On this episode, I sat down with Phyllis Leavitt to discuss America's Mental Health this week. We dig deep into why her new book America in Therapy is so timely.
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When I became a psychotherapist, I never imagined I would one day be entering a “political” arena. But the more I worked with widespread family dysfunction and its horrifying legacy of pain and violence, the more I realized that the greatest threat to our survival as a country and as a species is our declining mental health.
I knew what we learned about healing family violence can and must be applied to healing America. I felt compelled to leave the confines of my office and speak to a broader audience. I wanted to share my message of urgency to get ourselves on a path of healing, and I wanted to share a message of Hope that we can restore ourselves to Safety, Peace, and Love by healing the wounds we have suffered and the wounds we have inflicted that keep a cycle of violence going. I wrote America in Therapy for all those hungry for this message.
I graduated from Antioch University with a Master’s in Psychology and Counseling in 1989. I co-directed a family-based sexual abuse treatment program called Parents United in Santa Fe, New Mexico, until 1991 and then went into private practice full-time for the next 30-plus years.
I have worked extensively with abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics, their aftermath, and some of the most important elements for healing. My focus today is on my latest book, America in Therapy: A New Approach to Hope and Healing for a Nation in Crisis.
I have also published two other books, A Light in the Darkness and Into the Fire, which chronicle my personal healing journey.
I live with my husband in Taos, NM, and I am retired from my psychotherapy practice, focusing on writing and speaking.
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