Mental Health News Radio

Join our amazing guest Beck Gee-Cohen and our fantastic co-host Dan Griffin with Kristin Sunanta Walker discussing gender and how roles are being defined in the 21st century. What is the language around LGTBQ community and how can we educate the world at large? What are the implications on the mental health community and how can we transform stigma into positive understanding and empathy. Beck is originally from Los Angeles, CA. Beck completed undergraduate work in the field of Sociology with a focus on Gender, Sexuality, and Addiction from Montana State University. Beck's undergraduate thesis was a study on addiction in LGBTQ rural communities. Beck’s master’s degree is in Addiction Studies. Dan Griffin, MA is from Griffin Recovery Enterprises, Inc. and is a Senior Fellow, The Meadows.  He's an author, speaker, and trainer.

Join my good friend Brad Kinder, counselor and owner of Healing Waters Counseling Center in Virginia. Brad and I went through some electronic health record wars together. Dealt with some interesting anti-social personality disorder and forged a friendship that helped his practice move into a better electronic space.  Brad is a maverick running a very successful practice. Join us as we talk about his advocacy, being featured on the Iyanla Vanzant show, and why it's important to speak up about mental health. Always interesting to have a positive voice in the world that reaches tremendous audiences. Bullies beware. Truth, faith, and positivity always win. Always great to get such incredible inside perspective on the journey of the behavioral health entrepreneur. www.healingwaterscc.com

Dan Griffin and Matty Chaqaz join host Kristin Sunanta Walker for a discussion about Misandry. What is it and how is it affecting your life. Dan Griffin. M.A. is an author and expert on men’s relationships and masculinity. Dan is also a senior fellow at The Meadows, one of the premier drug rehab and psychological trauma treatment centers in the country. Popular podcast host and Christian Hip Hop artist, Matty Chaqaz, lends his view on this oft misunderstood term.  www.dangriffin.com www.mentalhealthnewsradio.com

Join author and men's trauma and addiction specialist Dan Griffin as we discuss empathy, sensitivity, emotionality, and his project for September of 2016 which is National Recovery Month. Dan Griffin. M.A., is an author on men’s relationships and masculinity. Dan is also a senior fellow at The Meadows, one of the premier drug rehab and psychological trauma treatment centers in the country. www.dangriffin.com

Ross Rosenberg joins host Kristin Sunanta Walker talking self-love deficit disorder, codependency, and narcissism. Join Ross for an in-depth look at pathological narcissists: look but don't touch! Ross is the author of The Human Magnet Syndrome and the soon to be released Self-Love Deficit Disorder.   For more information about Ross visit his website at www.humanmagnetsyndrome.com.

Alexandra Katehakis, MFT is Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles, Senior Fellow at The Meadows, faculty for the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals, and the 2012 Carnes Award recipient. She is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist/Supervisor and Certified Sex Therapist/Supervisor specializing in the treatment of sexual disorders. Ms. Katehakis is author of Sex Addiction As Affect Dysregulation: A Neurobiologically Informed Holistic Treatment, (2016). She is co-author of the 2015 AASECT award, and 2016 Clark Vincent award winning Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence (2014), contributing author to the 2013 Clark Vincent award winning Making Advances: A Comprehensive Guide for Treating Female Sex and Love Addicts, in M. Feree (Ed.), (2012), and author of Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot Healthy Sex After Recovery From Sex Addiction (2010). www.centerforhealthysex.com  

Join author, activist, mother, and friend April Mansfield as we talk about her book The Stength of My Soul:Stories of Sisterhood, Triumph and Inspiration.  April is a voice for the LBTQ community.  A woman of color with fierce devotion to advocating on behalf of the causes she believes in.  We talk about the grief from losing her mother recently and how she as a single parent inspires her daughter to move in the world!  

Karla McLaren is an award-winning author, social science researcher, and pioneering educator whose empathic approach to emotions revalues even the most “negative” emotions, and opens startling new pathways into the depths of the soul. Her website is karlamclaren.com. Her Amazon author page is here. She is the author of The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Life’s Most Essential Skill (2013), The Language of Emotions (2010), and the multi-media online course Emotional Flow (2012). Karla has taught at such venues as the University of San Francisco, Omega Institute, Naropa University, Kripalu Center, and the Association for Humanistic Psychology. Additionally, as a prison arts educator with the William James Foundation, she has utilized singing, drumming, and drama to help men in maximum security prisons explore and heal long-held emotional traumas. Karla is also a Certified Human Resource Administrator and a Certified Career Development Facilitator who helps people identify the emotion work they are expected to perform (or expect others to perform, perhaps without realizing it). When emotion work is brought out into the open and managed skillfully, individuals and businesses can avoid unnecessary conflict, burnout, and loss of productivity. In her academic career, Karla served as a researcher and editor on the books When Killing is a Crime by Tony Waters, Ph.D, and Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich, Ph.D.  

Join counselors Melanie Vann and Melissa Richards with host Kristin Sunanta Walker on our Empowered Empath series talking about mutually beneficial relationships.  What is reciprocity and a healthy, well-boundaried relationship?  Dive in with us again as we give examples and what unhealthy relationships look like.   www.mentalhealthnewsradio.com

Dan Warren joins Melanie Vann and Kristin Walker to talk about his organization, Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers, a non-profit organization located in Virginia. It's the nation’s leading supplier of invisible disability service dogs. Invisible disabilities are defined as diabetes, autism spectrum disorders, seizure disorders and post traumatic stress disorder. With over 500 dogs currently working across the country and around the globe, SDWR provides individuals and children with superior quality and highly skilled service dogs to help them cope with the daily challenges of living with these life-threatening conditions. SDWR service dogs are covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act and its applicable laws because each dog is specifically trained for the individual it will serve and each dog provides a life-saving skill set. SDWR alert and response dogs are proven to provide the urgent care tasks for which they have been trained such as retrieving low blood glucose supplies for individuals with Type 1 diabetes, restraining, blocking or finding a wandering Autism patient, or dialing 911 on a K9 response keypad for those with PTSD, Seizure Disorder as well as Diabetes. But a closer look at the mental health improvement and emotional support these amazing dogs provide to their patients warrants an in-depth discussion.  Latent mental health issues are a part of a life-threatening condition diagnosis.  And studies are showing that the effects of these service dogs in quality of life and mental health of their patients should not be undervalued.   www.sdwr.org

Jonathan Bertrand attended Maynard Evans High School and graduated with the class of 2014. Being raised in a Middle/Upper class family, he was raised with high standards and morals. While attending high school Jonathan was bullied because he dressed for success which wasn’t well received amongst his peers. Jonathan slipped into depression and became an introvert. After graduation he realized his calling was to help others in similar situations. In December 2012 he ran an anti-bullying campaign with Lexton Cage of Orlando, FL. Jonathan received Congressional recognition for his outstanding and valuable service to his community on December 11th of that same month. In November of 2014 “The Social Networking Effect” What’s Your Story?” movement was created. This movement is to generate awareness of the side effects social media plays in people’s lives. In December 2015 The Global Touch Foundation was formed. The foundation is a non–profit organization designed to promote 5 areas of study, EDUCATION, RESEARCH, MENTAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND POLICY. Pioneering Social Media Awareness Via his Foundation , The Global Touch Foundation Inc.  YouTube www.theglobaltouchfoundation.org

Our guest, Brennon P Moore MS, CTT, CADC-II, LPC, and cohost Beck Gee-Cohen join moderator Kristin Sunanta Walker for a deep, intense, and raw look at young men who've been sexually abused and also have addiction issues. His eBook is nearly out: "FINDING A NEW TRIBE: Helping Young Men Heal from Childhood Sexual Abuse and Addiction" which will be available on Amazon and iTunes. He also has 5-day trauma healing retreats in the months to come (for details and registration contact: skimbrough@therefuge-ahealingplace.com.  Brennon Moore is a Licensed Professional Counselor with his master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. His interest in trauma healing began in academia while studying experiential and gestalt approaches to treating trauma at The University of Cork in Ireland, and several months working as a counselor with traumatized children in the Middle East during his graduate studies. Brennon is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC-II), a Nationally Certified Trauma Therapist (CTT), a trained EMDR practitioner, a trained DBT and mindfulness practitioner, and he has over 150 hours of training in Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing.   Brennon joined The Refuge clinical team in 2011 and currently leads groups, co-facilitates trauma Intensives and trauma therapy trainings, and speaks all over the country. He has written several published articles on treating trauma and addiction, and in the summer of 2016, his first book will be released, focusing on working with young men struggling with childhood sexual trauma and addiction.  www.brennonpatrickmoore.com www.eastcascadecounseling.com

Chief Inspector Andrew B Brown is an internationally renowned negotiator with specialist knowledge and experience in dealing with kidnap for ransom and hostage/crisis incidents, particularly in maritime environments; in designing conflict de-escalation skills for military operations and acting as an expert witness to judicial inquiries on the response to hostage taking. Vincent Guastamacchia, one of our most popular guests, led Andy to the doorstep of Mental Health News Radio. We dive into the topic of empathy and how it was an invaluable tool for understanding and de-escalating a hostage situtation. The skills of a hostage/crisis negotiator can be applied to most situations, hence their nickname of "street psychologists". For more information about Andy visit here or email him at andybrow7@aol.com.    

Join our host Kristin Walker as she learns about focusing on Mental Health and Nutrition with Christina Veselak MA, LMFT, CN. Christina's experience and training as a Mental Health Nutritionist has led her to see how our personal biochemistry affects our mood and behavior. By practicing Mental Health Nutrition she is able to help her clients identify nutritionally based issues such as protein intake, blood sugar balance & hypoglycemia, food intolerance's and genetic issues in order to reduce depression, anxiety, insomnia, relapse, and even some psychotic symptoms. Most complex disorders have both emotional and biochemical components to them, therefore, we need to address both at the same time. Read the full blog and sign up for the workshop here. Christina Veselak, LMFT, CN runs Garden Gate Counseling and Consulting, and The Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition in southeast Denver. She has been a licensed psychotherapist for over 30 years and has a private practice specializing in individual counseling, addiction recovery and mental health nutrition. As a mental health nutritionist, she uses food and over-the-counter supplements to support healing from depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and addictive disorders. When asked, she can help people find alternatives to psychotropic medication, and will use lab testing to uncover underlying causes of many emotional and behavioral symptoms. www.christinaveselak.com  

Wendy Conquest is a psychotherapist, Director of SACC, a sex and addiction treatment center in Boulder Colorado and author of Letters To A Sex Addict; The Journey Through Grief and Betrayal.  Ms. Conquest’s passion is to understand and create paradigms for change.  She has developed programs dealing with drug, alcohol, sex addiction, and treating partners of sex addicts with hospitals, agencies and treatment centers over the last 17 years always using cutting edge research.  Wendy has also been successful incorporating Alma, her therapy dog, with clients in individual, couples, and group settings.  Her newest book, Letters From A Sex Addict; Seeing Inside My Mind, written with co-author, Dan Drake, will be available in 2017. www.wendyconquest.com