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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
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Family and Lifecycle

Saying Goodbye

May 12, 2021 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: Aging, Anxiety & Fear, Death & Dying, Dementia & Caregiving, Difficult Conversations, Family and Lifecycle, Grief, Guilt, Hidden Emotions, Life-Threatening Illness, Mental Health, Parenting

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

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

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

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

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, Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, native, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

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

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

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

Leaving Syria with Ana

November 23, 2015 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features Ana, 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

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, Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, native, Restorative Justice, Trauma, Truth and Reconciliation, 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, Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 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, Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 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, Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, native, Restorative Justice, spirituality, Truth and Reconciliation, Wabanaki

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

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

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

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, Indigenous Peoples, Social Justice Tagged With: Adoption, childhood trauma, Forced adoption, identity, indigenous, maine, Maine Wabanaki Truth and Reconciliation Commission, native, Restorative Justice, Truth and Reconciliation

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

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

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

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

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

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 of Alzheimers 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

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

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

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

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

Involuntary Commitment of 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

Children’s 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Relational Dynamics of Feeding Your Child with Ellyn Satter

October 20, 2010 by ssradmin

This episode of Safe Space Radio features nutritionist and family therapist Ellyn Satter talking about the feeding relationship between parent and child. Ellyn describes what she calls “Division of Responsibility,” wherein the parent is in charge of the when, where and what of a meal and the child is responsible for the how much and …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: children, diet culture, division of responsibility, eating, healthy eating, nutrition, Parenting

Privacy and Shame with Janna Smith

June 23, 2010 by ssradmin

Janna Smith is an author and social worker. In this episode of Safe Space Radio, she discusses the relationship between privacy and shame. She describes her own struggle over how much to reveal about her father Bernard Malamud, and how to respect both his and her privacy while also confronting her shame about being compared …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: daughter, family dynamics, father, internal family systems, isolation, Parents, privacy, Shame, writer

The Suicide of a Child with Patricia Ellen

April 21, 2010 by ssradmin

Patricia Ellen’s son killed himself when he was fourteen. Patricia describes the process of trying to understand what led up to it, and the signs that were and were not there. She describes the bullying incident at school that she believes led her son to suicide. Patricia movingly describes the many years long process of …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: blame, Bullying, children, death and dying, death of a child, grief, grieving, loss of a child, Parenting, Parents, Shame, sons, Suicide, teenagers, Teens, Trauma

The Legacy of Suicide with David Treadway

April 14, 2010 by ssradmin

Family therapist David Treadway talks about his mother’s suicide, which happened when David was 20.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: adult children, death and dying, grief, grieving, loss of a parent, mothers, sons, Suicide, Trauma

The Legacy of a Mother’s Suicide with Nancy Rappaport

April 7, 2010 by ssradmin

Child psychiatrist Dr. Nancy Rappaport discusses her mother’s suicide, which happened when Nancy was four. Nancy undertakes a detective-like 18 year journey to discover who her mother was, and to understand what she was going through. Nancy describes the terrible consequences when a distorted belief that ones life is expendable, is combined with impulsivity. She …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: childhood trauma, daughters, death and dying, Hidden Emotions, identity, loss of a parent, mothers, Suicide

Hospice Chaplaincy with Ellie Mercer

March 31, 2010 by ssradmin

An interview with hospice chaplain Ellie Mercer about caring for patients at the end of life. She describes her own childhood in a Christian Science family where illness and death were not talked about, or even treated medically, and the relief of working in hospice, where death can be acknowledged and fears can be addressed.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: communication, death and dying, difficult conversations, end of life, fear, Hospice, illness, Sickness, spirituality

The Impact of Cancer on Families with David Treadway

March 24, 2010 by ssradmin

Family therapist David Treadway talks about his struggle with advanced lymphoma. He and his wife and two grown sons wrote a book together, Home Before Dark, about their experiences of dealing with his illness and the possibility he might die. They take an honest look at the differences in their coping styles and some of the …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: cancer, cancer treatment, coping techniques, death and dying, family dynamics, lymphoma, physical health, Sickness, terminal illness, Therapy, writers, writing

Cancer and the Tri for a Cure with Julie Marchese

March 10, 2010 by ssradmin

Julie Marchese is the founder of the Tri-for-a Cure, the all women’s triathlon to raise money for women’s cancer. She describes her experiences taking care of her mother when she had cancer, and how that shaped her ability to take charge of her own treatment when she was diagnosed years later.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: cancer, cancer treatment, Caregivers, coping techniques, daughters, diagnosis, health, illness, mothers, physical health, Recovery, Sickness, tri for a cure

Working with Bereaved Children with Joanne Anning

February 10, 2010 by ssradmin

An interview with Joanne Anning about working with bereaved children in England. She describes the incredible resilience of children going through loss and the importance of including children in processes around death, explaining what to expect, and helping them cry.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Bereavement, childhood, childhood trauma, children, community, death and dying, emotions, greiving, grief, loss, loss of a parent, resiliency, Therapy

Creating a Relationship with Dreams with Bob Childs

January 13, 2010 by ssradmin

Psychologist Bob Childs talks about developing a relationship with your dreams. Bob describes a pivotal dream and how it shaped his understanding of himself and his professional direction.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry Tagged With: Adoption, birth family, dream work, Dreams, identity, subconscious

Sexual Gridlock with Ron Feintech

November 4, 2009 by ssradmin

Sex therapist Ron Feintech talks about what he calls “sexual gridlock,” how intimacy can change in long-term relationships, and offers tips for fostering intimacy and risk-taking.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: bed death, intimacy, long term relationships, pleasure, sex, sex therapy

Divorce with Richard Schwartz

September 30, 2009 by ssradmin

Richard Schwartz is the developer of Internal Family Systems Therapy. He talks about his decision to get divorced and the process of healing that followed.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: breakups, Divorce, family dynamics, feelings of failure, healing, internal family systems, internal family systems therapy, intimacy, marriage

The Legacy of Divorce with Mona Barbera

September 16, 2009 by ssradmin

Couples therapist and workshop leader Dr. Mona Barbera talks to Safe Space Radio about the legacy of divorce. Mona talks about her feelings of confusion and failure after her divorce, her continuing desire to have children, and how she’s tried to learn and change her own patterns of behavior in new relationship.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: breakups, Couples, couples therapy, Divorce, ending relationships, family dynamics, feelings of failure, internal family systems, intimacy, long term relationships

Choosing Not to Have Children with Jeanne Safer

September 2, 2009 by ssradmin

Dr. Jeanne Safer discusses her decision not to have children. Jeanne describes the intense internal and external pressure she felt to have kids, and the sense that choosing not to meant she was somehow deficient in her ability to love. She talks about how she came to her decision and affirm that having kids was …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: children, expectations, love, motherhood, mothering, no kids, Parenting, preganancy, raising children, social expectation

Parenting Wounds with Kathryn Black

August 26, 2009 by ssradmin

Kathryn Black is author of Mothering Without a Map: Finding the Good Mother Within. Kathryn talks about her own experience with feeling “under-mothered,” and her fear of passing on a painful legacy to her children. She talks about changing and healing her own behavior, and the pervasive cultural fantasy that childhood is perfectible and of …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Bad Mother Anxiety, intergenerational trauma, motherhood, mothering, mothers, Parenting

Childbirth and Self-Judgment with Martha Tole

August 19, 2009 by ssradmin

Medical assistant and doula Martha Tole talks about bad mother anxiety and childbirth. Martha affirms that bad mother anxiety can begin before birth and may continue indefinitely. She describes how so many mothers’ tendency to compare themselves to others and to judge themselves in other spheres of life is especially painful when it comes to …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Bad Mother Anxiety, childbirth, comparison, motherhood, mothering, mothers, Parenting, raising children, self esteem

Attachment Parenting and Anxiety with Kathryn Landon-Malone

August 12, 2009 by ssradmin

Kathryn Landon-Malone is a pediatric nurse practitioner and early childhood psychologist. She talks with Safe Space Radio about attachment parenting and how it can reflect and generate anxiety in mothers.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: attachment parenting, Bad Mother Anxiety, motherhood, mothers, nursing, raising children

Intergenerational Mothering Struggles with Raye Tibbetts

August 5, 2009 by ssradmin

Raye Tibbetts is author of The Bad Mother Chronicles and a new blog called Good Enough. In this episode she speaks about intergenerational patterns of painful mothering. She describes the legacy of her mother having given away a child to adoption and the impact that had on her ability to bond with Raye, followed by …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Adoption, Bad Mother Anxiety, intergenerational trauma, motherhood, mothering, mothers, Parenting, raising children

Balancing Mothering and Medicine with Amy Gottlieb

July 22, 2009 by ssradmin

Women’s health doctor Amy Gottlieb describes her bad mother anxiety due to her absences from her child necessitated by her training. She talks about how balancing work and family can affect mothering and often results in fears that we are doing both badly. She also names some legislative and employment reforms that are needed in …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Social Justice Tagged With: Bad Mother Anxiety, doctors, motherhood, mothering, mothers, Parenting, professions, raising children, women in the workplace, womens health, work, working mothers, workplace

Mothering as Hero’s Journey with Nicole Chaison

July 15, 2009 by ssradmin

Nicole Chaison is author of The Passion of the Hausfrau about the experience of motherhood as a form of the mythic hero’s journey. She speaks about the courage it took to write honestly about her experiences as a mother and her struggles with both shame and loyalty in deciding to go public with her stories.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Bad Mother Anxiety, hero's journey, Hidden Emotions, motherhood, mothering, mothers, myth, Parenting, personal narrative, raising children, Shame, vulnerability

Bad Mother Anxiety with Ayelet Waldman

July 8, 2009 by ssradmin

Writer Ayelet Waldman is author of Bad Mother. In this episode of Safe Space Radio, Ayelet talks about the differences between her and her mother’s generation, and the difficulties of living up to the impossible expectations that fit our ideal of a “good mother.” Ayelet argues that being honest with your children about maternal ambivalence helps …read more »

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Bad Mother Anxiety, intergenerational difference, motherhood, mothering, mothers, Parenting, raising children

Lesbian Parenting with Jen Hodsden

June 17, 2009 by ssradmin

Jen Hodsden and her 11 year old daughter Soleil talk about the impact of homophobia on their lives, especially on their relationships with friends, other kids, and men.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Sexuality Tagged With: Bullying, conversation, discrimination, Homophobia, lesbian parents, LGBTQ, LGBTQ families, Parenting, Parents, raising children, relationships, same sex parents

Underage Drinking with Jo Morrissey

May 27, 2009 by ssradmin

An interview with Jo Morrissey, program director of 21 Reasons. Jo describes common myths that keep parents from being effective at preventing their kids from using alcohol.

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: Alcohol, difficult conversations, drinking age, High School, Parenting, Parents, peer pressure, substance abuse prevention, substance use, teenagers, Teens, underage drinking

Youthanasia with Dennis Embry

May 13, 2009 by ssradmin

This interview with Safe Space Radio features child psychologist and researcher Dennis Embry on “Youthanasia,” his name for the policies and practices that result in shorter projected lifespans for younger generations. He looks at the causes of mental health problems, substance abuse, violence, obesity and suicide and shows how the same interventions can prevent all …read more »

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Filed Under: Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health Tagged With: adverse childhood experiences, childhood trauma, life span, teenagers, Teens, youth, youthanasia

Alcoholism in Families with Louise Zubrod

May 6, 2009 by ssradmin

An interview with Dr. Louise Zubrod on the impact of alcoholism on familes. Dr. Zubrod describes the impact of alcoholism on her own family, especially in terms of what couldn’t get talked about, and how she learned to be prepared for anything.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Family and Lifecycle, Mental Health, Waiting Room Project - Psychiatry

The Fear of Not Being Good with Mike Elkin

February 11, 2009 by ssradmin

Psychotherapist Mike Elkin suggests that many of us experience a fear of not being good as powerful threat. He describes how this fear plays itself out in couples and parenting relationships, and how we tend to express fear as either anger or guilt. He suggests that the most powerful antidote to fear is turning toward …read more »

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle Tagged With: internal family systems

Fear of Being a Bad Parent with MC

January 21, 2009 by ssradmin

An anonymous interview with MC about the many ways she can blame herself for difficulties in parenting.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle

Talking to Kids about Adoption with Bob Childs

August 12, 2008 by ssradmin

Psychologist Dr. Robert Childs specializes in the difficulties and shame that adoptees face in talking to their adoptive families about their biological parents. He addresses the myth that love is all an adoptee needs, and discusses the impact of searching for one’s biological parents as a way to address old fears and grief.

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Filed Under: Conflict, Emotions, Family and Lifecycle

Premature Delivery with Julia Jarvis

August 5, 2008 by ssradmin

An interview with the Reverend Julia Jarvis on her experiences delivering one and a half pound baby girls at 26 weeks gestation. She discusses her struggle with worrying that somehow it was her fault, and also her struggle with the medical profession over who would make the decisions that would affect her daughters’ lives.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle

Talking About Dying with Loring Conant

July 15, 2008 by ssradmin

Hospice doctor Loring Conant describes his personal and professional experiences broaching the subject of someone’s impending death.  He reflects on his own experience with dying family members and the forces that make it hard to bring up the subject.

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Filed Under: Emotions, Family and Lifecycle

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Generously supported by:

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  • The Lucy R. Sprague Charisma Fund
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  • Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation
  • The Lerner Foundation
  • The Matthewson Foundation
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  • The Rines Thompson Fund
  • The Sam L. Cohen Foundation

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