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Safe Space Radio

The show about subjects we'd struggle with less if we could talk about them more.

  • Mental Health
    • Bad Mother Anxiety
    • Depression in the Workplace
    • Eating Disorders
    • Facing Fear
    • Feelings of Failure
    • Homophobia
    • LGBTQ Teens
    • Living With Anxiety
    • Living with Dementia in the Family
    • Living with Life Threatening Illness
    • Living with Mental Illness
    • Mental Illness in the Family
    • Medical Trauma
    • Parenting Kids on the Spectrum
    • PTSD Among Women Veterans
    • Refugee Women
    • Substance Abuse in Families
    • Suicide
    • Transgender Issues
    • Trauma
    • Writing as a Way to Heal
    • Yoga and Mental Illness
  • Social Justice
    • Child Abuse
    • Homophobia
    • LGBTQ Teens
    • Life After Incarceration
    • Maine Wabanaki TRC
    • PTSD Among Women Veterans
    • Race and White Privilege
    • Refugee Women
    • Somali Refugees in Maine
    • Transgender Issues
    • Violence Against Women
  • Family
    • Bad Mother Anxiety
    • Contemporary Families
    • Living with Dementia in the Family
    • Living with Life Threatening Illness
    • Parenting Kids on the Spectrum
    • Sibling Conflicts
    • Substance Abuse in Families
  • Emotions
    • Bad Mother Anxiety
    • Child Abuse
    • Facing Fear
    • Feelings of Failure
    • Living With Anxiety
    • Living with Life Threatening Illness
    • Shame
    • Stories of Hidden Emotions
    • Talking About Difficult Subjects
    • Writing as a Way to Heal
  • Sexuality
    • Female Sexual Difficulties
    • Men’s Sexual Difficulties
    • Recovery from Sexual Trauma
  • Conflict
    • Child Abuse
    • Life After Incarceration
    • Maine Wabanaki TRC
    • PTSD Among Women Veterans
    • Refugee Women
    • Somali Refugees in Maine
    • Talking About Difficult Subjects
    • Trauma
    • Violence Against Women
  • Log in

ssradmin

Climate Courage

October 2, 2020 by ssradmin

“What if global warming isn’t only a crisis. What if it’s our best chance to build a better world?” Naomi Klein Reports of wildfires, hurricanes, and extinctions are frightening, yet we rarely hear people talking about the mental health impact of these changes. This hour long show explores how coping with the mental health impacts …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health

Saying Goodbye

October 2, 2020 by ssradmin

“Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.” George Eliot This hour-long show is about the mental health benefits and challenges of saying a good goodbye at the end of life. Through stories, we explore different facets of goodbyes, including why so many of us avoid saying goodbye even …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health

Profiles in Mental Health and Courage

October 2, 2020 by ssradmin

Courage is the choice to act even when we feel afraid. It forces us to confront fear, shame, and stigma—and to feel our own strength. This hour-long show is about how accessing our own courage also supports our mental health and well-being, exploring the experience of living with mental illness—such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder—as  a kind of “courage boot camp.” …read more »

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Filed Under: Anxiety & Fear, Autism, Childhood Abuse, Depression, Depression at Work, Domestic Violence, Emotions, Hidden Emotions, Mental Health, Mental Illness in the Family, Mental Illness Series, Podcasts, Racism, Shame, Suicide, Telling Difficult Stories, Therapy, Trauma and Recovery

Apologies

May 1, 2019 by ssradmin

We all make mistakes. Knowing how to mend our relationships is vital to the mental health of our families and communities. This episode is an exploration of apologies: why saying “I’m sorry” can be difficult, and how we can get better at repairing the relationships that matter the most. Through stories, this show addresses apologies …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health

Yoga For Trauma with Matthew Sanford

December 26, 2016 by ssradmin

Matthew Sanford is a yoga teacher focused on trauma recovery. Matthew was paralyzed from the chest down at age 13 in a car accident that killed his father and sister. As a teen, he was encouraged to “overcome the silence” of his paralyzed body. He learned that he could listen to his body instead, and …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry Tagged With: disability, Recovery, Trauma, Yoga

Talking To Kids About Sex & Sexuality with Layne Gregory

December 19, 2016 by ssradmin

Social worker Layne Gregory shares strategies for navigating the subject of sex and sexuality that she used with her own kids and gives 6 basic principles that are important for kids to understand.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: Parenting, sex, Sexuality

Advocating for a Child with Autism with Ellen Jennings

December 12, 2016 by ssradmin

Ellen Jennings’ son is living with high-functioning autism. She talks with Anne about the long and difficult path to his diagnosis, and about the many ways she has had to push for him to get the services he needs and help him thrive.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: advocacy, Autism, Parenting

Prisoners and Hospice with Bobby Payzant

December 5, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode revisits Safe Space Radio’s 2014 interview with Bobby Payzant, an inmate at the Maine State Prison. He discusses the crime for which he is serving time, and his work as a hospice volunteer, giving care to inmates dying in prison.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: death and dying, Hospice, Incarceration, Maine State Prison, Prison

Stigma and Teen Pregnancy with Meredith Hall

November 28, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode revisits Anne’s 2012 conversation with Meredith Hall about her pregnancy at age 16. Meredith remembers being shunned by her family and school and forced to give the child up for adoption. Her memoir, Without a Map, explores how silence can be an impediment to healing.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: Adoption, Parenting, pregnancy

Breaking the Silence with Carl Russell

November 21, 2016 by ssradmin

Episcopal priest Carl Russell talks about the childhood sexual abuse he experienced at the hands of his family’s own priest. He remembers the catalyst on his own path to healing: a radio story about sexual abuse in the Boston Archdiocese. At 72 years old Carl decided to press charges, and broke a silence that had …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: Abuse, archdiocese, childhood, priest, Sexual Abuse, Sexuality, Trauma

Navigating Postpartum Depression with Leah Deragon

November 14, 2016 by ssradmin

Doula and birth educator Leah Deragon of Birth Roots talks about her struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety. She discusses the many unrealistic expectations new mothers face, and how normal it is to struggle in ways that aren’t often discussed.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, childbirth, mothering, postpartum depression

Mental Illness and Stigma with Glenn Close

November 7, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Glenn Close talking about her relationship with her sister Jessie, who is bipolar, and how they are working together to advocate for people living with major mental illness.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Bipolar, Family, mental illness, mental illness in the family, sisters

Loving Across the Political Divide with Sheila Heen

October 31, 2016 by ssradmin

Sheila Heen is on faculty at the Harvard Negotiation Project. She discusses how she and her husband—who have opposing political beliefs—navigate their relationship and communicate respectfully when they disagree. She suggests that when we listen receptively, we actually become more persuasive.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: communication, difficult conversations, Family, listening, marriage, politics

Still Here: Caregiving and Dementia

October 24, 2016 by ssradmin

This hour-long special is about the unspoken challenges of caring for a family member with dementia. The show explores the experience of ambiguous loss, where the person is both here and not here at the same time. …read more »

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Filed Under: Aging, Dementia & Caregiving, Podcasts

Navigating Grief with Poetry with Catharine Murray

October 24, 2016 by ssradmin

Poet Catharine Murray describes how writing helped her heal from unspeakable loss—the death of her 6 year old son. She shares three poems that illustrate the evolution of her grief and her ongoing healing.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: creativity, death, death of a child, grief, healing, poetry, writing

Male Sexual Violence and Rape Culture with Daryl Fort

October 17, 2016 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio speaks with violence prevention educator Daryl Fort. He explains how our culture teaches men that they are superior and women that they are inferior—and how these messages work to justify and facilitate the mistreatment of women.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: masculinity, misogyny, sexual violence, violence prevention

Adoption and Return with Sandy White Hawk

October 9, 2016 by ssradmin

Sandy White Hawk is Sicangu Lakota and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who was separated as a child from her family and heritage when she was adopted at 18 months old by a white family. She is also one of five commissioners of Maine’s historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Sandy discusses the trauma …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, indigenous, native, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Dropping the Front with Neil McKenty

October 3, 2016 by ssradmin

A conversation with Canadian broadcaster Neil McKenty about his struggles with depression and alcohol. He describes his depression as the result of a collision between his negative ideas about himself and the smooth front of success he had constructed for the world to see, and discusses how sharing his vulnerability was the pivotal step to …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Addiction & Recovery, Recovery, self esteem

Living with Schizophrenia with Elyn Saks

September 26, 2016 by ssradmin

Elyn Saks is a law professor and MacArthur fellow who lives with schizophrenia. We discuss how she came to the difficult understanding that she had the illness and needed treatment, and how she was able to achieve personal and professional success, contrary to our popular notions of life with psychosis.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry Tagged With: major mental illness, ted talk

Shame Between Doctors and Patients with Aaron Lazare

September 19, 2016 by ssradmin

Psychiatrist Aaron Lazare talks about the impact of shame and humiliation, and how to repair the damage they cause. He also discusses how shame can complicate the relationship between doctors and patients, and what can be done to reduce it.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: medical encounter, Medical Trauma, medicine, Shame

Recovering and Surviving with Meosha Thomas

June 13, 2016 by ssradmin

Navy veteran Meosha Thomas talks about the injuries she suffered in Iraq when her convoy hit an IED, and how she lost and regained her desire to live in the long recovery period that followed. She also talks more about the concept of moral injury, and how she wrestles with guilt over the choices she …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health Tagged With: healing, military, military trauma, survivor guilt, survivors, Trauma, veterans

Soldier or Mother? with Meosha Thomas

June 6, 2016 by ssradmin

Meosha Thomas talks about the trauma of a helicopter crash that killed a close friend, and the PTSD symptoms that followed after she returned home. She also describes the impossible choices she has to make while trying to be both a mother and a soldier.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Veterans Tagged With: army, military, military trauma, mothering, Parenting, PTSD, Recovery, war

Care and Community for Women Veterans with LaRhonda Harris

May 30, 2016 by ssradmin

LaRhonda Harris, of the Maine Department of Veterans’ Affairs, talks about changes that have been made in the last decade so that women feel safer and more comfortable coming to the VA for health care. She also talks about leading a book group for women veterans, and how sharing stories of the experience of being …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: military, veterans, womens health

No Longer Invisible with Kate Weber

May 23, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode is part two of an interview with Kate Weber. In this episode, she discusses the years since her discharge from the army, including her struggle to feel safe in the culture of the VA, her battle with PTSD, and the ways that being in the Oscar-nominated documentary The Invisible War has empowered her …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Military Sexual Trauma, military trauma, PTSD, Rape, Recovery, Sexual assault, veterans

Reporting and Retaliation with Kate Weber

May 16, 2016 by ssradmin

Kate Weber was raped by a fellow soldier within her first weeks of deployment overseas in 1993. She discusses the helplessness and isolation she felt when she discovered that no one, from the staff doctor, to her friends and fellow soldiers, would take her seriously.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health Tagged With: military, Military Sexual Trauma, Rape, Sexual assault, sexual violence, Trauma, veterans

Military Sexual Trauma and the VA with Kathy Russin

May 9, 2016 by ssradmin

Kathy Russin is the Military Sexual Trauma Program Coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Maine. In this episode she talks about the prevalence of Military Sexual Trauma among veterans, and explains that it is not limited to rape, and affects both men and women. She explains how MST is different from combat PTSD …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health Tagged With: Military Sexual Trauma, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual assault, Trauma, veterans

Being Believed with Ruth Moore

May 2, 2016 by ssradmin

Ruth Moore is the namesake of the Ruth Moore Act, a piece of pending legislation which would remove some of the current barriers to treatment and justice for survivors of military sexual trauma. This part of the interview covers Ruth’s path to personal healing after returning from overseas duty, and her choice to share her …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Military Sexual Trauma, politics, PTSD, Sexual assault, survivors, veterans

Alone in the Azores with Ruth Moore

April 25, 2016 by ssradmin

In this episode of Safe Space Radio, Ruth Moore talks about being sexually assaulted by her commanding officer in the Navy, after which she was ostracized and punished for seeking help. Ruth eventually escaped, but as she explains, there are thousands of other young soldiers who are not as fortunate.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Military Sexual Trauma, PTSD, Rape, Sexual assault, veterans

The Scars of Silence with Nubar Alexanian

April 17, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode features Armenian-American photographer and filmmaker Nubar Alexanian. He discusses making a film with his daughter about their journey to their ancestors’ homeland, the site of the Armenian genocide which began in 1915, the silence that surrounds the genocide and how it has impacted his sense of self and his place in the world. …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: Family, geneology, genocide, history, identity, Parenting

Recovering Ourselves through Dreams with Don Kalsched

April 11, 2016 by ssradmin

Jungian analyst Don Kalsched helps people work through trauma by exploring the feelings of the characters in their dreams. He explains that because these characters represent the ways our minds have compartmentalized feelings that have been too painful to acknowledge consciously, they can be clues that point us toward healing.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health

Taking the Fight to Depression with LJ

March 28, 2016 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features LJ, who has been dealing with Depression for most of his life. He describes living with Depression as a battle with a powerful enemy, and describes the strategies he uses when he is well so that he is better prepared when Depression returns.

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Filed Under: Mental Health

Mental Health at the Coffee Shop with Mary Allen Lindemann

March 21, 2016 by ssradmin

Mary Allen Lindemann is co-founder of Coffee By Design in Portland, Maine. She remembers how one coffee shop worked to become a safe place for those with mental illness. Mary Allen is trained in de-escalatation, and she tells a story about using these skills when a staff member became ill.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: de-escalation, employees, mental illness, workplace

Coping with Depression at Work with Clare Miller

March 14, 2016 by ssradmin

Clare Miller is the director of the American Psychiatric Association’s Partnership for Workplace Mental Health. She works with employers to help them do everything they can to identify and treat depression among their employees. We discuss how to reduce the stigma of depression, and the value of people coming forward with their own stories. Clare …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry Tagged With: coworkers, depression, management, mental health, stigma, workplace

Talking about Depression at Work with Lisa

March 7, 2016 by ssradmin

On this episode of Safe Space Radio Anne talks with Lisa, who shares two dramatically different stories of telling co-workers about her depression. Her experiences highlight the contrast between a work culture that is supportive and one that stigmatizes, and all the consequences that has for the employee.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: coworkers, depression, employer, workplace

Hiding Depression at Work with Susie Melnick

February 29, 2016 by ssradmin

Therapist and former orchestra conductor Susie Melnick talks about how depression has affected her work in both professions. She remembers living through her first episode of major depression, one that she struggled with on and off for decades, and discusses how coping eventually led her to change careers. She talks about treating her patients while …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: coworkers, depression, employer, mental health, work, workplace, workplace health

Supporting Employee Mental Health with Geoff Smith

February 22, 2016 by ssradmin

Geoff Smith heads L.L. Bean’s Employee Assistance Program, or EAP. He talks about what an EAP can do to destigmatize depression within a company, and why it’s in every employer’s best interest to identify and help workers who are struggling.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: counseling, coworkers, employer, workplace

Leaving Iraq with Sara

February 8, 2016 by ssradmin

Sara is an Iraqi citizen who fled to the U.S. after her brother’s work for the American forces in Baghdad put her family in danger. She talks about the opaque process of applying to leave, and her complicated feelings when she learned that she would be allowed to pack only two bags.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Iraq, refugee, refugees and asylum seekers

Women in Wartime with Cynthia Enloe

January 25, 2016 by ssradmin

Feminist scholar Cynthia Enloe discusses about how women are affected by war and militarization. Her work focuses on sexual violence—and its subsequent silencing—as a repressive political tool, and about international efforts by feminist activists to make the United Nations address this issue. You can read UN Security Council Resolution 1325 here.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: feminism, Gender, military, Sexual assault, sexual violence, war

Somali Community in Maine with Catherine Bestemen

December 22, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Catherine Bestemen, Francis F. and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology at Colby College. She is the author of Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery and has worked closely with the Somali community in Portland, Maine. She discusses the extraordinary resilience of this community, the impact …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

The Roots of Crisis with Catherine Bestemen

December 14, 2015 by ssradmin

This is the second episode of Safe Space Radio to feature Catherine Bestemen, Francis F. and Ruth K. Bartlett Professor of Anthropology at Colby College and the author of Unraveling Somalia: Race, Class, and the Legacy of Slavery. Catherine has spent her career studying society in both Somalia and Maine, where many Somali refugees have …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, civil war, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

Navigating the Asylum Process with Phil Mantis

December 7, 2015 by ssradmin

Lawyer Phil Mantis works for the Immigrant Legal Assistance Program, or ILAP, in Portland, Maine. ILAP provides free legal help to people seeking asylum in the United States. Phil explains the difference between a refugee and an asylee, describes the most common reasons asylum cases are denied, and explains how ILAP helps asylees apply successfully.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Legal System, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers

The Challenge of Seeking Asylum with Alice B

November 30, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Alice B, an asylum-seeker from Burundi who now lives in Portland, Maine. She talks about her work to support and empower women who have faced cultural silencing and endured trauma in both Burundi and the U.S. Alice and Anne explore ways that refugees might be connected with therapists …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health, Sexuality, Social Justice, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry Tagged With: asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Legal System, mental health, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, Sexual assault, Therapy, Trauma

Leaving Syria with Anna

November 23, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Anna, who escaped Syria while 8 months pregnant in 2013 and now lives in Maine. She talks about trading the daily threat of bombings and kidnappings for a life of uncertainty as she and her husband applied and waited for asylum—and how the experience changed her understanding of …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum, asylum seekers, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, Trauma

Somali Women in Maine with Fatuma Hussein

November 9, 2015 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio talks with Fatuma Hussein of United Somali Women of Maine. She describes the challenges of resettlement for refugees fleeing war in their native countries, which she experienced herself as a teenager. She addresses the presumption that refugees have a negative impact on the state’s economy and culture, and explains her vision for …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, community, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, resettlement

Non-Native Allies

October 19, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode highlights the Maine-Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Safe Space Radio speaks with non-native allies who are working on how to best respond to the needs that the TRC brought to light, and why these issues matter to them personally.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: ally, apologies, community, maine, native, Restorative Justice, Trauma, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

The Education of a Child Welfare Worker with Penthea Burns

October 5, 2015 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio talks with Penthea Burns, co-director of Maine-Wabanaki REACH, about her background in child welfare and the difficulty of deciding whether the benefits of removing a child from abuse outweigh the additional trauma of severing family and community ties. Penthea’s work on these issues in Wabanaki communities has led her to a deeper …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, child welfare, Family, forced removal, indigenous, maine, native, Restorative Justice, Trauma, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Sovereignty with Jamie Bisonette Lewey

September 29, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode features Jamie Bissonette Lewey of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission (MITSC). She explains her views on Tribal-State politics, and why she believes that the fundamental issue is the difference between how the state and the tribes understand the concept of sovereignty stemming back to the history of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: indigenous, maine, native, Restorative Justice, sovereignty, Wabanaki

Adoption and Identity with George

September 23, 2015 by ssradmin

George’s biological parents are Passamaquoddy, but he was adopted at birth and raised by white parents in southern Maine. George describes how it felt to visit the reservation for the first time and meet his biological relatives. He talks about how he has grappled throughout his life with the question of whether he really is …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Adoption, Forced adoption, forced removal, indigenous, maine, native, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

The View From the Shore (Part 2) with gkisedtanamoogk

September 14, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode features part 2 of Anne’s conversation with gkisedtanamoogk, one of the five commissioners of the Maine State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In this conversation he talks more about the relationship between the government and the Wabanaki tribes, describes some of the main concepts of his spiritual worldview, and talks about the …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: colonial, colonizer, de-colonize, decolonize, indigenous, maine, native, Restorative Justice, spirituality, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

The View From the Shore (Part 1) with gkisedtanamoogk

September 7, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features gkisedtanamoogk, one of the five commissioners of the Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He shares his reflections on the process now that the findings have been published, and we also speak about the gap between Native peoples’ views and those of mainstream America related …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: colonizer, decolonize, indigenous, maine, native, Restorative Justice, spirituality, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Tribes and Government with Donna Loring

September 1, 2015 by ssradmin

An interview with former tribal state representative Donna Loring, who is also a former police chief, an author, and a radio host. She talks with Safe Space Radio about the history of relations between the Maine government and the Wabanaki tribes, and the findings of the Maine Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s multi-year …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: indi, indigenous, law enforcement, maine, native, Restorative Justice, Wabanaki, witnesses

Child Welfare and Native Families with Shawn Yardley

June 1, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Department of Health and Human Services worker Shawn Yardley. He talks about the Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, why children are removed from native families at disproportionate rates, and what it’s been like for him, as a white man, to raise three girls with Native heritage.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, assimilation, daughters, DHHS, father, Forced adoption, indigenous, maine, native, Parenting, parenting adopted children, Restorative Justice, Wabanaki, Whiteness

Making Schools Safe for LGBTQ Teens with Elizabeth Saewyc

May 25, 2015 by ssradmin

Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc is a researcher who studies the impact of stigma on adolescents. Her research has demonstrated that when schools are made safer for LGBTQ kids, they are safer for everyone, including the largest group targeted by anti-gay bullying: straight boys.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: Adolescence, adolescent, Bullying, education, Gay, gay straight alliance, GSA, LGBTQ teens, safety, School, school culture, Teens

Hidden Emotions

May 18, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode concludes Safe Space Radio’s series on loneliness, guilt, humiliation, and jealousy with a story that combines all four. We also revisit an earlier interview with Dr. Aaron Lazare about shame and humiliation and how these self-conscious emotions intersect with the feelings we hide.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: difficult conversations, difficult feelings, Hidden Emotions, Shame, stigma, talking

Childhood Humiliation

May 11, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio looks at the ways children are humiliated in school, both intentionally and inadvertently, and how it can significantly impact the way they feel about themselves well into adulthood.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: childhood, childhood trauma, education, mental health, school culture, school system, Shame, stigma, teacher, teaching, Teens

Sudden Humiliation

May 4, 2015 by ssradmin

Humiliation: that moment when you feel like dirt in someone else’s eyes, which is often so hard to bear that we bury it without ever really putting it to rest. This week Safe Space Radio features two stories from people who felt suddenly exposed and humiliated, and we’ll talk about where things went from there.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Amy, barista, classmates, embarrassment, expectation, Family, hospital, Humiliation, internal family systems, job, mortification, phone call, professional, Sara, Secrets, Shame, silence, stigma, story, storytelling, work, workplace

Working with Jealousy

April 27, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features two stories from people who have experienced jealousy in their professional lives—from the kind of jealousy that makes you feel inferior, to the kind that makes you want to disappear. We explore where it comes from and how to change our relationship to it.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: coworkers, difficult conversations, Friendship, Hidden Emotions, Humiliation, ideal, imposter syndrome, internal family systems, Jealousy, ministers, professional life, psychiatric practice, Secrets, Shame, spirituality, stigma, workplace

Guilt When You Hurt Someone

April 20, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features two stories about common types of guilt, often an emotion that nobody wants to admit to. One story is from childhood, the other from adulthood, and in both the teller hurt someone close to them, and has struggled to repair the damage to that person and to themselves.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Bullying, childhood, emotional pain, Friendship, intimacy, meanness, Pain, relationships, romance, sex, Shame, stigma, Teens

Guilt When a Parent Dies

April 13, 2015 by ssradmin

Part of Safe Space Radio’s series on hidden feelings, this episode features two stories about guilt we might feel when we believe we didn’t do enough at the end of a parent’s life. We hear from people who were troubled by the way they failed to show up for their parents, and discuss the process …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: confusion, death, dying, end of life, father, Guilt, mother, Parenting, Parents, relief, secret, Shame, stigma

The Bite of Conscience with Herant Katchadourian

April 6, 2015 by ssradmin

In this episode, Safe Space Radio interviews Stanford professor of psychiatry and human biology Herant Katchadourian, author of the book Guilt: The Bite of Conscience, about the urge to confess our guilt, how it can be used as a weapon, and how we can know whether we feel too much of it or too little. …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: buddhism, emotions, Guilt, hidden, manipulation, Shame, stigma

The Persistence of Guilt

March 30, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features stories from two people who carried guilt for decades before finally deciding to confess.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: burden, confession, emotions, expose, Guilt, hidden, secret

Loneliness and Your Brain with Amy Banks

March 23, 2015 by ssradmin

How hard is it to feel lonely when everyone around you seems to be part of a happy couple? Safe Space Radio talks to psychiatrist Amy Banks to find out what social isolation does to our brains, and some concrete things we can do to strengthen our ability to connect.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: brain, connection, depression, interpersonal neurobiology, isolation, Loneliness, neuroscience, psychology, withdraw

Intergenerational Loneliness with David

March 16, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features David talking about how he came to understand the origins of a persistent and puzzling loneliness that he’d felt since childhood.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: alone, caregiving, childhood, comforting, Holocaust, inherited emotion, internal family systems, Loneliness, Parents, son, survivor guilt, survivors

Disrupting the Vicious Cycle with Sandy White Hawk

March 2, 2015 by ssradmin

Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Sandy White Hawk discusses the ways in which centuries of removing native children from their families have created a pattern of trauma and corresponding struggle that has made ongoing removal of children more likely. She talks about alternative approaches that support families in difficulty and expresses her hopes for …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, childhood trauma, Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, native, Parenting, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Intergenerational Trauma with Sandy White Hawk

February 22, 2015 by ssradmin

In Safe Space Radio’s second conversation with Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconcilitation Commissioner Sandy White Hawk, she talks about intergenerational trauma and helping white people better grasp what it means to lose your culture.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: childhood trauma, Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, native, Restorative Justice, TRC, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Being Out Adopted with Sandy White Hawk

February 16, 2015 by ssradmin

Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Sandy White Hawk talks about being taken for adoption by a white missionary family who believed they were saving her from the poverty of the reservation. She describes the power of being reunited with her tribe at 35, and the deep feeling of belonging and safety she felt as …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, maine, native, Parenting, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

The Work of Healing with Esther Anne and Stephanie Bailey

February 5, 2015 by ssradmin

Maine Wabanaki REACH staff members Esther Anne and Stephanie Bailey discuss the experience of giving statements to the Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the hopes they had about what may come of it, and the anxiety of making painful stories public.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, native, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Breaking the Silence with Maria Girouard, Esther Anne, and Stephanie Bailey

February 2, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Maria Girouard, Esther Anne, and Stephanie Bailey of Maine Wabanaki REACH. They discuss the process of gathering the untold stories of the many people affected by the longstanding practice of removing native children from their families and their tribes.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, childhood trauma, Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, maine, native, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Wabanaki History in Maine with Maria Girouard and Esther Anne

January 26, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Maria Girouard and Esther Anne of Maine Wabanaki REACH. They discuss the history of federal and state policies toward Native Americans here in Maine. We focus on the many attempts throughout the years to erase Wabanaki people and their culture, including the practice of removing native children from …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, childhood trauma, community, Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, maine, native, organization, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

Race and White Mistakes

January 5, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features multiple stories of relationships between Black and white people, exploring race in personal relationships and some of the common pitfalls that white people fall into—often without realizing it.

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Filed Under: Social Justice Tagged With: blackness, Friendship, inter-racial relationships, interracial relationships, race, racial divide, Racism, Whiteness

Waking Up White (Part 2) with Debby Irving

December 29, 2014 by ssradmin

Racial justice educator Debby Irving discusses the interpersonal dynamics of racism—especially in friendships, in “white spaces” like schools and offices, and even around the dinner table. Debby gives concrete suggestions on how to shift these dynamics in useful ways.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: blackness, education, Friendship, inter-racial relationships, interracial relationships, race, racial justice, Racism, waking up white, white fragility, White Privilege, Whiteness

Waking Up White (Part 1) with Debby Irving

December 22, 2014 by ssradmin

Debby Irving is a racial justice educator and author of the book Waking Up White. She talks about the way her world was shaken when she began understanding the extent to which her whiteness has been crucial to her success in life. She also details the ways in which her new ability to engage in …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: blackness, difficult conversations, education, interracial relationships, race, racial justice, Racism, waking up white, White Privilege, Whiteness

The System of Racism (Part 2) with Paul Marcus

December 15, 2014 by ssradmin

Anti-racism educator Paul Marcus talks about how the history of discrimination by government, banking, business, education, and housing institutions has resulted in enormous disparities in wealth between white and Black communities, and how we can address questions of white guilt and police bias.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: activism, blackness, education, inequality, institutional racism, interracial relationships, law enforcement, police, race, racial justice, Racism, system, teaching, white fragility, White Privilege, Whiteness

The System of Racism (Part 1) with Paul Marcus

December 8, 2014 by ssradmin

Anti-racism educator Paul Marcus discusses how, by studying history, he came to understand racism as a system, and how this understanding shapes his work.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: blackness, inequality, institutional racism, race, racial divide, Racism, systematic racism, white fragility, White Privilege, Whiteness

White People On Race with Shelly Tochluk

December 1, 2014 by ssradmin

Shelly Tochluk is author of the book Witnessing Whiteness. We talk about how she decided that the most important thing she could do to combat racism was to educate herself and her white peers, to change how they talked about and thought about race.

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Filed Under: Social Justice Tagged With: activism, difficult conversations, race, racial justice, Racism, white fragility, White Privilege, Whiteness

Unpacking White Privilege (Part 2) with Peggy McIntosh

November 24, 2014 by ssradmin

In the second episode of Safe Space Radio featuring Peggy McIntosh, she talks about the five phases of understanding white privilege, and how white people can use their unearned advantage to work against the system which perpetuates it.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: activism, education, race, racial justice, Racism, White Privilege, Whiteness

Unpacking White Privilege (Part 1) with Peggy McIntosh

November 17, 2014 by ssradmin

Peggy McIntosh is author of the groundbreaking essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” published in 1988. She talks about how encounters with the sexism of well-meaning men helped her see that she too had blind spots about her own racism. She describes how humbling it was for her to grasp the concept of white …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: difficult conversations, race, racial justice, Racism, white fragility, White Privilege, Whiteness

Race and Place (Part 2) with Natasha Wilson

November 10, 2014 by ssradmin

Anthropologist and social work student Natasha Wilson talks about being a black woman in mostly-white schools and workplaces. She remembers feeling shunned and avoided, which made it harder to deal with other adversity in her life. She also talks about how these experiences have inspired her research on Post-Traumatic Growth.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: anthropology, black women, blackness, community, feminism, Loneliness, psychology, race, racial justice, Racism, White Privilege, Whiteness

Race and Place (Part 1) with Natasha Wilson

November 5, 2014 by ssradmin

Natasha Wilson moved to Maine in 2012 following the tragic death of two of her brothers. She talks about how her experience of racism has been shaped by the different places she’s lived, and how she was unprepared for the alienation and hostility she has experienced in overwhelmingly white states like Iowa and Maine. We also discuss the …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: black women, blackness, community, death and dying, Loneliness, race, racial justice, Racism, White Privilege, Whiteness

Angst, Introversion, and Apps with Peter Hallward, Reeve Lindbergh, and Rob McGinley

October 13, 2014 by ssradmin

Peter Hallward is a professor of philosophy at Kingston University. He discusses the connection between anxiety and existentialism. Then author and book reviewer Reeve Lindbergh discusses Susan Cain’s take on introversion in the 2013 book Quiet. We close with a comparative review of apps for reducing anxiety by Rob McGinley Myers of the blog anxiousmachine.com.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, book reviews, extrovert, ideas, introvert, Literature, personality, philosophy, reviews, technology

Childhood Phobia with Maiya

October 8, 2014 by ssradmin

Ten-year-old Maiya takes us into the world of childhood phobias, describing what it was like to live with overwhelming anxiety about sickness, and how she found help. Now she is creating a website of fear-reducing games to help other kids who suffer with anxiety.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, childhood, childhood trauma, children, fear, germaphobia, health, illness, Parenting, phobia

Living with OCD with Monica

September 29, 2014 by ssradmin

Musician and educator Monica talks about how the intense insomnia that began in her 40′s led her to a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry Tagged With: adult onset, Anxiety & Fear, Insomnia, mental illness, obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD

Raising a Child with Anxiety with Valery

September 22, 2014 by ssradmin

Therapist and mother Valery discusses how she grew to understand her daughter’s difficulty with social situations as the result of severe social anxiety, and her seemingly excessive internet use as a positive and healthy adaptation.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, childhood, daughter, internal family systems, introvert, mothering, Parenting, phobia, shy, social anxiety, technology

OCD, Panic, and Llamas with Paula Matlins

September 15, 2014 by ssradmin

Paula Matlins talks about her daily struggle with OCD and panic, and how she is able to operate in the world through rules, medication, perseverance, and thinking about llamas.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: animals, Anxiety & Fear, coping mechanisms, llamas, mental illness, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic attacks

Obsessive Confession with Rob

September 8, 2014 by ssradmin

In this episode of Safe Space Radio, psychotherapist Rob talks about his own anxiety, which makes him feel an insatiable need to confess things to those around him, and which can also lead to debilitating panic attacks. He talks about the various therapies he’s tried, including two which have greatly reduced his anxiety in the …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, confession, internal family systems, mental illness, panic attacks, Shame, stigma

Anxiety in Photos with John William Keedy

September 1, 2014 by ssradmin

Photographer John William Keedy has exhibited his work under the title It’s Hardly Noticeable, depicting different aspects of anxiety via images. John talks about the personal experiences that inform these photos, and how his anxiety has improved.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, art, coping, mental illness, photography

Parenting on the Spectrum

June 2, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features multiple stories from the lives of parents of children on the autism spectrum.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Aspergers, Autism, autism spectrum, childhood, children, father, mothering, Parenting, story, storytelling

Autism from a Father’s Perspective with Nathan Poore

May 26, 2014 by ssradmin

Nathan Poore talks about how the experience of raising his 11-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum, has defied his expectations again and again.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Autism, childhood, children, father, Parenting, son

Creating Connection with a Child with Autism with Susan Levin

May 12, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features a conversation with Susan Levin about her son Ben, who is now 11. She tells the story of discovering his autism, and talks about the ways she blamed herself for his difficulties. She explains the techniques she used to develop a stronger bond with Ben, and how he …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Autism, childhood, Parenting, parenting on the spectrum, Parents, son, spectrum

Parenting a Child with Autism with Ellen Jennings

May 5, 2014 by ssradmin

Ellen Jennings is the mother of a 19-year-old son with autism. She talks about the winding path that brought them to that diagnosis, about coping with judgment of her parenting, and about advocating for her son to get him the services he needs.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Autism, autism spectrum, healthcare, parenting on the spectrum, son, special education, special needs, teenagers, Teens

Asperger Syndrome and Relationships with David Finch

April 28, 2014 by ssradmin

David Finch is author of The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband. In this episode of Safe Space Radio, he discusses how learning he has Aspergers has helped him to stop blaming himself for the difficulties he had in relationships, and opened up …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: autism spectrum, husband, intimacy, marriage, relationships, spectrum, wife

Helping Children with Autism to Succeed with Temple Grandin

April 21, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Temple Grandin as she vividly describes the various sensory ways that autistic people like herself experience the world differently from the neurotypical majority. She also discusses a number of strategies to help autistic children reach their full potential.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: autism spectrum, childhood, Parenting, parenting on the spectrum, special education

Stories from LGBTQ Teens

April 7, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features multiple stories from young people about how they came out to themselves and others.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: allies, coming out, education, gay straight alliance, GSA, LGBTQ, queer, School, teacher, teenagers, Teens

Poetry and Coming Out (Part 2) with Richard Blanco

March 31, 2014 by ssradmin

In Part 2 of his conversation with Safe Space Radio, poet Richard Blanco talks and reads poems about how he navigates the homophobia in his family and in the world.  

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Filed Under: Social Justice Tagged With: art, gay men, Homophobia, LGBTQ, poet laureate, poetry, queer, self expression, writing

Poetry and Coming Out (Part 1) with Richard Blanco

March 24, 2014 by ssradmin

In Part 1 of his conversation with Safe Space Radio, poet Richard Blanco talks about the challenge of knowing he was gay in an unsupportive family.  

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: art, coming out, Family, gay men, Homophobia, LGBTQ, poetry, queer, Sexuality, writing

Parents and Teachers as Allies with Sue and Abby

March 17, 2014 by ssradmin

Sue, a mother of a transgender teen, and Abby, a teacher who advises her school’s Gay-Straight-Trans Alliance, talk about what they’ve learned about supporting the young LGBTQ people in their lives.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: coming out, conversation, education, Gay, gay straight alliance, GSA, High School, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Issues, Parenting, queer, Sexuality, teacher, teenagers, Teens, transgender rights, transitioning

Getting Beyond Bullying with Kyle

March 10, 2014 by ssradmin

16-year-old Kyle talks about how he went from being bullied in middle school to becoming the face of the Gay-Straight-Trans Alliance in his high school.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: Bullying, childhood, education, gay straight alliance, GSA, LGBTQ, mental health, middle school, queer, School, teenagers, Teens

Transitioning with Aiden

March 3, 2014 by ssradmin

Transgender teen Aiden talks about how he entered high school as a girl, gradually came to understand that he had always been a boy, and how he made that transformation real.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: education, gay straight alliance, gay straight trans alliance, Gender, GSA, High School, LGBTQ, queer, School, Teachers, teenagers, Transgender teens, transitioning

Speaking Up with Sianna

February 24, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features a conversation with lesbian high schooler Sianna about how she has taken a stand against homophobia in situations where no one else was on her side, and why she’s glad she had to.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: advocacy, allies, education, gay straight alliance, GSA, High School, Homophobia, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Issues, queer, teenagers, Teens

On Being Outed with Samantha

February 17, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Samantha, who was outed as a lesbian to her parents by a teacher at her school. She remembers the turmoil this has created in her life, being rejected by some important people after they learned she was gay, and how that experience has inspired her to be a …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: advocacy, allies, coming out, High School, LGBTQ, Parenting, Parents, queer, rejection, School, teacher, teenagers, Teens

On Being Gender-Neutral with AJ

February 10, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode features a conversation with high school junior AJ, who identifies as gender-neutral. AJ discusses the challenges of not identifying as either a girl or a boy, and the value of finding allies within a new school.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: Gender, genderqueer, High School, LGBTQ, LGBTQ teens, queer, teenagers, Teens

Prison Perspectives with Robin Feuer Miller

February 3, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Dostoevsky scholar Dr. Robin Feuer Miller. She discusses how Crime and Punishment is relevant to the experiences of prisoners today. We also hear stories from listeners about how incarceration, and the stigma it carries, have affected their own lives.  

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: criminal justice system, Incarceration, Literature, prison system, prisoners, psychology

Keeping Incarceration a Secret with Sonia

January 27, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode features a conversation with psychotherapist Sonia about her experience of arrest and imprisonment for possession of firearms and explosives as an anti-Vietnam War activist. In order to get professional licensure, Sonia waited years to get her record sealed, requiring her to keep her past a secret. She talks about what it has been …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions Tagged With: activism, arrest, Incarceration, judicial system, psychotherapy, record, Secrets, Shame, work

Restorative Justice with T. Richard Snyder

January 20, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Dr. T. Richard Snyder on the work of restorative justice. This approach brings together the victim, the offender and the community of people affected by a crime in order to find solutions that not only work to repair the damage, but build healing for all the parties involved. …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: communication, conflict, Conflict Resolution, conversation, Criminal Justice, mediation, Restorative Justice

Prisoners Providing Hospice Care (Part 2) with Bobby Payzant

January 13, 2014 by ssradmin

Bobby Payzant is a hospice volunteer and inmate at the Maine State Prison. In this interview, Bobby talks more about the deep remorse he feels for the man he assaulted, and how he has had to face himself during the many years he has spent in prison.  He describes the decision he made to stop …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: community, conflict mediation, conversation, criminal justice system, death and dying, healing, Hospice, Incarceration, Maine State Prison, Prison, Restorative Justice

Prisoners Providing Hospice Care (Part 1) with Kandyce Powell and Bobby Payzant

January 6, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode features two conversations with people involved in the hospice program within the state prison in Warren, Maine. First we speak with the program’s founder, Kandyce Powell, executive director of the Maine Hospice Council, who talks about the genesis of the prison’s hospice program, her motivation for starting it, and the difference it has …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: community, Criminal Justice, death and dying, healing, Hospice, Incarceration, justice system, Maine State Prison, prison system

Defending the Accused with Michael Lepie

January 2, 2014 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features a conversation with public defender Michael Lepie about his work with indigent clients, and why he considers criminal defense to be a civil rights issue. He discusses how he tries to seek outcomes for his clients which won’t completely derail their lives, and the obstacles within the legal …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: criminal justice reform, criminal justice system, incareration, indigent, lawyers, legal, prison system, public defender

Imprisonment and Life Transformation (Part 2) with Mike

January 1, 2014 by ssradmin

Part 2 of Mike’s conversation with Safe Space Radio about the seven years he spent in federal prison. Mike talks about his experiences participating in a group inside the prison called the Jericho Circle which he credits with teaching him emotional literacy and authenticity. His work with Jericho Circle enabled him to reunite with his …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: communication, community, conversation, criminal justice reform, criminal justice system, emotional intelligence, Hospice, Incarceration, judicial system, men, Prison

Imprisonment and Life Transformation (Part 1) with Mike

December 16, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode features Mike, who spent seven years in a federal prison on a drug conviction. He talks about the circumstances which led to his arrest, including an abusive upbringing and a chemical dependency which began in his mid-teen years.  He describes his arrest in a hotel, and the subsequent trial in which the perjury …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Social Justice

On the Experience of Arrest and Imprisonment with Liz

December 9, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Liz, who spoke with us only three days after her release from prison. She discusses her shame at being arrested, and the experience of exposure and intrusion from a public trial. She also describes the surprising support she received from other women in prison, and the experiences she …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health, Social Justice Tagged With: arrest, community, criminal justice reform, criminal justice system, Incarceration, motherhood, Parenting, police, prison system, release, teenagers, Teens

Helping Former Prisoners Tell Their Stories with Lani Peterson

December 2, 2013 by ssradmin

Lani Peterson, of the Public Voice Project, talks about her work with formerly incarcerated men and women to help them tell their stories in a way that helps them to make peace with their past and move forward in their lives. She explains the importance of telling a story that is bigger than a narrow focus …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: conversation, criminal justice reform, criminal justice system, Incarceration, prison system, release

Your Untold Stories of Dementia

November 25, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features multiple stories of dementia from you, our listeners. This collection of ten stories reflects the wide range of experiences and emotions that result from having a loved one with dementia—including frustration and poignant loss, but also warmth, connection, and surprising moments of sweetness. You can watch Scott Kirschenbaum’s …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Alzheimers, ambiguous loss, audience, caregiving, Dementia, elder care, elderly, Family, Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, listeners

Life in the Early Stages with Bill Verrill

November 11, 2013 by ssradmin

Bill Verrill, a former banker, now suffers from early Alzheimer’s disease. Bill describes his deep trust in his wife Shirley’s ability to take care of him—and his deepest fears about the toll his illness will take on her life. He remembers letting go of his driver’s license and learning to be more dependent while striving …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Alzheimers, ambiguous loss, death and dying, Dementia, dependency, illness, intimacy, marriage

Sibling Conflicts Around Caregiving with Carol Bradley Bursack

November 4, 2013 by ssradmin

An interview with elder-caregiving expert Carol Bradley Bursack about sibling conflict in the care of a parent with Dementia. Carol reports that most adult children caregivers are still women, and that typically the responsibilities of caregiving fall mostly to one child within a family.  This creates the conditions for old resentments, jealousies, and conflicts to …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Aging, Alzheimers, brothers, Caregiver, caregiving, Dementia, eldercare, elders, families, healthcare, Parenting, Siblings, sisters

Frontotemporal Dementia: Complications and Genetics with Melynda

October 28, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode features Melynda, whose husband has frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Unlike Alzheimer’s, FTD is not first characterized by problems with memory, but by poor judgment and inappropriate behavior. Melynda’s husband, a doctor, began to make errors in judgment by over-prescribing pain medications to his patients, and was incarcerated for these mistakes. After his incarceration, the …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: behavioral changes, Caregivers, caregiving, Dementia, eldercare, elders, Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD, healthcare, Parents, Siblings

Caring for a Spouse with Clare Hallward

October 21, 2013 by ssradmin

In this episode of Safe Space Radio our host Anne Hallward talks to her mother, Clare Hallward, about her husband John’s diagnosis with dementia, which lasted for 16 years before his death. Anne and Clare remember some of the exasperating and even downright terrifying challenges of caring for John as his illness progressed. They discuss …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Alzheimers, ambiguous loss, Caregiver, caregiving, death and dying, Dementia, Fathers, healthcare, mothers, Parents

Connecting with People with Dementia with Steven Sabat

October 14, 2013 by ssradmin

In this episode of Safe Space Radio, neuropsychologist Steven Sabat discusses how he’s been able to find ways of communicating with people with advanced dementia by recognizing and honoring their enduring personhood. He talks about the failure of standard tests of mental ability to register the social awareness of people diagnosed with dementia, and the …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Aging, Alzheimers, ambiguous loss, Caregiver, caregiving, caretaker, Dementia, Family, memory loss, mental illness, neuropsychologist

Dementia and Family Secrets with Nancy Sowell

October 7, 2013 by ssradmin

Therapist Nancy Sowell remembers the family secrets that came out as she was caring for her grandmother with dementia, and how the curious distance and even hostility she had always felt from this side of the family began to make sense as her grandmother opened up for the first time. She discusses how dementia can …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Caregivers, conversation, Dementia, Family, grandparents, memory loss, Secrets, Therapy

Living With a Parent With Dementia with Liz Havu

September 30, 2013 by ssradmin

A conversation with Liz Havu about the experience of caring for her mother, who has both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. She talks about her promise never to put her mother in a nursing home, and how this decision has brought her family together in more ways than one.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Alzheimers, Caregivers, caregiving, memory loss, mothers, nursing homes, Parents, vascular dementia

Self-preservation for Dementia Caregivers with Frances Randolph

September 23, 2013 by ssradmin

Frances Randolph’s husband had early-onset Alzheimer’s. In this conversation, she remembers the outgoing man she married and how dementia changed him so much that he became someone she barely recognized, someone who ultimately became violent with her. Frances describes the series of losses inherent in his Alzheimer’s, including the loss of her sense of herself …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Abuse, Alzheimers, Caregivers, husbands, marriage, personality

Difficult Parents and Dementia with Julia Jarvis

September 16, 2013 by ssradmin

Julia Jarvis remembers how her relationship with her difficult father has evolved both before and after he got dementia. Julia talks about her struggles to make peace with him, and about the challenges now faced by the caregivers in her father’s life.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: ambiguous loss, Caregivers, Dementia, father, memory loss, Parents

Dementia in a Holocaust Survivor with Marushka Glissen

September 9, 2013 by ssradmin

Psychotherapist Marushka Glissen talks about her mother, a survivor of Auschwitz who now has dementia. Marushka describes how her mother’s experiences complicated her relationships with her own children and husband, and raises the possibility that for some who are haunted by painful memories, dementia may actually provide a bittersweet respite.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Caregivers, Dementia, intergenerational trauma, internal family systems, judaism, memory loss, Parents, Trauma, world war II

Dementia as Ambiguous Loss with Pauline Boss

September 2, 2013 by ssradmin

Dr. Pauline Boss discusses the experience of ambiguous loss. Dementia often creates a situation in which a person’s body is present, but the mind is absent. For caregivers, this can generate feelings of ambivalence toward the person with dementia, including wishing for this person’s death as a way to resolve the ambiguity. Dr. Boss says that …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: ambiguous loss, Caregivers, death and dying, Dementia, loss, memory loss, Parents

Abuse Survivors as Caregivers with Julie Colpitts

May 27, 2013 by ssradmin

Julie Colpitts is the Executive Director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. In this episode of Safe Space Radio, she discusses how survivors of abuse are often drawn to social service and first responder jobs, and how these roles are connected to the process of recovery. Julie, herself a survivor, discusses choices she …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Caregivers, Domestic Violence, jobs, resiliency, Trauma, work, workplace, workplace health

Recovery Through Music with Michael Skinner

May 20, 2013 by ssradmin

Songwriter Michael Skinner used music as a way to heal from the abuse he suffered as a child. Michael talks about his adult experiences with PTSD, his often-frustrating encounters with the mental health system, and his efforts to resist the stigmatizing label of “mental illness.” He also explores songwriting as an important healing tool in …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: art, childhood trauma, healing, mental health, mental illness, music, PTSD, surviving trauma, survivors, Trauma

Beyond Survival with Rachel Grant

May 13, 2013 by ssradmin

In this episode of Safe Space Radio, Rachel Grant talks about the sexual abuse she suffered as a ten-year-old and the work she has done to counteract its lasting impact on her life. Rachel became a coach because she wanted to be able to use her own story as a way to help others.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Child Abuse, childhood abuse, coaching, healing, Recovery, resiliency, Sexual Abuse, sexual trauma, survivors, Trauma

Emotional Abuse in Violent Homes with Brie Masselli

April 29, 2013 by ssradmin

Child advocate Brie Masselli discusses her own experience growing up in a home with domestic violence. Brie tells the story of running to school to escape her stepfather’s violent outbursts, and how her childhood struggles in and out of school were missed by those who might have helped. Brie speaks about the ways that children …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: advocacy, childhood trauma, Domestic Violence, education, Emotional Abuse, Parents, resiliency, step-families

Child Abuse and Physical Health 25 Years Later with Vincent Felitti

April 15, 2013 by ssradmin

Dr. Vincent Felitti talks about his groundbreaking research to show that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s, like abuse, neglect and severe family dysfunction) are correlated not only with mental illness and addiction, but also with physical illnesses like heart disease, lung disease and even auto-immune diseases.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: ACE study, adverse childhood experiences, childhood trauma, mental health, mental illness, physical illness, research

Child Abuse and Physical Health with Vincent Felitti

April 1, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Dr. Vincent Felitti talking about his groundbreaking work discovering the high prevalence of child sexual abuse among those who are obese. In his clinic, 55% of patients coming in for treatment of obesity had histories of child abuse. When the patients were asked, many discussed eating as a …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: ACE study, adverse childhood experiences, childhood trauma, Eating Disorders, Obesity, physical health, research

Restraints in Mental Hospitals with Bob Stains

March 18, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Bob Stains of the Public Conversations Project. He talks about the use of restraints on patients in mental hospitals and discusses facilitating a series of conversations in which both the workers who apply restraints and the people to whom restraints have been applied are able to talk about their experiences …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Mental Health Tagged With: Caregivers, medical encounter, Medical Trauma, mental health, mental illness, psychiatric care, psychiatric trauma, restraints, Trauma

Talking to the Enemy with Laura Chasin

March 11, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Laura Chasin, the founder of the Public Conversations Project, talking about her work facilitating a dialogue between leaders of the pro-life and pro-choice movements in Boston after the abortion clinic shootings in 1994.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Sexuality Tagged With: Abortion, abortion clinic shootings, Conflict Resolution, debate, difficult conversations, feminism, mediation, political debate, political differences, right to choice, right to life

Fostering Difficult Conversations with Tim Wilson

March 4, 2013 by ssradmin

Tim Wilson is a senior advisor to Seeds of Peace, an organization that brings youth from war-torn countries together for dialogue and mediation at a camp in Maine each summer. Tim describes the way that trust, respect, and communication are practiced at camp to build relationships that can foster peace throughout a lifetime. He remembers …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: apologies, Conflict Resolution, difficult conversations, israel, mediation, middle east conflict, palestine, palestinian israeli conflict, peace efforts, Seeds of Peace, summer camp, teenagers, Teens, youth

Somalis in the Maine Workforce with Hussein Ahmed

February 18, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Hussein Ahmed, a business owner in Lewiston, Maine. He describes his journey from Somalia, the ten years he spent in refugee camps in Kenya, and the challenges of finding work in the U.S. due to language barriers, cultural uncertainties and religious stereotypes. Hussein is optimistic that with modifications …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: asylum seekers, community, Immigration & Refugees, lewiston, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, somalia, work, workplace

High School Friendships with Maria Padian

February 13, 2013 by ssradmin

Maria Padian is author of Out of Nowhere, about friendships between Somali and Franco-Catholic high school students in Maine. Maria talks about her own experience with four immigrant grandparents, and how different it is to come here as an immigrant, eager to build a new life, than to come as a refugee, having had to …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict Tagged With: asylum seekers, difficult conversations, education, Friendship, immigrant, Immigration & Refugees, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, School, somalia, students, teenagers

Talking about Difference with Mohammed Dini

February 6, 2013 by ssradmin

Mohammed Dini is Executive Director of the African Diaspora Institute, founder of Portland Forward, and former candidate for state representative. Mohammed talks about his experience moving to Maine at age 13 and learning to identify himself as a Mainer. He also explores the Somali concept of furfurnaan, which means openness, inviting an open-hearted dialogue about …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: asylum seekers, difficult conversation, immigrant, Immigration & Refugees, politics, Refugees, refugees and asylum seekers, somalia

Restorative Yoga for Mental Health with bo Forbes

January 30, 2013 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features psychologist, yoga teacher and author bo Forbes talking about how restorative yoga and breathing exercises can restore balance to the nervous system. Coming to yoga from a solid background in clinical psychology, and work as a talk therapist, bo describes the way that moving away from verbal processing …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: body work, clincial psychology, healing, meditation, pranayama, Therapy, Yoga, yoga for depression

Yoga for Returning Vets with Richard Miller

January 23, 2013 by ssradmin

Richard Miller is a yoga teacher, researcher, and author who has adapted yoga nidra—or deep relaxation practices—for use with vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Richard describes studies done by the Department of Defense showing that yoga nidra can be effective at reducing the symptoms of PTSD, allowing vets to sleep through the night, to …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: emotional regulation, Iraq War, meditation, pranayama, PTSD, restorative yoga, veterans, Yoga, yoga for depression, yoga nidra

Using Yoga to Create Safe Space with Deb Cook

January 16, 2013 by ssradmin

Yoga teacher Deb Cook discusses how a daily practice of yoga can build a sense of safety inside. Deb describes how turning the attention inward on a regular basis creates a feeling of a home inside that one can always return to, and remembers how yoga supported her while grieving her father’s death.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: body work, death and dying, grief, loss, meditation, Yoga

Yoga for Survivors with Deirdre Fay

January 2, 2013 by ssradmin

Yoga teacher and therapist Deirdre Fay talks about her experience of discovering her own trauma history through yoga, which softened her defenses to the point that her body began to relive previously forgotten memories of trauma. She narrates the journey of using yoga to navigate PTSD and how she advocates for and supports survivors now.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: advocacy, body memory, childhood trauma, healing, internal family systems, meditation, PTSD, survivors, Trauma, Yoga, yoga for depression, yoga for PTSD, yoga for sexual abuse, Yoga therapy

Yoga for Trauma Survivors with Dave Emerson

December 19, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode with Safe Space Radio features yoga teacher and author Dave Emerson, who co-wrote Overcoming Trauma through Yoga about the development of “trauma-sensitive yoga.” Dave discusses how trauma is held in the body, and can be addressed through the body, often in conjunction with talk therapy.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: body memory, meditation, Therapy, Trauma, trauma sensitive yoga, yoga for trauma, Yoga therapy

Yoga Therapy with Michael Lee

December 12, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features the founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Michael Lee, talking about how yoga therapy can help people to heal lifelong wounds and bring balance to patterns that hold them back in life. Michael suggests that when we experience emotional tension associated with difficult life events, we also experience …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: body memory, meditation, phoenix rising, PTSD, trauma in the body, yoga for trauma, Yoga therapy

Yoga for Depression with Amy Weintraub

December 5, 2012 by ssradmin

Yoga teacher and author Amy Weintraub talks about her own experience of depression and how yoga helped her with depression on all levels—biologically, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Amy also leads listeners through several breathing exercises to help give energy, reduce anxiety and lift mood. You can learn more about her work at www.yogafordepression.com

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, depression, pranayama, Yoga, yoga for depression, Yoga therapy

Loving a Brother with Schizophrenia with Isa Mattei

November 14, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features therapist Isa Mattei talking about her relationship with her brother, Artie, who had schizophrenia. She describes her mother’s fierce determination not to have Artie institutionalized, which kept him integrated in the family and also sometimes subjected his siblings to chaotic and often frightening interactions—yet Isa felt very seen …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: brothers, internal family systems, major mental illness, mental illness, psychiatric care, psychiatric institutions, schizophrenia, sibling relationships, sisters, stigma

Parenting Life-Threatening Depression with Rachel

October 31, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Rachel talking about her son’s severe depression and multiple suicide attempts. Rachel names the sense of ambiguous loss she feels now that her son lives in a state mental hospital, and how her daily visits to him can bring their own sense of shame and self-doubt. She offers …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: ambiguous loss, depression, healing, mental hospitals, mental illness, mothering, NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Parenting, psychiatric care, psychiatric institution, Shame, son, Suicide, Trauma

Commitment to a Mentally-Ill Parent with Jeneen Interlandi

October 24, 2012 by ssradmin

Harvard Nieman Fellow Jeneen Interlandi talks about her father’s bi-polar disorder. She describes the painful and extraordinary measures her family had to go through to get him into treatment, including restraining orders, getting him arrested, and hiring a lawyer to broker an agreement to get him to take medicine as a condition of leaving jail. …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: bi polar, biopolar disorder, Caregivers, daughter, families, father, mental illness, Parents, psychiatric care, treatment

Self-Care and Intergenerational Mental Illness with Beth Erlichman

October 17, 2012 by ssradmin

This Safe Space Radio episode features personal trainer Beth Erlichman, whose mother and daughter both live with mental illness. Beth describes how her experiences growing up with her mother transformed the way she supported her daughter after a psychotic break, and how internal family systems therapy helped her befriend the young, frightened parts of herself …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: daughter, families, internal family systems, major mental illness, mental illness, mothers, Parenting, psychiatric care, psychosis, Therapy

Parenting a Son with Schizophrenia with Rosemary Radford Ruether

October 10, 2012 by ssradmin

Theologian and academic Rosemary Radford Ruether talks with Safe Space Radio about her son David’s schizophrenia and the challenges her family has faced in supporting him. She questions whether medications have helped or hurt him, and offers a critique of the mental health system which she feels is more interested in warehousing and pacifying people …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: caregiving, creative care, medication, mental health systems, mental hospitals, motherhood, mothers, Parenting, psychiatric care, schizophrenia, sons

Having a Child with Schizophrenia with Cheryl Ramsay

September 26, 2012 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio interviews Cheryl Ramsay about her two sons, one with schizophrenia who is in treatment and one with an undiagnosed mental illness and addiction who avoids the mental health system. Cheryl describes the deep self-doubt she feels about whether she somehow could have made a difference at each step of the way. She …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Addiction & Recovery, community, doubt, Family, mental hospitals, mental illness, Parenting, psychiatric care, schizophrenia, Shame, sons

On Having a Mother with Bi-Polar Disorder with Valerie Gamache

September 19, 2012 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio interviews family educator Valerie Gamache about her relationship with her mother who had bi-polar disorder.  Valerie describes the ways her family tried to keep the “Big Secret,” to the point that a friend thought her mother had actually died since Valerie spoke so little about her. She also talks about her encounters …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: ambiguous loss, bi polar, bipolar disorder, daughters, mental illness, Parents, Shame, stigma

Having a Brother with Schizophrenia with Alicia Barnes

September 12, 2012 by ssradmin

Alicia Barnes talks about her brother, Josh Barnes, who had schizophrenia. Alicia describes Josh’s fears that he had brought mental illness on himself, and how medication impacted his creativity and sense of purpose in writing and playing music. She remembers how stigma kept him from talking about his illness and speaks about becoming involved with …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: art, Bring Change 2 Mind, brothers, loss, major mental illness, medication, mental illness, psychiatric care, schizophrenia, silbing relationships, stigma

Bi-Polar Disorder in the Family with Liz Brenner

September 5, 2012 by ssradmin

Social worker and trainer Liz Brenner talks about the challenges of having a father with major mental illness. Liz describes his suicide attempt when she was 20, and how living with the fear of losing him was a form of relational trauma.  She experienced first hand how the stigma and trauma of mental illness resulted …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: ambiguous loss, bi polar, bipolar disorder, families, father, fear, internal family systems, loss, major mental illness, mental health system, Parents, relational trauma, Suicide

Aging with Neil McKenty

May 30, 2012 by ssradmin

Neil McKenty is a broadcast, author, and former Jesuit priest. He talks about how his expectations about aging have matched up with his experiences now, in his 85th year of life. Neil has been a consultant and constant inspiration to Safe Space Radio since its inception in 2008, and this show was aired in tribute …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: Aging, death and dying, expectations, jesuit preist, spirituality, theology, work

Pediatric Medical Trauma with Nancy Kassam-Adams

May 19, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features psychologist and researcher Dr. Nancy Kassam-Adams. She talks about children’s medical experiences as a source of PTSD and gives helpful suggestions for how parents can identify trauma in their kids after painful medical procedures or hospitalizations. Nancy described an innovative program to treat adolescent cancer survivors and their …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: childhood trauma, children, hospitalization, hospitals, medical encounter, Medical Trauma, Parenting, PTSD, teenagers, Teens

Childrens’ Fear of the Doctor with Chris Nee

May 16, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode features Emmy Award-winning television writer and executive producer, Chris Nee, talking about her show, Doc McStuffins. Chris wrote the show in order to help her own son, Theo, who suffers from severe asthma.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: asthma, childhood trauma, doc mcstuffins, fear, medical encounters, Medical Trauma, pediatrician

PTSD in the Intensive Care Unit with Nancy Andrews

May 2, 2012 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio interviews film-maker Nancy Andrews about her experience as a patient in the surgical ICU. Upon her release from the hospital, Nancy noticed that she kept having “weird experiences,” which her doctor recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder. Nancy’s film, On a Phantom Limb, explores the horror and disorientation of being an ICU patient. …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: control, hospitalization, ICU, intensive care unit, Medical Trauma, mental health, PTSD, surgery, the ICU and PTSD, Therapy, Trauma

Violence and Shame with Jim Gilligan

April 25, 2012 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio interviews psychiatrist Dr. Jim Gilligan, a former mental health director for the prison system in Massachusetts and the author of three books on violence. Dr. Gilligan reports that many of his patients speak about violence as their only means of reclaiming pride or self-esteem. He also observes that punishment tends to generate …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: criminal justice system, education, Incarceration, prison system, psychiatric care, self esteem, Violence

How Health Care Providers Can Prevent Domestic Violence with Cathy Plourde

April 18, 2012 by ssradmin

Safe Space Radio interviews playwright Cathy Plourde, Founder of Add Verb productions. Her play, Major Medical Breakthrough, was written to inspire health care providers to screen their patients for domestic violence—especially important since only 10-19% of doctors report that they screen their patients routinely for domestic violence. Cathy gives a thoughtful description of why providers are …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: add verb, difficult conversations, Domestic Violence, medical encounter, medical practice, medicine, providers, screening, sexual trauma, Trauma, treatment

Speaking Up to Sexism and Violence (Part 2) with Daryl Fort

April 11, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Part 2 of Anne’s conversation with Daryl Fort, about ways in which we are all bystanders to social interactions that foster violence against women. Daryl challenges us to see these situations for what they are and to have the courage to intervene.  He describes two everyday social situations …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: bar culture, bystander intervention, bystanders, cat calling, difficult conversations, Domestic Violence, masculinity, me too, metoo, mysogyny, Rape Culture, sexism, sexual violence, Violence

Speaking Up to Sexism and Violence (Part 1) with Daryl Fort

April 4, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Part 1 of Anne’s conversation with educator Daryl Fort about the many levels of messages about women’s inferiority to the justification of mistreatment. He describes the ways communities can collude in violence against women, and makes a clear case that jokes and disrespectful language form the foundation and …read more »

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Filed Under: Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: Abuse, bystander intervention, difficult conversations, masculinity, me too, metoo, misogyny, Rape Culture, sexism, Sexual assault, sexual violence, Violence

Childhood Domestic Violence with Paul LePage

March 28, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode features Maine Governor Paul LePage talking about growing up in a home with domestic violence. Governor LePage describes the moment when he decided he had to leave home: when his father tried to pay him to lie to a doctor about the cause of his injuries. He describes living with the fear that …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: Child Abuse, childhood trauma, Domestic Violence, Parents, Sexual assault

Reducing Interpersonal Violence with Drew Wing

March 21, 2012 by ssradmin

Drew Wing is Executive Director of Boys To Men, an organization devoted to reducing interpersonal violence by fostering the healthy development of boys. Drew describes their Reducing Sexism and Violence Program (RSVP), which supports teenagers developing empathy for the experience of others, and helps them clarify their potential roles as bystanders who can intervene in …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Sexuality Tagged With: bystander intervention, empathy, masculinity, men, mental health, misogyny, Rape Culture, sexism, sexual violence, teenagers, Teens, youth

The Psychology of Abusive Men with Lundy Bancroft

March 14, 2012 by ssradmin

Lundy Bancroft is the former co-leader of Emerge, the first batterers treatment program in the United States, and the author of Why Does He Do That: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men. Lundy debunks common myths about male abusers, explaining that violence happens in a larger context of needing control as a form …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Sexuality Tagged With: emerge, empathy, masculinity, me too, men, metoo, misogyny, Rape Culture, relationships, sexism, Sexual assault, sexual violence, violence against women

A Culture of Domestic Violence with Julia Colpitts

March 7, 2012 by ssradmin

Julia Colpitts is Executive Director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. Julia affirms that Maine has reached a tipping point, and she discusses relevant legislation in Maine and the importance of engaging men to speak out clearly and powerfully about the necessity of treating women with love and respect.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Sexuality Tagged With: advocacy, Domestic Violence, legislation, maine, masculinity, politics, Rape Culture, relationships, respect, survivors, violence against women

Sibling Relationships with Susan McHale

February 29, 2012 by ssradmin

Researcher Susan McHale discusses the impact of gender and culture on how siblings view each other, and how this might vary across cultures. Susan explores the way that individualistic cultures foster sibling competitiveness and resentment of favoritism. She reiterates the importance of the sibling relationship as a source of longstanding and as yet poorly studied …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: america, brothers, competition, Family, family dynamics, Gender, sibling relationships, sisters

Parenting Siblings with Adele Faber

February 22, 2012 by ssradmin

Parenting expert Adele Faber is co-author of the best-selling Siblings Without Rivalry and How to Talk So Kids Will Listen.  Adele speaks about the importance of listening to and validating kids feelings, especially around their siblings. She uses the analogy of how you would feel if your spouse brought home another spouse you were expected …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: brothers, competition, empathy, listening, Parenting, psychology, sibling relationships, sibling rivalry, sisters

Sibling Abuse with Vernon Wiehe

February 15, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features author and professor Dr. Vernon Wiehe. He talks about sibling abuse and how it differs from sibling rivalry in a pattern of frequent victimization of one sibling at the hands of another. Dr. Wiehe points out that sibling abuse is even more common that domestic violence or child …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: brothers, Emotional Abuse, Family, family dynamics, Parenting, sibling abuse, sibling relationships, sibling rivalry, Siblings, sisters

Sibling Ambivalence with Laurie Kramer

February 1, 2012 by ssradmin

Laurie Kramer is a researcher and directs the More Fun with Sisters and Brothers program, which supports kids ages 4-8 getting along with their siblings. Laurie explains that parental attempts at conflict resolution often result in separating the kids. Her program teaches siblings core skills of taking each other’s perspective, managing their own strong emotions, …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: brothers, children, communication, Conflict Resolution, emotional regulation, empathy, family dynamics, mediation, Parenting, play, sibling relationships, Siblings, sisters

Adult Sibling Strife with Jeanne Safer

January 25, 2012 by ssradmin

This episode features an interview with psychotherapist and author Dr. Jeanne Safer, who works on chronic sibling tension and non-communication. Jeanne describes the phenomenon of “sibspeak,” where no real communication takes place except the recitation of grievances, the discharge of obligations, and endless attempts to fix the other person. She encourages siblings to take the …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: adult siblings, brothers, communication, difficult conversations, family dynamics, psychotherapy, sibling relationships, Siblings, sibspeak, sisters, tension

Being a Gay Father with Frank

January 11, 2012 by ssradmin

Frank is the father of two boys, and he is also a gay man. In this interview, Frank talks about always wanting children and how he and his husband have taken steps to protect their children from homophobia and find welcoming communities. Frank also describes his experience of finding a surrogate to conceive and bear …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: discrimination, father, Fathers, gay men, gay parents, Homophobia, internal family systems, LGBTQ, Parenting, raising children, surrogacy, surrogate parents

Step-Families and Step-Parenting with Patricia Papernow

January 4, 2012 by ssradmin

Psychologist and author Dr. Patricia Papernow talks about the challenges of step-family living, including insider/outsider dynamics and the complicated set of losses and loyalty that step-parents can represent for a child. Patricia talks about her book, Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t. 

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: children, Divorce, family dynamics, internal family systems, Parenting, re-marriage, remarriage, Siblings, step parents, step-families, step-parenting

Interracial Adoption with Catherine Anderson

December 14, 2011 by ssradmin

Catherine Anderson is a white public school teacher and writer. In this episode of Safe Space Radio she talks about adopting her son Sam, who is Black. Catherine describes her decision to adopt and how she thought she understood racism before parenting. She describes her experience of those “grocery store moments”  when she has to …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, interracial, interracial relationships, masculinity, Parenting, Racism, White Privilege, Whiteness

International Adoption with Deb Gallagher

December 7, 2011 by ssradmin

Deb Gallagher created her family through “the messy miracle of international adoption.” Deb talks about the homophobia she encountered as a lesbian seeking to adopt a child both domestically and internationally, and the way she had to hide parts of her identity to have any chance at adoption.  She describes her grief at bringing a …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Adoption, childhood trauma, culture, discrimination, gay parents, Homophobia, international adoption, lesbian parents, LGBTQ parents, Racism, White Privilege, Whiteness

Giving Up a Child For Adoption with Marilyn Bronzi

November 30, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode features clinical social worker and birth mother Marilyn Bronzi, who had a child “out of wedlock” in 1966. She remembers the shame of her choice and how she’s made peace with it in different ways over the years. She also describes the experience of reunification with her daughter Lisa, and the ways that …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Adoption, birth mother, family dynamics, Parenting, Shame, teen pregnancy

Donor-Assisted Reproduction with Diane Ehrensaft

November 23, 2011 by ssradmin

Psychologist, researcher and author Diane Ehrensaft talks about the psychological experience of parenting children conceived through the assistance of a donor. Diane describes the challenges parents face in coping with “genetic assymetry” between the parents, and fears that disclosing to the child will undermine bonding with the non-biological parent. Diane also speaks of the challenges …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: biological parents, conception, donor, family dynamics, geneological bewilderment, Genetics, identity, Parenting, pregnancy, reproduction

Adoption and Parenting with Joyce Maguire Pavao

November 16, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features author, adoptee and clinician Joyce Maguire Pavao as she talks about parenting an adopted child. Joyce describes the changing demographics of adopted children, and how adopted children are increasingly older and may have experienced trauma as well as the loss of their birth family. Joyce asserts that “adoption …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Adoption, biological parents, birth family, birth parents, childhood trauma, children, family dynamics, identity, loss, Parenting, parenting adopted children, youth

Single Child Families with Susan Newman

November 9, 2011 by ssradmin

Social psychologist and author Susan Newman talks about the stereotypes of and misinformation about only children. Studies show that only children do not suffer from the lack of siblings and even show improved academic achievement. She reports that the stereotypes of being spoiled, bossy, or lonely do not hold up to research. Only children families …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: alone, family dynamics, Loneliness, only child, only children, Parenting, personality, psychology, sibling relationships, Siblings

Telling Secrets with Evan Imber-Black

October 19, 2011 by ssradmin

Family therapist and author Evan Imber-Black talks about how to tell a family secret thoughtfully and well. She tells stories from her work about the impact of secrets on family members, creating ever widening circles of silence and distance in relationships.  Children may not know a secret, but their behavior is nonetheless deeply affected by …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: children, family dynamics, Parenting, Parents, Secrets, Therapy, trust

Holocaust Survivor Testimonies with Lawrence L. Langer

October 12, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Professor Lawrence L. Langer discussing his book Holocaust Testimonies: The Ruins of Memory. Professor Langer developed courses on the literature of atrocity to try and help people find a way to imagine the Holocaust, using stories from survivors. He remembers hearing stories of such horror that the teller …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Social Justice Tagged With: communication, difficult conversations, empathy, Holocaust, intergenerational trauma, oral history, storytelling, survivors, survivors guilt, Trauma

Illness Stories with Art Frank

October 5, 2011 by ssradmin

Author Art Frank describes his own experience with an early heart attack and later cancer. He describes the way the medical world can be oblivious to the patient’s needs and subjective experience, and the importance of finding your own voice after your body has been colonized by treatment. He offered examples of the ways that …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: body memory, cancer, doctors, heart attack, illness, medical encounter, medical providers, Medical Trauma, medicine, patient experience, Sickness, treatment

Secrets, Confiding, and Health with Jamie Pennebaker

September 28, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode features an interview with author and social psychologist Jamie Pennebaker about his research into the benefits of confiding painful experiences. Jamie suggests that one of the reasons that childhood sexual abuse may be so destructive is because it is so often kept secret. He describes experiments where people are invited to write for …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: childhood trauma, communication, confession, difficult conversations, healing, Secrets, Sexual Abuse, Trauma, writing

Telling Difficult Stories with Laura Simms

September 21, 2011 by ssradmin

Storyteller Laura Simms worked as a narrative therapist in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. She talks about the power of stories to remind us of what is good inside us.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: difficult conversations, earthquake, Haiti, narrative therapy, natural disaster, PTSD, storytelling, Trauma

Healing on the Blank Page with Diane Morrow

September 14, 2011 by ssradmin

Dr. Diane Morrow describes the ways that writing helped her cope with her mother’s severe depression, and how writing can be healing as a process or ritual in itself. For Diane, writing fiction can be create enough distance from pain to allow the listener to resonate with it.

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: art, art for healing, coping techniques, depression, family dynamics, healing, mental illness, mothers, Parents, writing

Parenting and Cancer with Susan Conley

September 7, 2011 by ssradmin

Susan Conley is author of The Foremost Good Fortune and co-founder of The Telling Room in Portland, Maine. In this interview she talks about coping with breast cancer in China while parenting two young boys, and how writing helped her survive. Susan describes her decision to write as honestly as possible, exposing less-than-ideal parenting or …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: art, body, breast cancer, cancer, china, coping techniques, difficult conversations, health, identity, illness, isolation, journaling, living abroad, Parenting, physical health, relationships, Sickness, storytelling, teenagers, Teens, Therapy, treatment, writing, youth

Living with Schizophrenia with Elyn Saks

June 8, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features law professor and Macarthur Fellow Elyn Saks talking about her experience of living with Schizophrenia. When diagnosed, Elyn was given a grave prognosis and told that she might never live independently. With the help of psychoanalysis and medication, however, she returned to law school and is now an …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: coping techniques, living with mental illness, major mental illness, medication, mental hospital, mental illness, psychiatric care, psychiatric hospital, psychoanalysis, restraints, schizophrenia

On Being a Psychiatrist with David Moltz

June 1, 2011 by ssradmin

David Moltz is a psychiatrist in Portland, ME. In this episode, David talked about his reasons for going into psychiatry and the things he finds most difficult about the profession and the things he loves. He speaks about the use of power, the difficulty of deciding whether to commit someone to a hospital, how he …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Addiction & Recovery, addiction treatment, doctors, health, job, medical provider, mental health, mental hospital, mental illness, patient doctor relationship, patient experience, patients, psychiatric care, psychiatric hospital, psychiatrists, Sickness, substance use, Suicide, treatment, work

Bi-Polar Disorder and Addiction with Christiane Wells

May 25, 2011 by ssradmin

Writer Christiane Wells talks with Safe Space Radio about her experience living with bi-polar disorder and addiction. Chris spent a decade in and out of psychiatric hospitals while addicted to crack, not taking her medication and struggling with suicidal thoughts. She describes how she found the will to take care of herself and change her …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: Addiction & Recovery, bi polar, bipolar disorder, crack, drug user, drugs, living with mental illness, major mental illness, mental hospital, mental illness, people who use drugs, psychiatric care, psychiatric hospital, Recovery, self care, Substance Abuse, substance use, Suicide, treatment

Stigma and Being Bipolar with Deb McCarthy

May 18, 2011 by ssradmin

An interview with Deb McCarthy, the author of the blog Living in Stigma. Deb describes her experience of feeling written-off by the mental health system after multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and 77 ECT treatments failed to help her. After being willing to try anything that might help her, she met a new psychiatrist who took a …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: bi polar, bipolar disorder, isolation, living with mental illness, living with stigma, major mental illness, medical encounter, mental health system, mental hospital, mental illness, patient doctor relationship, psychiatric care, psychiatric hospital, psychiatric treatment, psychiatrists, stigma, Therapy, trust

From Bipolar Disorder to Bipolar In Order with Tom Wootton

May 11, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features author and trainer Tom Wootton on his transition from “Bipolar Disorder to Bipolar In Order.” Tom describes how current treatment paradigms teach people to view their highs and lows as problems to be gotten rid of, and his belief that it’s possible to stay aware of intense moods …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: bi polar, bipolar disorder, major mental illness, mental health system, mental illness, mood shifts, psychiatric care, psychiatric treatment

Medicating Mental Illness with Robert Whitaker

May 4, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features award-winning journalist Robert Whitaker on how some psychotropic medications may worsen the long term outcomes of people with severe mental illness. Since the advent of psychotropic medication, the numbers of Americans on psychiatric disability has tripled. Rob notes that people with schizophrenia tend to do better in some …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: drugs, living with mental illness, major mental illness, medication, mental health system, mental hospitals, mental illness, pharma, pharmaceutical industry, psychiatric care, psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric treatment, psychotropic drugs

Transition and Sexual Reassignment Surgery with Jean Vermette

April 27, 2011 by ssradmin

Jean Vermette talks about recognizing that she was female, and taking the risk to share it with the people she loved. She ultimately chose to undergo sexual reassignment surgery and wrote a book, Je Me Souviens (“I Will Remember”) about her experience of MTF genital surgery. Jean describes the process as an example of the …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: bottom surgery, coming out, community, female, Gender, identity, LGBTQ, male, male to female, memoir, mtf, sexual reassignment, trans, Transgender, transition, writing

Gender Role Non-Conformity with Frank Brooks

April 20, 2011 by ssradmin

Frank Brooks is a doctor of clinical social work who studies gender role non-conformity, particularly the link between gender role non-conformity in boys and the risk of suicide. Frank describes his experiences of feeling different and facing prejudice as he grew up. He now works with families with gender role non-conforming kids to help them …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: Bullying, children, Gender, gender binary, gender nonconformity, genderqueer, LGBTQ, nonbinary, Parenting, puberty, social work, Suicide, teenagers, Teens, Therapy, youth

TransParenting, or Parenting Trans Kids with Sandy Lovell

April 13, 2011 by ssradmin

Sexuality educator and mother Sandy Lovell talks about parenting her trans son. As a feminist mother she celebrated his early gender non-conformism, but it never occurred to her that he might be trans. Sandy named parental concerns for her child’s safety, his ability to find love, her grief over losing the daughter, and her struggle …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: ambiguous loss, daughter, family dynamics, feminism, FTM, Gender, gender non-conformity, gender variant, identity, LGBTQ, loss, motherhood, mothering, mothers, nonbinary, Parenting, puberty, queer, son, tomboy, Transgender

Genderqueer with Liam Bechen

April 6, 2011 by ssradmin

Social worker Liam Bechen talks with Safe Space Radio about his identity as a genderfluid trans man. Liam describes the daily challenge of coping with people’s responses to his visible inbetween-ness. He describes moments of fear of violence, but also of his determination to live without shame, and to celebrate the many manifestations of gender …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: discrimination, fear, Gender, Gender Fluid, Gender Roles, genderfluid, genderqueer, identity, LGBTQ, nonbinary, pronouns, queer, trans, Transgender

Thinking Through Lesbian and Trans Community with Jen Hodsdon

March 30, 2011 by ssradmin

Social worker, writer, and queer activist Jen Hodsdon talks about the relationship between the lesbian community and the trans community. Jen speaks about how delicate the relationship can be between two oppressed and marginalized groups, and her intention to speak only about her particular experience. A focus on marriage equality can be divisive because it …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Sexuality Tagged With: community, discrimination, division, dyke, feminism, Gender, Homophobia, identity, inclusion, Lesbian, LGBTQ, marriage equality, pride, queer, same sex marriage, trans, trans exclusionary, Transgender, transphobia

Trans Couples with Helen Boyd

March 23, 2011 by ssradmin

Author and gender studies professor Helen Boyd is married to a trans woman. She remembers her early courtship with a man who “occasionally cross-dressed” and how this evolved into loving her partner through her transition. Helen explores what it is like to be perceived now as a lesbian because she is married to a woman, …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: cross dressing, Gender, gender reassignment, husbands, identity, intimacy, Lesbian, LGBTQ, long term relationships, love, male to female transition, marraige, marriage, mtf, relationships, same sex marriage, sex, sex in marriage, trans, Transgender, transition, transwoman, transwomen, wife, wives, women, writer

Camp for Transgender and Gender-Variant Youth

March 16, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features the founder and president of the first camp for trans youth. Nick describes many challenges that trans youth face as they grow up, particularly as they enter puberty and begin to develop secondary sex characteristics of the sex that feels wrong to them. Camp Aranu’tiq is for ages …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: community, Friendship, Gender Fluid, gender variant, LGBTQ, nonbinary, puberty, summer camp, teenagers, Teens, trans, Transgender, youth

Transgender 101 with Alex Roan

March 9, 2011 by ssradmin

Alex Roan is the director of the Maine Transgender Network. Alex defines the terms transgender, transsexual, and cross-dresser, clarifying the difference between sex, gender, gender expression and sexual orientation. He describes his own story of experiencing the gap between his sex and his gender, and his experience of transitioning from female to male.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: community, cross dressing, difficult conversations, female to male transition, FTM, Gender, Gender Fluid, gender variant, language, LGBTQ, sex, sexual orientation, trans, Transgender, transsexual

Male to Female Transition with Lisa Bunker

March 2, 2011 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features radio program director Lisa Bunker talking about her experience of becoming aware that she identified as a woman. Lisa describes feeling like a failure at trying to be a man, and the deep relief of embracing her female identity. She remembers experiences of telling her friends, her workplace …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality Tagged With: coming out, family dynamics, femininity, Gender, identity, LGBTQ, male to female transition, masculinity, mtf, trans, Transgender, transition, woman, workplace

Trauma, Fear and Denial with Jessica Stern

February 16, 2011 by ssradmin

Research professor Jessica Stern is an expert in the connection between trauma and terrorism. In this interview she talks about her experience following a rape at age 15, and how her story was not believed by the police—resulting in more than 40 other children being targeted. Jessica describes living with PTSD, and experiencing a confusing …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Mental Health Tagged With: Anxiety & Fear, childhood trauma, healing, Loneliness, mental illness, police, PTSD, Rape, Rape Culture, Sexual assault, sexual violence, survivors, teenagers, terrorism, Therapy, Trauma, triggering, triggers, Violence

Tantra and Sexual Healing with Betta de Boer van der Kolk

February 9, 2011 by ssradmin

This interview features body psychotherapist Betta de Boer van der Kolk about Tantra as a way to heal from sexual abuse. Betta describes Tantra as an exchange of energy that brings presence, connection, safety and play into sexuality.  She leads the listener in a technique for couples to harmonize their breathing in order to give …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Sexuality Tagged With: body memory, body work, ejaculation, healing, internal family systems, massage, orgasm, Recovery, Sexual Abuse, sexual violence, survivors, tantra, tantric sex, Therapy, Trauma

Aftermath of Sexual Violence with Susan Brison

February 2, 2011 by ssradmin

Philosophy professor Susan Brison survived a sexual assault and attempted murder. She describes the transition from needing to tell the story, to finding the story increasingly boring as she healed—and how group therapy, self-defense classes, and jazz singing all helped her recovery.

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Filed Under: Mental Health, Sexuality, Social Justice Tagged With: assault, healing, Rape, Rape Culture, Recovery, self defense, Sexual assault, sexual violence, storytelling, survivors, Therapy, Trauma

Sexual Healing after Sexual Abuse with Wendy Maltz

January 5, 2011 by ssradmin

This interview is with couples therapist and certified sex therapist Wendy Maltz about the impact of sexual abuse on sexuality, and ways to reclaim pleasure, safety and intimacy. She reports that taking a vacation from sex is sometimes necessary, because when sex feels like an obligation, it can often trigger difficulties from the abuse. She …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: Couples, healing, intimacy, partnership, pleasure, relationships, sex, sex therapy, Sexual Abuse, sexual violence, survivors, Trauma, triggers

Trauma and the Brain with Bessel van der Kolk

December 22, 2010 by ssradmin

An interview with psychiatrist and trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk about the impact of trauma on the brain. Bessel outlines the way in which traumatic experience in children shapes the development of the brain, and how our brains can get hijacked by triggers that make us feel we are in a life and death …read more »

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Filed Under: Mental Health Tagged With: brain, childhood trauma, developmental trauma, EMDR, healing, internal family systems, neurofeedback, neuroscience, research, Therapy,