Timothy Dearhamer LCSW

04/17/2026

Excited to be presenting at the Kansas State University Social Work Wildcat Conference today. My presentation:
ACT Like You Care About Yourself: ACT for Clinician Well-Being
Presented by Timothy Dearhamer

Let’s be honest, many of us hand out oxygen masks for a living while holding our own breath. This upbeat, experimental workshop uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to explore why helpers burn out, overextend, and forget their own needs. We’ll play with defusion skills, embodied exercises, and values-based boundary practices that make self-care feel less
like a luxury and more like a professional necessity. Participants will leave with practical ACT tools, clearer values, stronger boundaries, and a simple self-care plan they might actually follow. Come ready to unhook from unhelpful thoughts, reconnect with what matters, and finally treat yourself with the care you recommend to everyone else.

04/05/2026

Do you use ai chats for mental health? A recent Federal Court ruled that a client that used ai chat (like ChatGPT or Gemini) was not protected by attorney client privilege or as work product meaning that all his chats were evidence related to the case. While it does not directly apply to mental health, commentators indicate that this ruling implies that mental health and physical health would not be considered private and protected information if shared with ai chat. HIPAA was written before ai chat existed. What does that mean? It means that anything you share about your mental health or physical health with an ai chat is probably not protected information or subject to the same legal and ethical privacy standards as a licensed mental health professional or medical professional.

04/02/2026

Emotional loneliness in relationships.

Ever felt lonely in a relationship, like you're physically there but emotionally miles apart? In this video, we explore 7 subtle signs of relationship loneli...

02/26/2026

If you or your partner has ADHD: Please take a minute and answer this for me. Don’t overthink it. If you could participate in a group led by a therapist for couples when one had ADHD, at the end of 6 months: which emotional outcome would you want to be able to affirm:

A) “I am not broken.”
B) “We are not doomed.”
C) “I finally understand what’s happening in our relationship.”
D) “I can regulate myself before I damage connection.”
E) “We know how to repair now.”

02/21/2026

988 and 911

12/31/2025

"Your purpose is to be yourself." Thick Nhat Hanh

12/18/2025

I'm honored to be selected to lead a new workshop at the 2026 Oklahoma Social Work Summit:

Calendars, Clutter, and Connection: Making Love Work with ADHD

Description:

When ADHD shows up in a relationship, everyday moments—forgotten appointments, unfinished tasks, emotional overreactions—can easily spiral into frustration and disconnection. Social workers frequently encounter couples caught in these cycles of blame and withdrawal, often misinterpreting ADHD symptoms as lack of care or effort.

This interactive 90-minute workshop helps social workers understand the emotional reality of ADHD within intimate relationships and provides practical interventions grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Participants will learn how to help couples shift from reactivity to values-based action, rebuild emotional safety, and strengthen secure attachment bonds.

Through discussion, case examples, and experiential reflection, attendees will leave with concrete tools to use in their clinical practice and a renewed sense of compassion for couples navigating ADHD together.

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 10:10am – 11:40am
Oklahoma Social Work Summit at Tulsa Technology Center Owasso Campus Conference Center in Owasso, Oklahoma on April 9-10, 2026.

12/08/2025

The holidays aren’t joyful for everyone—and that’s okay.

While this season is often wrapped in messages of togetherness and cheer, many people experience the holidays as stressful, lonely, or emotionally exhausting. Family tension, grief, financial pressure, unmet expectations, or simply feeling overwhelmed can make this time of year especially hard.

If the holidays are difficult for you, you’re not broken—and you’re not alone. It’s okay to set boundaries, simplify traditions, or step back from what doesn’t serve your wellbeing. You don’t have to force cheer to be “doing it right.”

Be gentle with yourself. And if this season brings up more than you can carry on your own, support can help. Reaching out—whether to a trusted person or a mental health professional—is a strength, not a failure.

You matter, even when the season is hard.

11/28/2025

An emotionally manipulative and abusive person will question you NOT ask a question about you to trigger you and gain control. Listen closely and read between the lines. If it implies any of these, it's about manipulation and abuse:

“You’re the problem.”
“You’re selfish.”
“You’re hurting us.”
“You should feel guilty.”
"You should be ashamed."
"You're the one causing the hurt."

11/27/2025

The Department of Education is proposing new rules that could limit how much students can borrow—based on whether a degree is labeled “professional” or “graduate.”
Right now, social work isn’t included in the professional category, meaning future MSWs could face lower borrowing limits and fewer pathways into the field.
are essential. Our degrees should be recognized.
🖊️ Sign the petition. Raise your voice. Protect the profession.
👉 https://www.votervoice.net/NASW/Petitions/6290/Respond

11/27/2025

Social work is a professional degree!
A master's and doctoral degree in social work is and will continue to be a professional degree.

10/29/2025

Please share this research for finding a food assistance program in Oklahoma. If able, please donate to a local food program today as millions of Americans will not be receiving their food assistance in November.

Learn more about Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma food assistance programs, food pantries, and food distribution events, and get help applying for SNAP benefits.