Practically Mental

Christa Tichy is running for District 6Website christatichyforcouncil.comFacebook ChristaTichyforcouncil.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/christa_tichy

Andrew Einsmann is running for the District 7 Seat for Montgomery County Council Email drewster711@yahoo.comWebsite: https://andreweinsmann.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/drewster711

Laurie-Anne Sayles is running for one of the at-large positions for the County CouncilWebsite www.laurieannesayles.orgFacebook facebook.com/SaylesforMoCoTwitter @LaurieASaylesOther instagram.com/councilmember_lasayles

Maricé Morales is running for County Council DistrictWebsite www.maricemorales.comFacebook facebook.com/MariceMoralesOther instagram.com/delegatemorales

Scott Goldberg is running for the At-Large Position for the Montgomery County Council Website www.VoteScott.orgFacebook facebook.com/GoldbergInMDTwitter @GoldbergInMDOther instagram.com/GoldbergInMD

Karla Silvestre is running for reelection for the Board Of Education (At-Large)Website www.karlasilvestre.comFacebook facebook.com/karlasilvestre4BOETwitter @KarlaSilves_BOE

Dawn Luedtke is running for the District 7 position. Website www.dawnluedtke.comTwitter @PennDawn96

In this episode, Jess talks with Ashley P. Evans, who is a Psychiatric Mental Health  Nurse Practitioner. Jess & Ashley discuss working with a prescriber as part of mental health treatment. Ashley is the owner of PsychLife Tee Co, which is an amazing company that sells t shirts, mugs, and notebooks that reduce the stigma around mental health. Check them out at https://psychlifeteeco.com/You can follow Ashley on Linkedinhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-p-evans-mha-msn-pmhnp-bc-82868ab/

Tom DeGonia is a Democrat running for State's Attorney Email tom@tomdegonia2022.comWebsite www.tomdegonia2022.comFacebook facebook.com/TomDeGoniaforMontgomeryCountyState'sAttorneyTwitter @TomforMoCo2022Other instagram.com/TomforMoCo2022

Dana Gassway is a Democrat running for the at-large position with the Montgomery County Council email: gassawayforcouncil@gmail.com

Len Lieber is a Republican running for the Montgomery County Council at Large Position. Website lenardlieber.comTwitter @purplepursuer

The pandemic has been filled with platitudes and sayings. Unfortunately, platitudes don't do anything. It became a way to feign concern without actually changing anything. Over the past two years we heard a string of platitudes, starting with “We're all in this together.” In this rant, Dr. Hasson talks about 9 pandemic platitudes including:2:01 We are all in this together 3:12 Follow the Science 5:56 My Mask Protects You, Your Mask Protects Me 8:22 The New Normal. 10:45 Only When It's Safe 17:13 I did everything right. 20:37 Remain Vigilant 21:37 Show Grace/Give Grace 24:00 The Children are ResilientRemember, #ActionsNotPlatitudes & #Policy&Change not #Thoughts&PrayersContent warning: suicide,  personal injury 

Ben Wikner is running for Montgomery County Council District 7Website www.benwikner.comFacebook @benwiknerforcountycouncil501(c)3 discussed during the podcast: https://cross-community.org/equity-center/The mask donations I discussed were from Lighting Wear https://www.lightningwear.com/

John Zittrauer is running for the District 4 seat for Montgomery County CouncilWebsite: friendsofjohnzittrauer.comFacebook: facebook.com/friendsofjohnzittrauerTwitter: twitter.com/johnzittrauerInstagram: instagram.com/johnzittrauer

Never assume someone is coping well because they are not asking for help. In this mini-rant, I discuss a few of the reasons people may be reluctant to ask for help and give an idea on what we, as a society, can do to help. 

Jay Guan is running for the BOE District 1 position. Website jayguan4boe.comFacebook facebook.com/JG4boe

Cary Lamari is running for the County Council District 5 seat. Website http://carylamari.netcontent warning: violence, school shootings

Steve Solomon is a democrat running for the Montgomery County Council District 6 Seat. Website votestevesolomon.comFacebook Facebook.com/votestevesolomonTwitter @SteveSolomon

Harold Maldonado is a republican running for the District 7 seat for Montgomery County. Website: https://haroldmaldonado.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaroldM4CouncilTwitter: https://twitter.com/HaroldM4Council

It's time to adjust how we think about mental health. In this mini-rant, I discuss how the traditional individual treatment for mental health does not work with a large scale crisis and discuss ways we can all help. 

Paul Schwartz is a Democratic Candidate for County Council's new District 7 seatwebsite: https://www.paulkschwartz.com/Facebook facebook.com/paul.schwartz.79025Twitter @PKSpaulContent Warning: School Shootings & Natural Disasters

Scott Joftus is an incumbent running for the Board Of Education District 3Website: https://joftus4boe.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScottJoftusFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/joftusforboe

Domenic Giandomenico is running for the At-Large seat for the Montgomery County Board of Education. Website www.domformoco.comFacebook https://www.facebook.com/DomforMoCo/Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/domformoco

Christopher Bolton is a Democratic Candidate running for Montgomery County Council District 5https://bolton4you.com/https://www.facebook.com/bolton4you/

In this episode I speak with Troy Murtha, who is running for the Montgomery County Council District 4 seat. Find our more about Troy at www.troymurtha.com

Like many fields, there is a great deal of bureaucracy in mental health. But that red tape sometimes prohibits competent professionals from doing their jobs, due to a lack of consistency between states in how our field is regulated. There are other barriers to becoming a mental health provider too, including cost and earning potential after school. Dr. Kelli Dunlap and I talk about how these systemic issues have decreased the number of psychologists entering (and remaining!) in the field, furthering the provider crisis. 

The mental health crisis is real. In this episode, Dr. Hasson discusses some of the contributing factors to the crisis. It's not just covid, but the pandemic, and its response, is definitely adding fuel to the fire. At the end, Dr. Hasson suggests a few paths going forward, including the need to societal level interventions. 

I speak with Peter James, democratic candidate for county executive. Website: pjames.usTwitter: twitter.com/moco4jamesFacebook: facebook.com/pj4moco

Dawn Iannaco-Hahn is a licensed counselor who is running for the District 5 position for the Board of education.  She is part of the A New Dawn Slate. Slate information here: https://www.anewdawn4boe.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anewdawn4boe/ Learn more about Dawn here: https://www.anewdawn4boe.com/about-dawn

Esther Wells is running for the Board of Education position for District 1. She is part of the A New Dawn slate. The slate information is here: https://www.anewdawn4boe.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anewdawn4boe/And you can read more about Esther here: https://www.anewdawn4boe.com/about-esther

Chronic Pain is experienced by many but continues to remain  misunderstood. In this episode I speak with Sandra Alami, a graduate student with Fibromyalgia. In this episode we discuss the difficulties getting diagnosed and treated, including systemic issues that make it more difficult to receive help. 

Michael Fryar is running for the Montgomery County Board of Education.He is part of the A New Dawn Slate. Their site is here: https://www.anewdawn4boe.com/Learn more about Michael here (and listen to this episode, of course!): https://www.anewdawn4boe.com/about-michael

During this episode, I speak with Evan Auguste, who is completing the last few months of his doctoral training. Evan's area of interest include racial health and justice disparities. Evan was the chair for the student circle board of the Association of Black Psychologists and with the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad. He is the future of forensic psychology and his insights are invaluable. Check out his work here: https://scholars.org/scholar/evan-augustePsychology's Contributions to Anti-Blackness in the United States within Psychological Research, Criminal Justice, and Mental Health: https://psyarxiv.com/f5yk6Why the APA's apology for promoting white supremacy falls short: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/why-apa-s-apology-promoting-white-supremacy-falls-short-ncna1284229An Intersectional-Contextual Approach to Racial Trauma Exposure Risk and Coping Among Black Youth: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jora.12757Decarcerating Care: Community-Based Healing Alternatives and How to Build Them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxdHhYcCEc4

April is Autism Acceptance Month. There's a lot of misconceptions about autism, and I reached out to an #ActuallyAutistic mental health provider, Dr. Kris, to talk about their experiences (and difficulty) getting their diagnosis as an adult. We also talk about the mind body connection, the importance of inclusion, and the double empathy problem.  

Boundaries have blurred during the pandemic. Many work from home (or work at home), and we are more connected than ever. Boundaries are a vital part of mental health and wellness.  There are many types of boundaries: physical, emotional, mental, etc. They can be too loose and they also can be too rigid. In other words, they are complicated! In this episode, I talk with Dr. Annie Levin, a psychologist with Alicia's Place in Chesapeake, VA. She specializes in working with individuals who have experienced trauma and is an expert in helping people set appropriate and healthy boundaries.  Find out more about Alicia's Place at https://alicias.place/

Navigating the special education system is complicated! In this episode I talk with Kim Glassman, a local education attorney, about what an IEP is, how that differs from a 504 plan, and what parents can do to advocate for their children's educational needs. 

Exercise is am important part of self care  but it's hard! Dr. Jacki Darby and I chat about why it can be so hard to start an exercise program and give some  advice on how to get yourself started on a program. Remember, every body can move! 

Video games have always been a hot topic, but how dangerous are they really? I break this down with video game psychologist, Dr. Kelli Dunlap.

Prior to the pandemic, there was a push to get kids (and adults!) off screens. Then the pandemic hit and screens became a lifeline for many. Still, this technology is not without its downsides. In this episode, I speak with safe-screen advocate, Lisa Cline, about screens, tracking, and the impact on our kids. 

Forgiveness is hard and takes work. It is not as simple as saying the words; to truly forgive, we have to work through the emotions we are experiencing that are associated with it. In this episode, I speak with Dom Skinner about her journey with forgiveness. Be sure to check out Dom's book, Let's Talk: Changing the Narrative and Seeing My Mother as Human

Youth sports have so many benefits, in addition to the physical health benefits. Children who play sports tend to have high levels of self esteem, as less likely to smoke, and in general feel less isolated. They have a greater sense of connectedness and community. On this episode, I speak with Coach Ali, the SVHS Varsity Girls' Basketball Coach and the Youth Program Director for the Germantown Lady Panthers. Check out more about the Lady Panthers' program here: https://sites.google.com/view/glpbasketball

In January 2022, a group of mothers gathered together in Boston to let out a primal scream. Many working parents could relate to that. In this extended episode, I talk with two working mothers about their experiences parenting young children during the pandemic. 

The past two years have been full of traumatic events. There have been natural disasters, terrorist attacks, a refugee crisis, protests, and an attack on the US Capitol, just to name a few. And let's not forget about the pandemic. In this episode, I speak to two trauma therapists, Dr. Sarah Farnaby and Jennifer Fuentes, about the past few years and what we can do to cope with constant stress. 

Practically Mental launches March 4, 2022. Here's what to expect.