Mental Health News Radio

Dr. Paul Meier joins us again on Mental Health News Radio to talk about Perfectionism and Obssesive Compulsive Disorder. There are three types and Paul with counselor Melanie Vann and Host Kristin Walker discuss the link between OCD and the need to be perfect. www.meierclinics.com www.mhnrnetwork.com

Join Joshua Garrin and host Kristin Sunanta Walker as they talk about the importance of Minimalism. Two highly empathic people at it again sharing trusted emotional space for and with each other on another show. Caring for your soul in the age of the digital imprint is a full-time job. Dig in with both of them to find out how to stay focused on being present in your life.   Joshua holds a Ph.D. in health psychology, an M.S. in cognitive psychology, and a B.S. in general psychology and journalism. Following the completion of his doctorate in 2014, Joshua was the recipient of Walden University’s Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research for his inquiry on health beliefs, outcome expectancies, and stress appraisal in college seniors. In addition, he is the recipient of Walden University’s 2015 Presidential Alumni Research Dissemination Award for having published his award-winning dissertation research via multiple literary channels. As a health psychologist, Joshua’s interests focus on the intrinsic motives that underlie sustained health behavior change—seven of which serve as the conceptual framework discussed in his upcoming book, “The I-Way to Well: Mapping the Seven Selves of Health Motivation”, which is scheduled for launch in early 2017. www.joshuagarrinphd.com

Ann Roselle is a nurse practitioner who has been in the nursing field for nearly twenty years. She currently practices in the field of adult and geriatric psychiatry. She lives in greater New Haven Connecticut with her husband and three children.  Ann took part in McLean Hospital's initiative www.deconstructingstigma.com to talk about postpartum depression and how the medical community can stigmatize those who work in the field when they report mental health problems. www.bipolarandme.virb.com

Dr. Shelley Uram is a Harvard trained, triple board-certified psychiatrist and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She speaks around the country about psychological trauma and how it often interferes with our ability to thrive in life. She is best known for communicating very complex information in an interesting and easy to understand way.   Dr. Uram conducts patient lectures and provides ongoing training and consultation to the treatment staff at The Meadows, and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Uram has written numerous articles about psychological trauma and the brain and is currently writing a book on the subject.  www.shelleyuram.com

Alice Washington is an associate at the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions. Ms. Washington was awarded a Bachelor’s of Art degree from Stanford University during March of 1988.  Her major was Sociology:  Social Sciences. In the past few years, Ms. Washington has received a Train-the-Trainer Certificate from California State University, Sacramento.  In 2013, Alice completed an A.S. in Graphic Design. She also completed a Diploma in Web Design and Interactive Media in December 2015. Finally, Alice has skills in developing technology-based trainings.   Alice has been living with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety since age 27. She has had diabetes for about 6 years during to Zyprexa and obesity. www.facebook.com/alice.washington.125 LinkedIn.com/in/alicejographics

Join Kristin Sunanta Walker, counselor Shari Botwin, and Patricia Leary Steuer, all sexual assault survivors as they discuss their experiences and the healing necessary in order to find measures of peace. All three of these women keep it real and very personal as a shared discussion on the trauma, long-term PTSD, anxiety, and depression that we all suffer after these kinds of experiences. A full transcript of the show can be downloaded here. Shari Botwin, LCSW has been counseling survivors of trauma and abuse for over 20 years.  She has given expert testimony on most major news outlets and will be featured in a documentary later this year on healing from sexual trauma.  She is working on her second book, Conquering Trauma. Through the years she has witnessed patients go from surviving to thriving into a full life. Listen to Shari's first interview here. Shari's article in the Philadelphia Inquirer regarding the Bill Cosby trial is here. www.sharibotwin.com Patricia Leary Steuer joins us to share her personal story as another survivor of sexual assault. Her interview in New York Magazine can be found here. Kristin Sunanta Walker is the CEO of www.mhnrnetwork.com and host of Mental Health News Radio. A long time advocate and speaker about sexual abuse, incest, and trauma.

A friend of our CEO, Kristin Sunanta Walker, joins us for this special show. Gopinath (Gopi) is the owner of a very successful technology company based in Bangalore India. He joins us today to talk about the state of affairs in India around Mental Health stigma and services. Gopi and Kristin started out as colleagues 13 years ago working on extensive projects in technology. They became close friends and that friendship is conveyed in this eye opening interview. If we think we have issues eradicating stigma around mental health in the U.S. just wait until you hear how it treatment is viewed in India.  A fascinating show with a very compassionate and intelligent man that Kristin is honored to call friend.   

Amy Cerel is a 57 year old wife and proud mom of 2 young men ages 22 and 18.  She began her family after earning an MSW and MBA, and embarking on a successful career as a clinical social worker and organizational consultant.  She suffered a postpartum depression following the birth of her first child, and with the support of wonderful family and an outstanding physician, sought and received the appropriate treatment for her illness.  She chose to stay on her treatment course and did not relapse following the birth of her second child.  While raising her sons she returned to work part time, as she continues to do now that her sons are grown.  She volunteered to participate in McLean Hospital's public awareness campaign, Deconstructing Stigma, to raise awareness that postpartum depression is an illness to be treated and not a character flaw or judgment on one's ability to be a mother and love her children.  Today she is actively involved in her local community outreach efforts to support organizations that assist the most vulnerable populations at physical and emotional risk.  www.deconstructingstigma.com

We met the lovely Eamon and Nina at the Evolution of Addiction Treatment confernece in Los  Angeles, Ca. They were calm in a sea of noise on a busy exhibit hall floor. We simply had to interview them! Eamon O’Hara comes from a substance abuse treatment background. He was originally introduced to this industry through personal experience where he attended a facility early in his 20’s and began his journey of continued sobriety.  When achieving one  year of sobriety he began work at a drug and alcohol rehab facility and climbed through the ranks becoming the company’s director of operations in. Eamon has helped thousands of people get clean and sober and his involvement in the industry brings unprecedented insight to Alignment Addiction Recovery Group. Christina (Nina) Warthen is from an upper class family with no addiction in sight. At twenty years old she began a successful fifteen-year career in modeling. While modeling she was very often struck by how many people in that industry were functioning addicts and alcoholics. Eventually she had become one of those functioning addicts and reached out for help right before it was too late. Traveling and living all through Europe, and South Africa while based in NYC, her sobriety began after going to a treatment facility and attending AA meetings in September 2005. Her passion for twelve step programs and seeing what a sober life had awarded her externally but even more internally, lead her to seeking out a more meaningful career in treatment. 

Bill Prasad, LPC-S, LCDC, Certified Trauma Counselor is the Vice President of Clinical Programs for Lifeway International where he drives clinical operations and builds high performance teams. As an L-P-C Supervisor and L-C-D-C he also works as a therapist for Contemporary Medicine Associates where he treats people who are challenged by trauma, addiction, depression and anxiety. He has worked as a Director of Intake, outpatient/Inpatient services for two Houston psychiatric hospitals. He is also a certified trainer of group C-I-S-M response and has run on calls including the Navy Yard shootings in Washington which resulted in 12 people being gunned down in the workplace. Before moving to Houston, Bill directed a behavior health program for Fairfax County Fire and Rescue in Virginia where he worked closely with law enforcement and firefighters. Also, he worked as an EAP counselor for Raytheon and the Office of Naval Intelligence in Maryland. Bill has post graduate certifications in leadership from the University of Houston-Downtown and in the treatment of psychological trauma from Johns Hopkins University. He has a Master’s Degrees in counseling psychology and in the study of religions and ethnic conflict. He lives with his wife in Houston. His hobbies including teaching spin, scuba diving and having his heart broken each football season by the Philadelphia Eagles. www.lifewaycares.com

Highly sensitive beings can have a tendency to see the world through rose colored glasses. It's a measure of safety, naivete (sometimes), but also a gift. Seeing the best in others when we aren't well boundaried can lead us down roads where we end up in trauma. Many toxic people count on us wearing those glasses and keeping them foggy. We cover a lot of ground on this show with our original trio of Melanie Vann, Melissa Richards, and Kristin Walker. The message is simple though - wear those glasses proudly, just remember to keep the lenses clear.  www.mentalhealthnewsradio.com

Another terrific contributor to McLean Hospital's mental health inititative Deconstructing Stigma, Jessica Fahey joins our host Kristin Walker to talk about OCD and Anxiety Disorder. Jessica is the picture of success. She manages more than 25 employees that oversee lab space where scientists work on lifesaving discoveries. She recently married her love, an army veteran of the Afghanistan war turned police officer. They bought a house and rounded out their family with a new puggle puppy (a pug/beagle mix). Jessica accomplished all this with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorder. Looking back, Jessica remembers the ritualistic behaviors she developed as a young child. She would recite prayers over and over again until they were perfect, otherwise she feared someone in her family would die. She also pulled her hair and eyebrows out and picked at her cuticles until they bled because of her nervousness. Her senior year in high school, she had her first panic attack—gasping for breath and white flashes in her vision—and called her mother, terrified. Curious about her illness, Jessica studied psychology in college. She started weekly therapy there, and while she feels much more in control of her anxiety and OCD today, she still sees a therapist every month to keep it in check. She wants others dealing with mental illness to know that even when you can’t see a way out, there is one. Don’t be afraid to step forward. Tell someone you need help. www.deconstructingstigma.com

We have been reading The Angry Therapist's posts for a while thinking, "Who is this awesome and cutting edge healer?"  It was a great pleasure to interview the founder John Kim and find out exactly what he and his message are all about.  John practices complete authenticity and transparency with his many clients, frowned upon in the clinical world, and continues to look for new and unconventional ways to help people. John lives in Los Angeles where he makes videos on his phone, Crossfits, and rides his motorcycle to coffee shops to do sessions. His work has been covered in TheAtlantic.com, Hyphen, Psychology Today, MindBodyGreen.com, NPR.com, and Mental Health News Radio (where we love things that are "frowned" upon).  www.theangrytherapist.com Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/theangrytherapist/  Twitter:       www.twitter.com/angrytherapist Facebook:   www.facebook.com/theangrytherapist You Tube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/theangrytherapist   

As she's already heard, April is a breath of fresh air. We met by chance at The National Council for Behavioral Health and immediately set up a live interview.  Now MHNR Network is doing all we can to further her message with www.spsmchat.com.  Doc Foreman has her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. She enjoys working in rural settings, and finds that the picture in her office of her grandmother holding up an enormous catfish can often mean more to her clients than the degrees hanging on the opposite wall. She believes that using information technology and social media resources can bring state of the art mental health care to her rural clients. She has experience using a system of phone texting to help clients chart their daily mood and share them with a treatment team and trusted circle of friends and family. She also uses social media platforms like Twitter to connect with innovators and thought leaders in healthcare across the world, and uses her website to curate compelling Twitter chats on issues about which she is passionate. Her work in this area has been featured in the ARHQ Innovations Exchange. Currently, Doc Foreman is serving Veterans as a Suicide Prevention Coordinator in Baton Rouge. She enjoys using her clinical skill, and talent for practical problem-solving to prevent suicide in US Veterans, who have *twice* the risk of dying by suicide as the general public. www.docforeman.com www.spsmchat.com www.thenationalcouncil.org

Dr. Paul Meier joins us again on Mental Health News Radio discussing one of his best selling books and his knowledge of anti-social personality disorder. The topic is about Narcissism. Counselor Melanie Vann, and Host Kristin Walker join Paul to discuss this widely misunderstood character disorder, it's negative and tragic impact on society, and how we can heal from toxic people. Listen in to see who could be hiding right under your nose. www.meierclinics.com www.mhnrnetwork.com