It’s time for another podcast experiment, this time talking to a longtime client of therapy (not mine!) Madelyne Heyman (she/her), who also happens to be one of my very best friends and collaborators on musical projects. She also goes by Maddy. Madelyne comes from a background in arts and entertainment, with experience in performing, writing, and directing for the stage and screen. She has co-written and directed two original musicals, Weed Shop and Will You Accept This Rose: The Bachelor Parody Musical with Becker Grumet, which have been produced in LA and New York. She can be seen regularly performing in LA with her musical improv group, Adele Dazeem. In this episode, we touch on:Starting therapy while going through a crisis in collegeWhen the therapist’s style doesn’t work for youThe role of perfectionism in keeping people away from therapyWhen are we “done” with therapy?Receiving an unexpected ADHD diagnosis and de-pathologizing the stigmaQuestions and feedback always welcome, and if you’re inclined to join the conversation leave a comment! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit becker.substack.com

I started this project because I felt like I needed a place to get my thoughts out on being a new therapist, and maybe it would be interesting or helpful for my peers and colleagues? As I head towards graduation in September I’ve been wanting to set up intentional conversations with other trainees, recent grads, and associate therapists to see what I can do to follow in their footsteps, as well as continually find resonance in how odd and wonderful this work is.The podcast lover in me thought: “why not record these convos?” (shoutout to my friend Caitlan who generously agreed to recap Bachelor Nation episodes with me back in 2016, hence why I have podcast equipment).First up, enter the lovely and excellent Andrew Borden, who agreed to be my first podcast experiment for the new therapist in a segment? offshoot? I’m calling “Th x Th” as Th is the medical abbreviation for a therapist in our notes. Andrew and I met during my first quarter at Antioch in our graduate program and just graduated with their MA in Clinical Psychology! Here’s a bit more about them:Andrew Borden (he/they) currently works as a Mental Health Trainee at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Mental Health Services Department, and as a Content Ops Director at Wolfe, an exclusively LGBTQ+ film distribution company. They are also passionate about providing inclusive sex education to LGBTQ+ youth. Andrew holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles, with a specialization in LGBTQ+ Affirmative Psychotherapy, as well as a BA in Film & Digital Media from the University of California, Berkeley. When not dedicating their time to giving back to the LGBTQ+ community, Andrew is an avid yogi, horror film lover, concert-goer, video game player, dancing queen and “cat daddy”, who could spend hours talking about Jungian shadow work or Real Housewives in the same breath. Some things Andrew and I touch on in this episode:The experience of having a marginalized sexual and gender identity in psychology graduate schoolThe uniqueness of working at an LGBTQ+ specific training site That first session with a client: breaking down imposter syndrome Navigating seeing clients and working a full-time second jobFacilitating therapy groups at our training sites Rewards and challenges of “the work” Next up: getting the podcast directly on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you or someone you know would be interested in recording on Zoom with me for the series, please reply and let me know! Or any other feedback is greatly appreciated.If you liked this episode, feel free to subscribe for posts and the podcast directly into your inbox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit becker.substack.com