Marie Vakakis offers relatable insights, practical advice and real talk about parenting, raising teenagers and navigating relationships, with a little humour to keep it real.
Grief: How to Cope and Support Someone Grieving
Grief is something all of us will live through, yet most of us were never taught how to talk about it. In her latest episode of This Complex Life, therapist Marie Vakakis sits with grief in all its forms, from the loss we see coming to the loss that knocks us sideways. Therapist Marie Vakakis, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and couples therapist based in Melbourne’s west, opens up about the grief she’s lived through and the patterns she sees in her therapy room every week. She covers the many types of grief, the things people say with good intentions that actually make it harder, and the small practical ways we can show up for the people we love when they’re grieving. This episode covers: The different types of grief, including anticipatory grief and disenfranchised grief What to say, and what to never say, to someone who’s grieving Why partners often grieve in completely different ways Grief bursts, and why sadness can arrive months or years after a loss How to support someone without asking them to do the thinking for you What to do when grief comes out as anger Why your grief matters, no matter whose loss it’s measured against Find Marie at marievakakis.com.au or get in touch at askmarie@marievakakis.com.au.
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7 signs your partner is emotionally checked out
You’re spending time together. Dinners, dog walks, evenings on the couch. Nobody’s fighting, nothing is obviously broken. Something feels completely off and you can’t quite point to it. In this episode I walk through seven signs your partner might be emotionally checked out, even when everything looks fine from the outside. Resources and Links • Relationship Reset course: marievakakis.com.au • Free Conflict Workbook: marievakakis.com.au • Connected Teens parenting course • Marathon sessions at The Therapy Hub: thetherapyhub.com.au askmarie@marievakakis.com.au
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The psychology of the ick and what it says about you
The ick in dating. That sudden, full-body recoil where someone does something completely normal and you just shut down. 64% of people have experienced it, and a quarter ended the relationship because of it. But is the ick a red flag, or is it fear of intimacy disguised as disgust? Therapist Marie Vakakis unpacks the psychology of the ick, what it reveals about your attachment style, and asks: are we being too picky, or are we terrified of being truly seen? This episode covers: • What the ick actually is and why it happens • Red flags vs superficial triggers • How shame, projection and avoidant attachment drive the ick • Are we being too picky in dating? • What to do when the ick shows up Show notes and more at marievakakis.com.au Got a question for the podcast? Email it to askmarie@marievakakis.com.au