Mental Health Matters with Tom Duff

If you recognize her face or name, it could be for a plethora of reasons. The accomplished author, mental-wellness advocate, speaker, podcast host, and yoga instructor is known for normalizing mental health by telling her story. She also acted for 18 years, starting at the age of 4 and bowing out of show-biz altogether at 22. To see Lisa Jakub as Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire or Alicia Casse in Independence Day, you would never suspect that she has been dealing with panic attacks, anxiety, and depression since the age of 11. That’s why she stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight and chose to shine light on her own mental health – she wanted to show others who struggle with mental illness that it’s okay to be vulnerable and not feel ashamed of their diagnosis. In other words, it’s okay to be “weird.”

In this episode of “Mental Health Matters,” Lisa Jakub and Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW talk about why Lisa “wouldn’t be me without the anxiety.” And why, even though mental health and mental illnesses present challenges, they can also create great successes. As someone whose story is familiar to an estimated 16 million people in the U.S. who “struggle with depression – and I include myself in that statistic,” Lisa knows that mental health is “real, and it’s not shameful, and there is help available. You can bring it to the light, you can tell the truth, you can go to a meeting, you can reach out to a friend. None of us are alone.” So go ahead…embrace your “weird.”

The “real ‘F’ word”. There’s such power behind it. Just saying it helps you to release all those pent-up emotions that have been bottling up inside you. It frees your mind from all the second-guessing that runs through your thoughts, over and over and over again. Take it from two normal dudes: The “real ‘F’ word” says it all! But why are so many males, so many “dudes” in particular, afraid to include “Feelings” in their conversations?

Two regular guys, Jon Franko, the CEO of Gorilla 76 and past podcast guest, and Suvir Dhar, a lawyer, talk with fellow Leadership St. Louis alumnus, Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW, about how the men in their lives helped to shape their understanding of mental health. They talk about how talking about their feelings and allowing themselves to be vulnerable have been life-changing. They also talk about the “beauty of therapy.” Yup. Two dudes and a therapist, all talking about their feelings and other beautiful things that make life rejuvenating. There really is power behind the “F” word. Just ask some dudes!

EPISODE #42  |  December 20th, 2019

Guest: Angie Peacock, MSW, United States Army Veteran

It was right after 9/11, when Angie Peacock of the United States Army received orders for combat duty in Iraq. But the designated warzone proved to be only one segment of the battle that she was about to endure. Prior to deployment, Angie was sexually assaulted. With the unspoken toll that such trauma was taking mentally and emotionally, and with the call of duty involved in the Middle East, a new war was beginning to wage from within. Angie began to significantly lose weight. Panic attacks blindsided her. She was fighting for survival. Angie had to be medevacked to Germany for essential medical care.

The tour of duty required for her healing has been years in the making. Having been immediately treated with 18 different medications when she arrived in Germany, Angie’s life was halted. She was told she could never go to school again, that she would be on medication for the rest of her life, that the PTSD was getting worse. She wouldn’t leave her house and eventually became homeless. She was a war veteran who had suffered normal reactions to trauma, yet she felt like she had fallen hostage to the treatment that was supposed to help her. After years of significant struggle, she took up her most strategic maneuver yet. See – in our first-ever Mental Health Matters remote video podcast – how Angie has pulled herself up by her bootstraps with copious outside help and support to go the distance with a new documentary that tells her story, in an RV, all across the Southwest.

EPISODE #40  |  December 9th, 2019

Guest: Jon Franko, Cofounder, Gorilla76

Hiding in plain sight, under the guise of the marshy thatch of a duck blind, Jon Franko has spent countless hours wading in still waters and standing by for the flocks’ glide pass to reach the landing zone. Not knowing at the onset of the hunt what the day will bring or what the final waterfowl tally will be, but realizing that success depends largely on patience and timing, avid hunters understand the “wait.” And the “catch.” Duck hunting has taught Jon a lot about life.

Just a few years ago, the 30-something industrial marketing entrepreneur and outdoorsman found himself plucking those lessons from experience and wading through a year-long hunt of an altogether different nature. Doctors couldn’t explain why, despite taking good care of himself, Jon “felt like garbage” and was losing weight. Finally, a neurologist caught sight of what was hidden for at least an entire decade. Jon had Multiple Sclerosis. In this week’s Mental Health Matters episode with Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW, hear how Jon has attacked his diagnosis, rather than let it define him. And learn how, by applying the patience and timing of the duck hunter that he is, Jon has accepted the greatest physical challenge of his life and the mental-health conditions that have accompanied it.

EPISODE #39  |  November 23th, 2019

Guest: Tracy Hinson, Meteorologist and General Assignment Multi-skilled Journalist, KSDK

Nothing clouded her vision for what she predicted as her future career. Having always enjoyed science in school, she was instantly attracted to watching an anticyclonic tornado, one that rotates the opposite direction, back in Sunnyvale, CA, where she grew up. As a fan of science already and a newfound fan of weather phenomenon, Tracy had a hunch in grade school that she wanted to grow up to be a meteorologist. What she hadn’t forecasted, though, was how, as a female TV weathercaster, winds of shame could pick up so quickly.

What popped up most recently isn’t so much related to the weather as much as it is a reflection of unsolicited stormy feedback about appearances. A few weeks ago, someone named Mary fat-shamed Tracy, via email. Tracy’s response on Twitter went viral. Find out why having confidence, empowering herself and other women, and loving food – especially mac and cheese – reduced the fat-shaming to nothing more than a blip on the radar screen in this week’s Mental Health Matters with Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW.

EPISODE #38  |  November 12th, 2019

Guest: Jenny Beatrice, Director of Communications, Sisters of St. Joseph of Cardonelet

Gravity takes on extra force, and everything is a struggle: Getting out of bed. Showering. Eating. And then there’s the self-talk: I’m no good. I’m a burden. I have nothing to contribute. The lies feel like revelations. And the revelations feel like truth. Until you start to realize again how valuable you really are. And as that realization surfaces, along with the acceptance of help from family, friends, doctors, counselors, and medication, the gravity starts to lift, and you are once again able to rise from the emotional and physical weight that felt insurmountable.

Have you ever wondered what life is like for people who have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder? In this episode of Mental Health Matters, Jenny Beatrice candidly shares her story, shedding light on a mental illness that is wrought with challenges as well as hope. Her honesty about how she has lived with the mood swings, that aren’t as severe as Bipolar 1 but every bit as real, gives a real-life perspective to a disease that requires understanding for all those living with it and their loved ones. Tune in as Jenny and Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW talk about how courage, acceptance, and presence are essential in managing the ups and downs of mood disorders.

Aside from sharing the first four letters of their last names, Executive Director Tom Duff and Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy are on the same team when it comes to speaking out about mental health. After his favorite MLB franchise was eliminated from post-season play last week – thanks to the Cardinals’ awesome four-game sweep at Wrigley (no bias whatsoever from this St. Louis-native scribe!) – Tom took to the podcast microphone to air his disappointment about the recent W-L record of the 2016 World Series Champs and discuss Danny Duffy’s pitch to the Kansas City Star that hits on a game-changing win for his life.

In this week’s podcast, Tom talks about emotional and mental health from the LCSW seat of a downhearted fan to the roughed-up mound of a struggling pitcher. He credits Duffy for the courage it took for him to candidly share his story about mental illness, especially as a Major League Baseball player who is held to such high – and often unrealistic – standards of performance by the public. Duffy doesn’t balk. He understands that mental health matters for everyone and that mental-health conditions hit people in all walks of life. For both Duffy and Duff, it’s about knowing when to go to the mound and face situations head-on and when to walk off to recharge and heal. And it all starts with talking.

When her friend, Rain, a dancer, was struck by eight bullets in her upper torso, giving her a five-percent chance to live that first night, Paige Walden-Johnson knew she had to take a stance. Paige understood that Rain’s healing would demand rigorous, excruciating grit. As a woman who has struggled with her own anxieties, Paige also intuited that the violence against her friend rippled farther than her immediate circle of family and friends. It pierced the community. And it begged the question, why was the violence in St. Louis proliferating?

As a way to understand what factors contribute to people using violence as a means to an end, Paige started CommUNITY Arts STL. The non-profit’s technique uses the arts – dance in particular – to guide children and adults who have suffered traumatic events or live in crime-infested areas to discover their own dance movements that express their pain and create their own voice for healing. Hear how Paige’s brainchild inspires communication, education, and healing to help people go deeper than words, as she and Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW, MSW discuss in this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters how the arts can heal – one step at a time.

How can you look at nutrition as a source of life? That’s a question that Registered Dietician Reshaunda Thonton has been chewing on for several years. For the “dietician against diets,” as she refers to herself, Reshaunda reminds her clients to choose food that is best for their health. And that means physical, mental and emotional health.

As the author of “Play to Win: The Food Fight,” and the nutrition expert for Fox 2’s morning show, Reshaunda knows that the most successful and sustainable way to eat healthy is to have a healthy relationship with food. This week in Mental Health Matters, she and Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW, MSW discuss the food-body connection, how people can make food choices that work best for them, and how to see nutrition as a way to build upon the whole self.

Readiness for the National Guard isn’t focused only on gaining physical endurance for deployment. It’s also about being mentally fit to deal with the day-to-day stressors that figure into balancing work and home life, especially for those men and women who have enlisted in the Active Guard Reserve (AGR).

A couple years ago, Major Stephan Baker and Saint Louis Counseling forged a partnership, educating men and women in the Missouri Army National Guard about mental health and what to do when mental and emotional issues hit the front lines of daily living. What evolved from that collaboration was a new awareness and openness about mental-health conditions. In fact, due in large part to Major Baker’s efforts to strengthen the Guard’s mental-health programs, Missouri is now one of the top states to deploy AGR soldiers because of their physical and mental readiness for reporting for duty. In this week’s “Mental Health Matters,” Major Baker shares his own insights and opinions with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW about the Guard’s mental-health programs and how they ensure a first line of defense to the ready citizen Soldiers, who defend and serve the people of Missouri and the U.S.

She was 7 when her inner self started to let itself be heard. When your mom is the church choir director, chances are pretty good that you will understand music, and any expression of art, as the voice of the soul. And when your soul deeply feels the pangs of past experience and an inner voice tries to convince you that you are smaller than others, music takes on a life of its own. A life destined for healing.

Having released her first song, “Phoenix Rising,” songwriter and singer, Katarra Parson, has “stepped into her power” and spread her wings as a black female artist who often feels invisible in a male-dominated industry. In this week’s “Mental Health Matters,” Katarra and Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW discuss how having anxiety and being an introvert (which is NOT a sign of weakness as is often assumed) give her a rich perspective on the human condition and how soul-searching clears the way for that voice to the soul to be heard and to heal.

Timing is everything. It wasn’t until her senior year in college, as she was wrapping up her studies as a theater major with an emphasis in opera, that Meredith Hopping found her voice. But it had nothing to do with being a soprano, alto or any range in between. And at first, it wasn’t a solo discovery. One of Meredith’s professors had taken note of how funny she was and mentioned it to her. A few years later, when Meredith turned 30 and made a list of 30 things to do, she decided to put the observation to the test. It was perfect timing.

At the end of June 2017, nearly eight months after the 2016 election and five months after her youngest child was born, Meredith – who experienced postpartum depression and anxiety after giving birth to all three of her children – stood at a new threshold: continue to go inward into a rabbit hole of depression, or stand up and do something tangible. Using her faith as her guide, Meredith chose to stand, at of all things, an open-mic comedy night. She nailed it, and her voice has been harmonious ever since. In this episode of Mental Health Matters, Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW and Meredith talk about how admitting her postpartum struggles as a granddaughter, daughter and ex-wife of pastors and sharing her humor on stage have helped her discover her voice and a renewed sense of self that can be, at times, a laughing matter.

If “Mad Men’s” Don Draper had grasped how trauma impacted his life, chances are pretty good that the AMC series would have portrayed a very different story. Why? Because trauma influences how our brains work. And as upsetting, devastating or debilitating a deeply disturbing event or perceived threat can be, people who experience trauma can and do find healing.

Studies show that one out of 22 adults has been impacted by trauma, and new research indicates that nearly two-thirds of the adult population have had at least one traumatic episode in their lives. But what does trauma look like? Is it always as escalating as the events that took place in Ferguson? Or can it also include day-to-day situations, like not being able to make ends meet? Find out in this week’s Mental Health Matters podcast, when Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW discusses with Saint Louis Counseling’s Coordinator of Trauma-Informed & Racial-Equity Programs Kerri Gallen, MSW, LCSW, how being trauma-informed, along with building relationships and showing awareness and empathy, will help individuals and communities heal.

WARNING: Stigma increases the risk of untreated mental- or emotional-health conditions or mental illness. And buying into the presumption that a person is weak for getting help can be hazardous, even deadly. One of the highest groups at risk? Males.

Six million men in America deal with depression, but only 49 percent seek treatment. Men account for 75 percent of suicides in the country. Six out of 10 men experience trauma. And the highest mental illness diagnoses for men include: depression, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia and eating disorders. What factors contribute to such grim statistics? Oftentimes, it’s the mental health stigma and men’s perception that asking for help makes them look weak. A male himself, Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW challenges all men to “man up” by opening up and seeking help when they need it – before they become another statistic.

#BreakDownStigma #MensHealthMonth #MensMentalHealth

Sometimes, getting stepped on can be a good thing. And for Sara Newberry, it even gives her purpose. Having danced ballet for as long as she can remember, deft footwork has played a key role in defining her career path. So has massage therapy – a remedy that provided lasting relief from migraine and TMJ pain when Sara was younger. Partner those touchpoints with other life experiences, and Sara has paved a career journey that leads directly to a destination of healing.

Seven years ago, Sara launched a career that balanced her past experiences and skills with a strong desire to “heal the body, sole to soul” by opening Sole Shine Barefoot Massage in Maplewood, MO. In our 25th episode of the Mental Health Matters podcast with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW, hear how Sara uses the soles of her feet in ways that empower her clients to pivot out of physical and emotional pain into a newfound sense of freedom. All by being stepped on.

#25AndCounting #MHMnumber25 #BreakDownStigma

If you heard that one out of six vets has thought about suicide at least once in their lives, would you be surprised? What if the vets we’re referring to are veterinarians and not military veterans? Since the early 2000s, suicide among DVMs is on the rise. But why that is the case is still a quandary, even in 2019.

Many theories circulate about what may be causing the industry epidemic, and talking about the crisis is helping to break down the stigma surrounding it, which in turn, is helping vets get the mental-health care they need. But more is required to stop suicidal ideation in its tracks. In this week’s podcast Ed Migneco, DVM and Marcy Hammerle, DVM talk with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW about how stress, compassion fatigue and other factors could be contributing to a problem that, at its essence, comes down to caring for all creatures.

Guest: Charles K. Poole

Life hasn’t exactly turn out the way he expected. Given his circumstances growing up poor, even homeless at one point, with his mom and older brother and sister, Charles Poole could have easily melded into the statistics that tend to define families — especially young black males – living in poverty. But defying the odds is a significant part of what makes Charles who he is. Even with outliving his entire immediate family at the age of 56, Charles is full of life and endowed with a keen wisdom born only through experience and tragedy. How has he found the resilience to move on from circumstances that would render most people mentally and emotionally spent? Faith. Hope. Family. And knowing himself.

After graduating from Saint Louis University with a communication degree in the mid-80s, Charles moved from St. Louis and landed on Los Angeles soil, where he took a hard look at his life. As a writer by nature, his mental well-being found solace in the written word. And his cathartic blog revealed glimpses of himself that evolved into a series of three books themed, “I Am My Own Cause.” In this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters, Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW talks with Charles about finding hope amidst tragedy and trauma, returning to St. Louis for reasons he didn’t understand at the time, and what happens when Charles poses the daily question: “What would you have me do with this day, Lord?”

Coloring books, music, nature. Stress balls, positive self-talk, exercise. Do you have the mental-health tools you need when you’re feeling stressed or anxious? Planning ahead for days that require a little adjusting is what a mental-health toolbox is all about. And everyone should have one, with their tools at the ready.

What, exactly, is a mental-health toolbox? Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW offers a checklist of items and suggestions you can put together to help you cope with the stresses and struggles of emotional- and mental-health situations. Hear what he has to say in this week’s Mental Health Matters episode about how, as a therapist himself, he recently needed to reach for some tool time of his own. And how, as summer vacation approaches, stocking up on parent and kid toolboxes is important, especially for those days when stress in the house runs high.

Feeling like the word, “minority,” was stamped on her when she was growing up in a predominantly white community in Illinois, Kendra Jones thought that she would always bear that label, wherever she lived. That was, until she attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. It was at the Historically Black College or University (HBCU) that Kendra’s world was opened to a “life-changing experience,” one that showed her how being Black was actually expansive and diverse, not limiting – or limited – as “minority” had proposed.

Empowered by the academic environment at Howard and always having shown a propensity for inventing, it was no surprise that Kendra majored in engineering. But what was it like working in a field that the American Society for Engineering Education reported is comprised of only 20 percent women and 3.5 percent African-Americans? When Executive Director Tom Duff, LCSW, MSW asked Kendra if gender or race were harder to overcome, she answered, “Blackness.” Find out how that struggle has also made her extremely comfortable with who she is. And how, because of that deep-rooted personal security, Kendra has made a 180 career pivot – from biomedical engineer to comedian. Tune in to this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters and hear how the discomfort and discoveries in life’s journey can actually prove to be rather funny.

How are the mind, body and gut connected? Does the word, “diet,” tie your stomach in knots? Is there more to eating healthy than just losing weight? Can it affect our mental well being, too? With Mental Health Awareness month now underway, discussing the connection between mental wellness and nutrition is not only fascinating, it can be life-changing.

When Jennifer McDaniel, a registered dietitian, business owner, speaker and author, launched her company, McDaniel Nutrition Therapy, she wanted to create a place where individuals could understand the relationship between food, their personality and how they approach life in general. For her clients, success is key. And what that looks like can vary as greatly as the people who come to her for weight loss, sports nutrition and corporate wellness. It also involves taking concrete, specific steps to make habits last, much like the path people take when working on mental-health conditions, where small successes are celebrated. Listen in as Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW and Jennifer McDaniel digest the many ways nutrition impacts our overall physical and mental health, and how eating healthy can be transformational.

Brian Dugan
High School English Teacher, Staunch Cardinals Fan, Former Podcaster, Soon-to-be Graduate Student at the University of Chicago

Most of the first-generation students at the high school walk through the school doors each morning, carrying with them more daily stress and pressure than myriad adults collectively experience in their lifetimes. Even before the first bell rings, many of the teens find themselves behind academically, because the resources they need for their learning don’t exist within their neighborhoods. Others struggle with meeting the high hopes and expectations their parents have for them to attend a top college that will provide opportunities they never dreamed of attaining. And some face the very real possibility that their parents may be deported. The strain of those realities weigh heavily on both the students who bear them and the teachers who try to lighten the load.

When he first started working at the school last August, Brian Dugan thought that the Spanish language barrier might be the most difficult test he would experience when teaching English to 135 juniors and seniors, most of whom are Mexican-Americans. It turns out that the most challenging lesson has been bridging the gap of understanding between how he grew up in middle-class suburban St. Louis and what his students experience. In this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters, Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW and Brian discuss what many teens of immigrant families face, day-to-day, and how teachers strive to best meet their needs. Tom, an Illinois native, and Brian, hailing from Missouri, also share some friendly barbs about their favorite baseball teams – the Cubs and the Cardinals, respectively – and how the words Brian and his brother heard from their mom every morning on their way out the door, “Do your best and be your best,” actually may have helped to shape (despite the boys’ objections to the daily reminder and much to their mother’s glee) Brian’s perspective on what “best” and “success” really mean in life.

Gun violence, fear, addiction, mental-health issues, feeling out of place. John Henry’s heartland rock reflects the soul as much as it inspires the mind. Daily life, intertwined with both urban and rural perspectives, creates a life rhythm that is often felt but not always shared on a personal level. Put music to the themes, and the topics take on a new, appreciated tune.

As a St. Louis-native singer-songwriter-musician who earned a place on the former LouFest mainstage lineup, and several years ago was the opening band for then-Senator Barack Obama in Columbia, MO, John delivers his music with what one local music and film journalist calls “gutpunch beauty.” As an artist, John understands how the creative mind and sensitive spirit of musicians often lead to crafting the craft as an outlet for introspection and making sense of the world. After one of his band members, who struggled with mental illness, passed away, John struggled with the trauma and quagmire that his colleague’s death left behind. In this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters, Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW and John talk music, mental health, writing, working hard, being cool with people and building relationships.

Kate Bethel, owner of Maven in Maplewood joins Tom Duff to discuss a variety of topics concerning mental health and the issues surrounding stigma and her ongoing journey as a female business owner, mother, daughter, aunt and friend who lives every day with a mental disorder. 

Tom Duff addresses an array of topics, solo in studio for this week's Mental Health Matters. 

Boundaries. Staci Static learned early on in the male-dominated radio industry that she needed to establish very clear boundaries, not only with the general population, but also with male colleagues and supervisors. #MeToo hadn’t yet made its way to social awareness, when she launched her career 20 years ago. But as a woman who had a strong family foundation and was close to her dad and brother, Staci learned that there was nothing she couldn’t do. And she took that to heart.

Today, Staci is pursuing a new endeavor – still speaking up, but this time as a daily podcast host. Before her podcast’s April 1 launch, Staci took to the microphone this week as our #MentalHealthMatters guest, talking openly with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW about her perspectives on the myriad situations she has handled throughout her life, from being a single Black mom to living with stress to dealing with entitlement to seeking out counseling and how each experience has played an important role in her life. For her, it all comes down to one word: Respect.

Mental Health Matters #13: Race, Faith and Stigma (and a Smattering of Sports)

Guest:  Travis Terrell, Cohost, We Are Live Radio

For the past three and a half years, Travis Terrell’s voice has been hitting the airwaves as cohost of We Are Live Radio (WAL). Now live streamed, the new WAL format provides a perfect venue for Travis and his “sidekick,” Chris Denman, to engage their guests, many on the national comedy and entertainment circuits, with conversations that are as awakening and fresh as a comfortable cup of morning brew.

Travis takes to the microphone with that same ease in this week’s Mental Health Matters, as he discusses with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW what it was like to grow up the son of a preacher. He also candidly shares, as a black male, how he often felt the self-imposed pressure of believing that he had to represent all African-Americans by striving to be exceptional in white people’s eyes, so as not to fall into stereotypes. As a young man, it was a heavy charge he cast upon himself, and sometimes, the weight of that responsibility was too much to carry. Travis sensed that talking about it with a therapist would help. But that wasn’t necessarily easy to do. The stigma associated with mental health has been especially strong among African-Americans for generations, and for many reasons. By weaving his faith experiences and a growing acceptance of “asking for help,” Travis explains what works for him today, what mental health means for younger generations who are no longer held back from talking about it, and why having conversations is so important.

#MentalHealthMatters #BreakDownStigma #WeAreLiveRadio

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Don’t mess with two moms on a mission! Especially Amanda Bollenbach and Sarah Springer who, with eight kids between them, are committed to helping new moms struggling with postpartum depression get the counseling they need – free of charge. What grew out of a T-shirt brainchild promoting the message, “#StopHate,” is a full-grown non-profit named Love Will Foundation. Outfitted with a desire to give back to the community and a passion to end the stigma associated with postpartum depression, the two co-founders are on a mission to let new moms know that they are not alone. And, that help is available.

In relationships, communication is key. But when a woman starts feeling more than the typical “baby blues” after the birth or adoption of a child, it often becomes more difficult for her to say out loud – even to her spouse, siblings, friends or parents — that she may be depressed. That’s why Love Will Foundation is not only raising funds to provide free counseling but also is upping the conversation ante to help new moms and the people in their lives talk about the loneliness, guilt, sadness and all that they may be experiencing. Hear why the topic is close to the hearts of Amanda and Sarah, as they talk about their own postpartum journeys with clinician-at-heart, Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW, in this week’s episode of Mental Health Matters.

Dr. Jackie Landess, M.D., J.D.
Assistant professor in the Division of Forensic Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Saint Louis University School of Medicine;
Department co-director of medical student education and assistant training director, Forensic Psychiatry fellowship program

What is being done to provide mental-health care to people at risk of incarceration? And how can an eye for compassion help them to regain and maintain their dignity in a system that thrives on retributive justice? With both a medical degree and law degree, Jackie Landess, M.D., J.D. delves into correctional psychiatry with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW, exploring some of the reasons why people with a history of mental illness and without the resources they need, often find themselves cycling through the criminal justice system.

Each year, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, two million people with a mental illness are jailed – the vast majority of whom are not violent criminals. What are communities doing to help people stay well or intervene in order to maintain their mental health and reduce the endless cycle of incarceration? Learn how Dr. Landess is promoting mental wellness for the whole person, where people’s basic needs are met first and judgment is sidelined, in the 11th episode of #MentalHealthMatters.

Does your child get anxious about going to school every morning? Does your teenager have trouble interacting with other kids? Is it difficult for your child to stay focused and on-task when assigned long-range projects or papers? Are there times when behavioral situations arise in the classroom, and interventions by a mental-health professional – in the moment – would more effectively and positively impact your child? For more than 5,000 students in public, parochial and private schools in the City of St. Louis and 10 surrounding counties, learning the mental-health skills they need when they need them is happening every day, thanks to more than 50 clinicians who work in our School Partnership Program.

Teachers are often the first people to recognize when kids need extra support. Saint Louis Counseling’s Chief Program Officer Saundra Barker, MSW, LCSW and Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW discuss how partnering with schools and providing mental-health services within the buildings is not only equipping children and adolescents with necessary tools and resources for dealing with situations as they happen, it’s also helping parents and those on the front lines understand certain behaviors and mental-health conditions and how to handle them. And, it’s working. Find out how in this week’s #MentalHealthMatters podcast #10.

Special Guest: Benjamin Hochman
Sports Columnist: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Podcast Host: Hosted Ravioli
Author:
• The Big 50: St. Louis Cardinals: The Men and Moments that Made the St. Louis Cardinals
• If These Walls Could Talk: Colorado Rockies: Stories from the Colorado Rockies Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box
• Fourth and New Orleans: How Tulane Football Survived the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Summary:

Sports columnist Benjamin Hochman’s penchant for words and his understanding of the human condition chronicle more than an athlete’s or team’s performance. His insights shine light on the person behind the jersey. So when St. Louis Cardinal Dexter Fowler recently stated that he was dealing with depression last season, Ben took the opportunity in his column to not only acknowledge the outfielder’s courage, but also address how his candor should – at the very least – make mental health okay to talk about in St. Louis.

“We have just one life to live,” Ben asserted. “Don’t be afraid to deal with tough stuff. Embrace what you’re going through and talk to someone.” Ben takes his own advice to heart. He’s had to navigate some tough times and has talked with therapists. And, he’s not afraid to say that out loud. He and his wife also live by a mantra that Ben aptly coined: “Leading the league in smiles.” Find out in this week’s Mental Health Matters episode #9 what that means, and learn about some of the pressures that public figures face and how we, as a community, can make mental health a priority for the common good.

12/21/18

She is a lawyer, social worker and has also spent time on stage as an actor. But first and foremost, Tamara Kenny is the mother of two. Her son, Eli (20), has struggled with mental illness for several years, so Tamara knows the system, and she knows how difficult it is to navigate, even with so many resources available to her family. But what about people who don’t have the means to find the mental-health services they need?

Using her background as a social worker, attorney and advocate to steer what, at times, has felt like uncharted territory while searching for the proper treatment for Eli, Tamara is championing the mental-health cause. From policy changes to public awareness, she is engaging the very people who can affect change on state and national levels so they will make mental-health care accessible to everyone who needs it, when they need it most. Breaking down systemic barriers to mental-health care is essential, and Tamara is working to ensure that no one veers off-course – especially when they are submerged in tumultuous waters. Because, as a mom, she knows exactly how that feels.

Let’s definitely talk about it! It’s time to #BreakDownStigma

Title:    Removing the (Goalie’s) Mask of Mental Illness

Guest: Corey Hirsch

Sportscaster, Former Vancouver Canucks Goaltender, Former St. Louis Blues Coach

Summary:

As a Vancouver Canucks goaltender, he seemed to have it all. Corey Hirsch was at the top of his game, but he couldn’t block the dark, obsessive thoughts that raced through his mind like incessant breakaways. As a professional athlete, he was afraid of appearing weak by admitting that he needed help for mental health, so he affixed his goalie’s mask as a shield against shame. That was a quarter century ago. Today, after openly sharing his story just last year about his OCD diagnosis and ruminating suicidal thoughts, he is declaring that there’s nothing to be ashamed of by acknowledging mental illness. In fact, it is now his life’s mission.

In our first over-the-phone podcast interview, Corey Hirsch – also a goaltending coach with the St. Louis Blues for four years – tells Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW why it is essential that mental-health issues be openly discussed. “I’m not alone. We’re not alone. Mental health awareness is an enormous, unspoken problem -- not just in hockey in Canada and the United States, and not just in sports in general, but also across all other spectrums of society,” he stated on The Players’ Tribune website. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. We’re all just trying to get through the day. So let’s be open. Let’s talk about it.”

Let’s definitely talk about it! It’s time to #BreakDownStigma

Title:     Why Mental Health Matters

Guest: Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW

Executive Director, Saint Louis Counseling

Summary:

With several “Mental Health Matters” podcasts now available to download on iTunes and Spotify, and with the rush of the holidays at full throttle, it’s the perfect time to revisit why mental health matters. Hear why Saint Louis Counseling Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW wants to get the word out, not only about matters associated with mental-health conditions and how to recognize them, but also to give voice to the hope and healing that people who struggle with mental-health matters experience.

Why is that so important to Saint Louis Counseling’s executive director and licensed clinician? Because one in four people is diagnosed with a mental-health condition, and 56 percent do not seek help, often because of the stigma attached to it. Tom wants to #BreakDownStigma now so that more people will get the help they need, without feeling ashamed. It’s that simple, and that urgent.

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After two of their college friends died by suicide within two years of each other, Alex Lindley, Danny Kerth and about 20 of their friends at Mizzou couldn’t sit back and hope for the best any more. They had to do something. As the second-leading cause of death among young people, aged 15-24, suicide claimed 5,723 lives in that age group in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And the stigma associated with mental illness often serves as one of the main reasons teens and college students do not seek therapy when they need it most. Alex, Danny, et al. plan on changing that mindset. Project Wakeup is an endeavor they launched in 2014 to not only break the mental-health stigma, but even more importantly, to save lives.

In this second episode of Mental Health Matters, Executive Director Tom Duff talks with Danny, vice president of Project Wakeup, and Chris Denman, co-host and owner of We Are Live! Radio, to wake people up to suicide prevention. Project Wakeup is sounding the mental-health awareness alarm, and it’s time to listen!