In My Backyard

As we continue to explore the impact of trauma and stress on mental health, today we will be taking a closer look at mental health and LGBTQ children and youth. Any conversation about the mental health of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth needs to be understood within a complicated historical perspective. It wasn’t until 1973 and after considerable debate that homosexuality was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a classified mental illness. Sadly, that decision by the American Psychiatric Association didn’t end the debate. Even today so-called conversion therapy is allowed in a plurality of states in the US even though all expert bodies have denounced it as abusive and harmful, increasing suicidal risk in those subjected to it.

Dr. Judd Marmor was President of the American Psychiatric Association when homosexuality was first declassified as a mental illness. He wrote, “In a society like ours where homosexuals are uniformly treated with disparagement or contempt – to say nothing about outright hostility – it would be surprising indeed if substantial numbers of them did not suffer from an impaired self-image and some degree of unhappiness from their stigmatized status. It is manifestly unwarranted and inaccurate, however, to attribute (this) to intrinsic aspects of homosexuality itself.”

Scientific data does indeed demonstrate the vulnerability of our LGBTQ youth. As reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness:

LBGTQ youth are twice as likely to endorse persistent sadness and feelings of hopelessness;

They are four times as likely to have attempted suicide;

Twice has likely to misuse alcohol and drugs, and;

Have a greatly heightened risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In this episode, Patricia speaks with Dr. Tiffany Dawson about mental health and LGBTQ+ youth. Tiffany is a Licensed Psychologist and the Program Manager of The Guidance Center’s Compton Program. She and her staff serve children and families from the communities in and surrounding Compton, one of the most under-resourced and highest need areas in the county.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

For those who missed it, we are happy to re-release Episode 7 of In My backyard, a conversation with Dr. Perry of the Child Trauma Academy. Dr. Perry chats with us about the neuro-sequential model of the brain, explaining how trauma impacts the brain and what we can all do to be trauma-informed.

We are off taking our Freshmen to college for the first time, but will be back in two weeks with a new episode, a conversation with Dr. Tiffany Dawson exploring how discrimination impacts the mental health and emotional well-being of our LGBTQ youth. We look forward to having you with us then.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, chronic illnesses in children can affect the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of young patients. It also takes a serious toll on parents and siblings, leading to strained familial relationships that add yet another layer of stress. Depression and anxiety are common co-morbid illnesses in children with chronic health concerns.

Additionally, very often with a chronic or potentially terminal illness, families and medical staff are so understandably focused on the physical health of the child that the emotional, developmental and psychological impacts of the illness and treatment are overlooked.

In today’s episode, Patricia speaks with Dr. Lauren Ford, a licensed pediatric psychologist in The Guidance Center’s Whole Child program. The Whole Child is a program that places Guidance Center pediatric psychologists in Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital, to provide consultation and mental health support to children and families with chronic illness. In many cases, therapists are able to support the child when they are inpatient in the hospital as well as between hospital visits.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts

In this episode, Patricia speaks with Stevie McBride to help us understand in practical terms what we might do in our lives to be trauma-informed while interacting with a traumatized child.

Stevie McBride is a Guidance Center clinician from It’s About T.I.M.E., a Trauma Informed Movement in Education. It’s About T.I.M.E. is a program that uses trauma research to provide educators the tools to create trauma informed cultures on primary school campuses.

A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at The Guidance Center, Stevie provided intensive treatment to children and families in our Long Beach clinic for many years, before transferring to the It’s About T.I.M.E. program two years ago. He currently serves as the trauma-informed consultant at Barton Elementary School in Long Beach.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Patricia had the great pleasure of speaking with Nathan Swaringen, a Guidance Center clinician from It’s About T.I.M.E., a Trauma Informed Movement in Education. It’s About T.I.M.E. is a program based on Dr. Bruce Perry’s research into how trauma impacts the brain of the developing child. The program uses this research to provide educators the tools to create trauma informed cultures on primary school campuses.

Nathan is a licensed clinical social worker. He began his career at The Guidance Center fifteen years ago, as a therapist in its school-based program. After years of seeing first hand how trauma-based behavior is misunderstood as “a bad child” Nathan sought out training from Dr. Perry on how to create trauma-informed schools. The It’s about TIME program was formed.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray.  Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Patricia speaks with Dr. Bruce Perry, founder and Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy. He is a Psychiatrist and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.  He is a tremendous advocate and leader in the field of child trauma treatment.

Dr. Perry originally founded the Childhood Trauma Academy within the University of Chicago Baylor School of Medicine, but it soon became clear that child maltreatment was too complex to be answered by a medical model alone. At that point, the Child Trauma Academy evolved to be a community of practice, meaning that it represents a collaboration of all disciplines that might interact with a traumatized child.  This may include child protection, educators, law enforcement, and mental health.  The Child Trauma Academy translates what Dr. Perry understands about the impact of childhood trauma on the brain into practical and viable interventions that help a child recover.  Their mission is to help improve the lives of traumatized and maltreated children by improving systems that educate, nurture, protect and enrich these children.  They focus their efforts on education, program consultation, research and disseminating innovation in the field.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Production assistance provided by Lorraine Lyou. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Patricia speaks with Aubree Sweeney, Marriage and Family Therapist and Director of Rancho San Antonio Boys’ Home. Rancho is a non-profit Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program, providing specialized treatment and 24-hour care and supervision to court-ordered teen boys. Services span from initial assessment through treatment, all the way to the transition back into the community. Rancho provides a safe space to begin the process of change.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Production assistance provided by Julie Ruano. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Patricia Costales, LCSW speaks with Melissa Mojica, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with The Guidance Center, about the criminalization of mental illness. Melissa holds a unique role at The Guidance Center, serving as the Public Safety Clinician housed in the Long Beach City Jail.  There, she assesses and treats the mentally ill men and women who are routinely incarcerated.

The Public Safety Clinician program started three years ago as a pilot partnership between The Guidance Center and the Long Beach Police Department. Melissa has served in the role since the inception of the program.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Production assistance provided by Julie Ruano. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Patricia speaks with Retired Detective III Charles Dempsey of the LAPD. A psychiatric nurse in a prior life, Detective Dempsey most recently was the Officer-In-Charge of the Training Detail, Crisis Response Support Section of the department.

The LAPD has a model Mental Evaluations Unit that includes a multi-layered approach to responding to incidents involving the mentally ill, including children. This includes trained dispatchers, mental health professionals who respond to calls with a police partner, case management and a robust mental health training requirement for all LAPD officers, which was overseen by Detective Dempsey. Even in retirement, Detective Dempsey remains a leader in the conversation on the overlap between mental health and law enforcement. We are lucky to chat with him today.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Production assistance provided by Julie Ruano. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Patricia Costales, LCSW, talks with Angelina Palma-Williams, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Program Manager at The Guidance Center about the real-life impact of racism and discrimination on our young children of color.

In My Backyard is brought to you by The Guidance Center, a children’s mental health agency in Long Beach, CA. In My Backyard is produced by Tricia Costales and Matthew Murray. Production assistance provided by Julie Ruano. Thank you to Jay Vincent B for original music. All other music licensed through SoundStripe. Thank you to our listeners and supporters.

Please visit tgclb.org or text HOPE to 562-262-5689 to make a one-time donation or join our Hope and Healing Club to become a monthly donor today. And subscribe to In My Backyard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.