by Rona | Jul 6, 2023 | KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
Pain is an unpleasant signal and complex experience when something hurts. It’s an important message to let us know something is wrong, and to help us to take action to prevent further harm. Pain will often go away on its own, but it can also persist and become chronic pain, which is one of the most common reasons people seek out medical care.
My guest, Dr. Rachel Zoffness, will help us understand the three important domains of chronic pain: biology, psychology, and social factors. Successful treatment often requires addressing these three prongs of pain.
Listen now to About Health (7/10/23) on 94.1FM—KPFA.ORG
Guest:
Dr. Rachel Zoffness is a leading global pain expert, international speaker, author, and thought-leader in medicine, revolutionizing the way we understand and treat pain. She is a pain psychologist, Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF, and lectures at Stanford. Dr. Zoffness is the author of The Pain Management Workbook and The Chronic Pain and Illness Workbook for Teens, the first pain workbook for kids. A passionate pain educator, she is a regular guest on popular health podcasts, and her episodes have over 6 million downloads. Dr. Zoffness was trained at Brown University, Columbia, UC San Diego, NYU, and Mt. Sinai Hospital. You can learn more at https://www.zoffness.com
by Rona | Jan 18, 2023 | KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
Join me and my guest Dr. Michael A. Tompkins to discuss the current mental health crisis that teens and adults are facing, and ways to build resilience and experience greater well being.
KPFA.org—94.1FM 1/23/23
During these last few years stressors such as isolation, fear of infection, poor sleep, grief, change in routine, and financial worries have all been factors in increased anxiety and depression. Before the pandemic there were many people who weren’t being treated for their mental health challenges, and now even larger numbers of people across the country remain unable to get the care they need for both pre-existing and newly developed mental health concerns.
If you are experiencing depression and anxiety you are certainly not alone!
Research from Boston University School of Public Health revealed that the elevated rate of depression (in 2021) climbed to 32.8% affecting 1 in every 3 American adults.
Guest:
Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, ABPP is a licensed psychologist and board certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is the co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy and a faculty member for theBeck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy.He is the author of numerous articles and chapters on cognitive-behavior therapy and related topics, as well as 15 books, including his best-selling book for teens, My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic (Magination Press, 2010), which is included in the Reading Well for Young People initiative sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, London, United Kingdom. His newest books for teens are, The Anxiety and Depression Workbook for Teens: Simple CBT Skills to Help You to Deal with Anxiety, Worry, and Sadness (New Harbinger Publications, and Stress Less: A Teen’s Guide to Live a Calm Chill Life. (Magination Press, 2023).
Need Support Now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988
by Rona | Nov 20, 2020 | KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
Listen now at to the show from 11/23/20 on KPFA.org—94.1FM
I was in conversation with Monique Thompson, PhD, about her new book, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression
During these stressful times many people are feeling anxious and depressed, and some people are struggling with grief from the loss of a loved one. Feeling stress, grief, or having the blues, is not the same as suffering from depression. Depression is one of the most common mood disorders, and is highly treatable, although no two people are affected the same way by depression and there is no “one-size-fits-all” for treatment.
1-800-273-8255 is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call this number. The Lifeline provides 24/7 free and confidential support for people in distress, and resources for you and your loved ones.
Guest:
Monique Thompson is a licensed clinical psychologist. She received a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from California School of Professional Psychology. She is a certified cognitive therapist and Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Thompson is trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), an empirically supported treatment for insomnia and other sleep disorders. Dr. Thompson has extensive experience providing individualized cognitive therapy to adults and teens. She treats depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, executive functioning deficits, and challenging life transitions. She has practiced in a variety of settings, including Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek and Pleasanton, UC Berkeley, and private practice. She spent several years at the Golden Bear Mood and Sleep Research Center at UC Berkeley as a member of a treatment development team, and has published research on memory mechanisms and interventions to improve individual therapy outcomes. She is adjunct faculty at UC Berkeley Extension. She recently co-authored a book on Teen Insomnia with Dr. Michael Tompkins, The Teen Insomnia Workbook. Her second book, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression: Strategies to Challenge Negative Thinking and Start Living Your Life was released on November 13, 2020. You can reach her at Monique Thompson, PsyD.
(510) 652-4455, ext. 1.
by Rona | Oct 9, 2020 | Dr. Michael Tompkins, KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
KPFA 94.1FM 10/12/20
People are under a great deal of stress these days, which can easily lead to frustration and angry outbursts. Anger is a normal emotion that can help us understand what’s wrong, but problems occur when we don’t know how to handle the anger we feel. Is anger causing health, school, work, or relationship problems for you?
Join us to talk about ways to manage our reactions to frustration, worry, and stress. There is so much division and conflict in our country, it’s no surprise that tempers flare and feelings get hurt.
Guest:
Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, co-director and co-founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and an adjunct faculty member for the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Dr. Tompkins serves on the Advisory Board of Magination Press, and he is the author or co-author of 12 books, including My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic and his newly released book Zero to 60: A Teens Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger, and Everyday Irritations. He lives in Oakland California, and you can find out more at sfbacct.com and on Twitter at @drmatompkins.
by Rona | Apr 1, 2016 | Announcements, Appearances, KPFA, Podcasts, Radio Shows
We discussed Anxiety in adults, teens, and children.
social anxiety* panic or agoraphobia* phobias of things such as spiders, needles, or vomiting* excessive worry* separation anxiety* other issues. 
Anxiety can stop you from feeling confident, independent, happy, and fulfilled. Your worry or anxiety can stop you from doing things like being with friends, going on a date, taking your dream job, finishing school, or spending time in nature. With the right kind of help and compassion you can reduce your suffering, enjoy life more, and have better health.
Guest:
Jennifer Shannon has a Masters in Counseling and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has over 30 years of clinical experience. She is the co-founder of the Santa Rosa Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She works with children, teens and adults. She is a cognitive-behavioral therapist specializing in Anxiety Disorders, including Social Anxiety or extreme shyness, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Separation Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and some types of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and insomnia. She is the author of The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens and The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens. Both published by New Harbinger Press.She is a Certified Diplomat of The Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and a member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists and the International OCD Foundation.
