Behavioral Health Today

Support for Therapists with Michele Haley, Ph.D. and TogetherWell - Episode 45

On today's podcast Dr. Graham Taylor speaks with the founder and director of TogetherWell, Michele Haley, Ph.D. Together, they discuss the importance of workshops, collaboration, and the benefit to therapists by being involved in professional workshops. TogetherWell provides educational workshops for therapist to help manage their practice and stay up to date with best practices, a community for mentor support, and education for early career practitioners. They also offer workshops to help spread mental health education within local communities.

If you are an early career therapist looking for more information to guide your practice, network, find a mentor, or if you’re a veteran therapist looking to expand your network and help your community, we encourage you to visit TogetherWell at https://www.togetherwell.org/

And, if you are a therapist interested in joining TogetherWell, visit: https://www.togetherwell.org/join

You can connect with TogetherWell on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/togetherwellorg

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/togetherwellorg

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/togetherwell/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU5IYy3v0UepcZpJKtnAALQ

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/togetherwellorg/

Families, Holidays, and Relational Conflict with Dr. Kristen Wilkinson - Episode 44

Families and the holidays, what could possibly go wrong? In this episode Dr. Graham Taylor speaks with Dr. Kristen Wilkenson about the relational stress brought on by the holidays and some solutions that can help navigate relational conflicts. Together they discuss differing personality styles, shared goals, empathy building, how to set boundaries and how to craft the language. "If we can focus on our feelings and needs it equips us to have difficult conversations." Berné Brown states “clear is kind”, the clearer we can be the kinder we can be to ourselves and also the relationship.

For more information about Psychology Today, visit: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us

If you are looking for additional help to find a therapist or a support group, please visit: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists

Vicarious Trauma (Part 2) with Jana Martin, Ph.D. and Lidia Michel, Psy.D. - Episode 43

In part 2 of our conversation, Dr. Graham Taylor continues the discussion with Dr. Jana Martin, CEO of The Trust, and Dr. Lidia Michel around vicarious trauma. In the last episode, we talked about vicarious trauma, its effects, and some of the warning signs that might harm our world view. In today's episode, we discuss preemptive self-care solutions and solutions you can use while in a session with a client. Additionally, we discuss vicarious resilience and the benefits to therapists gained through witnessing human resiliency. 

 

For more information about The Trust and ways to engage yourself and empower your clients visit: https://www.trustinsurance.com/

For more information about Trauma Stewardship by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk visit: https://traumastewardship.com/inside-the-book/

For more information about Real Happiness at Work by Sharon Salzbery visit:

https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/real-happiness-at-work/

Vicarious Trauma (Part 1) with Jana Martin, Ph.D. and Lidia Michel, Psy.D. - Episode 42

In part one of this discussion, Dr. Graham Taylor speaks with Dr. Jana Martin, CEO of The Trust, and Dr. Lidia Michel about vicarious trauma, its effects, and some of the warning signs that it may be harming our world view. Part of a practitioner’s work requires them to listen, to and sit with their patients, and hear to their stories of significant challenge. But there is a cost to this for therapists, a cumulative and a lasting impact on the practitioner.

We encourage practitioners to talk with colleagues and put this kind of trauma into context. Ask people “how have I changed since I started this work?”, ask “how does my anger show up now?” and invite these conversations around vicarious trauma so we can carry it in the healthiest way possible. We need to have special care for ourselves and to even see our own self-care as a form of honoring the work we do.

For more information about The Trust and ways to engage yourself and empower your clients visit: https://www.trustinsurance.com/

For more information about Trauma Stewardship by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk visit: https://traumastewardship.com/inside-the-book/

For more information about Real Happiness at Work by Sharon Salzbery visit:

https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/real-happiness-at-work/

Fighting Racism with Introspection - Brandon J. Johnson - Episode 41

Brandon J. Johnson, M.H.S talks with Dr. Graham Taylor about how introspection and empathy are the cornerstones of managing our racism. They discuss how compassion is unequivocally what we need for individuals to understand where some of their racist beliefs are and how we can begin to make impactful change. If we can just make room for the person's experiences, we might find ourselves expanding into a greater shared appreciation for and understanding of what's going on around us and in the lives around us. It's about understanding and loving each other in a deeper way. 

 

To learn more:

Black Mental Wellness Lounge: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCebATdInxniQlf12aJtmDpA

Black Mental Health Alliance: https://blackmentalhealth.com/

Visit PsychHub to take action against racism at: https://psychhub.com/taking-action-against-racism/

The Accessibility of Online Counseling with BetterHelp - Episode 40

In this episode, Dr. Graham Taylor talks with Haesue Jo, LMFT and Clinical Operations Manager at BetterHelp about how clients are paired with practitioners in a confidential, efficient, and beneficial way. BetterHelp is the largest online counseling platform. Telemental Health options are available for adults, teens (with consenting adults), and couples therapy through BetterHelp. The accessibility of online counseling is helping to normalize the therapy experience, allowing clients to safely be more comfortable and vulnerable in their therapeutic discussions.

 If you are interested in learning more about BetterHelp, visit: BetterHelp.com

If you are a therapist interested in practicing online with BetterHelp, learn more here.

How a Bill Becomes a Law with Gerry Grossman, LMFT - Episode 39

Today Gerry Grossman, LMFT and founder of Gerry Grossman Seminars, joins us to speak on his experience and the lessons learned from successfully advocating change. In 2020 Gerry Grossman successfully lobbied a bill that has helped change the legal landscape for mental health providers doing therapy with minors in California. Gerry talks about lessons learned along the way, and provides advice for those who want to advocate: "Your voice matters. Be patient, persistent, and perseverative."

For more information on the CA legislative process visit: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/

For information on CAMFT and chapters near you, visit: https://www.camft.org/

Telemental Health Advocacy with Dr. Jorge Petit - Episode 38

In this episode, Dr. Jorge Petit is a psychiatrist veteran, behavioral health advocate and president and CEO of CBC, speaks with Dr. Graham Taylor about their successful work with providing clients access to services using telehealth or telemental health. Jorge and Graham discuss the measurable successes, and challenges of telemental health including permanent and regulatory relief, administrative flexibility, enhanced workforce capacity, and equitable payment.

 

About Coordinated Behavioral Care: The CBC network includes over 50 community based, not for profit, health and human service agencies. During this COVID-19 pandemic, telemental health services have helped the outreach and engagement of their clients to stay connected to services.

 

For more information about Coordinated Behavioral Care (CBC) visit: http://www.cbcare.org/

Information on Emerging Technologies by CBC - document

Telemental health services research - document 

Trauma Stewardship with Dr. Lidia Michel - Episode 37

On this episode, Lidia Michel, Psy.D. joins Dr. Graham Taylor in a discussion on trauma stewardship and how to care for those that care for others. Lidia speaks on the guideposts of stewardship: identifying your working role model, minimizing to make time for rest, hypervigilance and awareness of the speed of your work, and recognizing diminished creativity in your work, and ways to add self-care to your routine to be effective in our work. Self-care is critical and really essential to the longevity, within our careers and for the services that we really want to provide and for us to be effective in our work.

 

For more information about Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk , visit: https://traumastewardship.com/inside-the-book/

For more information about The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, visit: https://brenebrown.com/books-audio/

For more information on the Positive Psychology Center, visit: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/

Spirituality and Psychotherapy with Dr. Rick Johnson - Episode 36

In this episode, Dr. Rick Johnson, PhD joins Dr. Graham Taylor in a discussion surrounding the meaning of, and the inclusion of, spirituality into the therapeutic process. Together they address the meaning of spirituality, the dangers of reactivity, and ways practitioners bring spirituality into the therapeutic process for a greater awareness. There are three parts to us:  emotional, physical, and spiritual. Through therapy there is an opportunity to explore and embrace all three sides. When we incorporate the spirituality piece, we can incorporate a greater authentic self to understand the life-affirming beliefs that drive us. 

For more information on Dr. Rick Johnson visit: https://rickjohnsonphd.com/

 

Pain, the Mind, and Psychotherapy with Dr. Adriaan Louw - Episode 35

Dr. Adriaan Louw, PT, PhD, joins Dr. Graham Taylor on this week’s episode of Behavioral Health Today to help us understand the relationship of pain, our brains, and how practicing mindfulness to change our experience with chronic pain. Pain is very complex; our brain is a big determiner in our pain experience. The best treatment involves an education process to influence the way that a patient thinks about pain. Adriaan shares about the work he’s doing to improve health through digital medicine with BehaVR and virtual reality programs to teach patients to understand their pain and become empowered and in control of their pain.

 For more information about Evidence in Motion, a seminar group to teach post-professional courses for healthcare providers, visit: https://evidenceinmotion.com/

If you are a patient looking for more information, visit Orthopedic Physical Therapy Products: https://www.optp.com/

For more information on BehaVR’s Digital Medicine Platform, visit: https://behavr.com/

A Candid Clinician Conversation with Joy Winquist - Sex Trafficking Part 3 - Episode 34

In our final episode of the 3-part series addressing sex trafficking and the work being done by Ho`ōla Nā Pua,  Joy Winquist, the director of programs at Ho`ōla Nā Pua joins the discussion with Dr. Graham Taylor. Joy is a clinical social worker advocating for counseling individuals with complex trauma survivors of child abuse, neglect, and trafficking survivors. Throughout this episode we get an understanding of what therapeutic care and a clinician's treatment look like for those coming through their program. 

 

For more information about Ho`ōla Nā Pua visit: https://hoolanapua.org/

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is (888) 373-7888 or visit: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

Rebecca Bender visit: https://rebeccabender.org/

Rachel Thomas visit: https://www.worldwithoutexploitation.org/survivor/rachel-thomas

Dr. Sue Johnson visit: https://iceeft.com/about-dr-sue-johnson/

Dr. Bruce Perry visit https://www.commcare1.org/post/dr-bruce-d-perry-on-trauma-informed-care

Bessel van der Kolk, MD visit https://www.nicabm.com/faculty/bessel-van-der-kolk/

Polaris Project visit https://polarisproject.org/

Gateway Traps and Demand Reduction with Tim Hitchens - Sex Trafficking Part 2 - Episode 33

In the second episode of the 3-part series addressing sex trafficking and the work being done by Ho`ōla Nā Pua, Tim Hitchens, the Education Program Manager at Ho`ōla Nā Pua, talks with Behavioral Health Today about gateway traps and sex trafficking (those things that we may not realize, but are contributing to sex trafficking). Together Tim and Graham dispel myths and assumptions surrounding the belief system around sex trafficking and ask for us to be mindful of the impact of our actions. 

For more information about Ho`ōla Nā Pua visit: https://hoolanapua.org/

For information about Shared Hope International visit: https://sharedhope.org/

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is (888) 373-7888 or visit: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

Polaris Project visit: https://polarisproject.org/

Culture Reframed visit: https://www.culturereframed.org/

Jackson Katz visit: https://www.jacksonkatz.com/

Demand Abolition visit: https://www.demandabolition.org/

Tony Porter: A Call to Men visit: https://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men

Advocacy, Awareness, and Prevention of Child Sex Trafficking with Jessica Muñoz & Tammy Bitanga - Episode 32

The first in a 3-part series addressing sex trafficking and the work being done by Ho`ōla Nā Pua. Jessica Munoz, founder and president, and Tammy Bitanga, Community Outreach Coordinator, join Behavioral Health Today's Dr. Graham Taylor as leaders in the anti-trafficking movement in the Hawaiian Islands. Tammy shares her own story of survival and rise out of her circumstances of early childhood abuse and how it drives her to do the work with Ho`ōla Nā Pua. Today, Ho`ōla Nā Pua has developed their own crisis hotline, mentoring program, and developing Hawaii’s first residential treatment center for children who have been trafficked.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is: (888) 373-7888.

If you are in Hawaii and you're looking for help: (808) 435-9555

For more information about Ho`ōla Nā Pua visit https://hoolanapua.org/

For more information about the CSE-it (See-It) Tool visit: https://www.westcoastcc.org/cse-it/

Humor in Psychotherapy with Dr. Steven M. Sultanoff - Episode 31

Humor shifts how we feel, think, act, and impacts our physiology and biochemistry. In this episode, Dr. Steven M. Sultanoff joins Dr. Graham Taylor to explain how humor can be incorporated in the therapeutic relationship to improve the bond between the therapist / client and as a tool for intervention within a therapeutic approach. Humor can be used as a way to unstick our thinking and disrupting painful feelings so we can be more confident in our ability to manage feelings.

For more information:

• Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor visit: https://www.aath.org/
• International Society for Humor Studies visit: http://www.humorstudies.org/
• Dr. Steven Sultanoff and information about humor visit: http://www.humormatters.com/

For CE course information on incorporating humor into psychotherapy visit: https://aatbs.com/integrating-humor-into-psychotherapy-theory-rationale-research