Shrink Rap Podcast
"This episode 🔥 SO many things that resonate! Loved the comment “it’s 2026, we all need a therapist” 🤍 if that ain’t the truth! It was also very validating to hear all the real life issues you ladies deal with. I think sometimes it’s so easy to put our therapists on a pedestal, and you two are so real about your own struggles. Makes me want to go back to counseling and find someone who really understands the way you two seem to. Thank you!"
"Loved this so much! It inspired me to restart therapy but to look for a place where I truly feel comfortable. Thank you for sharing!"
“Its clear there is great chemistry between the two hosts, there is plenty of great back and forth and building off of each other to cover therapy topics in a fun way!”
How
It
Began...
Therapy conversations without the clinical filter.
“Shrink Rap” is a podcast created by Elena Roth, LCSW, and Kristin Cook, LAPC, through As You Are Counseling Services. The podcast explores the messy, emotional, complicated, funny, exhausting, and deeply human parts of life that people are often navigating quietly behind the scenes.
Created with the hope of making conversations around mental health feel more approachable and honest, Shrink Rap was designed to move away from overly polished or surface-level conversations and toward something more real — conversations that sound like actual people talking about actual life.
The heart behind the podcast is simple: people deserve spaces where they can hear thoughtful conversations about emotional health, relationships, self-awareness, healing, and the complicated reality of being human without feeling judged, talked down to, or overwhelmed by clinical jargon.
Current episodes have already explored conversations around beauty standards, emotional wellness, modern stressors, and the human experience, with many more topics still to come as the podcast continues to grow and evolve.
While grounded in real clinical experience and therapeutic knowledge, Shrink Rap intentionally avoids feeling cold, sterile, or performative. Elena and Kristin created the podcast to feel conversational, reflective, relatable, and human — the kind of conversations people often wish existed more openly in everyday life.
At its core, Shrink Rap is about connection: to yourself, to other people, and to the reminder that most of us are carrying more than what is visible on the surface.
Whether you’re a therapist yourself, someone engaged in your own healing, or simply trying to better understand mental and emotional health, Shrink Rap is a space for honest conversations, deeper reflection, and the reminder that none of us are navigating the complexity of being human entirely alone.
Welcome.
The Hosts:
Elena Roth, LCSW
Elena Roth is the Founder and Executive Director of As You Are Counseling Services and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 16 years of experience in the mental health field. Originally from South Africa, Elena’s perspective has been deeply shaped by growing up biracial during apartheid — an experience that influenced the way she understands identity, belonging, power, resilience, human behavior, and the emotional impact of systems and environments on people’s lives.
Those experiences continue to shape the way Elena moves through both her personal life and professional work. At the center of what drives her is a deep belief that people deserve the space to define themselves on their own terms — not solely through trauma, expectations, labels, relationships, or who they’ve had to become in order to survive. She is passionate about conversations that challenge shame, encourage self-awareness, and help people reconnect with who they actually are underneath survival mode and external pressure.
Known for her direct, grounded, emotionally honest, and deeply relational personality, Elena values authenticity, humor, emotional depth, and conversations that feel real rather than performative. Her approach is shaped just as much by lived experience and human connection as it is by clinical work, which is a large part of what led to the creation of Shrink Rap.
Elena’s leadership, advocacy, and impact within the Lancaster community led to her being recognized as a YWCA Lancaster Woman of Achievement.
Through both therapy and Shrink Rap, Elena hopes to create conversations that feel thoughtful, human, reflective, and honest — conversations that remind people they are not the only ones trying to navigate the complicated reality of being human.
Kristin Cook, LAPC
Kristin Cook is a therapist at As You Are Counseling Services with a background spanning both education and mental health. Before becoming a therapist, Kristin spent years working closely with children, families, and individuals in educational settings, experiences that deeply shaped the way she understands people, relationships, emotional development, and the lasting impact of feeling truly seen and understood.
Kristin brings a calming, grounded, and deeply thoughtful presence into both her clinical work and Shrink Rap. She is passionate about helping people better understand themselves, process relational wounds, navigate life transitions, and build healthier relationships with both themselves and others. Her approach is rooted in authenticity, emotional safety, curiosity, and creating space for people to explore the parts of themselves they may have spent years minimizing, protecting, or trying to hold together quietly.
Known for balancing emotional depth with warmth and humor, Kristin values conversations that feel honest, reflective, and genuinely human. She believes some of the most meaningful growth happens when people feel safe enough to stop performing and start showing up more honestly in their lives and relationships.
Through Shrink Rap, Kristin hopes listeners feel less alone in their experiences, more connected to themselves, and more comfortable engaging in conversations around emotional health, healing, relationships, identity, and the complicated reality of being human.
Where To Listen.
We’d love for you to follow the podcast, leave a review, or share an episode. Your support helps these conversations reach more people and keeps the dialogue going.
