Experienced and well-known psychotherapists have been brought together by the Irish Council for Psychotherapy and are here to spread awareness and bust myths with their brand new podcast series, Psychotherapy Off The Couch.
The discussion around mental health has probably never been as loud as it is now after what we've all been through over the past year. Between working from home, anxiety from the news and restricted social interactions, it's no surprise that many people struggled with their mental health and have considered psychotherapy. And it's always such an important conversation to have.
So, the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (
ICP) has brought together some experts for a brand
new podcast series to help us understand it better, bringing us a unique insight into the recent pandemic and the mental health issues of our time.
Psychotherapy Off The Couch will become a useful resource for people who want to learn about psychotherapy and discover how it may help them. Hosted by clinical psychotherapist Stephanie Regan, the podcast series will feature an array of guests with a wide variety of expertise, exploring emotive, diverse and challenging topics which have traditionally never left the therapy room. It will give listeners a greater understanding of how to care for their inner worlds, which we've all probably realised in the last year, is vital.
The first episode is without a doubt relevant to each of us right now as it will feature psychotherapist, teacher and trainer Trish Murphy who will discuss the effects of the pandemic on our psyche. The episode explores bereavement, loneliness, relationships and the pandemic's impact on each generation, and will also offer up some advice on how we can emerge from this pandemic by focussing on our connections and relationship skills.
It's no surprise that isolation and loneliness are contributing to the intensity of what we're feeling. Trish talks about how this has contributed to heightened anxiety, eating disorders and issues with porn, namely with younger people. Trish explains, "It’s not necessarily that I’ve witnessed an increase in these problems, but an increase in the intensity of what young people are experiencing.
"The lonely journey of youth has certainly been exacerbated during the pandemic. With the under 17s, in particular, shouldering very complex and adult questions on coping with family pressures, keeping up with friendship groups and helping friends who have suicidal feelings."
Trish also goes onto explain the pandemic's impact on relationships and reaching out to each other once restrictions lift:
"The power of community and coming closer together is now so much more important than before the pandemic. It is something we almost need to re-learn how to do in order to forge closer bonds again. Reaching out in psychotherapy augurs well for all your connections and relationships."
Psychotherapy Off The Couch will be a six-part podcast series. The full list of episodes includes:
- Using Play as a Language in the Clinic of the Child with Joanna Fortune (May 20th)
- More Than Talk! How Psychotherapy Differs From Other Forms of Help with John O’Connor (May 27th)
- The Trouble with Relationships with Marie Walshe (June 3rd)
- Facing the Demons with Rob Weatherill (June 10th)
- The Question of Abuse with Eileen Finnegan (June 17th)
If you want to listen, you can find
Psychotherapy Off The Couch wherever you listen to your podcasts. The first episode with Trish Murphy was released on May 13th and the next five episodes will be released week-by-week after that. You can listen to the first episode
here.
