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 

Culture, Care, and Covid

How can we address the ills of people who have been, and continue to be, struggling with the emotional and physical distress in this time of Covid?

There is a shortage of mental health professionals, especially in immigrant communities and communities of color. There is also suspicion of the Covid vaccine, sometimes based on medical racism and mistrust.

Join us to hear of some of the innovative programs that are being developed with community health workers, known as Promotores. The grassroots approach to building community capacity engages Promotores, strengthening their leadership skills as they connect people to needed services, and resources.

**Listen now to the show on August 2, 2021 on KPFA.org radio, 94.1FM**

https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=361359

Guest: 

Dr. Jorge Partida PsyD, is a clinical and research psychologist, specializing in addiction and trauma. He is an author, consultant, and national speaker integrating Native Ancestral Teachings with traditional Western psychotherapy. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Dr. Partida immigrated to Chicago at nine years of age and there, obtained his Bachelors Degree in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University and his PsyD from The Illinois School of Professional’ Psychology. Dr. Jorge has been a consultant on many national and international projects designing and implementing clinical programs to address addiction, education, health, community building, diversity and spirituality. He has worked with local and national governments to coordinate services for those most impacted by poverty, war, and displacement. He has worked in Liberia, Africa in the repatriation of boy soldiers, forming “intentional communities” in war and poverty-impacted countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Mexico. Dr. Jorge has served as Director of Substance Abuse and Deputy Director of Behavioral Health for San Francisco’s Department of Public Health. He was also Director of the PsyD Program at John F. Kennedy University. Most recently Dr. Jorge served as Clinical Director and Director of Family Treatment for Alo Recovery Centers in Malibu, CA. Dr. Jorge is the author of “The Promise of The Fifth Sun” and “A Week of Awakening.” (Both titles are also written in Spanish) His writing integrates psychology with native healing traditions creating a client centered, participatory approach to health and wellness. For more than 20 years, Dr. Jorge has presented mental health segments on television and radio with networks, including Univision, Telemundo, HITN-TV in Spanish and CBS, UPN, NBC and PBS in English.

Breakthrough Treatment: Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy

**Listen now to About Health, (6/14/21) KPFA radio—94.1FM**

 https://kpfa.org/episode/about-health-june-14-2021/

We discussed the research and best practices in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. This is being explored as a promising treatment for people with depression, OCD, anxiety, addiction and other mental health challenges. “Magic Mushrooms” have been used by many cultures since ancient times for medicinal and spiritual purposes. It is believed by some that taking psilocybin in a therapeutic setting can result in neuroplastic changes that can lead to improvement in mental health.

Guest:

James Keim, LCSW, is the founder of Mimosa Therapeutics, Inc., which uses bioreactors to grow research grade, natural psilocybin and other entheogens.  He is a trauma and psychedelic therapist and is co-author of the book, The Violence of Men, and a contributor of chapters to over 10 edited books on psychotherapy. He has served as a Fulbright Specialist in Southeast Asia where he provided training to clinicians that treat victims of human trafficking. James heads the Institute for the Advancement of Psychotherapy’s Oppositional and Conduct Disorder Clinic.

Novel Uses For Forbidden Medicine

Listen to today’s conversation (3/18/19)  about the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for healthhttps://kpfa.org/player/?audio=306781

“About Health” 94.1FM, KPFA.org

Psychedelic science is making a comeback. New research suggests that using psychedelic drugs such as LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin (magic mushrooms), ketamine, along with psychotherapy, can improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction.

Guests:

Harry McIlroy, MD, is an integrative physician certified with the Institute for Functional Medicine. Before medical school and completion of residency at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, he had a background in nutrition and obtained a Master’s degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Dr. Harry McIlroy strives to provide patients with health tools that empower them to improve their well being. Some of his specialities include Medical Cannabis, Chronic Pain, Digestive HealthRegenerative Medicine and Insomnia. He serves as a clinical faculty member for the UCSF Medical School, and mentors and teaches medical residents at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, which provides medical care to underserved populations.

 

Mariavittoria Mangini, PhD, FNP, has written extensively on the impact of psychedelic experiences in shaping the lives of her contemporaries, and has worked closely with many of the most distinguished investigators in this field. She is a founder of the Women’s Visionary Council, a nonprofit organization that supports investigations into non-ordinary forms of consciousness and organizes gatherings of researchers, healers, artists, and activists whose work explores these states. She has been a Family Nurse Midwife for 35 years, and for 24 years has been in primary care practice with Dr. Frank Lucido, one of the pioneers of the medical cannabis movement. Their practice was one of the first to implement the California Compassionate Use Act of 1996, the first state medical cannabis initiative. Her current project is the development of a Thanatology program for the study of death and dying.

 

For information regarding the Integrative Mental Health Conference in San Francisco| April 15-17, 2019 | Hilton SF Union Square, go to: https://imhc.arizona.edu/   Speakers include 35 best-selling authors, award winning physicians, researchers, scientists and professors, including Dr. Andrew Weil, Michael Pollan, Dr. Gabor Mate, and Shauna Shapiro