Climate Mental Health

According to a survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, one in 10 Americans reports experiencing anxiety because of global warming. We will discuss why we need to talk about Climate and Mental Health and how to talk to young people about climate emotions.

Listen now!

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=417050

GUESTS:

Anya Kamenetz speaks, writes, and thinks about generational justice; about thriving, and raising thriving kids, on a changing planet. Her newsletter on these topics is The Golden Hour. 

She covered education for many years including for NPR, where she co-created the podcast Life Kit: Parenting. Her newest book is The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now. Kamenetz is currently an advisor to the Aspen Institute and the Climate Mental Health Network, working on new initiatives at the intersection of children and climate change. Anya grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, in a family of writers and mystics, and graduated from Yale University.

 

Matt Renner is Vice President of Seneca Environmental, where leads strategic development for Seneca Environmental with the goal of creating unprecedented collaboration to accelerate climate action. Previously he worked as a nonprofit executive in clean energy policy, climate organizing, and journalism for over a decade, focusing on the near-term social and economic impacts of climate change.

Matt began his career as an investigative reporter and later became the Executive Director of the World Business Academy to focus on the future of business in a climate-constrained world. He has a BA in Political Science and Government from the University of California, Berkeley. 

 

 

Building Resilience When Anxious, Worried, or Sad

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.  

**Listen now: https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=393133 **

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 

Pandemic Grandparents

Listen now to me and my guest Allison Briscoe-Smith for a discussion about what grandparents and families are dealing with during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

8/17/20, KPFA.org—94.1FM

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=339302

 

In the US there are approximately 70 million grandparents, and for too many, physical contact with their young grandchildren has been cut off. Other grandparents have stepped into the role of childcare providers, and some have opened up their homes to their kids and grandkids full time.  How has this pandemic changed your role, and how are you dealing with the anxiety, isolation, or exhaustion from all the changes that have occurred?


Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and a full-time faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She is also a senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, where she serves as one of the hosts of the center’s popular Science of Happiness podcast. After earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley, Dr. Briscoe-Smith’s research has focused on trauma/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and how children understand race. She lectures widely and leads workshops on these issues for parents, educators, and many others. 

Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Resilience

Listen now to 5/4/20 show on About Health (KPFA.org–94.1FM) 

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=333031

With the Covid-19 Pandemic, anxiety about our health, safety, and future is high! It’s hard to relax when there is so much uncertainty. For many people it’s particularly challenging. Under normal conditions anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the US age 18 and older, and is thought to be the most common mental health problem in the US.

Call us with your concerns and questions: 1-800-958-9008

Jennifer Shannon, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist and a Certified Diplomat in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy specializing in anxiety.  She has over thirty years of experience treating children, teens and adults.  She is the author of five books, including Don’t Feed The Monkey Mind, The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens, and Monkey Mind Workbook for Uncertainty to be published August of this year. She is coming out with a kindle book this month called The Anxiety Virus, Five Essential Practices to Build Immunity to Uncertainty. She speaks regularly at national conferences and has been featured on radio programs, in magazines and newspapers. She co-authors her books with her husband Doug, a gifted illustrator. Find out more about Jennifer Shannon at www.jennifershannon.com

Sleep! Why It’s Important And How To Get It

Listen now to  KPFA 94.1FM “About Health” 10/15/18

 

If you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. About 25 percent of Americans experience acute insomnia each year. Good sleep is essential for your physical and emotional health, and a first step in getting a good night sleep is to learn about what helps and what hinders sleep.

Guests:

Michael A. Tompkins, PhD, has twenty years of providing cognitive-behavior therapy for anxiety disorders and chronic insomnia. He is a licensed psychologist and co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy. He specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders and insomnia, and is the author of seven books, including, Anxiety and Avoidance: A Universal Treatment for Anxiety, Panic, and Fear, OCD a guide for the newly diagnosed, and his newest book is, The Insomnia Workbook for Teens. He is also an assistant clinical professor of psychology, at the University of California at Berkeley, and an adjunct faculty member of the Beck Institute.

Monique A. Thompson, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist specializing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for mood and anxiety disorders. She treats adults and teens with depression, anxiety (panic, worry, phobias), social anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, and life stress. In addition to her practice at the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, she was a staff psychologist at the Golden Bear Mood and Sleep Research Clinic at UC Berkeley. She has extensive training in CBT for insomnia (CBT-I). She also has experience working with individuals and families coping with addiction, role transitions, and chronic health problems (multiple sclerosis, lupus, cancer, chronic pain).