Mental Health News Radio

Gewanda Johnson Parker shares her remarkable story of survival suffering physical and emotional abuse by a mother who really did care about her but was overpowered by her own demons and addictions. Molested and raped on more than one occasion, by men considered upright and pillars in the community.  Yet through it all, her faith, spirituality and deep trust in God never wavered.  Her incredible resilience, allowed a young girl, turned woman, to forgive those who hurt her and to reach out to all those who hurt with a message of God’s love, healing, transformation and hope.Gewanda Johnson Parker is also the Founder and CEO of Hope and Healing Corporation serving the needs of the marginalized of society locally and abroad to orphanages in Haiti and Africa. In 2003, she started an organization to help young girls and teens suffering with self-esteem and identity issues. Parker received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Edward Waters College and she holds a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary

Join Dr. Christina Finanick Greer and our host Kristin Sunanta Walker as they discuss their shared journey on the road of food addiction. Christina Fisanick Greer, Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, teacher, and motivational speaker. She has been teaching college English for over 20 years and is the author of more than 30 books. After suffering from food addiction for more than 28 years, she entered recovery and never looked back. She founded a Facebook group for other food addicts in recovery, OptimisticFoodAddict.com, and has written several books designed to help others battling this disease. For more information about Christina, see her website ChristinaFisanickGreer.com.

Erica Weinstein wants to live in a world where people move freely & in synchronicity with others, breathe mindfully, & learn from books & experiences.As a well-grounded psychotherapist, she’s been practicing with members of the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan community for 20 years. Her blog posts are featured on Visiting Angels Home Care’s & Maryland Addictions & Recovery Center’s websites.When she’s not challenging folks’ perspectives, stretching their imaginations, or calming their central nervous systems, you can find her extended in downward looking dog or melted in shavasana.Her most recent collaboration (currently in progress) is co-facilitating a pilot program for those working in high stress environments to ease vicarious trauma related symptoms.?Prior to launching her private practice, Erica was a school based mental health therapist at Patterson High School in Baltimore City, Maryland through employment with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. She has also held positions as a C

One of our hosts great friends, Danielle Brewer, joins host Kristin Sunanta Walker to discuss her son's tragic battle with mental illness and substance use disorder. This is a very personal show but also transcendent and triumphant. Danielle advocates for those also struggling with family members in the throws of these issues. She also offers hope to everyone through the grieving process. An important show about the every day struggles families face when it comes to understanding and navigating their way through treatment, death, and the lives of those left behind after a loved one has passed on.www.mhnrnetwork.com

Join our host Kristin Sunanta Walker and cohost Helaina Hovitz, Journalist and Author of After 9/11: One Girl's Journey Through Darkness to a New Beginning as they interview the CEO of MevPMDD. Brett Buchert has created an incredible platform and app for anyone dealing with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Brett is the mind and heart behind Me v PMDD, a symptom tracking app for anyone fighting through Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) that arose from her own decade long struggle with the condition. Passionate about mental health, she received her degree in Psychology from the University of Florida and plans to pursue graduate school in Clinical Psychology to continue to advocate for the importance of mental health and fight for better treatments for PMDD Warriors. Brett is also a Peer Support Provider with the Gia Allemand Foundation for PMDD, a former college rower, active rock climber, and cat lover.  

Dawn Marie Westmoreland has always found her joy in inspiring, supporting, and empowering those who need it most. That joy has been reflected in her career and continues to be her driving force to this day. Dawn has also experienced workplace bullying and discrimination first-hand.  In 2012, Dawn reported her former government agency to the Office of Special Counsel and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for prohibited personnel practices and retaliation. As a result, her managers and co-workers turned on her, and she was subjected to two years of horrific workplace bullying and discrimination.These years wreaked havoc on Dawn’s mental and physical health, but she persevered. Holding her workplace bullies accountable, Dawn settled with her employer outside of court. Because of her knowledge of HR and leadership skills, she has no gag order to prevent her from sharing her story to empower others who look to her for help. This experience, as well as overcoming her personal history of abuse, has strengt

Dr. Jonice Webb has been interviewed on NPR and over thirty radio shows across the United States and Canada about the topic of her book, Emotional Neglect, and has been quoted as a psychologist expert in the Chicago Tribune. She writes the popular Childhood Emotional Neglect Blog on PsychCentral.com.Dr. Webb has been a licensed psychologist since 1991, and has worked in a variety of different settings over the course of her career, including a psychiatric emergency service and substance abuse programs.  She has been the Director of several large outpatient clinics.  For the past eight years, she has been enjoying her private practice in Lexington, Massachusetts, specializing in the treatment of couples and families.Over two decades of practicing psychology, Dr. Webb gradually started to see a factor from childhood which weighs upon people as adults.  This factor is extremely subtle.  In fact, it’s so difficult to see that it goes virtually unnoticed while it quietly saps a person’s joy in life, causing him or

Join some of our fantastic male podcasters and guests for another discussion on our Men & Anxiety series on the #METOO movement. Our host Kristin Sunanta Walker opens the discussion with some of her closest friends and colleagues to find out how men have been affected by what's going on in our society today. Joining the discussion are the following:Stephen Kavalkavich of www.rescuetherescuer.comJoseph Fusaro of www.hysteriaradio.netSam Webb of www.livin.orgJeff Fink of www.gofetchwellness.comRyan McCormick of Outer Limits of Inner TruthAnd host Kristin Walker of www.mentalhealthnewsradio.com

Join illustrator and author Debi Gliori and our host Kristin Walker for a deep yet funny discussion about depression.A groundbreaking picture book, Night Shift, on depression with stunning illustrations. With stunning black and white illustration and deceptively simple text, author and illustrator Debi Gliori examines how depression affects one's whole outlook upon life, and shows that there can be an escape - it may not be easy to find, but it is there. Drawn from Debi's own experiences and with a moving testimony at the end of the book explaining how depression has affected her and how she continues to cope, Debi hopes that by sharing her own experience she can help others who suffer from depression, and to find that subtle shift that will show the way out.Debi Gliori lives in Scotland. Debi is well known for both her picture books and her novels for children and has been shortlisted for all the major prizes, including the Kate Greenaway Award (twice) and the Scottish Arts Council Award. Debi was the Shetla

Dr. Michael Gurian has studied and served children for thirty years. In The Wonder of Girls (2002), he presented a science-based approach to raising healthy and successful daughters. In The Minds of Girls, he pioneers new and intuitive approaches to health and wellness in all three important areas of girls’ development: nature, nurture, and culture. As many girls struggle with digital and social complexities in our families and in our communities, this book is timely, powerful, and practical.Its nine chapters help you protect girls from environmental toxins and digital addiction; provide best practices for improving girls’ STEM learning and activating their leadership and resilience; explore leading edge science-based technologies for understanding female mental health, and may utterly change your approach to handling girl drama and bullying. The Minds of Girls combines accessible writing, passionate social advocacy, and more than one hundred practical strategies you can use right now to raise wise, happy, an

K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Game Informer. He is currently finishing his second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, which will be released in 2015. Follow him on Twitter @kthorjensen.He joins Melanie Vann to discuss caregiver burnout, diabetes, and his journey with mental health struggles. 

During a visit to Florence Italy we met with a local psychotherapist, Dr. Paolo Molino.  We became friends and get to catch up on this show over several years later.Paolo is fluent in English, French, and Italian which allows him to work with travelers, expats, and students.  Please enjoy the blog article here.Dr. Paolo MolinoVia Antonio Scialoja 68Tel: +39 3311064726E-mail: paolomolino@gmail.comweb: www.paolomolino.com

Dr. Dan L. Edmunds is an Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Psychotherapist, and Psychological Evaluator(working under superivision). Dr. Edmunds completed undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and received a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Scranton, a Jesuit institution. Dr. Edmunds completed post graduate coursework in Dispute Resolution at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Edmunds earned a Doctorate of Education in Pastoral Community Counseling from Argosy University of Sarasota. He is a Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association and a member of the American Psychological Association, Catholic Psychotherapy Association, The Calix Society, The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and the Pioneer Association for Total Abstinence (Ireland). Dr. Edmunds is a columnist for CATHOLIC STAND and is a 2nd degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.Dr. Edmunds work has focused on autistic empowerment,

Johann Hari is a New York Times best-selling author. His book ‘Chasing the Scream: the First and Last Days of the War on Drugs’ has been translated into 15 languages and is currently being adapted into a major Hollywood film, and into a non-fiction documentary series.He is one of the most-viewed TED talkers of all time: his talk, ‘Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong’, has (along with the animation based on it) been viewed more than 20 million times.He has written over the past seven years for some of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, the Spectator, Le Monde Diplomatique, the Melbourne Age, and Politico. He has also appeared on leading TV shows, including HBO’s Realtime With Bill Maher.He was twice named ‘National Newspaper Journalist of the Year’ by Amnesty International. He has also been named ‘Cultural Commentator of the Year’ and ‘Environmental Commentator of the Year’ at the Comment Awards.He lives half the y

Jill Queen is the Regional Quality Manager for Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions and President of North Carolina Training, Instruction, Development and Education (NC TIDE), one of North Carolina’s premier training organizations for the behavioral healthcare industry.  She is also an avid animal assisted therapy advocate.  Listen in as we discuss Jill's passion as a mental health provider, educator, and voice for the benefits of animal assisted therapy.Jill Queen's bio and blog article can be found on our website.

Daniel S. Lobel, PhD, is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and has given classes at both State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase and the State University of New York College of Optometry. He has written chapters in many textbooks and contributes frequently as a guest blogger on the Psychology Today website. Lobel is a psychologist with a private practice. He resides in Katonah, NY.www.mysideofthecouch.com

Dr. Michael Gurian is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty eight books published in twenty two languages. He provides counseling services in private practice.  The Gurian Institute, which he co-founded, conducts research internationally, launches pilot programs and trains professionals.  Michael has been called “the people’s philosopher” for his ability to bring together people’s ordinary lives and scientific ideas.He has pioneered efforts to bring neuro-biology and brain research into homes, schools, corporations, and public policy. A number of his books have sparked national debate, including THE WONDER OF GIRLS, THE WONDER OF BOYS, BOYS AND GIRLS LEARN DIFFERENTLY!, THE MINDS OF BOYS and LEADERSHIP AND THE SEXES.  Michael has spoken for the United Nations on violence against women; provided information on boys’ and girls’ educational needs to the White House; and briefed Members of the 114th Congress on the boy crisis in America.In the 1990s, Michael and his colleagues at the University of Misso

Steven Welch is a seasoned psychotherapist with over 27 years of experience in the areas of addiction, HIV, LGBT, adult and adolescent care.As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), he is able to adapt his clinical knowledge to support clients in a wide spectrum of life stressors.Some topics of discussion on the show are below and the full blog article can be found here.Why do men avoid therapy/counseling?How does imagery impact African- American male identity/wellness?What are some themes of African-American men that are barriers to seeking help?What are some environmental factors to consider?Why physical wellness can be a gateway to a conversation?Why do you think trauma is at the root of many African American male well-being issues?What is COLORISM and is this an issues impacting African American (AA) wellness?What are some factors AA men face when coming to terms with same sex attraction?How do I create a safe space as a clinician?Why ar

Abandoned by both parents, abused, forgotten and diagnosed and to never amount to anything of value – this was the foundation of Wesley Chapman’s self-worth. Join Wes and our host and CEO, Kristin Sunanta Walker, as they talk about depression, resilience, some shared experiences from their early beginnings, and how to turn those into advocacy inspiring people around the world.www.wesleydchapman.comwww.ahumanproject.com 

Helaina Hovitz is an editor, journalist, author, storyteller, creative strategist and native New Yorker who has always had the unreasonable notion that she can help change the world! Her greatest passion is writing inspiring stories about charities, social good,nonprofits, social issues, animal rescue, mental health, and recovery, though I also write about the lighter things in life, like food, wellness, and culture.She is the author of the memior After 9/11: One Girl’s Journey Through Darkness to a New BeginningHer continuing bylines can be found in over 50 publications including:The New York Times,  Salon,  Glamour,  The New York Observer,  BuzzFeed, VICE,  Women’s Health,  Teen Vogue, Newsday,  Forbes,  Thrillist,  HEALTH,  Gothamist,   Huffington Post,  Bustle,  Newsweek,  xoJane,  Prevention,  Reader’s Digest,  Nationswell, The Daily Meal, Workit Health,  SELF,  TODAY.COM,  The Week,  Fox News Health,  PsychCentral, Recovery.Org,  Brooklyn Magazine,  Downtown Magazine, The Fix,  The Advocate,  Impact Hub