Beyond the Brain: How Metabolic Psychiatry Is Transforming Mental Health Care | LHSFT Classic

This episode originally aired on May 21, 2025 (Episode 67), and I’m bringing it back because it changes the way we treat our clients’ mental health diagnoses. Metabolic psychiatry invites us to look beyond the mind - to the brain, the body, and the biological energy systems that make healing possible. I’m joined by Nicole Laurent, a licensed mental health counselor, founder of the Brain Fog Recovery Program, and a leading voice in metabolic psychiatry, to explore how chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and mitochondrial dysfunction may be driving the mental health symptoms we’ve been trying to treat with insight and coping skills alone. Nicole breaks down what a medical ketogenic diet can do that medications can’t, and why more clients with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia are experiencing full psychiatric recovery when metabolic interventions are part of a coordinated treatment plan. We also talk about her personal recovery journey, what therapists need to know before discussing ketogenic interventions, and how to practice ethically and within scope when clients bring this into the therapy room. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 What Full Psychiatric Recovery Really Looks Like 02:55 Understanding Metabolic Psychiatry: A Clinical Overview 11:20 How Metabolic Dysfunction Drives Mental Health Symptoms 15:43 What Ketogenic Diets Do That Medications Can’t 22:42 Nicole’s Personal Story of Cognitive Recovery 27:07 Real-Life Transformations: From Surviving to Thriving 31:10 Scope of Practice, Ethics, and Building Treatment Teams 43:12 GLP-1 Medications vs. Ketogenic Intervention 46:41 What Makes a Medical Ketogenic Diet Different 50:50 How Nicole’s Nonprofit Expands Access to Care If this topic made you rethink how you understand “treatment resistance,” you’ll want to stay in touch because Nicole is joining me for a free CEU webinar on Metabolic Psychiatry this November. We’ll dig deeper into the science, the ethics, and how to start thinking metabolically in your own clinical practice. It’s one of the most important conversations we can be having right now, and I’d love for you to be part of it! If we’re not already connected on LinkedIn, let’s fix that! I share new opportunities, therapist reflections, and honest behind-the-scenes thoughts on the work we do. I’d also love to stay in touch and hear how these ideas are landing for you. What did it bring up for you? Are you starting to see your clients, or even yourself, through a new lens? Share your reflections with me - let’s talk! xoxo, Dr. Lisa Marie BobbyGrowing Self