This season of In Between Sessions has been filled with practical tools, meaningful conversations, and gentle reminders that therapy is just one piece of your mental health journey. In this solo season finale, Lili looks back on the themes that came up again and again: from the power of small daily practices, to letting go of perfectionism, to finding joy and creativity as forms of care. She also shares her personal takeaways from Season 1, and what might be in store for Season 2.

We’d love to know what’s stood out to you, too. Please fill out the feedback form. Your input will help shape Season 2!

Lili’s info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

Season 1 Feedback Form

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

In this episode, Lili is joined by clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Ashley Clausen for a compassionate and practical conversation about how trauma, stress, and anxiety can disrupt sleep, and how to begin healing that relationship. They talk about the pressure to get the “perfect” eight hours, what to do when your thoughts race at night, and how gentle behavior shifts can help your brain feel safe enough to rest.

Whether you’re navigating insomnia, nightmares, or just want to understand your sleep patterns better, this episode offers supportive and science-backed ways to approach rest.

Ashley’s info:

Website - http://heartlandneuropsych.clientsecure.me/

Lili’s info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

Content creator and performer Glenn DeVar joins Lili for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, mental health, and the complicated role that social media plays in our lives. Glenn shares how daily hikes in Los Angeles help him manage his mental health, why cooking has become a grounding ritual, and how his drag-inspired “country boy” persona unexpectedly turned into a thriving online community. Together, they explore body image, coping strategies that actually work, and the resilience it takes to navigate criticism in such a public space. This episode is an honest, thoughtful look at how we can reimagine our relationships with social media.

Glenn’s info:

TikTok: @glennydevvyy Instagram: @glenndevar YouTube: @GlennDeVar

Lili’s info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

Today’s guest is Pam Hausner, a mindfulness meditation teacher who weaves together wisdom traditions, creative practices, and community care to help people meet life’s joys and sorrows with presence and compassion.

In this conversation, Pam and Lili talk about how mindfulness can help us navigate suffering, build resilience, and reconnect with the creativity that keeps us alive to possibility. They explore what it means to stay rooted in compassion even in the face of uncertainty, and how practices of presence can bring healing not just to ourselves, but to the communities we’re a part of.

RESOURCES:

Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness https://mindfulness-alliance.org Check out the Midwest Alliance for Mindfulness resources page

Insight Timer meditation app https://insighttimer.com Pam’s Restorative Focus Course on Insight Timer

HealthyMinds https://hminnovations.org/meditation-app

Lili’s Blog Post on Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

Pam’s info:

Website: https://www.pamhausner.com/ TikTok: @phausner Instagram: @pamhausnermindfulart

Lili’s info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

In this episode, Lili talks with Madoka Koguchi, who is a performer, community builder, and co-founder of Yukari KC, a nonprofit that creates spaces for people with shared Japanese heritage through inclusive gatherings and cultural events.

Madoka shares her journey from New York to Kansas City, and how the search for belonging, identity, and creative expression shaped her work. She and Lili talk about what it means to hold multiple identities at once, how community and culture intersect, and the ways we can make space for ourselves, even when we’re still figuring things out.

Yukari KC @YukariKC @madoka_koguchi

Yukari KC's Japanese Summer Festival Sunday, Aug. 31st from 4pm-9pm Location: Merriam Marketplace

Cafe Ca Phe

Lili’s info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

In this episode of In Between Sessions, Lili is joined by the multi-talented Alie B. Gorrie (artist, educator, and disability advocate) for a conversation about how creativity can support mental health outside the therapy room.

They talk about trying new things without needing to be good at them (pottery, anyone?), how creativity can offer relief from anxiety, and the important distinction between therapy and things that are therapeutic. Alie B. shares what she’s learned from her work in arts in medicine and how cultivating “third spaces” and playful creative rituals can be healing in ways you might not expect.

Whether or not you identify as an artist, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t need to do it “right”, you just have to do it in a way that feels accessible for you.

Resources Shared:

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Jen Waldman

Kickstart Creativity Deck

The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Alie B.’s info:

Website: https://www.aliebgorrie.com/

Instagram: @aliebg

TikTok: @aliebgood

Lili’s info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast TikTok: @lilitorrecounseling www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Therapist and podcast host Lili Torre, LPC is joined by trauma therapist Sarah O’Keefe, LPC for a refreshing conversation on embodiment, aging, and the lifelong process of connecting with our bodies. Sarah shares how her work with trauma survivors has informed her understanding of how the body holds experience, and how practices like bird-watching, community building, and intergenerational connection can help us relate to our bodies in more compassionate and expansive ways.

This episode offers wisdom, curiosity, and a perspective you might not have heard before, especially if you’re navigating trauma, exploring your relationship with your body and aging, or looking for new ways to slow down and feel more present in your life.

Resources shared by Sarah:

The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Virginia Sole-Smith

Burnt Toast Podcast

“You are Not Considered a Whole Person After a Certain Age” episode of Burnt Toast

Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

Let’s end ageism TedTalk

Audubon Society

Greater KC Chapter of Audubon Society website and instagram

Sarah’s Contact Info:

https://www.wonderwithincounseling.com/ Sign up for her quarterly(ish) newsletter to stay up-to-date on all of her amazing work!

Lili’s Contact Info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

In this episode of In Between Sessions, host Lili Torre, LPC, explores the surprising connection between tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and mental health. She’s joined by performer, parent, and founder of Tipsy Bard KC, Justin Barron, who shares how TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons have helped him build community, encourage vulnerability, and create meaningful immersive experiences for others.

Listeners will also hear insights from Darbi Keene, LCSW and Certified Therapeutic Game Master, who uses TTRPGs in her clinical work with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ clients. Together, these conversations reveal the therapeutic potential of play, and why fantasy worlds can help us grow, heal, and connect in real life.

Resources for finding a therapist:

Psychology Today

Therapist.com

Mental Health Match

Justin’s Contact Info:

Website: tipsybardkc.com

Instagram: @TipsyBardKC

TikTok: @TipsyBardKC

Upcoming Tipsy Bard Events:

Sept. 20th: Return to the fun and fantastical world of Camp Wannarollacrit to explore the "Dungeon of the Death Flame." Expect tons of amazing minis and terrain, fun outdoor activities to earn scout badges, and of course, a unique homemade adventure requiring teamwork and the power of friendship to prevail! All are welcome - regardless of experience level.

Oct. 5th: Venture into the exciting new Daggerheart system for "Into the Witherwild", a dark and whimsical world of magic and danger. The focus for this event will be on learning/teaching the system in a safe space with themed food, drink, and music. Jump on board for what many are calling the next D&D.

Tickets for both of these events are on sale now at tipsybardkc.com. While there, be sure to sign up for their newsletter so you don't miss future events!

Darbi’s Contact Info:

Fill out a consultation form at www.walkingwithwildflowers.com

Reach out directly via email at walkingwithwildflowersllc@gmail.com

Lili’s Contact Info:

Email - inbetweensessionspod@gmail.com Instagram: @inbetweensessionspodcast www.lilitorrecounseling.com - reach out to schedule a free 15-minute consult for therapy!

The conversations on this podcast are meant to support, inspire, and inform, but they’re not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Listening to this show doesn’t create a therapeutic relationship. If something you hear resonates and you’d like more support, consider connecting with a licensed mental health professional in your area.

You can search for a therapist at psychologytoday.com.

If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.