Both Sides of the Couch
Both Sides of the Couch is where therapist and human meet. Hosted by Kari Rusnak, a licensed therapist living with chronic illness, the podcast explores the messy, honest overlap between helping others and healing yourself. Through personal reflections, stories, and thoughtful conversations, Kari invites listeners to slow down, think deeply, and feel a little less alone, on both sides of the couch.
Both Sides of the Couch
Latest Episodes
Small Thoughts Big Feelings: It’s Not the Sound, It’s My Nervous System
In this Small Thoughts, Big Feelings mini, Kari reflects on noise sensitivity. From vertigo triggered by sound to the sudden anger that comes with repeating yourself or speaking louder, this episode explores how sensory overload ...
Episode 15: Why I Don’t Offer Free Consultation Calls (and Why That’s Ethical)
In this episode, I explain why I don’t offer free consultation calls and why that decision is grounded in ethics, safety, and respect for therapeutic labor. I unpack the myth of the “quick 15-minute call,” why it almost always turns into unpaid...
Episode 14: Chronic Illness, Emotional Labor, and the Friend No One Checks On
In this episode of Both Sides of the Couch, Kari reflects on a small, ordinary moment that sparked a much bigger realization about imbalance in relationships. Through the lens of a therapist, a chronically ill person, and a friend who ...
Small Thoughts Big Feelings: The $14,000 Question
In this mini episode, Kari shares a funny moment about an HSA statement that turns into a reflection on invisible labor, chronic illness, and why some parts of life are hard to explain even to the people who love us. <...
Episode 13: When I Choose to Overdo It: Autonomy, Chronic Illness, and the Right to Decide
In Episode 13, Kari explores a deeply familiar tension for people living with chronic illness: being told “don’t overdo it.” While often well-intentioned, Kari explains how this phrase can feel controlling, dismissive, and painful, esp...
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