Mind On Mental Health

What's it Like to Call a Behavioral Health Program for Help?

It might be intimidating to take the first step and call a program and ask about treatment for yourself or a loved one. Today Mind on Mental Health talks to an experienced admissions clinician from Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health, Eileen Rodrigez. Andy and Eileen take the mystery out of the call so that you can feel more confident when you call for yourself or a loved one. Bonus: tips on how to communicate effectively with someone who is in a mental health crisis.
 
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A First Responder Shares His RecoveryJourney

It was July 25, 1991 when Marine veteran Dave Clauser first entered treatment for substance use disorder, convinced he was different from everyone else there. Both the straightforward staff and the members of his recovery groups gradually changed him from an isolated man to a man in recovery, making connections with others. “You don’t make that change in 96 hours,” says Dave.
Tune in to hear Dave’s conversation with host Andy Dean, and to learn about the ongoing process for a person in recovery for three decades, and who is now a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist.
 
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The Six Most Important Words a Marine Veteran Ever Learned

For this special episode, host Andy Dean interviews Dr. David Clauser, a US Marine Corps veteran. After his time in the military, Dave had a full career in secondary education, and holds a doctorate in education. Today, Dave is a Certified Peer Response Specialist who works with first responders at Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health’s inpatient hospital. He talks with Andy about something he tells all of his peers who are in the hospital for treatment: the six most important words he’s ever learned: “I don’t know. I need help.”
Those are harder than you would think for first responders to say. Join Andy and Dave as they talk about how loved ones can help the first responder they care about get help.
 
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The Importance of Parental Acceptance of LGBT Teens

Andy Dean speaks with therapist Nina Narang about the difference parents can make in their children’s lives when they are supportive. Being gender divergent or LGBT are not illnesses—rather, therapy helps kids and families deal with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety and other effects of being different from others while coming of age. Parents can help their kids feel safe and validated, and even powerful knowing that it’s US against the problems, rather than the child struggling alone.
 
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Navigating the Coming Out Process with Parents of LGBT Teens

Even when teens have come out to their peers about their sexuality or gender identity, it may be harder for them to tell their parents. Andy Dean and Nina Narang talk about ways the therapist can help with that interaction, including helping parents understand and hear what their children are telling them, andsupporting parents sort through their grief.
 
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Therapy Goals for LGBT Youth

While the world has unique challenges for LGBT kids, all teens with major depression have much in common, and therapy aims to help strengthen coping skills, to build feelings of safety, and to turn hopelessness and helplessness into action. Nina and Andy also discuss the body issues and eating disorders among LGBT teens as a means to control their own bodies.
 
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Current Challenges for LGBT Youth

Despite broader acceptance than ever before, it’s still not easy to navigate both adolescence and becoming part of the LGBT community.  Primary Therapist Nina Narang works with teens and families at Princeton House Behavioral Health, and she speaks with fellow licensed clinical social worker and host Andy Dean.  Andy and Nina discuss the how the American culture affects LGBTQ teens and when they might need help.
 
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Interpersonal Effectiveness During Cancer

Can there be sun and rain at the same time? Yes! Being open to “both/and” can make your life more effective and enhance relationships with others. Recognizing that there is more than one way to do or see things can be useful. As time has passed since her treatment for cancer concluded, therapist Danielle Bellina reflects on ways DBT skills helped her to remain engaged with others, even when their attitudes or situations differed from hers.
 
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Emotion Regulation During Cancer

Being in charge of your own emotions sounds easier than it is. Sometimes you have to do the opposite action than your emotions want you to do in order to solve a problem. Therapist Danielle Bellina talks about this and other DBT techniques that she used to cope with her cancer diagnosis and treatmentwith host Andy Dean. They delve into anxiety, how to tell people about the diagnosis when your instinct is to protect your friends and family.
 
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Distress Tolerance During Cancer

Everyone has a different cancer journey, and you can make better decisions about your health if you use the distress tolerance skills outlined in DBT as STOP (Stop, Take a Breath, Observe, and Proceed Mindfully) and Radical Acceptance. These are not easy and take practice to use. Join Danielle Bellina, a therapist trained in DBT, and host Andy Dean as they discuss how she used these skills in her own experience and worked through her emotions to take action to protect her own health.
 
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