Jedi Counsel

Heads Up From Your Friends at Jedi Counsel: This episode has lots of SPOILERS. This week, we recorded a podcast episode after seeing A Star Is Born. We opened up with some fun facts about the movie and then chatted about our overall impressions of it. Next, we discussed the depictions of mental health issues … Continue reading Episode 114 – Mental Health Themes in A Star is Born

We spoke to Dr. Sanjay Srivastava, a Professor of Psychology, about his research on personality and social dynamics, personality tests, the podcast he co-hosts (The Black Goat), and his blog (The Hardest Science). First, he told us about the interesting pathway that led him to where he is today. Next, we talked about the appeal … Continue reading Episode 113 – Personality Tests, The Hardest Science, & The Black Goat with Dr. Sanjay Srivastava

Katie spoke to Dr. Jack Arnal, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Zombie Science Instructor, about how he uses pop culture to teach college classes. First, he talked about the interesting pathway that led him to cognitive psychology and the similarities between teaching and stand-up comedy. Next, he shared how he got involved with the … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Episode 112 – Doctor Who and Psychology with Dr. Jack Arnal

We spoke to Dr. Joshua Grubbs, an Assistant Professor of Psychology, about his research on behavioral addictions (e.g., compulsive sexual behavior, gambling), narcissism, and religious beliefs. First, he told us about the interesting pathway that led him to clinical psychology. Next, he shared how his observations led him to fascinating scientific questions and nuanced answers … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Episode 111 – Addiction, Personality, & Religion with Dr. Joshua Grubbs

Note: This episode includes discussion of drug use, self-harm, and overdose deaths.   We invited Dr. Ted Bender, the CEO of Turning Point at Addiction Campuses, to talk to us about his expertise in the treatment of substance use disorders. The episode included an overview of the risk factors and consequences associated with addiction. We … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Episode 110 – Discussing the Opioid Crisis with Dr. Ted Bender, CEO of Turning Point at Addiction Campuses

Dr. Gina Hiraoka is a clinical psychologist with expertise in mental health treatment for veterans.* In this episode, we discussed misconceptions about treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (e.g., short-term vs. long-term decisions related to avoidance and exposure). Next, we talked about Crazy Rich Asians and Dr. Hiraoka’s experiences with (lack of) representation growing up. She … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 109 – Asian Representation in Crazy Rich Asians & Hamilton with Dr. Gina Hiraoka

Note: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault. We invited Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Leonardo Bobadilla, back to talk about his expertise in restorative justice for cases of sexual violence. The episode included an overview of a blog post he wrote titled Restorative Justice and the #MeToo movement: The Kavanaugh hearings as a case … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 108 – Restorative Justice & the #MeToo Movement with Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla

We invited Dr. Jonathan Corbin to talk to us about his expertise in memory research. We first asked Dr. Corbin’s thoughts on media claims about Dr. Ford’s allegations. He described current scientific knowledge about how memory works, including explanations of flashbulb memories, eyewitness testimony, false memories, repressed memories, and best practices for asking people about … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 107 – The Science of Memory and the Kavanaugh Allegations with Dr. Jonathan Corbin

We spoke to Dr. Andrea Letamendi, who is a clinical psychologist and the Associate Director of Mental Health for Residential Life at UCLA. In addition to her work helping college students with their mental health needs, she also admirably shares scientifically accurate mental health information with the public. She does this through co-hosting an amazing Batman … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 106 – Giving Away Psychology with The Arkham Asylum Doc, Dr. Andrea Letamendi

Hi folks! For suicide prevention month, we decided to take the week and chat just a bit about suicide. We started off by talking a bit about how we got involved in suicide prevention research and then talked about some of the causes of suicide and Dr. Thomas Joiner’s interpersonal theory of suicide. We finished … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 105 – Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 2018

Hello, Jedi Counsel listeners! In this episode, we talked about some of our favorite moments from the Netflix series Queer Eye and how they map on to concepts in the field of psychology. We talked about advice given in the show that is consistent with principles of behavioral activation for depression, exposure for social anxiety, … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 104 – Mental Health Themes in Queer Eye

We spoke to Dr. Patrick O’Connor, who was a pioneer in the use of geek culture (e.g., comic books, science fiction movies, video games) in therapy! He is a professor who uses innovative teaching methods like gamification of learning to engage students in his psychology classes. Dr. O’Connor has published and presented on his use of … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 103 – Geek Culture in Therapy with Dr. Patrick O’Connor

We spoke to Dr. Ali Mattu, who is a licensed clinical psychologist in New York City. In addition to treating individuals with anxiety and related disorders, he also does an admirable job of sharing accurate mental health information with the public. He does this through his YouTube channel on The Psych Show, through his blog on … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast Episode 102 – Sharing Psychology with the Public with Dr. Ali Mattu

Dr. Aaron Hanlon is an Assistant Professor of English at Colby College and a visiting scholar in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. He is a literary historian with expertise in the Enlightenment, 18th century literature, epistemology and the organization of knowledge, and fictionality. He also writes articles … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 101 – Science and Fiction with Dr. Aaron Hanlon

It’s our 100th episode of the Jedi Counsel Podcast! We are grateful for all of our listeners, readers, and other people who we have connected with through Jedi Counsel! Frasier Crane celebrated 1000 radio episodes with Frasier Crane Day, so we decided to celebrate 100 podcast episodes with Frasier Crane Day as well. We talked … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 100 – Frasier Crane Day

We spoke to Aryeh Cohen-Wade, who is the executive editor of bloggingheads.tv and meaningoflife.tv, the host of the podcast Culturally Determined, an excellent writer, and a funny tweeter. First, he provided us with some background on bloggingheads.tv and walked us through his podcasting process. Culturally Determined includes discussions of a broad range of controversial and interesting topics (e.g., cultural appropriation, the Rick & Morty … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 99 – Podcasting, Mental Health, & Humor with Aryeh Cohen-Wade

In this episode, we responded to super-interesting questions that we received through Twitter and e-mail from you all! We opened up by responding to a letter that The Black Goat podcast received (you should totally check out their excellent podcast about psychological science: http://www.theblackgoatpodcast.com/!). The questions ranged from whether it is appropriate to have a podcast … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 98 – Ask Us Anything

We are completely opposed to children being separated from their parents after crossing the border into the United States. The purpose of this episode is to 1) suggest resources with research and information on the long-lasting, damaging effects of parent-child separation and 2) suggest actions that you can take to fight this abhorrent policy. While … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 97 – Reunite Families who were Separated at the Border

We were profoundly moved after hearing about Dr. Janina Scarlet’s life story and her contributions to the mental health world. Dr. Scarlet was born in Ukraine and experienced radiation poisoning as a toddler due to the Chernobyl disaster. Then, she and her family experienced dangerous anti-Semitic threats until they were eventually granted refugee status. Once … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 96 – Superhero Therapy with Dr. Janina Scarlet

Hello, wonderful listeners. There was a lot of heartbreaking suicide-related news this week. We tragically lost Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain to suicide, and the CDC released a report showing that suicide rates have increased in the United States. This brief episode is about tending to your mental health needs, helping someone if they have … Continue reading Jedi Counsel Podcast 95 – Suicide in the News