Mental Health

A valuable, even vital, addition to the resources for dealing with mental health challenges is called 'Peer Support', and a primary sources of peer support the wide range of mental health diagnoses is the Wellness Shack. Their director, Bob Schrader, speaks of the operation and functioning of the Wellness Shack and the specifics of peer support groups.

The topic today for Spirit In Action is the mental health of our children, and who better to talk about it than the director of Wisconsin's Office of Children’s Mental Health, Linda Hall.

In mid-August, Liam and Don were joined by Portland Maine’s Poet Laureate, Maya Williams. Maya is not only a creative, gifted spoken word artist and poet, they are also a suicide survivor, theological thinker, and utterly enchanting person.

If you are feeling up,  down, or somewhere in between, by the time you finish this episode, you will feel encouraged in the great work you are doing.

Peterson Toscano recounts the epic story of a "day in the life" of Jesus and the disciples as found in Mark chapter 5. There we see a demon possessed man, a herd of pigs, really pissed off towns people, and very frightened disciples. As an actor, Peterson is curious about the backstory of "the man who dwelt amongst the tombs." What brought him to this place in his life?

Guest host Peterson Toscano of Citizen's Climate Radio looks at psychological effects of climate change with Dr. Lise Van Susteren, discusses environmental health with Dr. Natasha DeJarnett, and we see the Artic Circle through the eyes of artist Fritz Horstman.

How does climate change affect us psychologically? When faced with  extreme weather affects how is our mental health threatened? What can we do to protect ourselves and our family from the mental health risks that come with extreme weather? How can climate advocates avoid being overwhelmed by the work? How de we address the anxiety, the anger, and the despair? You will hear answers to these questions and much more.

On a rapidly changing planet we are already seeing risks to public health. Natasha DeJarnett from the American Public Health Association sits down with Peterson Toscano to outline some of these risks, but also the community building opportunity.

Part 2 of interviews about treatment courts which achieve impressive results and save lots of money. Today we visit with participants of the local Drug & Mental Health Courts - Mike Gumulauskas & Rob Bergeron.