Grief is something every person experiences, yet many people struggle to talk about it openly. In this episode of The Clinical Moment, Casey Baker and Amy Davis sit down with LSI art therapist and grief counselor Mandy to explore the many forms grief can take beyond death alone. Together, they discuss loss of safety, identity, dreams, relationships, health, and independence, while unpacking common misconceptions about the “stages” of grief.

Mandy shares compassionate insight into how grief impacts the mind and body, why healing is rarely linear, and how rituals, connection, and understanding can support the grieving process. Whether you are personally navigating loss or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers validation, education, and hope.

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If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to The Clinical Moment, leave a review, and share this conversation with someone who may need encouragement and support in their own grief journey.

Emily shares her clinical perspective on boundaries through a cognitive behavioral lens, while also discussing practical strategies clients can use in everyday life. From understanding the difference between requests and boundaries to navigating discomfort, pushback, and feelings of guilt, this conversation offers meaningful and approachable tools for personal growth.

You’ll also hear Emily introduce the Stoplight Method ,a simple yet powerful framework to help identify when boundaries may be needed and how to implement them effectively.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why boundaries are not requests

• Why setting boundaries can feel uncomfortable or selfish

• How to respond when others push back

• The Stoplight Method for identifying boundary needs

• Using CBT strategies to challenge irrational thoughts

• How boundaries improve relationships and reduce anxiety

Whether you're navigating relationships, work dynamics, or personal growth, this episode offers practical guidance and encouragement for building healthier boundaries.

The conversation explores common misconceptions about trauma, the ways trauma can manifest in the body and mind, and why responses to traumatic experiences vary widely across individuals. Dhavy discusses practical clinical approaches including somatic awareness, trauma timelines, and person-centered engagement to support clients in understanding their experiences and moving toward healing.

The episode also addresses the emotional toll trauma work can have on clinicians, highlighting the importance of professional support, self-compassion, and recognizing early signs of burnout or dysregulation. Throughout the discussion, Dhavy emphasizes resilience, reminding listeners that healing is possible, even after complex and long-standing trauma, and that progress often begins with small, meaningful steps.

This episode offers valuable insights for clinicians, helping professionals, and anyone navigating their own healing journey.

Link to Dhavy's Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/dhavy-patel-des-moines-ia/1495524

The conversation expands into healthy relationships more broadly. Michael discusses what makes relationships emotionally safe, how communication breaks down, especially around trust injuries, and how couples can shift from reactive conflict to clearer needs, empathy, and repair. Along the way, he connects music and voice as metaphors for authenticity and expression, and he discusses creative tools that support youth in telling their stories in new ways.

Resources mentioned in the episode

• Norcross and Lambert on psychotherapy outcome factors, including the role of client factors, the therapeutic relationship, and technique
• Child and Adolescent PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) used as part of initial assessment and conversation with youth
• ACEs, Adverse Childhood Experiences referenced as a parallel lens for understanding history and impact
• Gabor Maté and Compassionate Inquiry for trauma framing, with emphasis on what happens inside as a result of what happened
• Suno AI music creation tool used to support youth expression through lyric-writing and song creation
• Commissioned gospel music group Michael listened to growing up
• Helped, Hugged, or Heard communication check-in tool for couples

Listen to Michael's music here:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4zvwoNQdQYsfRhOE01gXej?si=qELrm3jyRJOXRUBg3gYwZg

https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-letter/1858486891?i=1858486892

Resources Mentioned in the Episode

Books & Authors

• Atomic Habits — James Clear
• How Not to Speak of God — Peter Rollins
• The Case for God — Karen Armstrong
• Hour of the Heart — Irvin Yalom
• A Year with Thomas Merton — Thomas Merton
• The Existentialist Survival Guide — Gordon Marino
• Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

Concepts & Approaches

• Values clarification / values card sort (narrowing down values and creating a personal values statement)
• Identity-based habit change (language + identity shift)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (acceptance + values-based action)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) (dialectics; coping strategies; “urge surfing” referenced)
• Solution-Focused “Magic Wand” question (imagining desired change)
• Time audit / screen-time review (where time goes vs. where you want it to go)

Practical Tools Discussed

• 5–4–3–2–1 grounding: 5 things you see, 4 feel, 3 hear, 2 smell, 1 taste
• Texture grounding: noticing tactile sensations (clothing, chair, objects)
• “Go touch grass”: literal reconnection with the present moment outdoors
• Sour candy grounding: lemon drops / sour candies as a quick sensory reset
• Accountability supports: trusted people, mentorship, community support (12-step mentioned as one example—acknowledging it isn’t for everyone)

Both hosts work within Lutheran Services in Iowa, a statewide nonprofit with more than 160 years of service and a growing clinical team of over 40 therapists providing care across Iowa through in-person and telehealth services. This podcast was created to highlight the people behind the clinical work and to make mental health conversations more human, relatable, and accessible.

In this episode, Amy and Casey introduce themselves, reflect on their roles in clinical services, supervision, and education, and discuss the value of authenticity, collaboration, and ongoing growth. They share how The Clinical Momentgrew out of real conversations between colleagues and why creating space for reflection matters.

Listeners will also hear what to expect in future episodes, including monthly themes such as self-care, relationships, trauma awareness, stress, creativity, and professional development. Each episode will feature LSI clinicians sharing their practice, passions, and lived experience with an emphasis on honesty over perfection.

This podcast is for clinicians, students, clients, and anyone interested in mental health and meaningful connection. The episode closes with a preview of the first guest clinician and an invitation for listeners to engage, ask questions, and join the conversation.