The Self Care Unit

This week, on the Self Care Unit, Carley and Sarah learn more about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy that has become a go-to method for many therapists to help treat a variety of issues. To that end, we are joined by Jennifer Teplin, the founder and clinical director of Manhattan Wellness. Jennifer specializes in supporting women who experience self-doubt, relationship difficulties, eating disorders, anxiety and depression, and helps guide her patients through life's many transitions. Jennifer is simply AMAZING; she gives Carley and Sarah a rundown of CBT, explains the key terms and ideas, relates it to the stress and anxiety of nursing, and talks us through her own therapeutic approach. You'll learn so much, get a little bit of a Jennifer therapeutic experience, and leave with some great tools and mantras. (Let's all stop should-ing on ourselves!) For those on the fence of trying out CBT, Jennifer provides an excellent sense of what it can do for you!

For more of Jennifer and her work, please check out www.manhattanwellness.org, there are so many fantastic editorials, blogs, and testimonials available! You can also find them @manhattan.wellness on Instagram and TikTok!

This week on the Self Care Unit, we learned about OCD with Dr. Francine Baffa. Dr. Baffa is one of Operation Happy Nurse's Licensed Clinical Social Workers, she focuses her work on evidence-based treatments to tackle anxiety and worry. She helps us dispel some of the common misconceptions about OCD and talks us through how compulsions work. She also explains what evidence-based treatments exist and ways to manage OCD after diagnosis. OHN founder Shannon steps in to cohost this episode, as she lives with OCD herself, sharing her experiences with it as a nurse and how concerns for safety and care can manifest as compulsions. We hope this conversation brings light on to an often misunderstood topic and provides some support to anyone with OCD.

We have a brand new Ask a Nurse episode of The Self Care Unit for you! This week, we're helping out nursing job-seekers with a discussion on interviewing the interviewer. We tackle a number of important questions: What can you do as the interviewee to find the right job or hospital for you? What questions can you ask to get the information you need? We are joined by Professor Diane Hountz from Purdue University to give some insight and answers on this topic! She gives us expert advice on what you can do to utilize your position as the interviewee to your benefit. Thanks to Professor Hountz for joining us!

This week on The Self Care Unit, for our Ask A Nurse episode, Carley and Sarah tackle all things to do with Debriefing. What exactly is it? Where does the idea come from? What forms can it take? Why is it necessary when things go right or go wrong? When have you seen it done well? What aspects of it do you think are most important? They answer all these questions and more in this deep dive into a topic and process that deserves more attention to help nurses feel supported in their work. So if you want to know more about debriefing, and what it can do for nurses, tune into this conversation!

Have questions for future episodes? Reach out to [email protected] and they could be asked on future editions of Ask A Nurse!

CW://: Suicide

This week, for a truly great Mental Health Matters episode, Carley and Sarah welcome Hunter Prosper to the pod! Listeners will probably recognize Hunter from TikTok and Instagram, where he has amassed a huge following sharing his life as a nurse and the stories and lives he encounters on and off the job. He's become something of a master storyteller, and that's where we focused our conversation this week. We chat about how he applies lessons and skills from the bedside to his approach in communication, how listening to stories and telling our own rejuvenates and restores us, and how to foster connections across all sorts of lived experiences. Hunter is an incredible guy, a truly captivating person to listen and learn from, so a huge thank you to him for joining us for this conversation!

For more of Hunter, check out @HunterProsper on TikTok and Instagram!

CW://: Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating

This week, for a very special Mental Health Matters episode, Carley and Sarah talk with Danielle Ruhl! Known for her TV appearances, Danielle is also a fierce advocate for speaking about mental health, her openness with her feelings helps to pave the path for others to follow. The conversation with this amazing woman starts with a discussion of mental health advocacy itself, and how we can manage those conflicting feelings many of us who speak about mental health feel every day. We then move into her work, strategies to stop blaming ourselves, and a discussion of body image, trauma, and eating disorders. Any fans of Danielle will know that this conversation doesn't stray from vulnerability, so we are so incredibly grateful that she was with us for this conversation!

For more of Danielle, please check out her Instagram @dnellruhl or her website danielleruhl.com. Thanks again Danielle!

This week, we get a behind the scenes look at the two amazing organizations behind The Self Care Unit, Operation Happy Nurse and Don't Clock Out. To do so, we hear the inside scoop from their founders, Shannon McPeek and Sarah Warren. By interviewing each other, we learn about what motivated them to start their work, the programs and offerings both organizations provide, and some spoilers for their future work and projects! For those who want to know more about the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes or for healthcare workers hoping to take advantage of the many resources offered by the two organizations, this is an episode you don't want to miss!

We're back for another educational episode of The Self Care Unit. On today’s episode, Carley and Sarah learn all about meditation from the esteemed Benjamin W. Decker. Ben is a social activist, author, meditation teacher and entrepreneur. He hosts the Modern Spirituality Show and is the author of Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You. His expertise guiding people in meditation helps us learn so much about the practice, including how to feel present in the moment, quiet our minds, and embrace the teaching and guidance you can find in classes. This episode brings a lot to the table, so whether you're a novice or a practiced meditator, you'll find a lot of value in Ben's words. Thank you for being with us Ben!

Looking to give meditation a try? Operation Happy Nurse has guided meditation on offer on our website operationhappynurse.org. And for more of Ben, including his podcast, private sessions, and classes, please check out his website BenDeckerMeditation.com or his instagram @BenjaminWDecker.

This week on The Self Care Unit, we have really special Ask A Nurse episode for you, as Carley and Sarah were joined by the lovely Nikki Alvarez! Nikki is very popular on TikTok @nikkialvarezz, where she discusses work-life balance as a nurse and her use of reading as stress relief. The latter is why we were thrilled to have her on the pod, as we tackle all things reading, books, and stress relief. Why do nurses turn to books to relieve stress? What genres help you find a sense of relaxation or escapism? What makes a book club so special? How can we get back into reading after a lull? And we finish up with some of our book faves and recs! You may have guessed this topic was coming, so get excited it's finally here! A big thank you to Nikki for making this episode so fun!

Have questions for future episodes? Reach out to [email protected] and they could be asked on future editions of Ask A Nurse!

The Self Care Unit has a brand new Ask a Nurse for you this week! This episode is all about learning to become a nurse, to hopefully help out the students, recent grads, and new nurses out there! What kind of soft skills do you wish you had learned in nursing school? How do you move around and network in the professional nursing world? And most importantly, how should you prepare for the NCLEX and stave off the anxiety? Carley and Sarah tackle those questions and more! Check it out!