Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/1XzJRRU 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human:

Amazon

https://youtu.be/VUHCdFHTE3U 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/39QkouS

Sleep Pod Bib:

Aluminum and alzheimer’s: Is there a connection? (n.d.). BrightFocus Foundation. Retrieved July 21, 2025, from https://www.brightfocus.org/resource/aluminum-and-alzheimers-is-there-a-connection/

Chong, P. L. H., Garic, D., Shen, M. D., Lundgaard, I., & Schwichtenberg, A. J. (2022). Sleep, cerebrospinal fluid, and the glymphatic system: A systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 61, 101572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101572

Reddy, O. C., & van der Werf, Y. D. (2020). The sleeping brain: Harnessing the power of the glymphatic system through lifestyle choices. Brain Sciences, 10(11), 868. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10110868 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:  

https://a.co/d/bYq4sgq 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human.

Amazon

https://a.co/d/gBz6HP1 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human.

Amazon

https://a.co/d/eVUL6gA

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Pick up the Psych with Mike book, Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human.

Amazon

https://a.co/d/inpCrpc

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/10dtj8p

Kendall Hunt:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/aNFqO40

Kendall Hunt:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/74MgaA6

Kendall Hunt:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/8PsQHH2

Kendall Hunt:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/i3U3viO

Kendall Hunt:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342 

Is reality the same for all of us? The answer is no! Not only that, but reality is actually different for every single human being on the planet!

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human:

https://a.co/d/37zENTk 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human.

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/74mNSLe

Kendall Hunt:

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide To Being Human

Amazon

https://a.co/d/8MJvdL2

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide To Being Human

 Amazon

https://a.co/d/65jo4Zs

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

The Psych with Mike and Brett book:

Amazon

 https://a.co/d/252XXLs

Kendall Hunt

 https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342

Check out the Psych with Mike and Brett book!

Amazon

 https://a.co/d/9tzd6wE

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon

https://a.co/d/1mKmZAn

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342 

Grab a copy of the Psych with Mike and Brett book from one of the links below!

Amazon

https://a.co/d/fZBl8h5

Kendall Hunt

https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/psych-with-mike-and-brett-michael-mahon/1147148144?ean=9798385147342 

Boundaries and confidentiality are important cornerstones to the therapeutic rapport in the psychotherapy relationship. Violations are harmful to the therapeutic relationship and a potential legal threat to the practitioner.

Get the new Psych with Mike and Brett book here.

Amazon https://a.co/d/8zolzEk

Kendall Hunt https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human 

Brett and I are excited to announce that our book is out! We have written 10 chapters divided into three developmental stages. We cover infancy/childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Topics covered are emotional development, self-esteem, personality, and many more. We hope you pick up a copy and find the information enlightening and useful.

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide To Being Human. https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/psych-mike-and-brett-users-guide-being-human 

Almost everyone who has ever had a family has experienced some kind of estrangement. Sometimes it's a little thing that grows out of proportion. Sometimes it's a big thing that contributes to generational trauma. Whatever the reason, these situations can have profound long-term effects. Check out the video to learn effective ways to navigate family estrangement. 

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

https://a.co/d/8pdxdFa 

Have we returned to our pre-pandemic normal? Should we even be able to expect that to happen? What do the answers to those questions mean to the psychology of our society going forward?

https://news.gallup.com/poll/612230/four-years-say-covid-pandemic.aspx

Even those in the professional field of psychology may not know much about cluster A personality disorders. This episode is a must-watch if you want to learn more about them and how to identify them.

What is the difference between indoctrination and brainwashing? Are they interchangeable terms and what is the agenda of those using this language?

https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/the-differences-between-indoctrination-and-brainwashing-092b8c18ce3e

Setting up a new therapy practice, whether you're just out of school, leaving an agency, or separating from a group, can be nerve-racking and scary. Here are some thoughts on how to navigate these challenges. Brett and I wish great success and prosperity for all the souls on the journey.

Personality are the enduring characteristics and behaviors that we use to adapt to life (this is the clinical psychology definition). Defense mechanisms are then a part of our personality. When defense mechanisms become malignant and maladaptive, this can become a personality disorder. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel 5-TR, personality disorders are grouped into clusters that represent a common pattern of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. Narcissism is in cluster B on the DSM.

Our society has a significant issue with age and a negative perception about getting older. As you can see by the title, this is so prevalent that there is actually a term for this fear, Gerascophobia. The real problem and even irony of this is that the only solution is to NOT get older which is unrealistic or even impossible. So, we condemn ourselves to a perpetual state of anxiety and dread. But this need not be the case. There is a growing body of research about getting older, maintaining our quality of life, and maybe even being happy.

https://psyche.co/ideas/rather-than-fearing-getting-old-heres-how-to-embrace-it

The therapeutic relationship is intense by definition. Clients have to be courageous enough to make themselves vulnerable by sharing information about themselves that they may not share with any other person. Sometimes this leads to the client developing feelings for the therapist and in some cases, these feelings may be sexualized. In psychology, we call this sexualized transference. Practitioners need to know how to handle such situations with care and professionalism.

It is also important for clients to know that this situation is fairly common. And that they can express such feelings in a way that can be therapeutically helpful. The article below can help clients understand and process these feelings.

https://www.verywellmind.com/help-ive-fallen-in-love-with-my-therapist-2337585#:~:text=What%20Is%20Transference%3F,positive%2C%20negative%2C%20or%20sexualized

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders edition 5 Text Revision (DSM 5-TR) is the current version of the diagnostic manual for mental health professionals in the U.S. The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association. Codes in the DSM 5-TR have been revised to be compliant with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) published by the World Health Organization (WHO). There are over 70 diagnoses in the DSM, however, only 15 are routinely used by mental health professionals. The top ten most frequently diagnosed mental health disorders of 2023 are listed in the Definitive Healthcare article below.

Introduction to the DSM and ICD https://nbcc.org/exams/dsm#:~:text=The%20preface%20to%20the%20DSM,%2D5%2DTR%2C%20pp.

Includes list of the top ten diagnoses in mental health in 2023 https://www.definitivehc.com/blog/most-common-mental-health-diagnoses 

The US Surgeon General recognized loneliness as an epidemic in 2023. The report is linked below. Why is this the case? People are more connected through electronic media than ever before, yet they feel more isolated and lonely. Clearly, these online connections cannot take the place of real in-person experiences. This is a lesson that is important for us to understand and accept to be able to work towards a resolution to the epidemic of loneliness.

 https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/connection/index.html

Self-esteem is clinically defined as the global perception of self—that is, how one sees oneself. It is difficult to access/change self-esteem itself because it is a global perception. So when therapists work with clients on issues of self-esteem, what we do is work on issues of self-confidence, or as Albert Bandura called it, self-efficacy. Self-confidence/self-efficacy is the domain-specific perception of self. For example, an individual may have played a sport from a very young age. In high school this person may be fairly confident in their ability in the domain of the sport they play but still have low overall self-esteem because in the majority of other domains, the individual operates in, they feel very insecure. When any individual has high confidence in the majority of domains they operate in, their self-esteem will rise significantly.

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

https://a.co/d/943bGdq

Stanford Study

https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/08/ai-chatbots-kids-teens-artificial-intelligence.html

 MIT Study

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/02/1122871/therapists-using-chatgpt-secretly/ 

Brett and I have discussed existential psychology and Viktor Frankl many times. Every time, I say, "We need to do a show about that." Well, today is that day! We will discuss Dr. Frankl and his experiences in the concentration camps. We will also explore how Dr. Frankl's theories help inform us as therapists to help clients deal with/process their pain, trauma, and frustration.

In a recent episode, Brett and I talked about ethics in the practice of counseling. A corollary topic is that of boundaries. Helping clients find their own boundaries is a fundamental task in therapy. However, therapists need good boundaries themselves to create a healthy therapeutic environment as well as model boundaries for the client. In this episode, Brett and I will explore how to help clients find their own boundaries.

How are ethics different from statutes and/or laws? Why do ethics matter? How do you know if your interpretation of ethics is correct? This episode will answer all those questions and more!

Adolescence has only been considered a stage of human development for about 125 years. H Stanley Hall is credited with defining this stage of development in 1904. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most societies viewed individuals as adults when they were able to procreate (were going through puberty. In what ways is the adolescent brain different from that of a child or an adult?

Death and dying is difficult for most people to talk about or even think about, even though it is the only experience other than birth that every human is guaranteed to experience. In this episode, Brett and I share our thoughts about having an empathic conversation about this difficult topic. We also share our views on how to treat/work with those who have experienced loss.

Empathy is defined as the ability to feel the emotions of another as if they were your own. It is a powerful tool for understanding and improving our relationships. It is also an essential quality in the therapist-client relationship. 

Emotional Intelligence is a concept in psychology that describes the capability to regulate one's own emotions and to accurately interpret the emotions of others. The four pillars of Emotional Intelligence are:

1. Perceiving emotions
2. 2. Reasoning/labeling emotions
3. 3. Understanding emotions
4. 4. Managing emotions

Attachment and bonding are essential to the health of our relationships and play a vital role in the development of emotional regulation. To find out more, check out this episode. 

As psychotherapists, Brett and I have had literally thousands of conversations with clients about guilt. It is one of the most common issues that people deal with. But what do you know about guilt and its cousin, remorse? In this episode, Brett and I will break =down the difference between guilt and remorse and common sense ways to cope with both.

It is now universally accepted that trauma (both acute and chronic) has real biological impacts on the brain. Today Brett and I discuss how to treat and even heal trauma.

Psych with Mike and Brett: A User's Guide to Being Human

Amazon: https://a.co/d/4lD4oJp 

Surgeon General Report: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

Teens, Screens, and Loneliness: https://www.generationtechblog.com/p/for-teens-the-loneliness-epidemic 

Rollo May (1909-1994) is one of the true greats in the annals of psychology. Even though he was integral in the evolution of existential and humanistic psychology, he remain a grounded and modest man. This may be why his name is so well known but his achievements may not be. He routinely brushed shoulders with men like Maslow, Rogers, and Frankl, true legends of psychology. His writings, especially the book, "Love and Will" sound like they were written today and not in the mid-1960s. Enjoy.

https://www.rollomay.net/

In therapy, clients often disclose significant/important information just as a session is ending. Today we discuss why this happens and what therapists must know to handle these situations appropriately/therapeutically.

In Kohut's Self Psychology, mirroring is an important concept integral to developing self-esteem and emotional regulation. Mirroring is also important in the therapeutic relationship. Listen to find out more.

Rumination, or feeding thoughts (usually negative) back on themselves in a vicious loop, is something all of us have experienced in our lives. Sometimes, rumination can become a stumbling block, and when that happens, people may need help getting out of that rut.