Mental Health News Radio

Join Dr. Paul Meier, Best Sellling Author, Psychiatrist, and founder of www.meierclinics.com joins Melanie Vann and Kristin Sunanta Walker to talk about FEAR. If you live in fear this will drive you further into mental illness and can be toxic for everyone involved in your life (especially YOU!). Dr. Meier brings his compassion and heart to this show right along with our hosts. Learn what a life in fear looks like, what is healthy fear, and how to get the help you need to stop living in a state of constant dread, panic, and fear.  www.theclinicalchristian.com www.mhnrnetwork.com

Stephanie C. Holmes, MA, BCCC is a professional counselor and certified autism specialist, but her real credentials come from being the mother of an amazing Aspie (AS) teenage daughter.  Stephanie's career focus changed in 2004 when her eldest daughter was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (ASD). Her book Confessions of a Christian Counselor: How Infertility and Autism Grew my Faith was released in 2015. The book includes her personal story as well as an interview with Dr. Tony Attwood on spectrum teens. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. and hopes to bridge the gap of mental health and the education system working with students on the autism spectrum. Stephanie C Holmes, MA BCCC Certified Autism Specialist www.counselorstephanieholmes.com www.convergeautism.com www.mhnrnetwork.com

Gewanda Johnson Parker shares her remarkable story of survival suffering physical and emotional abuse by a mother who really did care about her but was overpowered by her own demons and addictions. Molested and raped on more than one occasion, by men considered upright and pillars in the community.  Yet through it all, her faith, spirituality and deep trust in God never wavered.  Her incredible resilience, allowed a young girl, turned woman, to forgive those who hurt her and to reach out to all those who hurt with a message of God’s love, healing, transformation and hope. Gewanda Johnson Parker is also the Founder and CEO of Hope and Healing Corporation serving the needs of the marginalized of society locally and abroad to orphanages in Haiti and Africa. In 2003, she started an organization to help young girls and teens suffering with self-esteem and identity issues.  Parker received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Edward Waters College and she holds a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary.   Prior to establishing Hope and Healing, G-Girls, and Anchored, she has taught in the public school system as an educator for over 20 years. She was nominated and selected 3 times for the prestigious award for Who’s Who Among Americas Teachers; and twice nominated and selected into the Prestigious Cambridge Leadership Award. She was also selected as one of Oprah Winfrey’s, educational O Ambassadors for a humanitarian service project for the country of India.  In addition to her educational experience, Gewanda has served as a dynamic ministry leader in the areas of staff pastors, women’s leader, administration, worship leader, small group facilitator, missions and pioneering of grass roots ministries www.gewanda.com

Ora Nadrich is the Founder and President of The Institute For Transformational Thinking. She is a Thought Coach and Mindfulness Meditation teacher, as well as the author of the groundbreaking book, Says Who? How One Simple Question Can Change the Way You Think Forever.  From a very early age, Ora has been a seeker of knowledge, with a particular interest in discovering how our thoughts work. Her lifelong journey towards this inner awareness, along with her distinctive combination of intuition and compassion that allows her to open up avenues of trust and connection, eventually led to her becoming a life coach and developing her simple yet effective questioning method, designed to uncover both the pitfalls and potential our thoughts have in determining our destiny.  Ora also facilitates highly popular monthly women's groups and mindful meditation seminars, as well as developed and facilitated teen workshops at local Los Angeles-area schools, dealing with how to manage the roller coaster emotions and expectations of the teen years.  www.oranadrich.com

Join Dr. Christina Finanick Greer and our host Kristin Sunanta Walker as they discuss their shared journey on the road of food addiction.  Christina Fisanick Greer, Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, teacher, and motivational speaker. She has been teaching college English for over 20 years and is the author of more than 30 books. After suffering from food addiction for more than 28 years, she entered recovery and never looked back. She founded a Facebook group for other food addicts in recovery, OptimisticFoodAddict.com, and has written several books designed to help others battling this disease. For more information about Christina, see her website ChristinaFisanickGreer.com.

Erica Weinstein wants to live in a world where people move freely & in synchronicity with others, breathe mindfully, & learn from books & experiences. As a well-grounded psychotherapist, she’s been practicing with members of the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan community for 20 years. Her blog posts are featured on Visiting Angels Home Care’s & Maryland Addictions & Recovery Center’s websites. When she’s not challenging folks’ perspectives, stretching their imaginations, or calming their central nervous systems, you can find her extended in downward looking dog or melted in shavasana. Her most recent collaboration (currently in progress) is co-facilitating a pilot program for those working in high stress environments to ease vicarious trauma related symptoms. ?Prior to launching her private practice, Erica was a school based mental health therapist at Patterson High School in Baltimore City, Maryland through employment with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. She has also held positions as a Child Targeted Case Manager, Child and Adolescent Mobile Therapist as well as a Family and Child Therapist, all part of the Community Psychiatry Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Erica has a Masters of Education in School Counseling from Loyola College of Maryland as well as post-graduate education at Johns Hopkins University to obtain certification as a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC). Erica also has certification as an Interdisciplinary Yoga Instructor from Omega Institute of Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, New York. www.weinsteinwellness.com www.mhnrnetwork.com

One of our hosts great friends, Danielle Brewer, joins host Kristin Sunanta Walker to discuss her son's tragic battle with mental illness and substance use disorder. This is a very personal show but also transcendent and triumphant. Danielle advocates for those also struggling with family members in the throws of these issues. She also offers hope to everyone through the grieving process.  An important show about the every day struggles families face when it comes to understanding and navigating their way through treatment, death, and the lives of those left behind after a loved one has passed on. www.mhnrnetwork.com

Join our host Kristin Sunanta Walker and cohost Helaina Hovitz, Journalist and Author of After 9/11: One Girl's Journey Through Darkness to a New Beginning as they interview the CEO of MevPMDD.  Brett Buchert has created an incredible platform and app for anyone dealing with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Brett is the mind and heart behind Me v PMDD, a symptom tracking app for anyone fighting through Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) that arose from her own decade long struggle with the condition. Passionate about mental health, she received her degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and plans to pursue graduate school in Clinical Psychology to continue to advocate for the importance of mental health and fight for better treatments for PMDD Warriors. Brett is also a Peer Support Provider with the Gia Allemand Foundation for PMDD, a former college rower, active rock climber, and cat lover.    

Dawn Marie Westmoreland has always found her joy in inspiring, supporting, and empowering those who need it most. That joy has been reflected in her career and continues to be her driving force to this day. Dawn has also experienced workplace bullying and discrimination first-hand.  In 2012, Dawn reported her former government agency to the Office of Special Counsel and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for prohibited personnel practices and retaliation. As a result, her managers and co-workers turned on her, and she was subjected to two years of horrific workplace bullying and discrimination. These years wreaked havoc on Dawn’s mental and physical health, but she persevered. Holding her workplace bullies accountable, Dawn settled with her employer outside of court. Because of her knowledge of HR and leadership skills, she has no gag order to prevent her from sharing her story to empower others who look to her for help. This experience, as well as overcoming her personal history of abuse, has strengthened Dawn’s personal mission to educate and inspire those who are or have suffered from workplace bullying and discrimination. Dawn is on the Board of Directors with Fifty Shades of Purple Against Bullying as a subject matter expert on workplace bullying and discrimination.  We are proud to have Dawn join MHNR Network with her podcast The Empowered Whistleblower.

Dr. Walker Ladd joins our host Kristin Sunanta Walker to discuss her new podcast on MHNR Network, Rebel Research Radio. Dr. Ladd is the Associate University Research Chair for the Center for Health and Nursing Research at the University of Phoenix. She serves as a University Research Methodologist and Associate Professor of Qualitative Research Methods for the School of Advanced Studies at the University of Phoenix. Dr. Ladd has been a thought-leader in the field of maternal healthcare for over a decade. She has been recognized for her research and leadership in the field of perinatal psychology, trauma research, and posttraumatic growth. Her first book, “Transformed by Postpartum Depression: Women’s Stories of Trauma and Growth” (Praeclarus, 2015), was based on her grounded theory study of the transformative nature of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Ladd served as a Research Fellow for the Center for Leadership Studies and Educational Research, where she published a grounded theory study regarding successful scholarly publication for mid-career faculty, co-authored by Dr. Mark McCaslin. She has been published in the American Psychological Association, the Huffington Post, Science and Sensibility, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and the Integral Leadership Review. www.rebelresearchradio.com www.mhnrnetwork.com

Dr. Paul Meier, best selling author, psychiatrist, and founder of Meier Clinics joins hosts Melanie Vann and Kristin Sunanta Walker to discuss Dissociative Identity Disorder formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. This complex disorder is difficult to diagnose and treat. Join our three hosts for another compelling discussion on Round Table Discussions with Dr. Paul Meier. Dissociative identity disorder (DID), also known as multiple personality disorder is a mental disorder characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. There is often trouble remembering certain events, beyond what would be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. These states alternately show in a person's behavior. Presentations, however, are variable. Associated condition often include borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance misuse disorder, self-harm, or anxiety. www.meierclinics.com www.mentalhealthnewsradio.com

Dr. Jonice Webb has been interviewed on NPR and over thirty radio shows across the United States and Canada about the topic of her book, Emotional Neglect, and has been quoted as a psychologist expert in the Chicago Tribune. She writes the popular Childhood Emotional Neglect Blog on PsychCentral.com. Dr. Webb has been a licensed psychologist since 1991, and has worked in a variety of different settings over the course of her career, including a psychiatric emergency service and substance abuse programs.  She has been the Director of several large outpatient clinics.  For the past eight years, she has been enjoying her private practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, specializing in the treatment of couples and families. Over two decades of practicing psychology, Dr. Webb gradually started to see a factor from childhood which weighs upon people as adults.  This factor is extremely subtle.  In fact, it’s so difficult to see that it goes virtually unnoticed while it quietly saps a person’s joy in life, causing him or her to struggle with self-discipline, or to feel disconnected and unfulfilled.  Dr. Webb gave a name to this invisible factor from childhood.  She calls it Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN).™

Join some of our fantastic male podcasters and guests for another discussion on our Men & Anxiety series on the #METOO movement. Our host Kristin Sunanta Walker opens the discussion with some of her closest friends and colleagues to find out how men have been affected by what's going on in our society today.  Joining the discussion are the following: Stephen Kavalkavich of www.rescuetherescuer.com Joseph Fusaro of www.hysteriaradio.net Travis Pipes of www.wideopenlooks.com Sam Webb of www.livin.org Jeff Fink of www.gofetchwellness.com Ryan McCormick of Outer Limits of Inner Truth And host Kristin Walker of www.mentalhealthnewsradio.com

Join illustrator and author Debi Gliori and our host Kristin Walker for a deep yet funny discussion about depression. A groundbreaking picture book, Night Shift, on depression with stunning illustrations. With stunning black and white illustration and deceptively simple text, author and illustrator Debi Gliori examines how depression affects one's whole outlook upon life, and shows that there can be an escape - it may not be easy to find, but it is there. Drawn from Debi's own experiences and with a moving testimony at the end of the book explaining how depression has affected her and how she continues to cope, Debi hopes that by sharing her own experience she can help others who suffer from depression, and to find that subtle shift that will show the way out. Debi Gliori lives in Scotland. Debi is well known for both her picture books and her novels for children and has been shortlisted for all the major prizes, including the Kate Greenaway Award (twice) and the Scottish Arts Council Award. Debi was the Shetland Islands’ first Children’s Writer-in-Residence. She published her first book in 1990 and since then has published so many successful books that she has lost count. She has written and illustrated No Matter What, The Trouble With Dragons, Stormy Weather, The Scariest Thing of All, What's the Time, Mr Wolf?,Dragon Loves Penguin and, most recently, Alfie in the Bathand Alfie in the Garden for Bloomsbury. www.debiglioribooks.com

Dr. Michael Gurian has studied and served children for thirty years. In The Wonder of Girls (2002), he presented a science-based approach to raising healthy and successful daughters. In The Minds of Girls, he pioneers new and intuitive approaches to health and wellness in all three important areas of girls’ development: nature, nurture, and culture. As many girls struggle with digital and social complexities in our families and in our communities, this book is timely, powerful, and practical. Its nine chapters help you protect girls from environmental toxins and digital addiction; provide best practices for improving girls’ STEM learning and activating their leadership and resilience; explore leading edge science-based technologies for understanding female mental health, and may utterly change your approach to handling girl drama and bullying. The Minds of Girls combines accessible writing, passionate social advocacy, and more than one hundred practical strategies you can use right now to raise wise, happy, and successful women. www.gurianinstitute.com