Just in time for Christmas, join Dr. Sam and Dr. Fran this week for a holiday-themed session. Follow the doctors across the seven levels of the candy cane forest as they put the movie Elf on the couch!

To better understand Buddy and his adventure to NYC, Dr. Sam & Dr. Fran discuss adoption. Can real-world lessons be learned from a tale about a human who is adopted by elves and Santa? We review Buddy the elf’s relationship with his biological, human father and his relationship with his adopted father, Papa Elf. The doctors attempt to diagnose Buddy, which is tricky. We consider possible diagnoses which require viewers to pretend that Santa is not real and Buddy was not raised by elves. Could Buddy be experiencing delusions or mania? We also discuss the possibility of ADHD and mourn a previous diagnosis in a Diagnosis Graveyard.  Finally, Dr. Sam and Dr. Fran try to get to the bottom of how Buddy remains so positive and happy. To do so, we introduce positive psychology and related strategies.  The best way to spread holiday cheer is to play our podcast loud for all to hear!