A Hero's Welcome Podcast
Welcome to the Hero's Welcome Podcast, your ultimate guide to understanding the incredible world of mental health! Join us on this inspiring journey as we delve into the hearts and minds of the unsung heroes behind this transformative therapeutic approach.
Hosted by Maria Laquerre Diego, LMFT-S, RPT-S, and Liliana Baylon, LMFT-S, RPT-S, two dedicated mental health & play therapist advocates with a profound passion for well-being, the Hero's Welcome Podcast is your gateway to unraveling the extraordinary world of mental health.
Join us on this enlightening journey as we spotlight the remarkable contributions of mental health therapists. Our podcast is a dedicated platform for showcasing the profound impact of mental health and emotional well-being. In every episode, we bring you engaging interviews with esteemed experts and seasoned practitioners who share an unwavering commitment to harnessing the healing potential of mental health.
Hosts:
Maria Laquerre-Diego
maria@anewhopetc.org
Liliana Baylon
liliana@lilianabaylon.com
A Hero's Welcome Podcast
🏰 Embracing Anger with Dr. Dana Wyss
Unlock the secrets of managing anger and aggression in therapeutic settings with Dr. Wyss, our esteemed guest, and expert in play therapy, marriage and family therapy, and art therapy. Discover how her extensive experience in high-stress environments like foster care and psychiatric hospitals has equipped her with unique strategies to transform intense emotions into productive therapeutic outcomes. Dana provides invaluable insights into maintaining stability and safety amidst emotional turbulence through her innovative methods, such as the Invisible String. Join us as she prepares for her exciting presentation at the Play Therapy Disney Bound conference in Disneyland, where her passion for teaching others to balance safety and containment will be on full display.
Explore the complexities of embracing anger in therapy, especially within school settings, where emotions can be deeply tied to grief and adjustment. Dana shares her philosophy of recognizing anger as a purposeful primary emotion rather than a symptom to be suppressed. With a focus on separating emotions from behaviors, she highlights the role of play therapy as a vital communication tool for all age groups, including couples and families. Get a glimpse of her creative techniques, like building volcanoes, designed to make learning informative and enjoyable. This episode promises practical advice and engaging strategies to empower therapists and listeners to embrace and understand anger in a therapeutic context.
A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon
continue. Welcome back listeners to another very special bonus episode of a Heroes Welcome podcast. I am your co-host, Mariela Caradiego, and I am with my never angry co-host, Liliana.
Speaker 2:Bailon. I mean, like never such a strong word, but this is definitely Liliana Bailon. Hey, thank you for being here. We're so excited we're having another bonus episode promoting this Well, not promoting Disney, they don't need promotions but promoting the conference that is happening at Disney. The Maria is hosting and we're here with a lovely guest. Donna, how do you want to introduce yourself to our audience?
Speaker 3:Hello everyone. I am Dr Dana Weiss. My young clients refer to me as Dr Dana. I think that's the only part of my name they can get out correctly and I'm so excited. I was so jealous. I am in California and I was so jealous last year when I could not participate. My dad's birthday and this event coincide with each other. I think they believe I'm coming home for his birthday again this year and I've been very clear I'm not because I am going to Disneyland this year. I don't think they believe me, so it'll probably be day of and I'll be with you. Maria and my dad will be like why aren't you home?
Speaker 1:Are you on your way? What's happening? Where are?
Speaker 3:you. So last year I missed out and I'm so excited not just to be there but to be able to present this year. It's super exciting and I am a play therapist, a marriage and family therapist and an art therapist. My degree was in marriage and family therapy and art therapy and I did that for many years, got my doctorate in expressive therapies. And then I say this on every podcast Tammy Van Hollander, it's all her fault, I became a play therapist. It's not just her fault, but also writing the Invisible String workbook and my association with the Invisible String has also that kind of prompted me to move into the play therapy world and one of the best decisions I made in my life.
Speaker 1:And now I'm going to Disneyland of the best decisions I made in my life, and now I'm going to Disneyland. It all comes back. It all comes back. I love that. Yes, so this is, you are speaker for year two of our Play Therapy Disney bound conference, which I am just tickled pink that you said yes, when I was like hey, I mean I know it's a hard sell hey, would you want to go to Disney with me and like, call it work, that's a real tough sell. But tell us a little bit about what your session's going to be on. And in case people haven't registered yet, I think I'm like down to 12 seats. There is like a minute left for you to still join us. But what are you sharing with our group?
Speaker 3:So first I have to say I think you asked me like 10 times if I really wanted to do it.
Speaker 3:And I was like, like you got the words out, like Dana, I'd like you to talk in, and I said yes, before I even knew you're saying Disneyland. But like I was a yes before you even asked me. And then I feel like you asked if you like, are you sure? And I was like I just sent you a list of the things I want to do in my talk, like, did you not see my list? That I've been dreaming. So I am so excited and I'm super excited that I got anger, um, as the emotion that I get to dive into. Um, because that is something that I have worked with my whole career.
Speaker 3:Most of my experience is in working in de-escalation and aggression. I've been in you know kind of working in the foster care system and group home and psychiatric hospitals for most. I say most of my career now, because now I'm in private practice and I'm going to say just as much anger in private practice as was in all of those environments. But I really, and for some reason, maybe because I also feel lots of anger a lot of times, I don't know, but for some reason I am able to hold space in a way that is really uncomfortable for other people when people are raging, when people are in really big, scary situations. I have been able to be an anchor for them, and I just want to share some of the ways I do that while still also staying safe, because I think that's really a big mismatch people have.
Speaker 3:It's like either I get scared by the anger and I just want to shut it down, or I'm not sure how to contain it at all. I let the person go and I don't know what to do and I maybe put myself in danger, and so that balance is such a delicate dance and it's also really overwhelming for people, and I just have some kind of ability to sit in it and have been able to for a long time, and I think the last 13 years of my career has been just training other people how to do this well, and I was still in the group home setting, so still doing it and working alongside with people, but, um, yeah, so that's a little bit about how we got to this topic, and I'm super excited to share things I've done, things I haven't done. We have some new fun things I want to try that I haven't been able to.
Speaker 1:Awesome, that's awesome. Yeah, no, it's, it is. I think you know. I think, dana, when I think about what you just shared, I think one of the things that comes through for me is that, both in the invisible string and hope and the ones of grief, and with their talk on anger, your focus is being an anchor when everything else feels so unsteady and big right. I think that that's a common thread that I see in you know, I've been to some of your talks too and like that is. It is like how do you maintain being safe and stable so that they can do what they need to and then have the skills to help bring them back into their window of tolerance? So yeah and yeah. I absolutely asked you 10 million times because this is another episode topic, but like imposter syndrome, I'm sorry, dr Dana said yes to me. Are you kidding me, are you sure? Are you sure? Sure, sure. How many times can I ask you if you're sure before? I'm just like, just make the reservation. Maria put her name on the thing, do it?
Speaker 3:That is just. It also, like what you just said, which I appreciate so much about the anchor is so funny because, you know, patrice Carson and I just did a podcast with Carmen, did a podcast with Carmen, amazing, amazing. And Patrice has been sharing a lot about her experience of writing the Invisible String, which is a book all about connection and love and her experience of not having a lot of that when she was growing up and we've kind of talked about that experience with her and like kind of putting out in the world what she hasn't gotten in. What you just said makes me think about like I have big emotions and I have moments where I get angry and people call me intimidating and call me scary and it's like I need anchors and like so it's like becoming that person for other people that we need for ourselves, which hopefully helps that become it for ourselves, because you can't always have that right, you can't always find that in other people.
Speaker 3:But I think that that's such an important part and probably why I have such an attachment to helping people through anger and helping people experience that, because they know it is a really scary thing for a lot of people for many different reasons. You know, aggression is scary. Let's be real, blood is scary and sometimes, when there's anger and aggression, blood happens. And for some reason, like I, can handle those things. I mean my dissertations on self-injury, I just wrote a workbook about suicide loss. I mean I dive into kind of these deep, hard topics a lot, so there's something in me allows me to just sit in these.
Speaker 2:And I so appreciate this topic, right Like there's. Now it's becoming the theme of everyone talking about working with migrants, which I so appreciate because I was like I cannot be the only one. But one of the problems that I deal with the school settings is that when a kiddo has that journey, anger shows up and it makes sense. It's tied to grief, it's tied to adjustments, it's tied to the unknown and, unfortunately, most school settings struggle with anger because they want to tame it automatically and there is a purpose to have anger. So, of course, for any therapist who's listening to the podcast today, you need this training so that you can see the child and then just focus on the symptom, which is the anger.
Speaker 3:Absolutely it's like that delicate balance of allowing the anger a space without it consuming everything. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and it's just becoming more and more right. I know I'll age as I do. I feel I was listening to our podcast and I was like I feel like I do this pretty often. I'm going to age myself.
Speaker 1:So in school, right for programming, it was anger is a secondary emotion. You need to see past the anger to like what's driving it and it's like okay, but anger is also just a primary emotion. Can we just acknowledge that we have anger and anger serves a purpose. It's not bad, right, like I think we're all walking away from inside out and inside out to that, feelings are not bad. Our behavior is going to be questionable and might not be tolerated in certain settings, but the emotions are valid and they're important. Communication that, if we are.
Speaker 1:If our first response is just to dampen it down, especially as clinicians, what is that message that we're giving that person? Right, that that's somehow wrong, you're not safe. This is not okay. Right, and I get it. In the school setting, they have other things that are going on, but in a clinic room, in a therapy room, a school setting, they have other things that are going on, but in a clinic room, in a therapy room, I really do think it's on us to be the safe person for them to feel these emotions, without adding shame, without trying to dim it down and build up those skills so that they can manage it outside of our room.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and for both of you, right, you just named for again all the listeners which is there's a difference between the emotion and the behavior, Yet we tend to sum it up as one when that is not the case. So I love that you're going to be talking about this and all the clinicians not only having a blast being in line with other clinicians while we are, you know, talking about Disney and Disney characters and ruined Disney princesses for me last year. Shout out to Jessica. Thank you, jessica. I will never see Disney princesses the same. You're welcome. That's not true. I learned so much, but I did give Jessica grief for it.
Speaker 1:I think that's part of it right, like part of the drive about doing this at Disney is to you know I mean, if you know anything about me, pop culture is my language and it's furthering that step right. Play therapy, we say, you know, play is a child's language, play is anyone's language. Like, if we look at people's behaviors and their play or their lack thereof, it's communication. And so often I keep running into clinicians, play therapists, who don't play, they don't play themselves, right. And so for me it was like well, if we do this at Disney, you don't have any excuse, Like one you're going to drink the Kool-Aid and the Disney magic hits you.
Speaker 1:And every you're going to come home withool-Aid and the Disney magic hits you. And every you're going to come home with extra ears and like all the things, all the pins and all the pins, and my hope is that one. You're learning new information, but you're integrating it as well and you're giving yourself permission to play for your own pleasure and enjoyment, because we're losing that right. And so I think it's really powerful, dana, for you to come in and be like yes, and we're going to take one of the big strong emotions and we're going to talk about that. I think that it's incredible, but tell us, can you give us like a sneak peek, what is something that they might walk away with? That would be new information.
Speaker 3:Well, one you just touched on it a little bit is that my work and my practice spans the lifespan. So I do art and play for all ages, I do couples work, I do family work, I do adults, I do teenagers, I do children, and so my talk is not going to be only about how to use this with children, but how do you integrate some of these activities into couples work, into other places? Which is a talk I did for another group was adult work with play therapy and how to you know, obviously, navigate it and talk about it. I talk about it a little bit, not for everybody actually. I have a client who is full of play therapy and we have fun, but there are people who the play is hard for them, which is part of why they're struggling and coming to me for couples therapy, and so part of the talk is really about that piece of it, like how do we really use these tools in age appropriate ways that feel comfortable for people throughout the lifespan?
Speaker 3:And then I would say the other piece of it is leaning into a little bit of science, a little bit of art and a little bit of play in the activities. So I can maybe tease that there might be some kind of volcanoes happening that you may have never seen before. There may be some explosions, but I'm going to have to talk with Maria to just find out and make sure we have a space where I can do this, where we don't get kicked out. I've been on lists before.
Speaker 1:You don't want to be on Disney's bad list.
Speaker 3:There may be explosions. If we can find the right place, I will figure it out one way or another. There's going to be a way to kind of integrate this and think about also like that balance right. Like there are some like I'll give an example I have. We'll call them lightsabers, but they're really pool noodles which everyone has in their office. There are clients that the pool noodles are great tool for that have anger and need to get it out, and there are clients who have anger and need to get out and the pool noodle is not a great tool for them. It escalates them more, it makes them feel out of control, and so we'll also talk about the navigation of that Like what am I doing that may make something worse or more out of control instead of help them release it and think about that. And then tons of resources. I mean I've read a ton of great books, so there are things that I will give the group that kind of like a resource list that they can take with them and continue learning.
Speaker 2:How lucky for all of you who are going to go and play. Even though you're an hour in line to get a game, the hour goes really fast because Maria is able to organize and people start like texting each other so they can hold online Like it's an awesome experience. All of you are going to have a blast. I did it last year and, yeah, me and my son, who was 21, like we were getting up early and going and play. We had a blast. He's bummed that we're not going this year, but again we will go next year. Thank you, thank you for for doing this. I am so excited to see all the pictures, because now I'm like I know you're gonna have to go and find anger in Disneyland and then take a picture. Um, that's gonna be so awesome. Um, any other last thing that we want to share with them before we let you go? Um, adia and Donna for me.
Speaker 1:I mean, I get to use these special episodes to also just like very loudly say thank you, thank you for being a part of this. I know it's not really a hard sell, but it is also. It's different and you're still very much taking a chance on me and this new event, much taking a chance on me and this new event, and that does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. And the way you said anger so fast when I was like, hey, if I do Inside Out, which anger I want anger. It just lights me up because I think that's the other thing is that you can tell you're very passionate and very proud of the work that you're doing and I'm just so thankful that this will be another opportunity for that to reach a new audience. And I mean that means that we get to go play in Disneyland together for a week. Dana Like.
Speaker 3:I mean, it's a it's a hard job I have. I can't tell you how many people have been like wait, your job is about to be in Disneyland. Yes, it is. Yes, it is my friends.
Speaker 3:I feel so honored to be asked and I think when you asked me it was right when I was in the heart of finishing Hope and the Winds of Grief workbook, which is a it's a children's book and a workbook related to suicide loss, and I was on the anger section, I believe. And really because we kind of went through the winds of grief that we identified that our characters go through and we had kind of done sections for each of the different emotions that happen and activities that can match, which really could be used for any of the emotions is the secret, but we just kind of categorize them for people to help out. But I was right in the middle of doing the anger suction and doing some of the activities with my clients and I was like, oh my gosh, this will be so fun. I also forgot to mention there could be smashing involved. So I'm just going to throw that last little teaser out.
Speaker 1:I love that. I love that I'm going to go check my liability insurance with Disneyland.
Speaker 2:And for all of you who are listening, not only you're going to learn, you're going to play. There's going to be a lot of experiential exercises, as we have named here. And then the other thing is that you're going to eat so well, not your first heat, like from all the food that we get from breakfast, lunch snacks. We were so surprised last year. We were like this is a lot of food and good food. One of the few conferences where I was taken care of from the beginning to the end. So, thank you, maria. I envy both of you because I'm not going to be there this year again, but I cannot wait to see the pictures. All of you are going to have a blast. So please, listeners, go and get those last seats that they're available. Hurry up. This is what, less than two months away, yeah, Well, it's a little bit more.
Speaker 1:A little bit more depending on when this comes out, but yeah, we're getting close. We're getting close, depending on when this comes out, but yeah, we're getting close, we're getting close. I'm already like finishing up swag and like doing all the things with the pins and yeah, it's go time, so don't wait.
Speaker 2:So thank you again for listening. We will put all the information in the podcast. Thank you for saying yes, Tana. I cannot wait to hear anything more about it and hopefully you'll come back and talk to us more about your new projects.
Speaker 3:Yes, I would love to Thank you all so much. Thanks Till next time.
