PODCAST · health
PSYCHO THERAPIST
by Renee Zavislak
Renée Zavislak, a licensed psychotherapist, counsels callers, teaches holistic wellness principles, and talks a lot of shit
Episodes
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EPISODE 120: UPDATE FROM RENEE!
WE'RE BAAAA-AAAAAACK! Well, almost. For now, Renée is back with an update. And, as with all episodes in which Renée is the guest, this one is unplanned, unedited, and a little unhinged. It's exactly what you're used to! Support the show
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EPISODE 119: RENEE
You know the drill: unplanned, unscripted, a bit unhinged. Renée has big news about some big changes. We'll let her explain... Support the show
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EPISODE 118: CLAIRE
Claire found a glass pipe at home when she was 10 years old and brought it to school. At that age, she had no frame of reference for her parents' addictions. "When other people were like, 'Dude, what's your mom on?' it really started to sink in," she explained to Renée. The violence and…
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EPISODE 117: LJ
"Things started to get hard...when I realized there were beauty standards," LJ told Renée. LJ was adopted from South Korea by when she was 6 months old. Growing up in Vermont, she found herself paradoxically situated between the progressive political spirit of the Northeast and its pervasive,...
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EPISODE 116: MEGAN
Megan's earliest memory is of being abused, and that abuse remained a defining feature of her childhood, along with significant neglect. She spent part of her childhood in foster homes, part with her grandparents, and part navigating her mother's mental illness and addiction. Her history is so...
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EPISODE 115: IMANI
Imani came to the show to talk about America's favorite symptom: anxiety. In the last few months, the anxiety that Imani has suffered since middle school has increased significantly, and she has no idea why. The question is particularly tricky because Imani has much less content than our usual...
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EPISODE 114: MIKE
The laughter starts at the very beginning this week. Mike is a brilliant storyteller with a particularly compelling voice, and he makes Renée laugh - a lot. But don't let his buoyant humor fool you: Mike has been through it. "I would just sit at home and cry," he explains of the long stretches of...
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EPISODE 113: HANNAH
When Hannah was seven months old, her parents sent her to live with a foster mother, and it would be four years before she was reunited with her family. The strangest part about this is that it wasn't strange at all; at the time, this was a common arrangement for Nigerian families in the UK....
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EPISODE 111: PAIGE
This episode talks in detail about rape. "I've actually been really scared to talk about these things," Paige told Renée as she started to tell her story and lose her breath. Paige had a relatively happy childhood and an appropriately "boy crazy" adolescence. Unfortunately, her first boyfriend…
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EPISODE 110: CHAD
"It's an abusive relationship sometimes," Chad told Renée. He wasn't talking about his love life - he was talking about his job. Chad, who brings equal parts strength and sensitivity to the conversation (not to mention a seriously soothing voice), works as a 911 Dispatcher, and, as he explains…
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EPISODE 109: JESS
Jess was raised in the Mormon church and was a perfectly happy child - until she was sexually assaulted by two neighbors at 11 years old. Even at that young age, she had the self-possession to report the incident, only to be told by the church that the assault was her fault. This was the origin…
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EPISODE 108: CHRIS
Chris had a happy childhood. He has an aspirational marriage. He loves his job. So what the hell is he doing on the show? Well, Chris had a happy childhood, but his brother did not, and this difference has strained their relationship to near estrangement - and that is what Chris is doing on the...
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EPISODE 107: TATIANA
"I remember dieting a lot," Tatiana explained to Renée about her childhood, recalling that her mother regularly told her "You'd look prettier if you lost twenty pounds." Her mother's constant criticism corrupted not only Tatiana's relationship with food but also her relationships in general…
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EPISODE 106: REAL TALK WITH RENEE
Hey everyone; this is Renée. The first thing you need to know about this week's episode is that it's not a real episode. It's a long-form placeholder. There was a bit of a disaster with tonight's episode (hint: the disaster's name starts with R and hosts the show), and you know there is no way I...
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EPISODE 105: JESUS
"Well now you've made it much more complicated!" Jesus told Renée when she offered an explanation for his social isolation. Indeed, Jesus came on the show hoping to promote his comedy and have a quick conversation - but you know Renée can't let him off that easily. Instead, she took Jesus on a…
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EPISODE 104: KIMBERLY
"I can't move past it," Kimberly explained to Renée, referring to the loss of her closest friendship. The loss of the friendship was complicated by the loss of a baby, and now Kimberly finds herself dealing with what she can best describe as "survivor's guilt." When she and Renée dug into the...
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EPISODE 103: JAYE
"I was just born sponge-y," Jaye told Renée, explaining her exquisite sensitivities. These sensitivities made for a challenging childhood, one that would have been difficult for any child given Jaye's emotionally neglectful and conflict-ridden home. Now a 37 year-old therapist in the UK, Jaye has...
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EPISODE 102: SAMI
Sami brings an issue to the show that no other guest has: he desperately wants to get a dog. Doesn't sound like a problem, right? It is for Sami, because when he thinks about becoming a pet parent, his mind immediately goes to the inevitable loss he will face when the dog dies. He is having the...
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EPISODE 101: ALLY
Ally, a former middle school teacher turned professional artist, has come to the show to talk about two of therapy's favorite topics: parents and boundaries. Specifically, Ally needs help setting boundaries with her parents - the trick is, she wants to do so without confrontation. Renée accepts…
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EPISODE 100: TORIE
When Renée asked Torie what she does for work, Torie responded, "Ugh. You're going to hate this. I'm a lawyer." This was only one of many times that Torie made Renée laugh out loud. Hilarious and whip-smart, Torie grew up in an "enmeshed" family that survived both her mother's brain tumors and…
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EPISODE 99: LAYLA
"I'm the mediator...I'm the oldest everything," Layla told Renée. While she is the oldest child in her immediate family and the oldest cousin in her extended family, Layla is the youngest guest we have ever had on the show. You'd never guess that from listening to her, though; she is wise beyond...
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EPISODE 98: CHRISTY
Christy reached out to Renée in a Q&A with this question: "My skin gets red and blotchy whenever I'm around cis men. What's going on?" Since Renée needed a lot more information before she could formulate an answer, she and Christy and decided to sort it out on the show. They look at Christy's...
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EPISODE 97: DEENA
"I don't really want to talk about this at all, but let's do it," Deena told Renée when they started talking. Deena, a performing artist, has a brilliant dry wit - but in this case she was only half-joking. She has a bunch of painful content that she'd rather ignore; fortunately, she's too smart...
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EPISODE 96: HALEY
Our first guest of the year is here to blow your mind. Haley was sex trafficked as a young child - by her mother. Now 31 years old and a mother herself, Haley comes to the show to tell her story and deepen her healing. She has done so much work already to break the many cycles of dysfunction into...
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EPISODE 95: NEW YEAR'S SPECIAL
Renée is back with one more episode of storytelling and psycho-education to kick off the new year. This week, she narrates the series of disasters that hit just as she was leaving Italy and makes meaning from the madness. Then, she answers listeners' questions about domestic violence, the ego…
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EPISODE 94: YEAR END WRAP UP!
Renée continues last week's series of episodes from Italy in trademark style: unplanned, unedited, and with a lot of words. This week, she talks about being a gluten-free vegan in the land of pizza and pasta before answering a few particularly interesting listener questions. Topics include why so...
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EPISODE 93: Q&A WITH RENEE
We take a break from our regular programming this week so that Renée can catch up on some juicy questions from listeners. Topics include fractured relationships, EMDR, phobias, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. And as always with Renée-only episodes, it's raw! No editing, no breath work breaks, just…
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EPISODE 92: MICKAYLA
Mickayla is a stand-up comedian, which makes her an excellent storyteller, and she has quite the story to tell - one she has never told before. She decided to come to the show after realizing that the trauma of her marriage is interfering with her new single life; she is constantly triggered in…
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EPISODE 91: MICHELLE
"I call it my 'splat from grace!'" Michelle told Renée. "My entire life turned upside down with my divorce." She isn't kidding. Michelle's marriage started out "fairy tale-esque" and devolved into an abusive nightmare over the course of 18 years. She comes to the podcast hoping Renée can help her...
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EPISODE 90: TRAVIS
Travis was diagnosed with both depression and ADHD as an adult, and recently his symptoms have intensified to the point that they are creating problems in his marriage and sabotaging his satisfaction with life in general. "I've stopped trying to pursue things that I want," he explained to Renée....
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EPISODE 89: ALYSSA G.
"I was the kind of kid that made friends with my bully," Alyssa told Renée. This didn't help her much, because the bullying was rampant. She was bullied at school all day, every year, only to come home to the biggest bully of all: her father. Add to that the facts that Alyssa grew up racially...
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EPISODE 88: MARK
"Here I am two years later and I still think about her every day," Mark told Renée, referring to his ex-wife. His first marriage survived his partner's affair and went on to produce two children before ending amicably in divorce. His second marriage came to a much pricklier conclusion, and Mark…
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EPISODE 87: BIANCA
Edited to add this note from Renée: Hey there everyone! The feedback on this episode has been intense already. I was aware when we aired it that this would be the case! Our guests are almost exclusively deeply vulnerable and eager for support. Bianca comes to the show in a much different place.…
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EPISODE 86: MICHEE
"I think I'm just a temporary person," Michee told Renée, explaining that she has never felt prioritized by friends or family. She describes her childhood as "toxic and abusive," with a controlling, unpredictable father and a loving but absent mother. She has struggled with all of her...
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EPISODE 85: BOBBY
When Bobby applied to be a guest on the show, he wanted help resolving the leftover emotional wounds from his childhood, which he described as one of "constant chaos, instability, and... abuse." Despite some intense breakthroughs in talk therapy, strands of trauma remained. But get this: a few…
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EPISODE 84: ALYSSA
"Emotions were a taboo thing in my house," Alyssa said when Renée asked about her childhood. And, get this: Alyssa is now a therapist. She raised in an invalidating environment by an emotionally misattuned mother and often absent father, but since then Alyssa has made it her job, literally and...
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EPISODE 83: DAN
Dan grew up in an abusive household with perfectionist parents who often asked him, "Why can't you be normal?" Not only did Dan feel misunderstood and disconnected at home, but he also struggled in social situations; his childhood was lonely. Now, at 41 years old, Dan has a loving wife, a happy...
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EPISODE 82: BRANDI
Last week's guest, Annette, shared with us late in the episode that she is in an abusive relationship, one that she is not quite ready to leave. So many people were moved by Annette's story, and some of those people reached out to Renée with questions about why it can be so hard to leave an…
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EPISODE 81: ANNETTE
"I have so many stories for you, you don't even know," Annette tells Renée early in this episode. And, wow, was she right. Fortunately for all of us, Annette is hilarious and smart and tells her story perfectly. This makes it easy for Renée to find places to go - so much so that a conversation…
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EPISODE 80: LISA
Lisa ordered diet pills through the mail when she was 15 years old, and that order became the cornerstone of a decades long eating disorder. She has completed an inpatient eating disorder treatment program, she attends ongoing outpatient therapy, and still she falls back into disordered eating...
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EPISODE 79: TOLU
On the heels of Andre's punchy episode, Tolu changes the tempo this week. If André was pop punk, Tolu is smooth jazz. His voice is gentle and comforting, and his spirit matches. Tolu doesn't have a childhood trauma story to tell, but he does have a problem he needs help with, and it just happens…
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EPISODE 78: ANDRE
Andre is a 47 year-old father of three who is "tired of being in survival mode." He comes to the show hoping Renée can help him resolve his persistent anxiety. And she can, but not before she and Andre discuss his childhood trauma, his first wife's death from cervical cancer, racism, parenting,...
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EPISODE 77: ELIO
"I'm just terrified to get close to anyone right now," Elio told Renée early in their conversation. When you hear their story, you will easily understand their terror. Elio wasn't sure what they wanted from coming on the show, but they certainly gave Renée plenty to work with. There have been a...
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EPISODE 76: JENNY
This episode starts with a few different bouts of uproarious laughter, and this definitely sets the tone for the episode. There is a lot of laughing, thanks to both our hilarious guest, Jenny, and also our inimitable guest co-host, Victoria. Jenny is beautifully colorful. Her stories are…
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EPISODE 75: KRISTIN
Kristin was kidnapped when she was 3 years old. Let's just start there. Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. In her 37 years of life, Kristin has endured almost every type of trauma one can imagine - attachment, sexual, medical, financial - and she has lived in over 40 different places, including...
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EPISODE 74: RENEE
Hey there, everyone. Renée here. As requested, I am back this week as the guest to take you on a wild ride through my romantic relationship history. Just a reminder that unlike our normal weekly episodes, those with me as the guest build on one another. So if you haven't yet listened to Episodes…
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EPISODE 73: YOLANDA
Yolanda grew up fearing two things, God and her mother, and she had the anxious, people-pleasing behavior to show for it! After losing her dad at 18, however, Yolanda ditched her "good girl" role for the first time. She has been back and forth ever since: between rules and rebellion, between...
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EPISODE 72: KENNY
When Kenny was in middle school, he participated in his first drive-by shooting. Not long after, he went to prison for the first time; ultimately he would serve 28 years. He was released 7 months ago and has come to the show to tell his story. Kenny and Renée talk about all of it - murder…
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EPISODE 71: LEANNE
"The more people that know, the better," Leanne told Renée after she narrated her devastating experiences as a patient in the Troubled Teen Industry, a network of therapeutic boarding schools and treatment centers that she first entered at 12 years old. This is the first time Leanne is telling…
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EPISODE 70: JOJO
By age 7, Jojo had already faced the very adult ideas of murder and self-loathing. Now in her early 20s, she is grounded, healing, and absolutely lovely. The story of how she arrived at said loveliness is fascinating, and lucky for us, she is here to tell it. She is here also to ask Renée why,...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does PSYCHO THERAPIST have?
PSYCHO THERAPIST currently has 112 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is PSYCHO THERAPIST about?
Renée Zavislak, a licensed psychotherapist, counsels callers, teaches holistic wellness principles, and talks a lot of shit
How often does PSYCHO THERAPIST release new episodes?
PSYCHO THERAPIST publishes regularly with 112 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to PSYCHO THERAPIST?
You can listen to PSYCHO THERAPIST on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts PSYCHO THERAPIST?
PSYCHO THERAPIST is created and hosted by Renee Zavislak.
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