Mental Health: Hope and Recovery

Throughout a decade of making presentations, Helen and Valerie are often asked, “What can I do when my family member with mental health issues refuses treatment?” A tough situation and difficult to answer until they discovered “When a Family Member Refuses Mental Health Treatment.” They explore this groundbreaking book with co-author Gary Mitchell, a seasoned clinician, researcher and innovator in the mental health field. One of the basic premises is to shift focus from the member who is treat-resistant to the other family members who are seeking help with their own needs. To deal with their issues that can be improved upon, rather than accommodating and enabling their recalcitrant loved one. The end result can create a healthy, productive, healing environment for the entire family. Find Valerie and Helen at https://www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.co When a Loved One Won't Seek Mental Health Treatment by C. Alec Pollard, PhD; Melanie VanDyke, PhD; Gary Mitchell, LCSW; Heidi J. Pollard, RN, MSM; and Gloria Steketee, PhD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The significance and complexities of the family's role during a loved one's psychiatric crisis led Valerie and Helen to devote a five-episode series to the topic. This fifth and final episode of the series is filled with invaluable professional advice with guest Lisa Powell-Watts, a seasoned psychotherapist of 40 years.  Please visit the first four episodes of this series for an in-depth exploration of the many challenges and numerous roles in a family where a member has mental health issues. Discover the perspectives of Valerie's spouse and sister, of caregivers and parents, and of a peer as she shares her own journey with a mental health condition within her family. Find Valerie and Helen at https://www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Family members' responses to and support of their loved one who lives with a mental health condition often includes a steep learning curve, uncertainty, misunderstanding, and yes, much love. Each family also has its own journey.  In this episode, we hear from Rebecca as she shares her story of how her family has navigated her mental health struggles and now her life in recovery.  Rebecca offers us her personal recovery toolbox, examples of family education, and much more as her courage and resilience shines throughout the interview.  Please join us as we continue our series, The Family Dynamics of a Psychiatric Crisis—Part Four: The Peer Perspective. Find Valerie and Helen at https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 3 of their in-depth series on the impact of a psychiatric crisis on the family, the topic is the parents' perspectives and stories of the intricate roles of a parent when dealing with a child with mental health issues. Two guest parents speak with unflinching candor and deep personal knowledge about their family experiences. Over many years, their challenges have evolved into rich insights relayed with unflinching candor and deep wisdom. The delicate relationships with their child and themselves resulted in hard won advancements through the communications, skills, self-knowledge, and changes needed to support a child into recovery. Please join Helen and Valerie for this landmark episode—their 50th episode of Mental Health: Hope and Recovery! Find Helen and Valerie at https://www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the holidays all around, this episode is an annual tradition for Helen and Valerie. For some of us, this time of year is emotionally charged due to the pressures and expectations of the holidays. Individuals can become stressed out, depressed, anxious, exhausted. For others, the joys of the season also can create the need for emotional downtime. Valerie and Helen offer a perfect gift for anyone overwhelmed by the intensity generated during this time: a full episode of mindfulness exercises from the past year. Regardless of holiday feelings, they hope their audiences will use the healing gift of mindfulness, and will accept their best wishes for all listeners and their loved ones to have a safe, healthy new year. Find Valerie and Helen at https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part Two of the series Family Dynamics in a Psychiatric Crisis, Valerie and Helen have a frank, candid conversation with Valerie's sister and husband, who were the principal caregivers during her severe mental illnesses and behaviors. The result is Caregivers Talk Turkey to Caregivers, where they explain the knowledge, relationships, coping skills, and self-care that allowed them to persevere through the long, dark years until Valerie's full recovery. What sustained, inspired and comforted them throughout the process are a revelation for listeners who are involved in the care and treatment of a family member with mental health challenges. Their examples of supporting the young children involved are especially insightful and poignant. This episode makes for an invaluable listening experience for family members everywhere. Find Valerie and Helen at mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a family member faces a mental health challenge, family relationships can become formidable and problematic, while being loving and supportive, as well. The complicated nature of these relationships has launched Helen and Valerie on a five-episode series – The Family Dynamics of a Psychiatric Crisis. Their goal is to define and demystify the impact of mental illness on the family; and to enlighten and strengthen the impact of the family on mental illness. In Part One: Personal Perspectives from a Sibling and a Spouse, Valerie has invited her own husband and sister for intimate conversations with her about their journeys together for the years she was drastically sick before her recovery. This riveting episode reveals the dramatic impact on a marriage, children, siblings, friends, and caregivers. A surefire classic, not to be missed. Find Valerie and Helen at https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is so vast and perplexing, Valerie and Helen devoted two episodes to OCD. They discovered a complex and harrowing mental illness often trivialized and misunderstood by those who don't have it. To legitimize the severity of the disorder, they turned to the experts. In Part Two, their searching questions are answered by a seasoned OCD professional, Dr. Ginny Fullerton. Her encyclopedic knowledge of OCD encompasses causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment methods and breakthroughs, along with profound insights for individuals battling OCD, their families and loved ones. To supplement this invaluable education, Helen and Valerie urge audiences to listen to Episode 45, which features the miraculous story of Mel, a woman who had OCD from early childhood into her adult life, and who made a heroic recovery. Find Valerie and Helen at https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Show Notes: International OCD Foundation — https://hiocdf.org Family Accommodation Behaviors — https://ysph.yale.edu/familyaccommodationocd/about/ When a Loved One Won't Seek Mental Health Treatment: How to Promote Recovery and Reclaim Your Family's Well-Being by C. Alec Pollard PhD, Melanie VanDyke PhD, Gary Mitchell LCSW, Heidi J. Pollard RN, MSN, Gloria Mathis PhD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is an illness many people trivialize because they don't understand it. OCD proved to be a condition so vast and complex that Valerie and Helen divided it into two episodes. In this first episode, they explore the components of OCD: diagnosis, causes, symptoms, treatment, and hope for recovery. To fully enlighten listeners, there is the firsthand account from Mel, a woman who struggled with OCD from early childhood until her hard won recovery years later. Her experiences, insights and courage are not to be missed. OCD Part Two will focus on the professional expert's perspective through an in-depth interview with OCD specialist, Dr. Ginny Fullerton. Find Valerie and Helen at mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Show Notes/Resources: The International OCD Foundation—iocdf.org Brain Lock by Jeffrey Schwartz, MD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eating disorders are pernicious and powerful, with dangerous symptoms and sometimes lethal consequences. However, researchers and scientists are developing effective methods to treat them. Valerie and Helen share some of the most recent breakthroughs in eating disorders treatment.  Though these disorders are damaging and destructive, a life in recovery with an eating disorder is possible, as we hear in Valerie and Helen's insightful interview with Cailin. We don't often hear about the long-term impact of these disorders on one person's life. Cailin affords us the rare opportunity to do so by sharing her first-hand account of her life-long battle and subsequent triumph. Cailin shares the accessible, impactful strategies and skills she uses effectively during tough times and in on-going recovery. Cailin's story of her fight and victory over eating disorders is empowering and invaluable. Find Valerie and Helen at https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Healing Power of Animals and Pets is a revelation and celebration for Helen, Valerie and listeners everywhere. The positive impact of animals on people with mental health challenges is as uplifting as it is irrefutable. Science shows that the closeness and touch of a pet can stimulate mood-enhancing hormones in the brain; help with emotional regulation; ward off depression and sadness; promote healthy connections. The use of animals began sixty years ago, and now is recognized as an effective method in many cases. Two expert animal therapists, one in Equine Therapy with horses, and one in Canine Therapy with dogs, are fascinating guests whose experiences and successes bring tears to the eye and hope to the heart. Find Valerie and Helen at mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this important episode, Valerie and Helen explore the subject of work and its critical role in recovery. For people with a mental health condition, work is a weighty challenge that can evoke anxiety and fear, hopes and dreams. Given their extensive backgrounds in the workplace, both successes and the inability to have a job due to acute mental illnesses, Helen and Valerie understand the great benefits of work as well as the downsides. Research shows that for American workers, employment is far more than a paycheck. It provides structure, a social network, meaning, and a positive identity. Few things can be as meaningful to recovery as a job. Don't miss this full exploration of work, and finding, getting, and keeping employment. Find Valerie and Helen at mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 In this episode, Valerie and Helen pursue the holy grail of recovery—thriving in the aftermath of mental illness. For centuries, the ability to thrive would seem almost inconceivable, as traditional treatments focused on the cessation of symptoms and basic survival. But recent studies prove that thriving is possible, even for those who've suffered from severe, long-term illness or multiple diagnoses. Helen and Valerie reveal how they progressed into thriving after long years of struggle. Three guests also share their insights and methods for thriving today. As proven in research, thriving after mental illness is becoming recognized as an achievable outcome. Helen and Valerie's wish for their listeners is the chance for a rich, fulfilling, meaningful life worth living. Find Helen and Valerie at www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com NAMI: “Thriving with Bipolar” by Maureen Goldman  Mental Health Nursing Magazine. 2012, Issue 11. From Survive to Thrive: Living Your Best Life with Mental Illness by Dr. Margaret S. Chisolm, 2021 A Guide to Thriving with Mental Illness by Mequell W. Buck, 2016 Canadian Community Health Research Survey: Thriving with a Mental Illness, 2012 University of Southern Florida, Mood and Emotion Lab Research Study: Thriving with a Mental Illness; Dr. Andrew Devendorf, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loneliness has been declared the new American epidemic by the U.S. Surgeon General. Its destructive impact on an individual life and on society as a whole was explored in the previous episode. Nowhere is loneliness more debilitating and dangerous than for those with mental health challenges. In this second part, Valerie and Helen provide multiple methods for overcoming loneliness through relationships, skills and strategies, goal setting, social activities, and community. Their research shows the impact loneliness has on the brain, and how the brain is hardwired to need and seek human connection for basic survival. In light of this human necessity, science now shows that the brain distorted by loneliness can be regenerated through new behaviors, beliefs, and practices. Do not miss this opportunity to learn about new pathways of recovery from the loneliness epidemic. Find Helen and Valerie online at www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May 2023, the US Surgeon General declared loneliness a national epidemic. Greater than one in two adult Americans report being lonely. Given the damaging and sometimes lethal impact that loneliness can have on mental health, Valerie and Helen take listeners into the deep-rooted causes and destructive consequences of loneliness within the individual and society. Rampant loneliness is both a cultural threat and a powerful cause and effect of mental illnesses. Helen and Valerie reveal the shocking truth about loneliness as a sweeping force in the struggle for survival and a life worth living in America today. Find Helen and Valerie at https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women and Mental Health is an episode with explosive revelations about women and their mental health journeys. The cruel biases of the past, enlightened advances in to the present, promising breakthroughs for future treatment and recovery. Valerie and Helen delve deep into the complex, unique issues of women with mental health challenges, and the long journey of progress over prejudice. What is it like for a woman today as a patient, parent, caregiver, employee? Explore the combinations of therapy, medication, and treatment methods that bring opportunities to women and their loved ones. Do not miss this chance to learn about women, mental health, and new avenues for recovery. Find Valerie and Helen online at mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Show Notes Topics discussed in this episode include: ·      The history of women and mental illness ·      Gender differences in mental illness in regard to risk, prevalence, symptoms and treatment ·      Treatment methods for women—which are most effective, why, and what are the recent scientific treatment breakthroughs ·      Helen and Valerie share how being female has impacted their mental health disorders Resources mentioned in this episode: ·      Wellness Recovery Action Plan -- https://namirockland.org/resources/wellness-recovery-action-plan/ ·      2 Lives Podcast -- 2lives.org ·      Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Report:  ·      SAMHSA Recovery Definition: Recovery is characterized by continual growth and improvement in one's health and wellness while managing setbacks, which are a natural part of life. Please leave a review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mindfulness is an effective tool for achieving serenity in any moment. At this hectic time of the year, honing our mindfulness skills is especially helpful. In this third annual Mindfulness Favorites episode, Valerie shares her favorite exercises of 2023. Pulled from one of the exercises that ends each episode of Mental Health: Hope and Recovery, the first exercise this year is The Power of 60 Mindful Seconds. Please tune in; your mindfulness minute — and more — awaits! Find Helen and Valerie online here www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first of an unprecedented two-part series. Valerie and Helen dig deep into the similarities, differences, and clashes between the genders as they deal with mental health challenges. In this episode, they begin with Men and Mental Health. As they explore the male response to symptoms, treatment, and relationships, some surprising and often disconcerting differences come to light. For there is a paucity of research about men and mental illness. They often wage a very different battle for recovery than women do. Helen and Valerie are fortunate to have a featured guest, Rob Dye, tell his remarkable story of struggle and recovery, and explain much about the often different male reactions to psychiatric illnesses and available treatment. The episode is an eye-opener for men and women. Please join in. This episode will be followed by Women and Mental Health. Also not to be missed. Find Helen and Valerie online Mental Health Hope and Recovery.com Join Helen and Valerie on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In ancient times, the prevailing belief was that madness and creativity were sublime gifts from the gods. Who knew the opposite would prove to be true today? Creativity and art are reliant on mental health, mental health is reliant on creativity and art. In this exciting episode, Valerie and Helen reveal the cutting edge science that proves creative expression has a direct healing impact on the mind and body of those with mental health challenges. Through the exploration of history, treatment methods, and firsthand accounts, they show the amazing synergy between creativity and recovery. An episode not to be missed! Find out more about Helen and Valerie https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com/ National Alliance on Mental Health Texas https://namitexas.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who knew grit and determination could be so essential to the pursuit and achievement of recovery from mental health issues? Valerie and Helen begin with a brilliant book, "Grit," by Angela Duckworth, and go on to explore the impact of grit on mental health. They begin with the basic definition: "Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance for a long-term goal." From there, their research ushers the listener into a wide range of possibilities and positive outcomes for those who use grit to battle overwhelming psychiatric conditions. It can bolster almost any phase of treatment, and can spur an individual to long-term, strategic applications of grit to the complex challenges of mental illnesses. They find references and testimonials to the importance of grit in a large number of highly influential figures, from Confucius to Charles Darwin to Dolly Parton to Nelson Mandela. In addition, Helen and Valerie tell of the indispensable presence of grit in their own stories of life in recovery. Vote here for Mental Health: Hope and Recovery for the Signal Award Listener's Choice Award: Official Listing Find Valerie and Helen on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're searching for inspiration and uplift, look no further. Valerie and Helen will provide you with an escape from the doldrums needed by all of us after a long, hot summer. In this episode, two extraordinary guests, Kimberly and Stacy, tell their powerful stories of recovery from mental health challenges. Due to dramatic conditions and setbacks, they have overcome many severe obstacles to emerge triumphant after years of struggle. Their stories lift the spirits of all who listen, and strengthen the resolve of those of us fighting for our mental health against all odds. Please don't miss the chance to join their unforgettable journeys. Find Valerie and Helen and Mental Health Hope and Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Valerie and Helen as they delve into the second half of their examination of depression. While Depression Part 1 presented an in-depth look at the many facets of the illness and its profound impact on the individual and society, Part 2 focuses on the expanding potential for recovery. Through treatment methods and strategies, relationships, and dazzling breakthroughs in science and medicine, recovery from this serious and often debilitating disorder is possible and sustainable. They also offer a section with ideas for the friends, families and caregivers of individuals with the illness. In addition, Helen and Valerie relate their firsthand triumphs in overcoming the relentless, fierce grip of depression. Through their lived experience, research, and reports from the field, they provide an optimistic assessment of available treatment, and a hopeful message for those fighting depression today. Find Valerie and Helen on Facebook and leave a question or comment https://www.facebook.com/MHHopeandRecovery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Valerie and Helen take a deep dive into the formidable depths of the mental health disorder depression—an illness so fierce and powerful it will strike one in six Americans at least once in a lifetime. In the first episode of this two-part series, they explain the different types of depression, and also explore the phenomenal impact of depression on individuals, families, society, and the economy. Through telling about their own journeys with depression, they give an intimate account of life with the illness and what it's like to live in and fight against its ruthless grip. This episode packs in information, insight, and a close up look at depression at both the personal and universal levels. Find Valerie and Helen on Facebook! Mental Health Hope and Recovery Find book and oracle card decks from MindBodySpirit.fm podcast hosts in the online store Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finding gratitude in the midst of a mental health crisis can seem impossible. Valerie and Helen experienced this struggle during their own crises, and have since discovered the profound impact of gratitude. This episode will take you on a surprising and heartening journey into the practice, science and impact of gratitude on a mental health condition. The consistent practice of gratitude wields deep and wide-ranging outcomes in the individual's mental and physical health, and strengthens the capacity to build a life in recovery. Join Valerie and Helen as they share phenomenal research, and their own stories. You'll be grateful that you did. Reach out to Helen and Valerie and find mental health resources here www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Catch the Gratitude wave! Sign up to see the film for free https://mindbodyspirit.fm/showcase/gratitude/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Valerie and Helen for a far-reaching conversation with Karen Casey, legendary leader in the global recovery movement for 40 years. Karen is the author of the ground-breaking book, Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women, her first of 31 books. One of the first recovery books written for women, this classic has sold over four million copies worldwide. In this episode, Karen candidly shares her struggle for sobriety and faith that guided her as she wrote Each Day, her battle with anxiety and depression, and how she achieved and maintains her recovery. Tune in to experience Karen's compassion, generosity, and wisdom that have taught and inspired millions on the path to recovery Check out our new website! www.mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Connect with Karen Casey here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Valerie and Helen have been profoundly empowered by their volunteer experience, and volunteering has expanded their recovery. Storytelling has been the fundamental aspect of their volunteer work over ten years. Join them for this episode as they share how both telling and hearing the story of fighting the battles with mental health gives inspiration, practical advice, connection, and most important, hope for recovery. Find Mental Health Hope and Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Helen and Valerie devote a second episode to the challenges and complexities of bipolar disorder. In Episode 24, a remarkable discussion with Dr. Stephen Strakowski, a national leader in bipolar disorder treatment and research, addressed many topics that merited further examination. Join Helen and Valerie for this episode's more in-depth investigation into bipolar disorder and its profound, long-reaching impact on individuals and their relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is much curiosity about the reality of being institutionalized. A stint in a psychiatric hospital can inspire fear or hope for the individual fighting a mental health condition. In order to tell what it's like, Helen, Valerie and two special guests discuss hospitalization at the most personal level. All four have had multiple hospital stays and now live in recovery. Together they describe what it's like to live in a mental hospital, and how to make the most of the place, the people and the treatment encountered there. Find Helen and Valerie Mental Health Hope and Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is Valerie and Helen's holiday gift to their listeners everywhere. Tune in for their favorite mindfulness exercises of 2022. Perfect for anyone who's overwhelmed or exhausted by the holiday season—or just needs a few moments alone to breathe! Join the Mental Health Hope and Recovery Community on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In their episode on bipolar disorder, Helen and Valerie welcome Dr. Stephen Strakowski, a national leader in the bipolar field. Drawn from his vast experience with research and clinical practice, Dr. Strakowski eloquently discusses the basics of bipolar disorder—symptoms, diagnosis, treatment methods, relationships, and recovery. He then describes his cutting edge research, and the bright prospects that his findings provide for future treatment opportunities for the complexities and challenges of bipolar disorder. Find Mental Health Hope and Recovery on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fulfilling the multiple obligations of a parent is especially challenging if the parent is also experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. This is known as symptomatic parenting, and the surrounding issues and possible remedies can be life-changing within a family. Helen and Valerie examine this sensitive, far-reaching subject from two points of view: the perspective of the symptomatic parent, and that of the adult child of a symptomatic parent. Join our hosts as they investigate and describe coping skills, self-care methods, and treatment options for parent and adult child as they navigate this intense dynamic. Connect with Valerie and Helen on Facebook with any questions or comments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And now for something different, with two remarkable guests. Anders Osborne, legendary New Orleans songwriter and musician, takes us on a intimate journey through addiction and mental illness, and their extreme impact on his creativity and recovery. Anders is joined by his friend Ben Anderson, founder of Park City Song Summit, an international conference featuring these same subjects and promoting the healing power of music and song. Join Valerie and Helen for this amazing exploration of destruction and rebirth in the life of an artist. Park City Song Summit Anders Osbourne award winning songwriter and musician Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 19, the first episode on Aging and Mental Health, received an overwhelming response, full of thoughtful and far-reaching questions. In this episode, Valerie and Helen look for answers with Dr. Cherie Simpson, a Clinical Nurse Specialist who works with geriatric psychiatric patients. The amount of expert information will enlighten listeners, regardless of age. Join the Mental Health Hope and Recovery community on Facebook and leave Helen and Valerie a question Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among the most feared, and often reviled, of all mental disorders, BPD and its extreme symptoms have frequently been labeled intolerable and untreatable. But times and knowledge have changed—much stigma is being replaced with hope and recovery. Helen and Valerie will examine BPD from three perspectives: one who has it; one who has had intimate, difficult relationships with persons who have it; and one who has taught and enlightened hundreds of families and caretakers of those who have it. Join Valerie and Helen as they navigate Borderline Personality Disorder in a dynamic, controversial episode. Join Helen and Valerie on the Mental Health Hope and Recovery Facebook page and leave a message. Become a part of the community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Valerie and Helen investigate the complex and profound impact that aging has on mental health. And vice versa. These issues affect the elderly, yes, but also those in their 40s, 50s, 60s. Individuals with mental health challenges, caregivers, families, and friends will learn much about the aging process and its consequences. Don't miss this unforgettable episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The extreme impact of the pandemic on American mental health has become common knowledge. Mental health challenges are now front and center in our consciousness and conversation. This is regarded as a positive outcome of the pandemic in our lives. As Helen and Valerie delve into their own struggles, survival skills, and successes during this unprecedented national crisis, they are faced with a compelling question. Have we gained anything of lasting value? Is there an upside to the pandemic's mental health challenges? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 17 is devoted to one of the looming crises of today: the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of American youth. Helen and Valerie will be joined by two special guests, Dr. Melissa Eshelman and Lt. Wayne Sneed. With these experts, they will delve into the causes, behaviors, symptoms, and impact of the pandemic on children, adolescents and young adults. They'll also offer advice to families and caretakers, and discuss the treatment methods that give them hope. Follow Valerie and Helen on the Mental Health Hope and Recovery Facebook page here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The role that genetics plays in mental health is a thrilling aspect of psychiatric research and development. The potential to diagnose, treat, and overcome mental illnesses emerges in the genetic breakthroughs that Helen and Valerie explore in this riveting episode. These findings indicate a new hope for sparing years of suffering and promoting earlier recovery from psychiatric illnesses. Their guest tells an inspirational personal story that illuminates the points made in the episode. Don't miss it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, has become a household word. Yet today it remains one of the most complex and pernicious mental illnesses in the field. Given the challenges of understanding, treating, and recovering from the impact of trauma on a life, Valerie and Helen have devoted two concurrent episodes to the subject. Join them for Episodes 14 and 15 to learn how you can fight, and overcome, this complicated illness, PTSD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, has become a household word. Yet it remains one of the most complex and pernicious mental illnesses in the field. Due to the challenges, Valerie and Helen have devoted two concurrent episodes to understanding, treating, and recovering from the impact of trauma on a life. Join them for Episodes 14 and 15 to learn how to fight, and overcome, this complicated illness, PTSD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mindfulness is one of the most popular aspects of Mental Health: Hope and Recovery. As a gift to their listeners, Valerie presents the favorite mindfulness exercises of 2021. Join Helen and Valerie for an episode full of peace, safety and well-being Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holidays present many challenges for people with a mental health condition. The season and its demands can affect relationships, finances, symptoms, and survival. Helen and Valerie explore skills, methods and strategies to create healthy holidays and to be well prepared for the new year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices