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Today, we're talking with Genaro - affectionately known as G - Pratcher, Employment Specialist for our Oklahoma City A Better Way program at Mental Health Association Oklahoma. G is a longtime professional in the mental health field who had decided to leave the profession before being recruited by an Association case manager. In researching us, he saw that we were, in his words, “doing the work” and couldn’t help but join the team. He just celebrated his one year anniversary with us, and since that time, he’s helped to make the A Better Way program the success that it is - employing hundreds of participants.. We are grateful to have G on, today, as he dives into the nitty gritty of what makes A Better Way work so well and what could help expand its reach.

Today, we're talking with Stephanie Newman, Street Outreach and Rapid Response Case Manager for Mental Health Association Oklahoma. Stephanie Newman is a native Oklahoman who, in childhood, experienced a sexual trauma that went unaddressed, resulting in a crescendo-like progression of events that ultimately culminated in the loss of her children, her home, her dignity. Humanity stepped in, knowing that everyone has value and possibility, and took a chance on her. Now, two decades later, she’s celebrating sixteen years of recovery and continuing her sixth year of employment with Mental Health Association Oklahoma. We are grateful to have Stephanie on, today, as she shares her story with us. It’s important to note that this conversation touches on sexual trauma and loss. While it’s important dialogue to have, we understand that it could be difficult for some listeners.

You're listening to the Mental Health Download from the nonprofit Mental Health Association Oklahoma. I'm Omar Isais. Today, Jocelin Baeza and Omar Isais, MHAOK team members, are taking over the Mental Health Download to highlight our virtual Hispanic support group, Platicas, in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Our goal is to increase dialogue about mental health struggles and reduce stigma around them, specifically in the Hispanic population. We talk about the importance of doing so and what that can look like, including within Platicas.

Margaret (Maggie) Shaffer is Director of Public Policy for the Alzheimer's Association. In her current professional capacity Maggie works with advocates to move forward state and federal policy issues to support research to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and improve the care and support of caregivers. Maggie has previous experience in health and mental health policy, having spent several years researching, writing, and advocating for improved access to comprehensive, family-centered care. She is particularly passionate about furthering policies that support caregivers as she believes they play a crucial role in shaping the future of health care. We are excited both for Maggie’s Zarrow Symposium presentation, which will cover research on the impact caregiving has on individuals, support programs available in Oklahoma, and policy implications of providing support to caregivers, and we are excited to share today’s conversation with us here.

Today, we're talking with Jon Haverfield, friend and client of Mental Health Association Oklahoma. Jon is a native Tulsan who attended Bishop Kelley High School and the University of Oklahoma. After college Jon worked as a TV Meteorologist for 6 years including work at KJRH-TV in Tulsa as the Weekend Morning Meteorologist. During his time at Channel 2, tragedy struck, leading him to his work with MHAOK, including volunteer services and contributions to the 2018 Mental Health Awareness Campaign. In 2019, Jon was awarded the Award For Excellence from the National Alliance of Mental Illness. Jon has since stepped away from TV and now works as a Financial Advisor with an office in Midtown Tulsa. We are grateful to have Jon on, today, as he shares his story with us. It’s important to note that this conversation speaks predominantly to suicide. While it’s important dialogue to have, we understand that it could be difficult for some listeners.

Today, we're talking with Cian Brown and Evan Smarinsky, co-presenters at one of next month’s Zarrow Symposium Breakout Sessions. Cian is an assistant professor in the University of Oklahoma’s clinical professional counseling program. He’s a licensed professional counselor and supervisor, depending on the state. He’s also nationally certified as a counselor and board certified in neurofeedback, and has done extensive work in the adventure therapy realm. Evan is an assistant professor at Johnson and Wales University, as well as a licensed professional counselor in Oklahoma and a licensed mental health counselor in Rhode Island. Evan also has notable experience in the adventure therapy and play therapy realms. We are excited both for Cian and Evan’s Zarrow Symposium workshop, which will blend lecture and experience to highlight key components and outcomes of Adventure Therapy, as well as their conversation with us here.

Today, we're talking with Collin Walke, Oklahoma House Representative of District 87 and local attorney. Collin is a native Oklahoman, and attended Oklahoma State University before graduating magna cum laude at Oklahoma City University School of Law. A true public servant, he was a long-time volunteer with City Rescue Mission before both serving and chairing their board of directors. Additionally, Collin serves on the Oklahoma Autisim Center Foundation, as well as the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Associate Board. Collin is a 20+ year meditation practitioner who was inspired by his own experience to study further and begin teaching. In 2019, he and recent Mental Health Download guest, Shannon Stephens, co-founded Awake OKC - a nonprofit centered on bringing mindfulness and meditation to the community. We are excited to have Collin on, today, and have him lead us through a meditation centered on compassion and forgiveness.

Shannon Stephens is an Oklahoma City based yoga and meditation teacher. Shannon is a 500 hour registered yoga teacher, therapeutic specialist, and assistant teacher with the globally-recognized Yoga Medicine School. She is the owner of This Land Yoga, a yoga studio located in the heart of the Paseo Arts District in northwest Oklahoma City and co-founder of Awake OKC, a nonprofit whose mission was to bring mindfulness and meditation into the community.  Shannon's twenty-plus years of practicing, studying, and teaching helps her cultivate compassionate awareness, both for herself and her students, and today, she will be sharing that same awareness with us. We have a short, but valuable conversation followed by a guided meditation intended to help us find focus.

Claudia Black is the clinical architect and actively involved in the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows. She serves as a Senior Fellow and has been a clinical consultant at The Meadows Treatment Center in Arizona since 1998. Claudia’s seminal work with children impacted by substance abuse in the late 1970s created the foundation for the adult child movement. Today she is a renowned author and trainer internationally recognized for her pioneering and contemporary work with family systems and addictive disorders.

Elena Joy Thurston is an inspirational LGBTQ+ speaker, trainer, author and founder of the nonprofit Pride and Joy Foundation, which is dedicated to reducing the rate of suicide and homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community. A Mormon mom of four who lost her marriage, her church and her community when she came out as lesbian, her viral TEDx Talk on surviving conversion therapy has been viewed more than 45,000 times.  Elena will be a keynote speaker at this year's Zarrow Mental Health Symposium, sharing about her experiences coming out as an adult and how to support families in supporting their children and other family members that come out as queer.

Karen LaPlante is the director of education at Mental Health Association Oklahoma. She has overseen our Zarrow Mental Health Symposium for 20 years. On today's episode, learn about the event and what you can do to get involved. Learn more at https://www.zarrowsymposium.org

*WARNING* This episode contains a reference to suicide some may find triggering. If you or someone you know is struggling, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Sgt. Aaron Quinonez (Sgt. Q) is a veteran, author and speaker. After serving in the military, he struggled with mental health and nearly ended his own life. Now, he's helping others struggling with mental health and teaching others to heal through philanthropy, giving and serving others. You can learn more about him on his website at https://sgtq.net/.

In this episode, Pat Nichols, with the organization Parents Helping Parents, gives advice on how to navigate the difficult arena of helping a loved one struggling with addiction. Speaking from his own experience, he shares what he's learned and how he's now using what he went through to help others. For more information on Parents Helping Parents, click here > https://www.parentshelpingparents.info/.

Psychiatric expert Dr. Murali Krishna talks to MHAOK about mindfulness and the mind-body-spirit connection.  He also takes us through a mindfulness exercise you can do anywhere with just the tools you have within yourself. 

Business owner Eric R. talks to MHAOK about his struggles with mental health, addiction, and his suicide attempt. He shares how he overcame those challenges and how he stays motivated in life today.  This episode contains content that some may find triggering.  If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). 

"What we have, because brains wire in response to what happens between us - between me and another person, between me and my community, between me and my place of work - the locus of the dysfunction is not necessarily only in our brain. It may not even be mainly in our brain it's between us. And when we can heal what's sick between us, then the brain actually has a chance to use the biological things we're giving it. And the psychological tools that we're giving it to actually change. The implications of a bio-psycho-social disease is, if you are only treating the biological and psychological, then the unmet social, relational needs are like a weight or like an anchor and the boat can't move. We can't move to better waters because we're being weighed down. The system is constantly encountering more and more challenges to it." On today’s episode, we interview Dr. Rachel Wurzman. Dr. Wurzman will be a keynote at this year’s virtual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium. She is the Director of Science for SeekHealing, a non-profit that is providing social connection-based interventions to make individuals and communities more resilient to opioid addiction and overdoses. Her ongoing research addresses the neuroscience of social health and how the biopsychosocial spectrum has for addiction treatment and policy.  The theme for this year’s Symposium is Cultivating Community Connections and is coming up September 29 - October 1. You can register to attend the event at www.zarrowsymposium.org We’d like to thank two of our Sponsors -  the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation - for their ongoing support of the Zarrow Mental Health Symposium. 

"And I think - going back to the community and finding out what their needs are - you just mentioned cultural humility and I'd like to define cultural humility as the practice of not knowing because we're professionals and we know a lot of things and rarely do we focus on what we don't know. But we have to engage in this quest for learning more about the communities that we serve because we get caught up in our own biases."  On today’s episode, we’re excited to be in conversation with Dr. Rosemarie Allen. Dr. Allen will be a keynote at this year’s virtual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium. Dr. Rosemarie Allen has been a leader in early childhood education for nearly 40 years and her life’s work has focused on ensuring children have access to high quality early childhood programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate. As a national expert on implicit bias and culturally responsive practices, Rosemarie has been a respected voice on equitable youth and family-focused community support and response throughout the pandemic. The theme for this year’s Symposium is Cultivating Community Connections and is coming up September 29 - October 1. You can register to attend the event at www.zarrowsymposium.org  We’d like to thank two of our Sponsors - Ascension St. John and the Public Health Institute of Oklahoma - for their generous support of this year’s Symposium. 

In this episode of the Mental Health Download, our guest host Fraz Javed interviews Associate Director Greg Shinn as they explore the intertwining of social commentary in musical genres such as jazz and hip-hop. Greg also discusses his early career in music and how it would later influence his later path as the Association’s Chief Housing Officer. In addition to being our guest host for this episode, Fraz was also one of our Bank of America Student Leaders spending the summer working for Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

Dr. Chandini Sharma, a geriatrician at Geriatric Center of Tulsa, talks with her friend and today's host, Jane Mudgett, about how food and fitness play a role in preventing dementia.

On today's Mental Health Download Podcast from the nonprofit Mental Health Association Oklahoma, our guest is Claire Grace, a college student at the University of Oklahoma. Claire is a Diana Award recipient, an award presented in memory of Princess Diana. Claire’s award was given for her community service and her advocacy for inclusion and compassion through a public speaking initiative she has delivered to over 6,500 people. You can learn more about her and her nonprofit at www.clairegrace.com