LGBTQ represe…

This episode contains mild spoilers for Steven Universe. Shayna and Kathy are joined by Arnelle and Ana to discuss the optimism, pain and wonder of Steven Universe. It is quite the roller coaster. Silly at times, heartfelt, deep... just like Steven Universe. Citations Here Comes a Thought Video- https://youtu.be/Hz5yPxr0HJ8 https://lgbtqia-characte…