Psych Up Live

In this episode, Gaea Logan, Executive Director and Founder of the International Center for Mental Health and Human Rights, brings her expertise and experience to Psych Up Live. Drawing upon her training of humanitarian workers across the globe, she invites listeners to build resilience in the face of traumatic life events by strengthening their capacity for self-regulation and building protective internal factors that reduce burnout. She redefines trauma, offers the latest neurobiological findings on trauma’s impact on body, brain and mind and invites us to examine our “ window of tolerance” for stressful life events. Drawing upon her online training, The Portable Calm, she discusses and demonstrates skills to become more self-regulated, mindful, grounded and compassionate. Whether you are a parent, teacher, therapist or friend, Gaea believes that central to your resilience and effectiveness is developing your own capacity to reset, regulate and find calm.

In this show we take a close look at the meaning, causes, prevalence and prevention of Bullying. The reality of bullying spans nations and we are joined in this show by Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt, A Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in School- Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Vaillancourt has researched and written on the causes and prevention of Bullying and will be discussing the social and psychological dynamics that foster bullying, the gender differences in bullying behavior, the explicit and implicit powers of the bully and the likely targets. We will be asking Dr. Vaillancourt what can be done about school bullying. Is it really possible to change the social climate of a school? What makes a program successful for the early grades? Is it too late to intervene with High School Students? What about Cyberbullying which expands the bully’s reach beyond the school and leaves the victim feeling there is no safe place? Who are the Bystanders? Who are the Upstanders? What are the keys to Bully Prevention. Listen in.

The year 2022 was the worst year for School Shootings. There have been three shootings already in 2023. On March 27 2023 there was a School Shooting in Nashville that took the lives of three school children and three school professionals. When does this stop? How can we make a difference? In this show Sara Rogerson, a professor at Albany Law School, the Vice President of Niskayuna School Board in Upstate New York speaks out last year as the aunt and mother in a family whose own members were victims of a school shooting and threats. Here message could not be more relevant. Sara Rogerson discusses how her personal and professional experiences influence her to support and utilize the recent gun control bill and initiate school and community programs to curb gun violence. In the first section of this show she clarifies and discusses the beginning gun reform steps outlined in a bipartisan Gun Law attempted in 2022. She clarifies and exemplifies (SEL) Social, Emotional Learning programs and references research that underscores the importance of SEL in making a school or community safer from bullying, stalking, racism, verbal violence and physical violence-all factors in the history of many school shooters. Given that we are continually faced with alarming headlines of one more shooting. It is worth listening to strategies for change.

The issue and need for racial diversity among police officers reflects an attempt to ease growing tensions that have emerged in the wake of racialized police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement. Underlying the question of whether officer racial diversity improves community-police relations is the question - How do Black Officers feel? How do they balance Blue Culture and Black Lives Matter? In this show, Sociologist and Professor, Dr. Kayla Preito-Hodge offers some answers. She draws upon recent findings from her important research “ Behind the Badge and the Veil: Black Police Officers in the Era of Black Lives Matter.” Her findings suggest that Black Officers possess a double consciousness that enables them to view and experience the world through both a radicalized and occupational lens. She is joined by Dr. Kalfani Turè, a black man, former police officer, and Senior Fellow in the Urban Ethnography Project at Yale Universities. Dr Ture will add a unique prospective on matters of race, place, and urban law enforcement. Listen in to a very important show.

All of us own a life story that reflects a legacy of events we have received from the generations before us and that we will pass on to future generations. In this episode, Elaine Cooper, LCSW, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and author of LET'S ALL HOLD HANDS AND DROP DEAD: Three Generations - One Story, invites us to understand and identify intergenerational trauma, its impact, how we heal and even change the legacy. Drawing upon experience, established research, clinical and group expertise, Elaine Cooper illuminates this topic in a way that will make you reconsider the generational legacy you carry, what it means for your present life, your family, your health, your genetic profile, your strengths, your decisions and the life story you choose to own.You will think about your life differently.

In this show Carol Novello, founder of Mutual Rescue and author of Mutual Rescue, returns to Psych UP Live with an exciting and expansive focus on the power of people-pet rescue and connection. Discussing the stories captured in a new set of award winning mini films, Carol considers how mutual rescue addresses trauma, pain, othering, bias, and loneliness. She discusses the neurophysiology of the pet-person connection and describes options for people who cannot actually adopt a pet but want to share in the experience of loving homeless furry friends. As she will share, an animal's ability to show us unfiltered affection and loyalty despite the heartbreaks and loss of everyday life, teaches us so much about the courage to embrace each moment of connection. You will love this show.

How do you get along with your adult siblings? Are you like friends? Have you stopped talking or connecting with siblings? No matter what the relationship, you are not alone. In this episode, Dr. Geoffrey Greif, professor and author, returns to Psych Up Live with his new co-authored book, Adult Sibling Relationships.In the show, Dr. Greif draws upon his personal interviews with people over 45 and people's responses to The Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale to share the stories and reasons people give for what connects them with their siblings and what has pulled them apart. Adding his clinical understanding, Dr. Greif considers that sibling relationships are as complicated as they are important. Most are neither all good nor all bad.They carry with them the impact of parents, birth order, personality, gender, money issues, rivalries, great care and much more. As you will hear, sibling relationships are complex: but there are ways to better understand and even improve them.

The issue and need for racial diversity among police officers reflects an attempt to ease growing tensions that have emerged in the wake of racialized police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement. Underlying the question of whether officer racial diversity improves community-police relations is the question - How do Black Officers feel? How do they balance Blue Culture and Black Lives Matter? In this show, Sociologist and Professor, Dr. Kayla Preito-Hodge offers some answers. She draws upon recent findings from her important research " Behind the Badge and the Veil: Black Police Officers in the Era of Black Lives Matter." Her findings suggest that Black Officers possess a double consciousness that enables them to view and experience the world through both a radicalized and occupational lens. She is joined by Dr. Kalfani Turè, a black man, former police officer, and Senior Fellow in the Urban Ethnography Project at Yale Universities. Dr Ture will add a unique prospective on matters of race, place, and urban law enforcement. Listen in to a very important show.

On this show Dr. Sherry Hamby, psychologist and founding editor or the Psychology Of Violence will apply her expertise to building resilience. When people dream of the future, they do not dream about avoiding depression or minimizing pain. People dream about seeking and achieving joy, love, and meaning. In the effort to prevent violence or help survivors, psychology often focuses on red flags, warning signs, and trauma symptoms, overlooking our needs for personal strategies to insure healthy relationships and maximize a meaningful life. Using a new concept called resilience portfolios, Dr. Hamby will discuss evidence-based strategies for individuals and communities to build strengths, promote safety, and secure well-being even in the face of life’s adversity.

In this episode, Dr. Michael Anestis, clinical psychologist, and award winning researcher discusses his powerful book, Guns and Suicide: An American Epidemic. Dr. Anestis is not advocating for or against gun ownership. What he is advocating for is prevention of firearm suicides. Funded by the Department of Defense through a program known as the Military Suicide Research Consortium, Michael Anestis collected and will share findings like the fact that each year the majority of gun deaths in the US are suicide deaths – more than homicide, mass shootings or terrorism. He will address the lethality of a gun when there is suicidal thinking and consider myths and theories of suicide including the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (ITS) and the Three Step Theory. Central to his goal, Dr. Anestis will define the use of “means safety” for suicide prevention and the importance of taking a public health approach to firearm suicide prevention.