Shelf Acceptance Podcast

By Mel Delizia

Shelf Acceptance Podcast is dedicated to lessening the stigma of mental health by opening up important conversations. Hosted by Mel Delizia, a Licensed Social Worker, Certified Professional Coach, and therapy participant, you'll find conversations about all different mental health related topics and books.

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S2E8: BIPOC Mental Health

Shelf Acceptance PodcastJun 19, 2021

00:00

55:13

S2E12:Co-occurring Anxiety & Depression

Mel talks with Casey (@caseythereader) about her experience living with anxiety and depression. They discuss Casey's coping skills and living with a partner who is a therapist, and the progress she's made over time.

Jul 31, 202140:04

S2E11: Queer Therapy

Mel talks with Mix (@enbycalledmix) about being a therapist who is specializing in queer issues, specifically working with trans and non-binary individuals. They chat about some common themes that come up in therapy, finding a therapist you trust, and lots of other good stuff!

Jul 10, 202148:57

S2E7: Unexpected Changes

Mel talks with Phoebe about the mental health impacts of unexpected life changes.

"I'm no longer afraid to say, 'I'm not okay.'"

They discuss Phoebe's experience as an actor during COVID and needing to make major career shifts without having planned to, along with Phoebe's experiences with anxiety.

Phoebe shares about her first time in therapy, some books that made her feel seen in her healing journey, and ways she's coped and things she's learned from this experience.

You can find Phoebe on instagram and tik tok @readandwright or at her website readandwright.com. Phoebe has her own podcast, Read it or List it Pod, which you can access anywhere you listen to podcasts!!

Jun 12, 202154:36

S2E6: Social Media Boundaries

Social Media boundaries and mental health with Autumn!!
"I don't need random strangers messaging me"
Mel talks with Autumn (@theliteraryheroine) about the importance of setting boundaries on social media both for yourself and for others. Co-produced by @loslibrary

Jun 05, 202149:40

S2E5: Depression

Mel talks with Caro, (@sanjariti on bookstagram) to discuss Caro's experience with depression and suicidal ideations. Content warnings include: suicdality and depression, mental health stigma, domestic violence, including emotional and financial abuse, self harm, and fatphobia.
Caro talks about her experiences as a teenager, and how that influenced her depression, growth in terms of being able to get through things and recognize progress, and her experiences with therapy. Caro recommends the book, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, as a book that she felt had good representation of depression and suicidality, and encourages checking on friends even if they seem "fine."
You can find Caro on bookstagram @sanjariti and their personal instagram @caropanini, and on twitter @pjowrites. Episode co-produced by @loslibrary.

May 29, 202152:11

S2E4: Steven Salvatore, Author Interview

Mel talks with Steven Salvatore, author of Can't Take That Away! "You shouldn't have to explain yourself everyday." They discuss mental health/therapy rep in the book, Steven's experiences that inspired Carey and their journey, and how important it is for people, especially young people, to be able to see themselves in literature. Steven mentions some other queer books they have loved including, Reverie and Bedazzled by Ryan LaSala and Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Steven has their next book, And They Lived, coming out in March of 2022, and Can't Take That Away is available in North America, anywhere you can buy books!! You can find Steven on twitter @stevenssswrites and on instagram @stevensalvatorebooks. Their website is stevensalvatore.com where you can find all of their information and updates!! This episode was co-produced by @loslibrary

May 22, 202101:03:26

S2E3: Where to find a Social Worker

Mel chats with Alex (@thebookadvocate) about different places they've both worked, and different types of facilities that you may find a social worker. While a social worker is not the only option to receive mental health services from, Mel and Alex are both social workers and discussed their own experiences in this episode. (This episode was co-produced by @loslibrary)

May 15, 202159:23

S2E2: Types of Therapy

Mel talks with Jess, a fellow social worker/therapist, about different types of therapy, and how the different therapeutic modalities are used for different diagnoses and situations.

Mel & Jess both specialize in trauma, and while a lot of different therapeutic modalities are covered, this episode is not a comprehensive list. They both recommend researching and asking questions when you're trying to find a therapeutic approach that is the right fit for you.

May 08, 202146:35

S2E1: Starting Therapy

Mel talks with Elisa about the process of starting therapy. [content warnings include mention of financial issues & discussion of insurance stress] They discuss ways to find a therapist, questions to ask before starting, insurance stuff, and much more. Mel and Elisa are both licensed professionals, Mel a Social Worker, and Elisa a Marriage and Family Counselor. This episode is meant to be educational and helpful for someone considering starting therapy, but is in no way us telling you what to do or how to do it. We always tell our clients they are the experts of their own lives and we're just along for the ride. If you do need guidance, you can reach out to Mel to schedule a mental health coaching session via email (shelfacceptance@gmail.com). You can find Mel on instagram at shelf.acceptance and you can find Elisa at lovinglyread.

May 01, 202101:15:45

Therapeutic Yoga! with Jamie

Mel talks with Jamie, who is a yoga therapist, and Mel's amazing teacher, to talk about benefits of therapeutic yoga, how Jamie got into the field, who could benefit from different types of yoga, how to create safer spaces, mental health, and book recs!! You can find Jamie on instagram @jamiehanley_ and find the list of books we talked about there!

Dec 23, 202052:04

Reiki! with Allison

Mel talks with Allison Feehan, owner of Integrative Healing and Wellness in Bayhead, NJ. Allison is a Reiki Master and teacher, a medium, and so much more. They discuss Reiki and Energy healing, some ways to protect and take care of your energy at home, even if you're not reiki trained, mental health, some books to read if you're looking to learn, and more!

Allison can be found at integrativehealingandwellness.com and @integrativehealingandwellness on instagram!

Dec 15, 202038:05

Inclusivity! with Tristan

Mel speaks with Tristan (@tristankatzcreative) about creating more inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in wellness spaces, and much more! They answer questions from listeners, discuss what they do to encourage change and educate others, and talk about mental health (of course). Tristan gives us some book recs, and good info for how educate ourselves better on these important topics!!

Dec 08, 202054:31

Empaths, Auras, & Tarot, Oh My! with Mira & Katelyn

Mel talks with Mira (@mirandabythebook) and Katelyn (@whatiskatelynreading) about being an empath, feeling auras, intuition, tarot, and more. They answer some questions from followers (@thebookadvocate mostly, thanks Alex) and talk about the differences between being empathetic and being empathic. Mel discusses the psychology behind intuition and the connection to the theories of Carl Jung. Are you an empath too? Have questions that weren't answered? Let us know!

Dec 01, 202001:09:48

Eye Rolls For Gender Roles! with Tyler

Mel & Tyler answer questions about toxic gender roles and stereotypes, and how these things are discussed and worked through in their relationship. They discuss gender norms and expectations that they feel are harmful, ways in which they communicate with each other, parenting goals, and more.

Nov 24, 202001:12:56

Therapy! with Mel, Alex, Molly & Elisa & Guest Host, Sam

In this episode, Mel steps back as the interviewer and has Sam (@staxsonstaxs) take over! Mel (@shelf.acceptance), Alex (@thebookadvocate), Molly (@mollyrosereadsalot), & Elisa (@lovinglyread) are all therapists, answering questions about therapy. Discussing that what therapy looks like varies drastically based on many different circumstances. Mel, Alex, Molly, & Elisa talk about what led to them becoming therapists, boundaries, time frames/length of therapy, modalities that are used, and how they take care of themselves so as to not hold on to other people's "stuff."

Nov 17, 202001:29:38

Raising Them! with Kyl Myers

Mel talks with Kyl, author of Raising Them about the book, gender creative parenting, & mental health!! Kyl can be found on Instagram @kyl_myers

Nov 10, 202001:02:54

Vote! with friends

This episode urges you to be mindful with your vote. Mel talks to a lot of friends, and reads statements from others, about how a vote for Trump directly harms them individually. Mel asked some friends to talk about how they're taking care of themselves this week with the election and the anticipation of waiting to find out the results. If you haven't voted already, we hope this episode will help you consider who you're voting for more carefully, and if you have voted, we hope you find some comfort in knowing you're not alone in feeling nervous, scared, stressed, etc. leading up election results.

Nov 03, 202056:33

Group! with Christie Tate

Mel is joined by author, Christie Tate to discuss Christie's debut memoir, Group! Mel and Christie discuss Christie's process of writing, all about group therapy, and of course, mental health and books. Group is out now, anywhere you can buy books. You can find Christie at her website christietate.com and on instagram @christieotate!

The Shelf Acceptance Book Club will be discussing Group for the month of November, so be sure to check in with Mel @shelf.acceptance on instagram or via email at shelfacceptance@gmail.com if you want to join in on the conversation!!

Oct 27, 202051:47

Thrillers! with Mira

Mel talks with Mira from @mirandabythebook about all things thrillers and of course mental health. Listen to hear thriller queen, Mira, give us all of her thriller recs and talk about what she loves most about thrillers. We discuss the importance of accurate mental health rep, specifically in this genre and Mel mentions one of the only thrillers she's read!

Oct 20, 202052:30

Invisible Illnesses! with Autumn

For this episode, Mel is joined by Autumn from @theliteraryheroine to discuss invisible illnesses. They talk about living with a disability, labels & diagnoses, how to be a good friend to someone with a disability or invisible illness, the importance of self care & so much more!!

Oct 13, 202056:44

Book Clubs! with Hannah

Mel is joined by Hannah from @thepaperbackbruncher and host of the Brunch Babes Book Club! Mel & Hannah discuss some favorite things about Book Clubs, Bookstagram, Buddy Reads and how Hannah came to create her own book club! As always, they discuss the importance of mental health and some exciting things coming up!

Sep 29, 202054:22

Personalities! with Ashley

In this episode, Mel is joined by Ashley from @_shelflove_ to talk about Personality types! Mel & Ashley discuss their personality types, some background info about Myers Briggs & Enneagram, and analyzed what they think would be the personality types of some of their favorite bookish characters.

Sep 22, 202052:03

Mental Health In A Pandemic

In this episode, Mel discusses some important info about Suicide Awareness and Prevention, therapy, & some updates about her own mental health!

Sep 15, 202043:02

In Love! with Tyler

Mel chats with her partner, Tyler & answers questions submitted by listeners!! They talk about Tyler's reading habits, their relationship, some important things about how they help & learn from each other, & more!

Sep 08, 202052:38