Finding the Helpers

“Just love people, be present, be real, be authentic. Those are the things that keep it real, keep us human, keep us in a shared experience.”In our final episode of Season 1 on Finding the Helpers, we have an interview that manages to tie all our other interviews beautifully together. Mary Affee is a licensed clinical social worker, PhD candidate, and specializes in play and trauma therapy. She left her bustling practice in North Carolina to return to her original home of New York City for fo...

In this episode of Finding the Helpers, we had the pleasure of speaking with Isaac Cosmas, a South Sudanese refugee who Playing to Live met while conducting a mental health needs assessment in Rhino camp, a refugee settlement in Uganda. Isaac was there as both a refugee and working as part of the frontline staff providing supporting the mental health needs of other refugees. In his interview, Isaac shares with us his story of struggle, resilience, and brings to light the hardships facing refu...

In the midst of what feels like every day brings more challenges and unveils more hard truths, our episode this week is dedicated to recharging through moments of hope, grace, and connection. Our interviewee is Laura Fuchs and she is a photographer living in New York City. With a degree in psychology from Barnard and ten years of photography experience, Laura brings incredible empathy and connection to her art.When the pandemic hit, Laura realized as she walked around New York City that not o...

In this episode, we interview Joe Rojas on his experience of the prison system’s response to COVID-19. One of the reasons we wanted to investigate the prison system during this pandemic is because the conditions in prisons make containing an infectious disease inherently difficult. This pandemic has disproportionately affected people of color, and with people of color making up a disproportionate percentage of the prison population, one of the things we learned from Joe is that prisons are ye...

This week we have been reminded, again, that there are many vital battles to fight. The United States and the world have witnessed more brutal killings of innocent people, and communities are standing up to fight for justice. In light of what is currently happening in our country, outside of COVID-19, we have decided to take a moment and pause from releasing a new interview this week. The injustices and traumas are so pervasive that we must stop what we are doing and take action. This pandemi...

In the episode Removing the Armor: Breaking Stigmas & Building Unity, we interview Dr. Budhrani. He has been practicing clinically for over 20 years as an emergency room (ER) physician, is the CEO of Innovation Health, whose goal is to unify the health care system making the patient experience more fluid and affordable, and is a professor at George Washington (GW) School of Medicine. We are grateful he was able to make the time to speak with us about the impact that COVID-19 is having on ...

What is it like to be a funeral director in the epicenter of a pandemic? This week we sat down with Sherry Bensimon, a New York and New Jersey state licensed funeral director, to hear her story of how COVID-19 is impacting her work and home life. Sherry has given her life to taking care of the dead in all possible ways. From the time she was sixteen, she was a member of the chevra kadisha, a Jewish holy burial group made up of volunteers from the congregation who wash and shroud the deceased ...

As a physician assistant working in oncology at a multiple myeloma center in New York City, Alex Kaiser gives us a glimpse of what it's like to be a healthcare provider who is not treating COVID-19 patients during this pandemic. She explains how she’s supporting her patients through and how she’s finding ways to support herself. Despite her hard work and dedication to her patients and her community, Alex explains how many health care workers not on the ‘front lines’ (ie. emergency room, COVID...

In Episode 4, we interview Rouben Madikians who is a flight attendant, yoga teacher, photographer, and COVID-19 survivor. His story inspires us to look for connection even in the isolation and that being vulnerable takes strength and courage. His interview highlights for all of us the importance of self love and empathy for ourselves and others, even in times of crises. Read more about Rouben's stories and suggested quick self care activities from the Playing to Live clinical team inspi...

We are thrilled to bring you Felicia Temple: contender on The Voice in 2017, accomplished musician, and ICU nurse.Felicia has been receiving media attention in the past few weeks since an interview during Global Citizen's "One World: Together At Home” concert. She was on an international music tour in Brussels, when she found out the US planned to close its borders. Within a week, she was “rolling up her sleeves” and got back to work at her former nursing job, this time in the newly set...