Scope of Practice

Curiosity, Not Judgment: Myths and Barriers to Care for Sex Workers

Researcher, educator and subject matter expert, Dr. Juline Koken joins the podcast to address some of the barriers to mental health and substance use care for one of the most maligned and stigmatized groups of people in society: sex workers. How do we maintain our ethical requirement of unconditional positive regard and avoid value imposition?

The Harm Reduction Gap: A Discussion with Author Sheila Vakharia, MSW, Ph.D.

In early 2024, "The Harm Reduction Gap" was published. The book teaches how harm reduction can be a safety net for people with substance use disorders that our current addiction treatment rejects, abandons, and leaves behind.

Death By 1000 Cuts: Microaggressions and Their Impact

Author, essayist and multiple-time TedX speaker LeRon Barton joins the podcast a second time to talk about microaggressions and their impact on marginalized communities. Join us and hear him talk about his experiences, as well as share his knowledge and insights on this (often) taboo subject.

Pathologizing Blackness: Behavioral Health's Role In Strucural Racism

Join us for a much needed and difficult discussion about structural racism, its impacts and how it can play out in the mental health and SUD needs of Black and Brown Americans. Dr. Ayana Jodan of NYU, one of the country's pre-eminent experts in this area, joins us to share her knowledge and experience.

Caring for Connecticut’s Homeless People

We speak with Melanie Alvarez, Director of Programs at the Friendship Service Center in New Britain to help identify some of the problems faced by those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in our state. She offers her insight into the many concerns as well as sharing some information on new approaches to help those in need.

Psychology for Peak Performance

For this episode, we step a bit outside of our usual topics and pay homage to the upcoming Olympic Summer Games. Join us as we talk with Margaux Farrell, Chief of Staff of the Root Center for Advanced Recovery and Olympic Bronze Medalist, and Dr. Shane Murphy, Professor of Psychology at Western Connecticut State University and former sport psychologist for Team USA.

Silence in the Streets: A Public Safety and Public Health Collaboration

"Silence in the Streets" is a documentary film that focuses on the challenges for those individuals who live in our urban environments, the social determinants of health for those in our cities, and the barriers people face when seeking health care. New England HIDTA Investigator Robert Lawlor and Public Health expert Anna Gasinski join us to talk about this project.

Philosophical Thunderdome! Abstinence Based vs. Moderation

The SUD industry is no stranger to competing perspectives and contentious viewpoints, and abstinence-based vs moderation models are the latest combatants in the philosophical sparring we have grown accustomed to.
We welcome Alexandra Plante, author of the SUDTerrainian Newsletter to the program to discuss what her investigation into the research has discovered. You can read the original article on her LinkedIn page.

”The Simple Truth Is Beauty That Hits Like A Sledgehammer” (Mark Twain)

Poiab Vue, a social worker from Minneapolis, MN joins the podcast to talk about some of the problematic views and behaviors many in therapeutic roles exhibit that limit our ability to be true changemakers. Tune in and listen to some examples that she recently listed in an eyebrow-raising LinkedIn posting.

”Hope Is A Waking Dream” - (Aristotle)

We start the new season with an interview with Jason Clawson, CMHC, whose own exposure to great loss, and with a child struggling with a difficult emotional experiences led to the development of two products designed to help those suffering find their own hope. We talk with Jason about both the Hope Kits and the Pretherapy Kit.