The Mental Wellness Practice

In this episode, Dr. Shainna chats with the President of the Association for Creativity in Counseling, Dr. LA Stretch,a bout the link between creativity and mental wellness. You’ll get to explore:

About Dr. LoriAnn "L.A." Stretch

Dr. LoriAnn "L.A." Stretch is an LCMHC-S (NC), LPC (VA), NCC, ACS, and BC-TMH in the United States. She is the . Dr. Stretch is the President and conference co-chair for the Association for Creativity in Counseling, the co-chair of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision’s Teaching committee, and a member of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development’s International Concerns Group. She is a team lead for the Council for the Accreditation of Counselor Education and Related Programs. Dr. Stretch recently co-edited the National Counselor Exam (NCE) and Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (CPCE) Review with Springer. She specializes in experiential therapies, global counseling, trauma recovery and stabilization, sexually and relationally marginalized populations, telehealth, and supervision. Much of her counseling work utilizes experiential therapies, such as play therapy, sand play therapy, mindfulness, and hands-on activities.

About Dr. Shainna:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

In this episode, Dr. Shainna chats with career counselor Lashay Vazquez about the link between career and mental wellness. You’ll get to explore:

About Lashay Vazquez:

Lashay Vazquez is a Faculty Coordinator at the University of Central Florida with 6 years of experience guiding individuals on their career development journey. Specializing in career counseling, Lashay uses this experience to alleviate the anxiety around career decisions. Lashay holds her master's degree in Counselor Education-Clinical Mental Health Counseling as well as a graduate certificate in Career Counseling, both from the University of Central Florida.

About Dr. Shainna:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

The Mental Wellness Practice is a place for you to learn practical tips to support your well-being. In this season of the podcast, Dr. Shainna a mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and author of the best-selling Self-Love Workbook will help us take a step back to expand our view of health. In each episode, Dr. Shainna is joined by a wellness expert and together they discuss a new area of wellness, explore how that area influences mental health, and highlight a variety of self-care skills you can integrate into your life.  In this episode we are joined by Christine Samwaroo a Writer, Educator, and Climate Activist who helps us take a look at the link between environmental and mental wellness. We discuss:

About Christine Samwaroo:

Christine Samwaroo is an Intersectional Feminist, Writer, Educator and Climate Advocate . She was born and raised in Guyana. She studied at Iona College and The New School. Christine focused her studies on climate justice and sustainability in Guyana and the Caribbean. She has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management. Christine is the Founder and Managing Director of The Breadfruit Collective. Christine is part of the coordinating team for the Caribbean Women for Climate Justice (CW4CJ) annual conference. Christine describes the work behind TBC as work that is related to her history, passion, and a way to honor her late grandmother and women in her family who experience various forms of gender-based violence.

Learn about the Breadfruit Collective

https://www.instagram.com/thebreadfruitcollective/

About Dr. Shainna:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

The Mental Wellness Practice is a place for you to learn practical tips to support your well-being. In this season of the podcast, Dr. Shainna a mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and author of the best-selling Self-Love Workbook will help us take a step back to expand our view of health. In each episode, Dr. Shainna is joined by a wellness expert and together they discuss a new area of wellness, explore how that area influences mental health, and highlight a variety of self-care skills you can integrate into your life.  In this episode we are joined by Lindsay Bryan-Podvin,  biracial financial therapist and wellness expert, speaker, and author of the book "The Financial Anxiety Solution” who is going to help us explore the connection between financial wellness and mental health. 

About Lindsay Bryan-Podvin:

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin (she/her) is a biracial financial therapist and wellness expert, speaker, and author of the book "The Financial Anxiety Solution." A practicing LMSW since 2012, she uses a shame-free approach to help people get their minds and money in balance by focusing on the intersection of money and mental health. While financial literacy is important, she champions the belief that money is rooted in emotions and impacted by the systems around us. She has a degree in sociology and a Master’s in Social Work with certificates in Financial Social Work and Financial Therapy. She lives with her partner and their dog on the occupied land of the Anishinaabe, also known as Michigan.

Learn more about Lindsay

Follow Lindsay on IG

Checkout the Mind Money Balance YouTube Channel

About Dr. Shainna:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

The Mental Wellness Practice is a place for you to learn practical tips to support your well-being. In this season of the podcast, Dr. Shainna a mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and author of the best-selling Self-Love Workbook will help us take a step back to expand our view of health. In each episode, Dr. Shainna is joined by a wellness expert and together they discuss a new area of wellness, explore how that area influences mental health, and highlight a variety of self-care skills you can integrate into your life.  In this episode, we are joined by Genesis Games, a Miami-based psychotherapist who is passionate about helping individuals and couples foster connection and she is going to help us explore the connection between interpersonal wellness and mental health. 

About Genesis Games:

Genesis Games a bilingual (English & Spanish) psychotherapist in Miami helping clients in all of Florida. She helps college students and young adults adjust to life transitions, navigate the dating world, manage relationship issues, set boundaries with family, and develop adult friendships. Genesis is passionate about working with individuals enduring heartbreak, heal by attaining closure and making meaning of their loss. As a Gottman Trained Couples Therapist, she helps couples throughout all stages of their relationship. She is also trained in Judy Weiser's PhotoTherapy techniques and provide PhotoTherapy to clients interested in using a creative medium to develop emotional awareness, improve communication, and heal relationships.

Learn more about Genesis

Follow Genesis on Instagram

About Dr. Shainna:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

The Mental Wellness Practice is a place for you to learn practical tips to support your well-being. In this season of the podcast, Dr. Shainna a mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and author of the best-selling Self-Love Workbook will help us take a step back to expand our view of health. In each episode, Dr. Shainna is joined by a wellness expert and together they discuss a new area of wellness, explore how that area influences mental health, and highlight a variety of self-care skills you can integrate into your life. In today’s episode we are joined by Gina Marie, a certified Sex & Relationship Coach specializing in embodied intimacy through a somatic and Tantric lens who helps us explore the connection between sexual wellness and mental health.

About Gina Marie:

Gina Marie is 3x certified in the VITA Coaching method with specialties in Female Sexuality & Conscious Dating. Her professional career also includes 12 years as a mental health clinician with experience in trauma and psychotherapy. She holds a Bachelors of Science, Double Major in Kinesiology and Psychology from York University and a Masters of Science from the University of Toronto. Her mental health studies have included training in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and integration. Also a certified Meditation Teacher, Trauma Informed Yoga Instructor, Breathwork Facilitator and Sound Healer, Gina curates experiences that bring individuals and groups towards deep healing and expansion. Her passion is to co-create a transformative healing journey that connects you to your body’s wisdom, opens your heart and guides you back home to yourself.

Her work is inspired by her own healing journey of overcoming sexual and relational trauma. She is passionate about bringing holistic and somatic tools for healing one's relationship to self and their sexuality. She does this by creating devotional coaching containers that are trauma-sensitive and honours each person's unique journey with self-love, sexuality and intimacy.

Learn more about Gina Marie

Follow Gina Marie on Instagram

Checkout Gina Marie’s Upcoming Events

Masturbation (referenced in our interview)

About Dr. Shainna:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

The Mental Wellness Practice is a place for you to learn practical tips to support your well-being. In this season of the podcast, Dr. Shainna a mental health counselor, educator, advocate, and author of the best-selling Self-Love Workbook will help us take a step back to expand our view of health. In each episode, Dr. Shainna is joined by a wellness expert and together they discuss a new area of wellness, explore how that area influences mental health, and highlight a variety of self-care skills you can integrate into your life. 

In today’s episode we are joined by Megan Poczekaj, a registered dietitian at Nutrition Awareness in Orlando, FL. Megan teaches entrepreneurs and high level achievers how to optimize their productivity and performance with nutrition and wrote the book The Optimized Life. Megan is a co-host of the Nutrition Awareness podcast and work with clients one-on-one both in person and virtually all over the world.

Learn More about Megan Poczekaj 

Connect with Megan 

Listen to the Nutrition Awareness Podcast

⁠The Optimized Life: A Nutrition Guide for Entrepreneurs

About the host:

Dr. Shainna is a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the creator of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. She has been featured through outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR Washington Post, and Insider. Dr. Shainna’s passion for promoting mental health awareness and access inspired her to host the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast. Dr. Shainna is the owner and operator of Integrated Counseling Solutions, LLC, a strengths-based clinical mental health and consulting practice located in Central Florida. Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida and is a past president of the Florida Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Dr. Shainna has been honored with the Association for Specialists in Group Work's Al Dye Award, the Pete Fischer Humanitarian Award, and UCF’s 30 under 30 and Noble Knight distinctions for her efforts in promoting mental wellness. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram @DrShainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

Designing Healthy Boundaries

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

Access to quality, affordable mental health care continues to be a global problem, but there’s another problem that often goes overlooked–not maximizing on your appointment. You took the time, you made the effort, now it’s time to maximize your investment. In this episode, Dr. Shainna, licensed mental health counselor, educator, advocate and author of the newly released book Designing Healthy Boundaries share ten tips to help you make the most out of your therapy session. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for mental health counseling. If you are experiencing a mental health concern, please seek professional help.

To learn more visit www.DrShainna.com or connect on instagram and facebook @drshainna.

Mental Wellness Resources:

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

No one is one dimensional. We all have multiple pieces that make up who we are. Understanding those pieces and how they exist in the world can be a powerful practice of self-exploration. When we dive into learning about who we are, we better understand how we think, feel, and exist in the world. In this episode we are going to take a closer look at what intersectionality is and how you can use it to cultivate mental wellness for yourself and others.

In this episode, Dr. Shainna, licensed mental health counselor, educator, advocate and author of the newly released book Designing Healthy Boundaries helps us apply an intersectional approach to our mental well-being. The method is broken down into 3 simple phases:  (1) identification (2) exploration and (3) interaction. At the end, practical activity is shared to help you integrate intersectionality into your mental wellness.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for mental health counseling. If you are experiencing a mental health concern, please seek professional help.

To learn more visit www.DrShainna.com or connect on instagram and facebook @drshainna.

Sources:

Intersectionality

Intersectionality in Counseling

Mental Wellness Resources:

The Self-Love Workbook

The Self-Love Workbook for Teens

The Self-Love Planner

Luna Finds Love Everywhere

Find a Mental Health Provider:

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Mental Health Lifeline

Open Path

Therify

Melanin & Mental Health

Inclusive Therapists

Therapy for Black Girls

Asian Mental Health Collective

Music has a powerful impact on our well-being. It can improve our emotional expression and regulation, self-esteem and control, concentration and memory, as well as our overall satisfaction with life. Music has the ability to decrease mental fatigue, neurodegeneration, anxiety, and depression. We can better access mental wellness through the power of music.