In this episode of Restoring Us, Melanie and Kevin talk about why working with kids can be so meaningful and how child therapy often helps the whole family system.

Episode Chapters

12:56 - Play as a natural healing process

18:13 - What parents should expect from child-centered play therapy

25:51 - The three main goals of child-centered therapy sessions

31:17 - The phases of play therapy and what families may notice over time

38:40 - How therapists make sense of play and bring meaning back to parents

42:52 - The closing challenge: 30 to 45 minutes of child-led play

Recommended Resources

• You’re on Fire, It’s Fine: Effective Strategies for Parenting Teens with Self-Destructive Behaviors (Katie K. May)
• Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to be (Dr. Becky Kennedy)
• Child Therapy is Family Therapy (Melanie Freeland, LPC)

Note: Books mentioned in this episode contain affiliate links to Bookshop.org. Purchases made through these links support the podcast and independent bookstores!

Learn more about us at www.restoretherapycollective.com

Follow us on Instagram: @restoretherapycollective

Connect with the Hosts

• Melanie Freeland - Website | Psychology Today
• Kevin Dykstra - Website | Psychology Today

Restoring Us is a space to slow down, take a breath, and explore topics related to mental health, therapy, and self-care. In each episode, therapists with Restore Therapy Collective in Grand Rapids, Michigan, explore ways to restore yourself and your relationships. Whether you're navigating a tough chapter, looking to understand how you function in the world, or just need a reminder that you're not alone - you are welcome here.

Please follow us here as well as on our Instagram @restoretherapycollective. You can find out more about our practice at www.restoretherapycollective.com.

Music Attribution: 2.22.2026 - 3 guitars, uplifting buildup by RhysTemple54 -- https://freesound.org/s/846011/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

This episode of Restoring Us is a roundtable conversation led by Mel and Kevin with Jen Hutchings and Krystal LaCoy. The group explores how to tell gut instinct apart from anxiety or trauma responses, why body awareness matters, and how values, patterns, and community input can help people make better decisions.

Episode Chapters

01:20 - First prompt: when did your gut instinct save you?

09:27 - What is gut instinct?

16:48 - How therapists help clients distinguish intuition from trauma responses

26:33 - Values as a key tool for understanding trusted action

32:28 - The relational tension between selfhood and outside influence

39:35 - Raising kids to trust their instincts and bodily autonomy

48:45 - Final takeaway framework

Recommended Resources

• The Gift of Fear (Gavin de Becker)
• No Bad Parts (Richard Schwartz)
• Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Overwhelming Thoughts and Feelings into Your Greatest Allies (Alison Cook PhD. & Kimberly Miller MTh LMFT)

Note: Books mentioned in this episode contain affiliate links to Bookshop.org. Purchases made through these links support the podcast and independent bookstores!

Learn more about us at www.restoretherapycollective.com

Follow us on Instagram: @restoretherapycollective

Connect with the Hosts

• Melanie Freeland - Website | Psychology Today
• Kevin Dykstra - Website | Psychology Today
• Jen Hutchings - Website | Psychology Today
• Krystal LaCoy - Website | Psychology Today

Restoring Us is a space to slow down, take a breath, and explore topics related to mental health, therapy, and self-care. In each episode, therapists with Restore Therapy Collective in Grand Rapids, Michigan, explore ways to restore yourself and your relationships. Whether you're navigating a tough chapter, looking to understand how you function in the world, or just need a reminder that you're not alone - you are welcome here.

Please follow us here as well as on our Instagram @restoretherapycollective. You can find out more about our practice at www.restoretherapycollective.com.

Music Attribution: 2.22.2026 - 3 guitars, uplifting buildup by RhysTemple54 -- https://freesound.org/s/846011/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

This episode explores how the postpartum period reshapes both the individual and the couple, especially when one partner has given birth and the other has not. Melanie and Kevin are joined by Haley Yatros and Krystal LaCoy to talk about identity shifts, relationship strain, and why postpartum often lasts much longer than people expect. We discuss the emotional and relational realities that can show up after a baby arrives, from sleep deprivation and hormone changes to resentment, attachment shifts, anxiety, and the pressure to “bounce back.” The conversation centers on normalizing how different this stage can look for every couple and why support matters for both partners.

Episode Chapters

08:06 - Rapid fire: “Nobody warned me that postpartum would blank”

10:09 - How parenthood changes both partners in different ways

17:32 - How postpartum changes the identity of the couple itself

27:15 - Mental health concerns can emerge or intensify during pregnancy and postpartum

32:02 - Preparing for mental health struggles during pregnancy

43:14 - Don’t wait if postpartum does not feel right - support and treatment

Recommended Resources

• And Baby Makes Three (John Gottman PhD. & Julie Schwartz Gottman PhD.)
• Gottman Card Deck

Note: Books mentioned in this episode contain affiliate links to Bookshop.org. Purchases made through these links support the podcast and independent bookstores!

Learn more about us at www.restoretherapycollective.com

Follow us on Instagram: @restoretherapycollective

Connect with the Hosts

• Melanie Freeland - Website | Psychology Today
• Kevin Dykstra - Website | Psychology Today
• Hailey Yatros - Website | Psychology Today
• Krystal Lacoy - Website | Psychology Today

Restoring Us is a space to slow down, take a breath, and explore topics related to mental health, therapy, and self-care. In each episode, therapists with Restore Therapy Collective in Grand Rapids, Michigan, explore ways to restore yourself and your relationships. Whether you're navigating a tough chapter, looking to understand how you function in the world, or just need a reminder that you're not alone - you are welcome here.

Please follow us here as well as on our Instagram @restoretherapycollective. You can find out more about our practice at www.restoretherapycollective.com.

Music Attribution: 2.22.2026 - 3 guitars, uplifting buildup by RhysTemple54 -- https://freesound.org/s/846011/ -- License: Creative Commons 0