Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, Travis talks with psychologist Tom Medlar, who has spent 43 years providing psychotherapy in nursing homes. They explore how these settings have changed, why they’re “very lively, even though they’re often dealing with death,” and what it means to do meaningful therapy with older adults and medically complex younger adults. Filled with vivid stories and nuanced reflections on loss, hope, communication, and meaning, this conversation reveals why nursing homes remain one of the most overlooked—and deeply human—spaces for psychotherapy.
In this episode, Travis talks with psychologist Tom Medlar, who has spent 43 years providing psychotherapy in nursing homes. They explore how these settings have changed, why they’re “very lively, even though they’re often dealing with death,” and what it means to do meaningful therapy with older adults and medically complex younger adults. Filled with vivid stories and nuanced reflections on loss, hope, communication, and meaning, this conversation reveals why nursing homes remain one of the most overlooked—and deeply human—spaces for psychotherapy.
