Psych Up Live

In today's high speed internet world, teens are merely a few clicks away from free access to streaming porn. A Nationally Representative Youth Internet Safety Survey found that the likelihood of a teen or preteen accessing pornography intentionally rose from 8% in 2000 to 13% in 2010. Twenty-five percent of 18-24 year old's report porn as their most helpful source of information about how to have sex. In this Episode Dr. Emily Rothman, Professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, and author of the upcoming new book, Pornography and Public Health, brings us a well-researched and measured view of the need for "Porn Literacy" for kids and for parents. The issue is not Pornography. The issue is the negative view of sex as violent, misogynistic and without consent that porn portrays. What Dr. Rothman will discuss in terms of "Porn Literacy" for teens is how and why to think critically about pornography as something quite different from sexual relating and sexual intimacy. She will expand her discussion to "Porn Literacy" for parents by answering question that parents pose like, "What do I say if my teen son is regularly viewing porn?" "What do I say to my nine year old daughter when porn appears on her screen?" Whether you are a parent or interested in helping today's youngsters develop a healthy and loving perspective of sex, this is an important show.

In this episode, Jonathan Kalin, founder of Party With Consent, discusses his mission of inviting men and women in colleges across the nation to join him in preventing sexual violence. He considers the importance of creating consent and clarifying definitions of masculinity. Michael Paymar, co-founder of A Process of Change for Men Who Batter, author of Violent No More and film producer of With Impunity: Men and Gender Violence, considers the value of men’s voices to counter the cultural messages that enable male domination and violence against women through domestic violence, rape, violent pornography and trafficking. Dr. Erin Casey, Co-director of the Mobilizing Men for Violence Prevention Research Collaborative will discuss the factors that prompt men’s participation in gender-based violence prevention, the risk factors for sexually violent behavior, bystander programs and the need for men to collaborate with women to prevent sexual violence.

Have you ever been dismissed because you were considered too young, or ignored because you were deemed too old? If so, you have experienced Ageism, stereotyping and discrimination based on age. In this show, author activist, Ashton Applewhite will raise our consciousness about age discrimination with research, humor and personal references. Drawing upon her acclaimed book, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, her powerful discussion and examples will make it clear “that chronological age is an increasingly unreliable benchmark of pretty much anything about a person.” You will wonder how you missed the degree of age bias we tolerate and the myths about age we perpetuate in our culture. You will recognize that demeaning stereotypes about age threaten the best of us at any age. Don't miss this!

In this show, Dr. Diane Ehrensaft, expert in gender research and clinical work, offers parents and professionals an insider understanding of Gender Expansive Children -The little boy who insists he is a girl, the teen who identifies as non-binary – both male and female. The author of The Gender Creative Child and Gender Born, Gender Made, Dr. Ehrensaft clarifies the difference between gender and assigned sex at birth and explains how threads of nature, nurture and culture weave for each of us a Gender Web. Using examples, she describes a Gender Affirmative Model in which she maintains that children will reveal their authentic gender self if we listen to what they are telling us in their behavior and words.She clarifies the use of blockers to postpone puberty vs Gender Affirmative Hormones for those legally old enough to make a decision. She discusses that it is often not gender confusion as much as the gender rejection that leaves children unsupported, unhappy and less confident. This is a very important and informative episode.

Half of all suicide deaths are caused by firearms, and suicides account for nearly two thirds of all deaths by firearms. We are horrified by the epidemic of gun violence in this country. Suicide comprises a substantial portion of the gun violence. There are times when gun violence to others is followed by suicide. In this show Dr. Michael Anestis, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and an Associate Professor of Urban-Global Public Health at Rutgers University returns to Psych Up Live to discuss the unprecedented surge in firearm purchasing during Covid-19. He shares his research on the degree of suicidal thinking in those making purchases and considers whether there is an overlap with additional reasons for gun purchases like threat perceptions, need for protection, anxiety and uncertainties related to the pandemic, economic hardship, racial tensions, and political divides. He considers with concern the increase in gun purchases and the presence of a gun in relation to theories of suicide. Central to this, is his research and belief in Lethal Means Counseling and the Use of Gun Safety Storage Practices as necessary to curb firearm deaths. Whether you are against guns or own guns –you will value this life saving show.

During this pandemic, most people have been grateful for the courage of medical workers. We have heard about the physical demands and emotional burnout they have suffered; but far less about moral injury. In this episode, Dr. Keith Corl, an emergency and critical care physician offers a personal and professional understanding of moral injury of physicians, both before and during COVID-19. Dr. Corl defines moral injury and compares it with burnout and PTSD. Drawing upon examples, he considers the complexity of medical care overseen by a business model and discusses how it compromises the physician-patient relationship. As an associate of Moral Injury of Healthcare, a non-profit organization promoting public awareness and clinician support, he describes the importance of insuring sustainability in committed physicians in view of their present risks of caring. He shares personal ways that he promotes patient connection and care, both for himself and his medical students and staff.

In celebration of Trans Day of Visibility and with recognition of many like Dr. Rachel Levine, the New Assistant Secretary for Health and the first transgender woman to be Senate confirmed, I encore this powerful story. In this podcast, Jane Baker, author of the book, Trading Places: When Our Son Became a Daughter, shares the insider experience of parenting her son while he makes the decision to disclose his true self and take steps to become a transgender woman. As the mother of this transgender woman, Jane Baker reveals her own doubts, anguish,and fears. She shares her mission to learn everything to prove her daughter wrong, the reactions of others and the place of acceptance she and her daughter find in this journey. Joining her is Dr. Antonia Caretto, licensed psychologist and specialist in many areas including Gender Variance and Dysphoria. As a member of the World Professional Association For Transgender Health, Dr. Caretto has worked with parents and teens dealing with transgender issues and will address the physical and psychological aspects of transgender identification and transition for all family members. This is a powerful and personal podcast.

In a manner that is personal, specific, at times funny and underscored with thirty years of writing and talking about sex, Tracey Cox invites us to age-proof our sex lives. Drawing upon her 17th and newest book, Great Sex Starts at 50, Tracey invites listeners, across gender and sexual orientation to consider that an understanding of the reality of body changes from hormone depletion, sensitivity, dryness, erectile difficulties etc. are inevitable and need not be a stop sign to sexual connection and intimacy. She discusses the six truths about sex that will never change regardless of age; four steps that will revolutionize your sex life; the challenges of menopause; what to do or say if you haven't had sex in a number of years with your partner; the differences in sexual desire between men and women; the stages in a couple's relationship from lust to love; being over fifty, single and sexual and the Media Misperceptions of Sex that impact all of us. Listen in.

In this episode, Abby Rodman psychotherapist and author draws upon her own experience with divorce, her clinical experience and the responses of hundreds of women to a survey on divorce, to share what we rarely hear when we learn someone is getting a divorce or has been divorced. Abby Rodman shares the insider story. She shares the fears, blame, hardship, parental worry and ultimate growth that is possible whether a divorce comes after two years or twenty, and whether it comes by choice, betrayal or mutual despair. As described in her book, Without This Ring, Abby Rodman does not advocate for divorce: but when there is no choice, she advocates for women to know they are not alone, to believe in themselves and to identify the feelings and dynamics that can be addressed with help on many levels. She will not be speaking about finding someone new. She will be speaking about the power of first finding you. Both women and men will benefit from this show.

We continue to hear of the benefits of mindfulness but many still wonder-What exactly is it? How can I best use it? In this episode, Dr Elisha Goldstein, author of many books on mindfulness including Uncovering Happiness,The Now Effect and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, will offer a mini-course on Mindfulness that teaches steps, rationale and technique. He will guide us to use breathing,catch the negative thinking, resist anxious problem solving and enhance resilience. You will understand why something that seems simple can be so powerful.