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Dr. James Wadley, a celebrated sexuality specialist and clinical advisor at Alma, joined Alma founder and CEO Dr. Harry Ritter to discuss his work, race and mental health, and the need to look beyond mainstream discourse and engage in conversations that are intentional about creating spaces for people to feel comfortable and equitable to share. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, in-network mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

Psychotherapist, bestselling author, and clinical advisor to Alma, Lori Gottlieb, joined Alma founder and CEO Dr. Harry Ritter for a conversation about perceptions of therapy, the importance of prioritizing emotional health, and how her writing informs her clinical practice. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, in-network mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

Substance abuse affects an estimated 25 million Americans; 90 percent of people who struggle with alcohol in the US are not clinically addicted; and every day, more than 130 people in the US die from overdosing on opioids. Meanwhile, the clinical and cultural perspectives on addiction and recovery vary greatly and are, at times, conflicting. For this Alma In Conversation, Alma member and psychiatrist Dr. Edmund Griffin, MD, PhD; founder and CEO of Tempest, Inc. Holly Whitaker; and founder and CEO of Groups Jeff De Flavio, MD, joined Alma member Erica Lubetkin, LMHC, to discuss traditional and alternative approaches to addiction recovery and treatment, and the role of the clinician in the recovery journey. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of mental health care professionals working to simplify access to high-quality affordable care and improve the experience of therapy for both clinicians and their clients. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

An APA survey revealed that the election is a significant source of stress for the majority of Americans. That stress is compounded by this year's pandemic, political unrest, job insecurity, and sense of collective loss. This fireside chat between Alma founder and CEO, Dr. Harry Ritter, and Alma member Mac Stanley Cazeau, LMHC, addressed ways that providers can help clients alleviate stress and reduce interpersonal conflict, both in advance of and in the wake of the election. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

As the coronavirus pandemic worsened, telehealth went from being a supplemental offering to an essential tool virtually overnight. While progress in digital healthcare has been building for several years, in many ways we were not prepared for such a sudden and dramatic shift. Research into the efficacy of teletherapy is sparse, the tools at our disposal are not always reliable or intuitive, and licensure regulations changed overnight to allow providers to practice across state lines. For this Alma In Conversation, Vice President of Medical Affairs at American Well, Sylvia Romm, and health care lawyer at Foley and Lardner LLP, Emily Wein, joined Alma founder and CEO, Harry Ritter, to discuss structural readiness for telehealth in the mental health care space and the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

Death is a universal experience. It’s emotionally fraught; often feared yet rarely discussed. But talking about death and confronting grief allows us to more effectively move through it, and planning for death can bring new clarity to daily life. In the context of COVID–19, navigating grief, loss, and memorialization becomes even more challenging. For this Alma In Conversation, psychotherapist, writer, and grief advocate Megan Devine; Jungian psychotherapist, Soto Zen teacher, and co-founder and guiding teacher of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care Koshin Paley Ellison; and founder of Death Over Dinner Michael Hebb joined Alma member Jordana Jacobs, PhD, to discuss strategies that providers can use to support clients in their grief and the power of memory and memorialization. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

For this Alma In Conversation, psychologist, author, and clinical advisor to Alma, Guy Winch, PhD, joined Alma founder and CEO Harry Ritter to address managing work-related stress and ruminations while working from home. In December 2019, Guy released a TEDTalk about work-related stress stemming from ruminations at home. But what happens when work and home are one and the same, as in our current reality? Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

This Alma In Conversation addresses the trauma of COVID–19. As a direct and collective traumatic event, its impact is both immediate and long-term. This discussion explores the range of traumatic responses and maladaptive coping skills that clients may experience, as well as the unique challenge of working with high-risk clients during this time. Ruth Reader, a journalist at Fast Company, moderated the discussion. She was joined by Alma member and Clinical Assistant Professor at Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Lisa Henshaw, PhD, and Alyson Smith, MD, addiction specialist and medical director at Boulder Care (boulder.care). Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

For this Alma In Conversation, psychotherapist and best-selling author Lori Gottlieb joined Alma founder and CEO Harry Ritter to address ambiguous grief and collective loss during COVID–19, and ways that mental health care providers can support themselves and their clients during this time. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

This Alma In Conversation addresses the current state of psychedelics in mental health, what today’s clinical landscape and legal frameworks look like, the ways that providers can integrate medication-assisted therapy into treatment plans, and what comes next. We were joined by Dr. Nico Grundmann, Alma member and founder of Brooklyn-based ketamine infusion clinic Ember Health, psychotherapist Rebecca Kronman, and psychologist and Yale University clinical research fellow Alex Belser. Alma founder and CEO Harry Ritter moderated the discussion. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

This Alma In Conversation addresses the spectrum of trauma, the human response to stress, and what providers can do in times of ambiguity, uncertainty, and disconnection to take care of themselves and their clients. Alma member and Clinical Assistant Professor at Yeshiva University's Wurzweiler School of Social Work Dr. Lisa Henshaw joined us for a conversation with Alma founder and CEO Harry Ritter. Alma In Conversation brings together experts in their field for an open discussion about themes and topics relevant to mental health care providers and their clients. Alma is a network of therapists, coaches, and wellness professionals dedicated to simplifying access to high-quality, affordable mental health care and a destination for people seeking care. To learn more, visit helloalma.com.

This Alma In Conversation addresses the unique challenges and circumstances affecting men who seek therapy, the potential for informal therapeutic settings and support groups to facilitate powerful change, and themes that tend to arise when working with men. In much the same way that societal norms around femininity and what it means to be a woman have shifted, so, too, are definitions of masculinity. Men are often conditioned to value achievements over relationships: they size each other up and are prone to hierarchical comparisons, and deny their emotions for fear of being perceived as weak. Conventional masculinity is rooted in a rejection of dependence, which has historically made men wary of asking for help or seeking support. Journalist and host of the “Man Up” podcast, Aymann Ismail, moderated the discussion. Our panelists were Lara Friedrich, PsyD; David Gordon, PsyD; and Lucas Krump, co-founder and CEO of Evryman.