Dr. Courtney Wells is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Pivot Psych Chicago, specializing in trauma-focused care for individuals and couples. In these clips, we discuss how trauma is best understood by its impact rather than by specific events, how survival strategies that once protected someone can later become rigid patterns, and how therapies like ACT help people change their relationship to internal experience. We also explore the role of naming and psychological distance in reducing distress, how different trauma treatments approach healing, and why meaningful change often requires tolerating discomfort rather than trying to eliminate it.

Dr. Alan Levy is a psychoanalyst and psychodynamic psychotherapist practicing in Northfield. In these clips, we discuss how psychoanalytic therapy differs from other treatments, the role of curiosity and exploration in understanding emotional suffering, and how the therapeutic relationship has evolved into a collaborative partnership between therapist and patient. We also explore core analytic concepts such as transference, countertransference, and the unconscious, and how bringing greater awareness to emotional patterns can help people better understand themselves and their relationships.

Tovah Means, LMFT is a co-owner of Watch Hill Therapy, a Chicago-based group practice specializing in complex trauma and dissociative processes. In these clips, we discuss dissociation as a survival response, developmental vulnerability to trauma, the role of safety and shame in treatment, and how clinicians can think more clearly about trauma responses without rushing or oversimplifying the work.

Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein, Senior Rabbi of Am Shalom in Glencoe, joins Brandon Gimbel for a conversation about the shared work of care. They discuss how clergy often serve as the first point of contact for people in distress, the discernment involved in knowing when to refer for professional help, and how mindfulness, prayer, and community foster healing and balance.

Tory Krone is a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Proactive Therapy, where she specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In these clips, Tory and Brandon Gimbel explore how ACT builds psychological flexibility, how it differs from traditional CBT, and why values—not symptom relief—often guide the most meaningful change.

Maggie Schwalbach is the founder of North Shore Executive Functioning and an ADHD-certified coach. In these clips, we talk about what executive functioning really means, why it’s not just about focus, and how coaching helps overwhelmed students build structure, manage time, and reduce shame.

Dr. Lisa Novak is a licensed clinical psychologist and the co-owner of Illuminate Psychological Assessments. In these clips, we talk about how to explain testing to kids, how to handle uncertainty in diagnosis, and why awareness - both in clinicians and in children - is at the heart of good neuropsychological care.

Jason Price is a licensed marriage and family therapist and the co-founder of Affiliates in Counseling, a large group practice based in Northbrook. In these videos, we talk about how long-term couples can heal from accumulated hurt, how early attachment patterns show up in adult relationships, and how small, consistent efforts can strengthen connection over time.

Carl Jerome is a longtime colleague and the director of North Shore Meditation and Dharma Center. In this conversation, we talk about what mindfulness actually is, what the goal of meditation is, and how mindfulness can help.

Michael is a longtime colleague and the founder of Glenview Counseling Group. In these short videos, we talk about metaphor, CBT, and the kinds of care Glenview Counseling Group provides - with an emphasis on clarity, connection, and trust.

Dr. Melanie Santos is a clinical psychologist and the founder of the Chicago Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders. In these videos, we talk about how exposure and response prevention (ERP) differs from general CBT, how safety behaviors can get in the way of progress, and what thoughtful care looks like when treating OCD.

True Mind + Body, along with its sister company The Art of Well-Being, is a wellness practice rooted in yoga therapy, mindfulness, and movement-based healing. In this conversation, Brandon Gimbel speaks with co-founders Melissa Novack and Caroline Novack, and head inMotion therapist Mike Gortowski, about how they developed the practice, how movement-based therapy supports both children and adults, and how mindfulness shows up in their work - not just as a technique, but as a way of approaching care.