Mental Health

Advantage Behavioral Health: Improving Access to Mental Health Matters

 
Colin Studwell, CEO of Advantage Behavioral Health, a network of behavioral health facilities called Harmony Bay and Victory Bay, committed to sustained healing and recovery from behavioral health and substance use conditions joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Mental Health Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Colin Studwell discuss the following:
Can you share your vision of Advantage Behavioral Health and your company’s approach to mental health?
What’s your secret sauce? There are a lot of mental health providers to compete with.
What are your future plans?
You combine telehealth with a brick and mortar model. How popular is telehealth? Is it effective?
What areas of mental health conditions are in greater demand today? Anxiety, depression, etc.?
Since the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in diagnosed or undiagnosed behavioral health issues among people of all ages. Who’s your typical patient?
As Chief Executive Officer, Colin Studwell is squarely responsible for the planning and execution of all major business initiatives throughout the Network.
Colin joined the Advantage team prior to the launch of Harmony Bay and was tasked with putting systems in place which would facilitate the company’s anticipated growth. To meet this challenge, Colin restructured the Network’s existing departments to facilitate the creation of an in-house Management Services Organization designed to provide a broad range of critical support services to Victory Bay and Harmony Bay as they grew. The ultimate outcome of this organizational overhaul was a finely tuned growth engine which allowed both Harmony Bay and Victory Bay to scale rapidly and into new geographies with no erosion of organizational efficiency.
Throughout his tenure at Advantage, Colin has served in a number of different roles across several distinct areas of the company, providing him with a unique perspective on the many functions of the organization. Colin now oversees all day-to-day Network operations, providing expert project management and leadership to the Advantage’s Executive Team.
Website: https://abhealthnetwork.com
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Narratives of Resilience: Exploring Trauma and Healing with Dr. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach

 
Dr. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach, the Chief Psychologist and the Head of the Community Services Unit of NATAL, the Israel Center for Victims of Terror and War joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Psychology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach discuss the following:
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do. We want to know more about what inspired you to specialize in trauma psychology, and how did your career journey lead you to work with victims of terror and war?
There are so many treatment methods. I understand that the NATAL methodology is being used in places like Chicago, in the US and also in Ukraine. Can you explain how narrative approaches help in the treatment of PTSD? What makes storytelling such a powerful tool in therapy?
Research is important for understanding all forms of psychology and how the mind works.  You've conducted extensive research on gender and trauma. What are some of the key differences you've found in how trauma manifests and is treated in men versus women?
NATAL has been working with people who are suffering from PTSD and trauma for more than 25 years. What are the most challenging aspects of working with victims of terror and war? How do you address these challenges in your work at NATAL?
As we just mentioned, a major focus of what NATAL does is to help and train other therapists and clinicians. What advice would you give to clinicians who are new to dealing with trauma patients?
How can non-professionals support friends or family members who have experienced traumatic events?
Over the years, how has your work impacted your view of human resilience and recovery?
How do you manage the emotional impact of working closely with trauma survivors?
Dr. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach is a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Bar Ilan University, Israel. She is also the head of the Community Services Unit of NATAL, the Israel Center for Victims of Terror and War. Her research and clinical work includes the study of the use of narrative approaches to diagnose and treat people exposed to trauma and those with PTSD. Rivka also studies collective trauma, gender and trauma, and identity constructor processes following traumatic events. She uses qualitative and mixed methods in her research and has published extensively on these topics.
Website: https://www.afnatal.org
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalGlobal Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-friends-of-natal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanfriendsofnatal  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nataleng 
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A Family Trip Around the Sun: 29 Countries in 366 Days

 
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan an author, illustrator, and family photo curator, whose work combines personal passion for archiving with visual storytelling skills she honed over nearly two decades in brand marketing joins eHealth Radio and the Family & Parenting Channels.
She left corporate life to spend a year with her husband and two young children crisscrossing the globe, visiting 29 countries and six continents. She wrote about their adventures in Following the Sun: Tales (and Fails) From a Year Around the World With Our Kids.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Margaret Bensfield Sullivan discuss the following:
What exactly is a family gap year?
What inspired you to do this?
Where did you go? What lessons about parenting, travel and the world did you learn?
Do you have any advice for families considering doing something similar?
Margaret Bensfield Sullivan is author, illustrator, and family photo curator whose work combines personal passion for archiving with visual storytelling skills she honed over nearly two decades in brand marketing.
Margaret was a partner at WPP's marketing and branded content agency Group SJR, where she designed storytelling campaigns on behalf of clients like TED, Target, Disney, and USAID. She left corporate life to spend a year with her husband and two young children crisscrossing the globe, visiting 29 countries and six continents.
She wrote about their adventures in Following the Sun: Tales (and Fails) From a Year Around the World With Our Kids (December 5, 2023).
Website: https://www.margaretbensfieldsullivan.com 
Social Media Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaretbensfield Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretbsullivan  Instagram: @SullivanFamilyAdventure
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A Chinese Mother's Memoir, Completed by Her Son

 
Richard Perkins Hsung who has spent ten years editing and completing Spring Flower, by his mother, Jean Tren-Hwa Perkins, MD joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Mental Health Channels. This three-volume memoir that chronicles her life as an adopted child of American medical missionaries, survivor of China's brutal communist regime, ophthalmologist, immigrant, and mother.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Richard Perkins Hsung discuss the following:
What prompted you to compile, edit and ultimately, finish your mother’s memoir?
Did working on the memoir give you new insights into your mother that you hadn’t known before, or insights into yourself?
Did you gain new insights into the plight of immigrants to the U.S.? How about the way you felt about China?
How long did it take you to complete the memoir and what made you decide to make it into a 3 book series?
What do you think your mother would have wanted readers to know about her life?
Your mother arrived in the US in 1942. What was that like for her?
Talk about the role of missionaries in your family’s history. It seems like their involvement in China was far more than just a religious one. Can you talk about that?
How has your life changed since you completed Spring Flower? 
Richard Perkins Hsung was born in China in 1966 and was one of the first teens to leave China legally after Mao’s Cultural Revolution. He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago and became a professor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, retiring in 2022. He spent ten years editing and completing Spring Flower (Earnshaw Books) by his mother, Jean Tren-Hwa Perkins, MD. The three-volume memoir chronicles her life as an adopted child of American medical missionaries, survivor of China's brutal communist regime, ophthalmologist, immigrant, and mother. Hsung lives in Madison with his wife, where keeping squirrels from digging up his backyard has become a daily scientific obsession. Learn more at Yangtze River by the Hudson Bay.  
Website: https://www.yangtzeriverbythehudsonbay.site/home-page.html
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-perkins-hsung 
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Lessons in Finding Center When the Kids Aren’t Alright

 
Celia Landman, MA, who is a mindfulness educator offering support to teens and adults joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Mental Health Channels. Her new book, When the Whole World Tips: Parenting through Crisis with Mindfulness and Balance (Parallax Press, Nov. 21, 2023), describes how to find balance while navigating seemingly impossible parenting situations.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Celia Landman discuss the following:
What was the motivation for writing this book?
What did you learn going through the process of parenting two kids with difficulties?
Do you think anyone can be ok with having their kids go through crisis?
You write about accompanying our suffering, is there a way to get to a place where you don't feel things as deeply?
You worked in an inpatient mental health facility for teens, what was the most valuable thing you contributed to your clients?
Celia Landman, MA, is a mindfulness educator offering support to teens and adults. She draws from experiences working with those impacted by trauma, addiction, and anxiety, and creates customized meditation, visualizations, and trainings to reconnect them to their wholeness. She was ordained by Thich Nhat Hahn as a member of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. She is also a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication. Her new book, When the Whole World Tips: Parenting through Crisis with Mindfulness and Balance (Parallax Press, Nov. 21, 2023), describes how to find balance while navigating seemingly impossible parenting situations.
Website: https://celialandman.com
Social Media Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celia-landman-232185149  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celia.landman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celiasacct 
The beliefs, views, ideas, thoughts and opinions expressed on any program are those of the persons appearing on the program and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the eHealth Radio Network.
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Recognizing the Cycle of Ruptured Mother-Daughter Relationships

 
Khara Croswaite Brindle, a licensed mental health therapist in private practice in Denver, Colorado joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & Mental Health Channels. Her new book is "Understanding Ruptured Mother-Daughter Relationships: Guiding the Adult Daughter’s Healing Journey through the Estrangement Energy Cycle".
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Khara Croswaite Brindle discuss the following:
What assumptions about estrangement need to be dispelled?
What separate stages do those contemplating parental estrangement experience?
How does understanding the stages in the “Estrangement Energy Cycle” better equip women to tackle the emotional rollercoaster of breaking ties with their mothers?
What are the ripple effects of mother-daughter estrangement — particularly for family members on the sidelines?
What should you say to children about a family rupture?
What social stigmas are attached to mother-daughter estrangement?  
Khara Croswaite Brindle is a licensed mental health therapist in private practice in in Denver, Colorado. She holds various roles, including financial therapist, TEDx Speaker, burnout consultant, author, and professor. Her new book is Understanding Ruptured Mother-Daughter Relationships: Guiding the Adult Daughter’s Healing Journey through the Estrangement Energy Cycle (Rowman & Littlefield, July 1, 2023). Access therapeutic tools for adult daughters at estrangementenergycycle.com.
Website: https://www.estrangementenergycycle.com 
Social Media Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kharacroswaite Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/croswaitecounselingpllc Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kharacroswaite 
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How Outdoor Group Travel Nurtures Mental Health

 
 
Kelly Kimple the CEO of Adventures in Good Company, a community of women with adventurous spirits who support each other and relish time together in the outdoors joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Mental Health Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Kelly Kimple discuss the following:
Share a personal experience or anecdote from your own outdoor adventures that highlights the profound impact of nature and group travel on mental well-being?
What unique mental health benefits do guided adventures (like Adventures in Good Company) offer, especially for women, that may not be as readily accessible during solo trips or other forms of travel?
Adventures in Good Company emphasizes creating supportive environments for participants. How do these group dynamics contribute to building a sense of community and connection among women, fostering positive mental health outcomes?
Can you elaborate on how acquiring new outdoor skills, alongside expert guidance, contributes to boosting confidence and overall mental well-being?
Outdoor adventures, while transformative, can pose challenges. How does Adventures in Good Company address the potential stressors associated with travel, and what strategies or support systems are in place to ensure participants feel secure and comfortable throughout their journeys?
Raised in rural New England, access to nature was abundant and outdoor adventuring came naturally to Adventures in Good Company’s CEO, Kelly Kimple. Even though her parents were not particularly outdoorsy, she took advantage of every opportunity to ski, hike, paddle, and explore the mountains, trails, rivers and lakes around her home. She followed this passion out west to the University of Montana, graduating from the Davidson Honors College with a double major in Wildlife Biology and Botany. Over the next decade, in addition to checking a lot of the national parks off her list, she pursued a career in conservation biology. She went on to receive a master’s degree in Natural Resource Management at the University of Arizona, and then moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to work for a non-profit doing research on bird population trends.
While still a conservationist at heart, she was looking for a change from research, and after trying her hand at program administration, business development, and marketing for several years, she was fortunate to find her true calling in the adventure travel industry. She joined Adventures in Good Company in 2018 and the next year was presented with an opportunity to purchase it from the founder, Marian Marbury. While the timing was challenging - closing on the sale at the start of 2020 - the pandemic allowed her to uniquely establish and build trust and to successfully move the company from founder-led to founder-inspired.
AGC had its best year ever in 2022 and Kelly is excited about the direction AGC is headed. She remains committed to the company’s founding values, including valuing emotional and physical safety, personal choice and individual goals, healthy relationships with other people and the environment, and valuing women and their way of knowing. She embodies the idea that women’s strengths are an asset to the outdoor and travel industry. At the same time, having experienced the strain and expense of balancing motherhood with career goals, Kelly is also committed to creating a supportive workplace for AGC’s all-female team, and it’s what drives her to continue to grow the business and to provide even better opportunities for women to achieve both their personal and professional goals.
Kelly thrives on the connections she makes with the team and the travelers, and in seeing the joy and empowerment that AGC trips provide for women. It is a privilege to do this work and to offer life-altering, confidence-building adventures that enable women to experience nature, travel the world, step out of their comfort zones, and accomplish things they never thought possible for themselves.
 
 
Website: https://www.adventuresingoodcompany.com 
Social Media Links: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/adventuresingoodcompany Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventuresingoodcompany  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdventuresinGoodCompany 
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Hope Is The First Dose with Brain Surgeon Dr. Lee Warren

 
Dr. Lee Warren, a practicing neurosurgeon, trauma expert and author of Hope Is The First Dose - a tangible treatment plan for recovering from trauma, tragedy and other massive things joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & PTSD Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Lee Warren discuss the following:
Take us back to that period in your life where you were just overcoming PTSD, a divorce, but then suddenly your son passed away.   
In this book, you describe what you call TMT, or The Massive Thing, and you say it’s coming for all of us. What is The Massive Thing?
As a neurosurgeon you’ve given countless cancer diagnoses to patients, yet you believe that cancer is not the deadliest thing that can happen to a person. What is the deadliest thing?
Tell us more about the treatment plan that you came up with to sustainably revive your hope, and how “taking every thought captive” mattered. 
TIP: What will you do when the massive thing happens to you? There's a treatment plan for that and the first dose is hope.
Dr. Lee Warren, is a practicing neurosurgeon, trauma expert and author of Hope Is the First Dose: A Treatment Plan for Recovering from Trauma, Tragedy, and Other Massive Things. The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast, heard in more than 75 countries around the world, explores the connections between faith and science and how to find hope even when life is hard.
Dr. Warren lives in Nebraska with his wife, Lisa. Dr. Warren is also a former combat surgeon in Iraq. He is a medical doctor with more than twenty years’ experience wrestling with the tensions between faith and science, and he faced unspeakable tragedy in losing his nineteen-year-old son to a tragic stabbing incident. In Hope Is the First Dose, Dr. Warren offers tender empathy and hard-won insights to give you tangible hope.
Website: https://wleewarrenmd.com 
Social Media Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/drleewarren  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drleewarren  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/docleewarren 
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How to Optimize Your Emotions and Maximize Your Productivity

 
Dr. Nikki Martinez who has been working as an Independent Medical Expert to assist the courts, for the past decade and has also been an Adjunct professor for almost 14 years again joins eHealth Radio and the Psychology & Personal Development Channels continuing an on-going series. Dr. Martinez engages in domestic and international consulting for various individuals, groups, and organizations, and offers individual and couples consulting via Tele-mental health services.
Topic: I Feel Like I’m Not Accomplishing Enough…What Should I Do? How to Optimize Your Emotions and Maximize Your Productivity
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:
What are some of the reasons that people feel like they are not accomplishing enough?
Are there common tasks and characteristics of individuals who either have this feeling or who do struggle with accomplishing their goals?
What do our emotions and maximizing our productivity have to do with each other?
What types of qualities and positive emotions would one want to incorporate into their workday to achieve greater productivity?
Since setting goals too large and making progress can be an issue for these individuals, how can things look differently and what small changes could they make right away?
Dr. Nicole Martinez received her master’s and her Doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowship at Gateway Foundation in Lake Villa, Illinois. Prior to that, she attended the University of St. Francis where she completed a double major in Psychology and Therapeutic Recreation, with a specialization in the arts. Dr. Martinez has experience working with adolescents, children, and adults in individual, family, and group treatment.
Her therapeutic style can be described as integrative, assessing the needs and style that will best serve the individual client. She typically has a mix of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and various holistic approaches, with an emphasis on CBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Positive Psychology. She believes in exploring the connection between the body and the mind to treat all the individuals’ needs. Her belief is that an individual must explore many areas of their functioning to ensure optimum health physically and emotionally.
She stresses the essential belief that the therapist and client relationship is collaborative in nature, and the two are partners who communicate from the first steps of designing the course and goals of treatment, as well as what the priorities will be. Dr. Martinez understands that it is just as important to identify any treatment styles, tools, techniques, or methods that did work, but what did not work as well, so that the two of you can work together charting a new path and avoiding precious time lost and frustration on that which has already been proven to be a poor fit.
Dr. Martinez also understands that each person is unique, there is no one size fits all, and that the needs of an individual may not only change from the initial inception of a treatment plan but from month to month or session to session, and that adapting and meeting the patient; where they are at; at any given moment is essential to both letting the patient knows they are being heard and attended to, as well as positive treatment outcomes.
Areas of expertise: medical and health psychology, trauma, trauma-focused CBT, PTSD, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, neurodivergent emerging considerations, LGBTQIA populations, bereavement, forensics, substance abuse, and misuse disorders, addictive issues and behaviors, couples work, MISA populations, co-occurring disorders, domestic violence issues, sex offenders, special needs populations, and chronic medical issues and rare diseases. Evaluation and assessment of the above-mentioned individuals, as well as review of previous assessments.
Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com
Article Archives: EverydayPower: https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296Resilient Stories (New Site & Contributor): https://resilientstories.com 
Social Media: Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez Podbean: https://drnikkimartinez.podbean.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkimaramartinez 
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The beliefs, views, ideas, thoughts and opinions expressed on any program are those of the persons appearing on the program and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the eHealth Radio Network.

Why a Failed Relationship Does NOT Make You a Failure

 
 
Dr. Nikki Martinez who has been working as an Independent Medical Expert to assist the courts, for the past decade and has also been an Adjunct professor for almost 14 years again joins eHealth Radio and the Relationship Channel continuing an on-going series. Dr. Martinez engages in domestic and international consulting for various individuals, groups, and organizations, and offers individual and couples consulting via Tele-mental health services.
Topic: Why a Failed Relationship Does NOT Make You a Failure
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:
You note there are 4 types of Failure we all experience. Can you explain what each of those are?
Do different people/personalities, experience these types of ‘failures’ in different ways?
Why do people tend to tie their sense of ‘self’ to the success or failure of a relationship?
We have all been guilty of ‘rewriting’ the history of a relationship after a breakup. What does that look like in situations where people feel like a failed relationship makes them a failure?
You have talked in other segments we have done, about the end of a relationship being an opportunity for growth and something that can be thought of in a positive way. Can you speak about this? You also have a new project you are a Contributor for, and it segways nicely into this as we end, would you like to share a brief overview of it with our listeners?
Dr. Nicole Martinez received her master’s and her Doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowship at Gateway Foundation in Lake Villa, Illinois. Prior to that, she attended the University of St. Francis where she completed a double major in Psychology and Therapeutic Recreation, with a specialization in the arts. Dr. Martinez has experience working with adolescents, children, and adults in individual, family, and group treatment.
Her therapeutic style can be described as integrative, assessing the needs and style that will best serve the individual client. She typically has a mix of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and various holistic approaches, with an emphasis on CBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Positive Psychology. She believes in exploring the connection between the body and the mind to treat all the individuals’ needs. Her belief is that an individual must explore many areas of their functioning to ensure optimum health physically and emotionally.
She stresses the essential belief that the therapist and client relationship is collaborative in nature, and the two are partners who communicate from the first steps of designing the course and goals of treatment, as well as what the priorities will be. Dr. Martinez understands that it is just as important to identify any treatment styles, tools, techniques, or methods that did work, but what did not work as well, so that the two of you can work together charting a new path and avoiding precious time lost and frustration on that which has already been proven to be a poor fit.
Dr. Martinez also understands that each person is unique, there is no one size fits all, and that the needs of an individual may not only change from the initial inception of a treatment plan but from month to month or session to session, and that adapting and meeting the patient; where they are at; at any given moment is essential to both letting the patient knows they are being heard and attended to, as well as positive treatment outcomes.
Areas of expertise: medical and health psychology, trauma, trauma-focused CBT, PTSD, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, neurodivergent emerging considerations, LGBTQIA populations, bereavement, forensics, substance abuse, and misuse disorders, addictive issues and behaviors, couples work, MISA populations, co-occurring disorders, domestic violence issues, sex offenders, special needs populations, and chronic medical issues and rare diseases. Evaluation and assessment of the above-mentioned individuals, as well as review of previous assessments.
Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com
Article Archives: EverydayPower: https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296Resilient Stories (New Site & Contributor): https://resilientstories.com 
Social Media: Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez Podbean: https://drnikkimartinez.podbean.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkimaramartinez 
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The beliefs, views, ideas, thoughts and opinions expressed on any program are those of the persons appearing on the program and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the eHealth Radio Network.