by Rhett Smith | Mar 21, 2019 | Podcast, Restoration Therapy
In this episode I spend some time in conversation with Terry and Sharon Hargrave. Terry is the founder of Restoration Therapy and is the Evelyn and Frank Freed Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary and Sharon is the Executive Director...
by Rhett Smith | Mar 4, 2019 | Intentional Living, Podcast
“for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) In this episode I reflect on the passage found in Genesis 3:19 that is repeated every Ash Wednesday. It’s a beautiful, but harrowing passage that reminds us of just how fragile and short our...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 28, 2019 | Intentional Living, Podcast
And he said, “Hagar, slave-girl, of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” Genesis 16:8 Where have you come from? Where are you going? Perhaps these are two of the most important and fundamental questions we can ask ourselves. I...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 13, 2019 | Anxiety, Depression, Podcast
I had the opportunity this last Monday to record a video on anxiety with another therapist, and one of the pastors at Preston Trail Community Church in Frisco. And then a few hours later, I talked to a group of parents at Legacy Christian Academy in Frisco about...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 7, 2019 | Intentional Living, Podcast
As I mentioned in a previous podcast, I thought I would take some time this year (on occasion) to stop and reflect on my reading of the bible, and how it connects at the intersection of theology and psychology. So in this episode I want to take some time and just...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 2, 2019 | Intentional Living, Podcast
It’s been about 5 months since my last podcast episode, as I was needing to take a break for a while why I focused on some other goals. But it’s time for a new podcast season, and in this episode I talk about some new topics I am going to explore this...
by Rhett Smith | Sep 19, 2018 | Intentional Living, Podcast
“Love consists in this, that two solitudes, protect and border and salute each other.” — Rainer Maria Rilke A couple of weeks ago my wife and I returned from a “marriage adventure” on the Inca Trail in Peru. This adventure (through...
by Rhett Smith | Sep 10, 2018 | Podcast
As many of you know from listening to my podcasts, or reading my blog over the years, is I’m pretty obsessed with the novels of Susan Howatch. Particularly her Starbridge Series of which I’m about to finish my 9th reading of the series in the last 15...
by Rhett Smith | May 23, 2018 | Anxiety, Depression, Restoration Therapy
“I want to create a clear roadmap for you for next steps, and how we can go about creating change in our therapeutic work together.” “You don’t need a bunch of tools to practice. You just need one or two that you practice over and over and over...
by Rhett Smith | May 23, 2018 | Anxiety, Restoration Therapy
On the night of October 18, 2015 I was unable to sleep. I tossed and turned all night, my mind filled with anxious thoughts, and an anxiety that I was unable to shake. The reason for all this anxiety was that at 7:00 am on October 19th, I would be running my first 50...
by Rhett Smith | May 20, 2018 | Anxiety, Depression, Restoration Therapy
The Hideaway Experience In October 2010 I was sitting “third chair” at The Hideaway Experience in Amarillo, TX. The Hideaway Experience is a four-day marriage intensive that I had decided to go check out after hearing about it from a colleague of mine. My...
by Rhett Smith | May 19, 2018 | Depression, Restoration Therapy
I have written extensively on various ways to work with people who are struggling with anxiety, but I find that working with people who are struggling with depression, to be quite different, and more difficult. The main factor that I have experienced is in the level...
by Rhett Smith | May 19, 2018 | Depression, Restoration Therapy
Often, when someone expresses anxiety in the context of the Church or Christian community, more than likely they will hear somebody, at some point, recite the famous words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6. “Do not be anxious….” is the beginning...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 22, 2018 | Depression, Restoration Therapy
Reframing Depression “What if this depression you are experiencing is helping inform you about your life? What if we listen to it together, it may give us some clues about what is going on with your life. Maybe it will give us some direction about what kind of...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 22, 2018 | Depression, Restoration Therapy
What Is Underneath Depression Like anxiety, one of the most difficult aspects of depression is trying to figure out what are the underlying roots of it. But without properly identifying its underlying roots it’s possible that one may see depression simply as a...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 22, 2018 | Depression, Restoration Therapy
When serving in ministry there are many opportunities to come in to contact with people who are depressed. I say this, because churches are often what I refer to as the “gatekeepers” in mental health, therefore, those employed or volunteering in ministry...
by Rhett Smith | Apr 22, 2018 | Depression, Restoration Therapy
“Are you depressed?” I asked him in session. “Depressed? What…..depression? No, I’m not depressed.” he said to me as if that was a crazy question to ask. There was some silence between us for what seemed like a few minutes, and then...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 27, 2018 | Anxiety, Restoration Therapy
When I encourage people to look for opportunities to practice their anxiety, I am often given a blank stare in return. It almost sounds crazy to ask someone to practice something that is already at times, making them feel like they are crazy. But perhaps a better way...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 27, 2018 | Anxiety, Restoration Therapy
“Deliberate practice is a behavior, and flow is an experience.” Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth When I was 21 years old and sitting alone in my college apartment, full of anxiety, but knowing my life needed to change, I had...
by Rhett Smith | Feb 15, 2018 | Anxiety, Restoration Therapy
In October of 2016 I spoke at the first ever Restoration Therapy Summit on the topic of anxiety and fear in the Restoration Therapy model, and more specifically, trying to differentiate between what exactly is anxiety, and what is fear. I even recorded a Part 1 and...
