Penny Waller Ulmer, Registered Psychologist. SP Practitioner.

08/23/2025

08/10/2025

https://stellocare.com/journal/chatgpt-5-controversy-are-we-too-dependent-on-ai-for-emotional-support

Expert insights on chatgpt 5 controversy: are we too dependent on ai for emotional support? from verified mental health professionals at Stellocare.

07/26/2025

Why Therapists Need Competency in Dementia-Related Caregiving

Caregivers often experience dementia-related grief, shifts in relationship dynamics, role burden sandwiched between generations, and frustration as they witness the progression of disease in a loved one. These experiences are complex, cumulative, and deeply personal.

Research has linked dementia caregiving to higher rates of depression, anxiety, cardiovascular strain, disrupted sleep, and early mortality.

Caregiving is rarely just a set of tasks. It reflects a living relationship, sometimes grounded in closeness, sometimes shaped by unresolved hurt, obligation, or ambivalence. Understanding these emotional and relational layers can help therapists attune more fully to what each caregiver brings into the room and what the caregiver's needs are: stabilization, regulation, processing, and exploration of meaning.

This is not a peripheral area of competence. As dementia rates rise, the mental health field must be prepared to support caregivers with the same clinical depth, clarity, and respect that we offer in trauma work, grief counselling, or identity-focused therapy. Gaining competency in dementia-related caregiving is essential to ethical, effective, and compassionate practice.

Registered Psychologist and Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist

07/21/2025

04/09/2025

Sometimes, it's best to bite your tongue. Veteran-parents often recall their time with rose tinted glasses - that's fine, for you. New parents are experimenting parents, just like you were. Let them.

"Thanks for caring, but...."

Unsolicited advice comes from all directions. Usually well-intended, but it can feel critical and make us doubt ourselves.

Depending on who is giving the advice...

🌻 You may feel comfortable telling them how their advice makes you feel.

🌻 You may have to set a firm boundary.

🌻You may choose to remain quiet. (let it go?)

🌻Do you have any good responses that have worked for you?


Illustration from "What About US?" Familius
Written by Illustrated by

04/09/2025

Does this apply to you? 👇

You get so caught up in doing what feels “productive” or “useful” to others that you forget to do the things that bring you joy.

This is because we often get stuck into the types of things we “should do” (which drain our energy) and the things we “shouldn’t” (which are actually for us and make us feel better).

Is feeling better a valuable endeavor? Are we allowed to pursue joy in our lives? I think we are. Amazingly, doing something that bring us joy often also let us complete what we need to with a bit more energy and ease.

At the center of this is something I'm keen on—boundaries.

Since I specialize in setting boundaries, shame resilience, and healing trauma, over the years I’ve created a series of online courses that offer evidence-based tools and information, grounded in the work I do daily with my clients.

🎉 I’m turning 40 this month, and I decided to celebrate this milestone by offering you 40% off all my online courses. Go to embodiedpsychology.thinkific.com, pick the course that most resonates with your journey, and use the the code: 40for40.

I hope that this discount is the encouragement you need to set aside some time for yourself, and know that I'll be cheering you on.

04/09/2025

An open heart invites an open mind. People don’t need more direction as much as they need more connection. Lead with compassion. ❤️

Quote Credit: ❣️

Follow & for more

03/24/2025

❤️

03/21/2025

In our busy modern world we NEED LESS;; our children need less. We need to quit glamorizing "being busy" and slow down.

One of the best things you can do for your children is to involve them in what you are doing at home.

🌱 Involving children in housework teaches them responsibility from a young age. They learn that being part of a household involves contributing to its upkeep and functioning.
🌱 Working together on housework fosters a sense of teamwork and cooperation within the family. Children learn to collaborate with others, share responsibilities, and contribute to the common good.
🌱 By participating in housework, children gain an appreciation for the effort that goes into maintaining a home.
🌱 Accomplishing tasks and contributing to the household can boost a child's self-esteem and sense of competence
🌱 Engaging in household chores helps instill a strong work ethic: diligence, perseverance, and completing tasks.
🌱 Housework can also be an opportunity for quality family time and cultivates a sense of "belonging." Working together on tasks provides moments for conversation, sharing stories, and connecting with each other

👇To listen to the Child Psych Podcast, type PODCAST to get a link or to watch the video episodes type YOUTUBE 👇

🎙️Learn more about how to help your child thrive in today’s world; subscribe to THE CHILD PSYCH PODCAST hosted by our co-founders, Tammy Schamuhn & Tania Johnson.

🎙️ This podcast brings you the top parenting & children’s mental health experts in the world. We will educate and inspire you with the most current research & strategies to help foster emotional resiliency & healing in your child or the children you work with.

🎙️Most importantly, we’re here because we need to raise a generation of children who don’t need to recover from their childhoods.

03/21/2025

After more than thirty years in the trauma field, I’ve watched our understanding of trauma transform and our approaches to treatment become gentler and more effective. Along the way, I have had the good fortune to have been taught by or worked alongside the giants in the field of psychological trauma: first, Judith Herman, then Bessel van der Kolk, and Pat Ogden. And as much as these pioneers taught me, the most powerful and gifted teachers I have had are my patients. These survivors have given me a window into the inner experience of the legacy of trauma, taught me what always to say and what never to say, and helped to validate or disprove what the experts were claiming. It has been a privilege to learn with them and from them.

We now understand that trauma’s imprint is both psychological and somatic: long after the events are over, the body and mind continue to respond as if danger were everpresent. We hold what happened as a ‘living legacy’ of emotional and body memories that keep the trauma alive for decades. My professional mission has been to bring this understanding of trauma to both clients and their therapists as a psychotherapist, consultant, and trainer of clinicians looking for answers to helping their traumatized clients. I believe the key to healing is not knowing what happened but transforming how our younger selves still remember it. When we accept the child we once were and welcome them into our minds and hearts, we can finally heal.

01/11/2025

Understanding why a client feels "stuck" or like different parts are at odds can be very helpful. The theory of structural dissociation in Janina's offering here, helps explain how parts can show up - trauma can cause us to split our experiences into parts—like a protector, an avoider, or even a part stuck in the past. This isn’t "bad" or "broken"—it can be the brain’s way of coping. In therapy, parts can be explored and together. My training with Janina Fisher has deepened my ability to help clients work gently with these parts to build a sense of peace and connection.

For my colleagues, Structural dissociation offers a practical framework for understanding how trauma impacts the self. By recognizing and working with distinct parts of a client’s experience—each with their own roles and memories—we can tailor treatment to address underlying conflicts, build cohesion, and promote integration. Training with Janina Fisher has been important in shaping my approach, helping to engage clients with curiosity and compassion while fostering self-awareness and internal connection.

01/11/2025

As a Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapist, Certified Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Consultant, and Alumni Learner frequently supporting new students in the trainings or their consultations, I have an obvious bias toward Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) because I’ve seen how effective it can be. It’s an approach I truly endorse, as it offers body-based techniques that help clients process injury, wounds, & trauma and reconnect with themselves in a profound way.

Take your practice to the next level with Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Integrate therapeutic techniques and learn accessible interventions for identifying and working with disruptive somatic patterns, disturbed cognitive and emotional processing, and the fragmented sense of self.

Our upcoming Sensorimotor Psychotherapy trainings are tailored to equip you with advanced skills for addressing trauma, attachment, and the mind-body connection.

Join a community of dedicated professionals committed to transforming how we approach healing.

Trainings begin soon— enrollment is open!

Apply Today – www.sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/sp_trainings