Sara Easterly, the author of “Searching for Mom” once said “I entered a long period of death ideation in adolescence when I began wondering about my birth mother almost constantly. The losses due to adoption began to feel overwhelming, but it didn’t feel like there was room to grieve.”According to a research study published by the journal of Pediatrics, adoptees are four time more likely to report a suicide attempt than non-adoptees and Lina Vanegas, our podcast guest, has some ideas of why this is so including:

• the trauma of separation from the birth family
• the lack of medical history, which may give insights to health and mental health vulnerabilities
• racism when adoption is transnational or transracial
• isolation from the cultural community of origin
• microagressions from others about how grateful an adopted person should be

About Lina Vanegas

Lina Vanegas is a national speaker, trainer and presenter on mental health, trauma, adoption and suicide. she is also an MSW, suicide loss survivor and lived experience expert and advocate. She is also a co-host of the podcast, Rescripting The Narrative. She has been featured on NPR, multiple panels and podcasts. Her English Bulldog McQueen has an Instagram account.

For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/117

Most workplaces agree that having a mental health program of some kind is good for their workers, and in turn good for their mission; however, most don’t know what to do besides get the benefit of an Employee Assistance Program. In this special extended episode, I speak with my right hand woman Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey. Jodi and I co-chair the Workplace Suicide Prevention and Postvention Committee and have collaborated for almost 15 years on how best to support workplaces in developing a robust worker well-being culture. In this episode, Jodi covers these three takeaways:

1. Take a good organizational look in the mirror
2. Don’t just check a box
3. Back it up — bring your plans to life

About Dr. Jodi Jacobson Frey

Jodi Jacobson Frey, PhD, LCSW-C, CEAP is a Full Professor with tenure and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work. Dr. Frey chairs the Social Work in the Workplace & Employee Assistance Sub-specialization (formerly EAP Sub-specialization) is the Founder and Faculty Executive Director of the recently launched Behavioral Health and Well-Being Lab (BHWell Lab). Between 2011-2022, she chaired the Financial Social Work Initiative and remains active as a member of the Steering Committee. Her MSW and PhD degrees were earned from the University of Maryland. She is also co-Chair of the University of Maryland Mental Health and Addiction Health Disparities Think Tank at the School of Medicine.Frey’s research focuses on workplace behavioral health, including the impact of employee mental health and well-being, and substance use on productivity and safety. She studies the effectiveness of employee assistance, work/life, and related programs for working-aged adults and families. She has dedicated a significant portion of her research and advocacy work to suicide prevention, mental health, substance use and recovery and the intersection with the workplace with attention to social determinants of health and well-being.Frey co-chairs the Workplace Suicide Prevention and Postvention Committee where she is contributing as a leader in the development and dissemination of the National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention. She is past chair of EAPA’s Subcommittee on Workplace Disaster Preparedness and Response. In 2006, Dr. Frey was the recipient of the EAPA President’s Award for Excellence, recognizing her work on this committee. Prior to joining academia full-time, Dr. Frey provided workplace mental health and EAP services to NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, where she was recognized with several awards for her service to employees and family members. She continues to fuel her passion for workplace behavioral health and support for working families through her research, teaching and service to the social work profession.Recent refereed articles have been published in JAMA, American Journal of Addictions, Social Work, Journal of Career Development, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Research on Social Work Practice, and Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. Dr. Frey regularly presents her research at national and international conferences. She is the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. Dr. Frey also co-founded the International Employee Assistance Digital Archive, housed at the University of Maryland, and which was awarded the Best Use of Technology in the Employee Assistance Field by the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA) in 2019. Dr. Frey was recently awarded Educator of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers, Maryland. Jodi loves to do karaoke. Mostly she loves the ability to work to overcome her personal fear and anxiety of getting up in front a room full of strangers and signing her heart out, even if she is off key or off tempo.
For more informationon this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/headspace/13

TRIGGER WARNING! This episode shares details of a child’s experiences with domestic violence and suicide and may be activating for some listeners.
The research on ”Adverse Childhood Experiences” is clear — The CDC Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study has identified ten types of childhood trauma that can affect people later in life. Five types of trauma are personal, such as physical abuse or neglect, while the other five are related to family members, such as having a parent who is an alcoholic or experiencing the divorce of parents. Each type of trauma counts as one, so someone who has experienced physical abuse, has one alcoholic parent, and a mother who was a survivor of domestic violence has an ACE score of three.The study revealed a strong link between childhood trauma and chronic diseases that people develop as adults, such as heart disease, lung cancer, and diabetes. It also showed a link to social and emotional problems such as depression, violence, and suicide.

In this episode I speak with the amazing Corey Jones. Corey’s childhood and adolescent journey through trauma is heartbreaking, and his perseverance and ability to turn pain into purpose is inspirational. He breaks the shackles to his past by appreciating this is his life to live.

For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/116

Anyone who has been a teacher knows the work is hard, and at the same time — when work is working well — immensely rewarding. The work can be purposeful and filled with close relationships a vibrant communities. No one enters the teaching profession to become rich and famous — they enter for the difference they will make.And yet, our nation is facing a mental health crisis among our educators; one of burnout and demoralization. Many are operating in survival mode due to complete emotional exhaustion. The stressors they face are significant:

• Safety concerns related to mass school shootings and drug use
• Funding deficits
• Labor shortage
• Meeting escalating physical and emotional needs of students
• Unrealistic expectations from districts and parents
• Just to name a few…

Teachers’ well-being is something most communities overlook in their intention to always put students first. In this episode I speak with two school psychologists who express grave concern about educators’ psychological health and safety — and also make concrete suggestions on what we can do to help them. For more information go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/115

I’ve lost two people close to me to suicide. In both situations, I saw the signs. We talked about their thoughts of suicide. They got help. And in both cases, their pain and suffering became too much. While I think the survivor guilt is always there — the “if only” thoughts that linger — I have mostly come to peace with my role in trying to support them. Sometimes despite all of our best efforts and resources, we might still lose people to addiction, overdose and suicide.We often hold mental health professionals to the unrealistic standard of saving everyone. We don’t have this expectation for our oncologists or cardiologists. We expect them to do the very best job they can based on the very best science and tools that exist. And, while deaths from heart disease and cancer are very tragic, we often give grace and even gratitude to our loved ones’ care providers in these areas.In this episode, I speak with fellow psychologist, Dr. Dan Reidenberg about his experience losing a friend and board member to suicide. We lift up a call to action to the mental health community to expand the conversation on how suicide loss impacts those of us in the field of suicide prevention.

About Dr. Dan ReidenbergDr. Dan Reidenberg is the Executive Director of SAVE.org, Managing Director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention and is a Special Advisor to the International Association for Suicide Prevention. He is a Certified Psychological Autopsy Investigator and serves on several national and international editorial boards. Dr. Reidenberg worked on inpatient psychiatric units for adolescents and adults in hospitals in addition to having a private practice. He has presented to over 350,000 people around the world, has written more than 55 articles and 4 book chapters and was one of the lead authors of the US National Strategy for the Prevention of Suicide. He developed an evidence-based program for schools and works with the leading technology companies on mental health related tools and apps. He wrote the US Best Practices for Media Reporting on Suicide and for Media Reporting on Mass Shootings, created the only online peer support program for suicide, a leading program for the construction industry called IBEAM as well as One Step Ahead – a comprehensive model work place suicide prevention program. He has conducted training for some of the nation’s top 100 companies, at The White House, The Pentagon and created suicide prevention guides for law enforcement and their families. for more information go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/114

How meaningful that this episode was recorded during the 18th anniversary of by brother Carson’s death by suicide. His expressed legacy was to help youth thrive and this episode is dedicated to empowering youth to help lead innovative approaches in suicide prevention.
The Liv Project, is a non-profit organization founded by the mother and sister of Olivia Ann Kunik, a 19 year old and shining light who died by suicide on January 19th, 2018. In honor of her life, the Liv Project strives to turn the tide of youth suicide through creative approaches such as:

• Their film “My Sister Liv”
• Their “Game that Goes There”
• And their fashion line.

Well-meaning caring adults who want to support youth, don’t always get this right. Sometimes they think their main role is about teaching and protecting, when what is often more impactful is EMPOWERMENT. In other words, let the youth lead. They know their challenges and strengths best. When youth take charge, the outcome is far more likely to gain momentum with their peers.The founders of the Liv Project understand this, and have enrolled countless youth advisors and ambassadors to lead the cause. By employing the creativity and passion of young people and collaborating with mental health professionals, they are able to reach their audiences effectively and with confidence. For more informtion on this epidode please visit https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/113

About Mike Cotayo
Mike knows how to handle difficult people because he was one! Surviving a traumatic brain injury, he overcame his own addiction to drugs. He then went on to devote over 20 years of his professional life as a clinical social worker servicing the needs of the mentally ill and chemically addicted. As an expert in treating patients with borderline personalities, he has delivered keynotes internationally, including speaking at the European Association of Gestalt Therapy in Sicily. Besides his career as a clinical social worker, Mike has also achieved acclaim as a stand up comedian where he discovered the power of humor to heal. He has headlined at The Laugh Factory in New York City, as well as Binghamton University, Columbia University and Kansas State University. For more information on this episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/112

I took a pause.
Sometimes life forces you to pause. In this episode, I talk about why I took this four month break from the podcast and what I have learned. Life threw a couple of challenges and transitions that I needed to be present for, and gave me an opportunity to recover, to create space so I could reflect and learn by asking myself key discernment questions:

·What do I need to refuel the tank?

What am I learning in this moment? What am I avoiding? How would I like to grow?

When it comes to the work…What is missing? How can I help fill the gaps? Build bridges?

So all of this reflection got me to look at the horizon of where I want my career and this podcast to go — and then build that intentional strategy to get there! My goal is to continue to lift up new and needed voices in the fields of suicide prevention, mental health promotion and resilience and to highlight emerging and promising new practices. AND to this end, I will be launching a new shorter-form podcast specifically for workplaces called “Headspace for the Workplace.”

Hope Illuminated: Long-form (45-60 minutes) podcast centering on collaboration, social justice, lived experience and innovation will launch one new episode a month.

Headspace for the Workplace: Shorter-form (15-30 minutes) will focus on the following:

Future-proofing your workplace by ensuring it is human-friendly

Tactics for a holistic approach to human-centered work families

And, of course – well-being, mental health promotion and suicide prevention – at work

Show Notes
“I’m a psychologist – and I believe we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health”

The Guardian article by Sanah Ahsan

In this “Part 2” episode, he talks about his work helping the energy sector develop a comprehensive mental health promotion and suicide prevention strategy — through the lens of his lived expertise.

In the previous “Part 1” episode James Hill shared his story of surviving suicidal intensity and becoming a national change agent for workplace wellbeing.

About James Hill
James Hill is a passionate Mental Health Advocate, by using his own lived experience and education he has influenced positive change regarding mental ill-health and suicide prevention in both the workplace and broader community. His background was in the electricity industry before he changed his life direction to follow his passion, developing and successfully implementing a workplace Mental Health Advocate role. He is also a public speaker for a mental health charity and Ambassador for the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association.

His achievements in the mental health sector have earned him the Individual Contribution to Mental Health Award in Queensland Australia, along with the Large Workplace Mental Health Award. In addition, he was a finalist in the LiFE Suicide Prevention Awards and a Finalist for the Queensland Local Hero category in the Australian of the Year awards.

About James Hill
James Hill is a passionate Mental Health Advocate, by using his own lived experience and education he has influenced positive change regarding mental ill-health and suicide prevention in both the workplace and broader community. His background was in the electricity industry before he changed his life direction to follow his passion, developing and successfully implementing a workplace Mental Health Advocate role. He is also a public speaker for a mental health charity and Ambassador for the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association.

His achievements in the mental health sector have earned him the Individual Contribution to Mental Health Award in Queensland Australia, along with the Large Workplace Mental Health Award. In addition, he was a finalist in the LiFE Suicide Prevention Awards and a Finalist for the Queensland Local Hero category in the Australian of the Year awards.