Mental Health Download: Exploring Mental Illness, Suicide, Homelessness and Incarceration

We spoke with Carolyn Burns, an instructor and field faculty liaison for the School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma Online Campus. Carolyn is licensed clinical social worker who has practiced therapy for more than eighteen years. Additionally, with more than twenty-three years of social work experience, her career has spanned from public housing to owning a private practice. She has a passion for working with the lower income, marginalized population – particularly adolescents, as well as working with people who have experienced extreme trauma. 

Carolyn was a presenter at the 2023 Zarrow Mental Health Symposium: New Horizons in Brain Science, where she delivered a fascinating presentation called This is Your Brain On Trauma. 

You can hear a little bit about that talk here. A quick, but important warning: This episode talks about physical and sexual abuse. While it’s important dialogue to have, we understand that it could be difficult for some listeners.

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Carolyn Burns and find it as valuable as we did. If you or someone you love is struggling with your mental health, please call one of our free mental health assistance center lines at 405.943.3700 or 918.585.1213, or contact us via www.mhaok.org. If you are in an immediate mental health crisis, please call or text 988. It is available to anyone 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Additionally, Oklahoma’s Victim Services 24-hour Safeline is available to anyone enduring abuse by calling 1.800.522.SAFE or 1.800.522.7233. 

Today, I am talking with Julie Leiber and Emily McPherson, Mental Health Policy Fellows at Healthy Minds Policy Initiative.  

Emily is researching methamphetamine overdose and harm reduction, and Julie has been focusing on programs of assertive community treatment. Together, they were also Zarrow Mental Health Symposium presenters at last year’s event, New Horizons in Brain Science, during which they used Tulsa, Oklahoma as a case study. Their presentation explored treatment models and community partnerships that addressed rising rates of methamphetamine use. It also spoke to how harm reduction and contingency management show how pathways in the brain are being used and strengthened to reduce overdose deaths. 

Today, I am talking with Cheryl Step, founder and owner of Creating Resilience: a training and consulting company. 

Cheryl has extensive knowledge on the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences, known as ACEs, as well as experience training and coaching about the impact of trauma. She speaks expertly on the framework of strategies that build a foundation to respond and empower people to create collective well-being. Cheryl also consults with leadership to build trauma-informed agencies. Previously, she was a school counselor for seventeen years.  

Cheryl is a licensed professional counselor and Nationally-Board Certified Counselor who is certified in Traumatic Stress Studies and Attachment, Self-Regulation and Competence (also known as ARC) Trauma Treatment for Children and Adolescence.

Additionally, Cheryl was one of our 2023 Zarrow Mental Health Symposium presenters.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, who invests in and partners with nonprofit organizations that offer sustainable, measurable programs that strive to elevate the health and well-being of all Oklahomans. 

Today, I am talking with Carly Dunn, a 4th year PhD student in the Human Development and Family Science Department at Oklahoma State University, and a graduate research associate at the Center for Family Resilience. 

Carly helps coordinate the Oklahoma NEAR Science training community and works on school-based prevention projects to provide quality technical and research assistance to districts working to enhance mental and behavioral health efforts for students, families, and staff.  

Additionally, Carly is one of our 2023 Zarrow Mental Health Symposium presenters.

I am thrilled to have Carly Dunn on today, and I hope you enjoy the dialogue surrounding NEAR Science and ACEs.

Today, I am speaking with Susan Magsamen, founder and executive director of the International Arts & Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics - a pioneering initiative from the Pedersen Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also an assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins and serves as the co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative in partnership with the Aspen Institute.

Susan’s is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. It is a journey through the science of neuroaesthetics that offers proof of how our brains and bodies are transformed when we participate in the arts and aesthetic experiences.

This week’s episode is sponsored by The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, a philanthropic entity dedicated to lifting Tulsans out of poverty by supporting housing and shelter resources, social services and basic human needs, accessible healthcare, and programs that empower and inspire community members to improve their lives.

Today, we have Mental Health Association Oklahoma’s Chief Programs Officer, Mark Davis talking with Dr. Xavier Amador, Co-Founder and CEO of the Henry Amador Center on Anosognosia and Founder of the LEAP Institute. 

Dr. Amador is an internationally renowned clinical psychologist and forensic expert, and he is the author of 9 books, including the best seller, “I AM NOT SICK, I Don’t Need Help!”

Additionally, he is a keynote speaker at the 2023 Zarrow Mental Health Symposium, themed New Horizons in Brain Science.

We are grateful to have Dr. Amador on today, and we’re excited to share this insightful and engaging conversation between him and our own Mark Davis.

Today, we're talking with Genaro - affectionately known as G - Pratcher, Employment Specialist for our Oklahoma City A Better Way program at Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

G is a longtime professional in the mental health field who had decided to leave the profession before being recruited by an Association case manager. In researching us, he saw that we were, in his words, “doing the work” and couldn’t help but join the team.

He just celebrated his one year anniversary with us, and since that time, he’s helped to make the A Better Way program the success that it is - employing hundreds of participants..

We are grateful to have G on, today, as he dives into the nitty gritty of what makes A Better Way work so well and what could help expand its reach.

Today, we're talking with Stephanie Newman, Street Outreach and Rapid Response Case Manager for Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

Stephanie Newman is a native Oklahoman who, in childhood, experienced a sexual trauma that went unaddressed, resulting in a crescendo-like progression of events that ultimately culminated in the loss of her children, her home, her dignity.

Humanity stepped in, knowing that everyone has value and possibility, and took a chance on her. Now, two decades later, she’s celebrating sixteen years of recovery and continuing her sixth year of employment with Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

We are grateful to have Stephanie on, today, as she shares her story with us. It’s important to note that this conversation touches on sexual trauma and loss. While it’s important dialogue to have, we understand that it could be difficult for some listeners.

You're listening to the Mental Health Download from the nonprofit Mental Health Association Oklahoma. I'm Omar Isais.

Today, Jocelin Baeza and Omar Isais, MHAOK team members, are taking over the Mental Health Download to highlight our virtual Hispanic support group, Platicas, in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Our goal is to increase dialogue about mental health struggles and reduce stigma around them, specifically in the Hispanic population. We talk about the importance of doing so and what that can look like, including within Platicas.

Margaret (Maggie) Shaffer is Director of Public Policy for the Alzheimer's Association. In her current professional capacity Maggie works with advocates to move forward state and federal policy issues to support research to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and improve the care and support of caregivers. Maggie has previous experience in health and mental health policy, having spent several years researching, writing, and advocating for improved access to comprehensive, family-centered care. She is particularly passionate about furthering policies that support caregivers as she believes they play a crucial role in shaping the future of health care.

We are excited both for Maggie’s Zarrow Symposium presentation, which will cover research on the impact caregiving has on individuals, support programs available in Oklahoma, and policy implications of providing support to caregivers, and we are excited to share today’s conversation with us here.