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Tag: Trauma recovery

Deconstructing Stigma: A Chat About Bipolar Disorder with Joe Fusaro

Joe Fusaro joins us to talk about the incredible initiative he is a part of with McLean Hospital: Deconstructing Stigma. Since elementary school, Joe has had trouble with something that comes so naturally to most people—sleep. Despite his sleep patterns, good grades always came easily to Joe. He played music and was good at sports. Yet Joe frequently felt anxious. Just days after he started college, the 9/11 attacks happened and placed a cloud over daily life. One night, Joe felt unmotivated to do schoolwork, and a friend introduced him to the drug Adderall. It was the start of a decade-long love/hate relationship with medication. The drugs would help for a year or so, then the upper and downers would impact Joe’s sleep. He’d have major depressive episodes and wind up in detox and the hospital. The cycle would repeat again and again. Making matters worse, Joe began having  psychotic episodes, talking to himself about spaceships and someone trying to kill him. Doctors prescribed more medication.

It was 2013 when Joe decided there must be another way. He found a new doctor who taught him meditation techniques and proper nutrition and referred him to an herbalist to help manage his symptoms. Joe repaired relationships with friends and family. He wanted to give back and looked to the diary entries he made over the years as a possible way to help others.

Joe has published three books of insight and poetry about his illness, with part of the proceeds going to mental health organizations. He still sees a psychiatrist regularly. Someday, he wants to work with kids with learning disabilities or mental health issues.

www.unreadletters.com

Navigating the World of Addiction: Recovery Unplugged with Grant Hanson

Grant Hanson joins our host Kristin Walker LIVE at the Navigating the World of Addicition conference in Colorado. 

Grant first began to seek recovery while still a teenager. After experiencing all the things that he thought would never happen to him, like eventually living on the street, using needles, and a couple of prison stints, he found a desperation unlike any he had ever known. There was not a thing he wouldn’t do if it meant staying sober. He is passionate about recovery and driven by a sense of purpose and dedication to helping families as well as individuals that are struggling with substance use disorders.  He came to Recovery Unplugged with a few years experience in the treatment industry, which started out with a job washing dishes. Thanks to some amazing people along the way any and his willingness to follow suggestion, he is now an Outreach Manager at their Texas location.

Recovery Unplugged uses the power of music to help our patients heal from drug and alcohol addiction. Their staff is made up of experienced and qualified addiction care professionals and acclaimed songwriters and musicians. These professionals have come together to lend their expertise to a truly unique and effective recovery program. If you or a loved one is battling addiction or substance abuse, Recovery Unplugged is ready to help you heal through music-based treatment and recovery.

granth@recoveryunplugged.com

www.recoveryunplugged.com

www.rutexas.com

Navigating the World of Addiction: Fire Mountain Programs Aaron Huey

Join hosts Johnnie Calloway and Kristin Sunanta Walker LIVE at the 2017 Navigating the World of Addiction conference as they interview Co-founder and President Aaron Huey of Fire Mountain Programs. Aaron was a presenter at this  year’s event.  He was as fired up in our interview as he was on stage! So much empowerment and wisdom to share. 

Aaron has been working with children, teens and parents for over 18 years. After ten years directing camps and empowerment programs around the world, Aaron opened Fire Mountain because he wanted to work with kids and families on a deeper level. Over the first few years of running programs like Teen Rites of Passage The Warrior Phoenix Challenge, and numerous cries for help from parents, Aaron realized the need to turn his efforts towards teens struggling with drugs, alcohol and the behaviors and issues related to addiction. An addict in recovery since 2000, he felt a calling to put together an expert team and open Fire Mountain. His mission is to awaken confidence and leadership. “It‘s not about being better, it‘s about giving up the struggle to be different from who you are.”

Aaron’s formal educational background is in acting. He graduated from the top acting school in the US, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1990. His skills in comedy and drama make him an  influential speaker and presenter, and a favorite among the kids. His confidence, compassion and humor set the tone for deep healing, and fun.

Aaron is also trained as an EMT, a Wilderness Survival Instructor and Martial Arts teacher, all of which he weaves into the Fire Mountain RTC curriculum.

www.firemountainprograms.com

The Power of Words in Mental Health: Deputy Director Nanette Larson, DHS

Nanette V. Larson, BA, CRSS, serves as the Deputy Director/Ambassador for Wellness & Recovery for the Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health. Since 1999, Ms. Larson has worked with the Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Mental Health, providing leadership and consultation to further the development of recovery-oriented services within the mental health system. In her more than 15 years as a state employee, Ms. Larson has served in a variety of positions within the Division. In her role as Ambassador, Ms. Larson will continue to forward many of DMH’s successful recovery initiatives, such as Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP®), Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) training and development & monthly Recovery & Empowerment Statewide Calls. Additionally, she and her team will develop and expand proactive, outcome-focused wellness strategies organized around the eight dimensions of wellness identified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Ms. Larson is a nationally recognized leader in the mental health recovery movement and has provided numerous presentations to diverse audiences on recovery, spirituality, and related topics. Her passion for this work comes from her personal experience of recovery from mental illness, and her message is one of hope for all whose lives are affected by these conditions.

For more information about Nanette please visit www.illinois.gov. 

www.thenationalcouncil.org

Minimalism: Caring For Your Soul In The Digital Age With Joshua Garrin, Ph.D.

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

Deconstructing Stigma: Mental Illness is a Family Centered Illness

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

Essential Living: Reclaiming Your Essential Self With Dr. Shelley Uram

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

Can Mental Illness be Cured? Our Interview with Alice Washington

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

Sexual Assault Survivors: Voices of Experience and Healing

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.

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