ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In this episode, Dr. Mariana sits down with Dr. Sydney Conroy, a therapist, writer, educator and researcher focused on mental health, trauma and play therapy. Sydney earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she studied the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and collective trauma recovery. She is also the creator of the Soft Academia Planner and the Soft Academia advice column on Substack.
Together they talk about what it takes to break family cycles as the first in your family to do it, why perfectionism follows us into that work, and how to stay gentle with yourself along the way.
In this episode:
How Sydney went from existential phenomenology to play therapy, and why she works with children
What play therapy is and how toys become the words and play becomes the story
How to start breaking generational cycles, and why naming emotions is a small first step
Why a boundary is your behavior, not a request for someone else to change
The difference between guilt ("I did something bad") and shame ("I am bad")
Discussing Sydney’s Research about Generational trauma and family roles in Disney's Encanto. (Conroy, S. (2022) 'Narrative matters: Encanto and intergenerational trauma', Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 27(3), pp. 309–311. doi:10.1111/camh.12563.)
Asking "What is the gentlest, most beautiful way I can do this?"
Celebrating your wins instead of treating them as obligations
Handling rejection in academia and on the job market without letting it define your worth
What collective trauma is and how to find your "lane" in recovery
Sydney's Soft Academia newsletter and her dream projects: a children's book and collective trauma reflection cards
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CREDITS: Host, Founder, Podcast & Social Media Creative Director, and Theme Song Writer: Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño (@marianaql.science) Podcast Editing and Social Media Content Creation: Bhumika Manjappa (@coffee_and_cognition) and Dr. Mariana Quiroga Londoño
