Guns and Mental Health by Walk the Talk America

Janine De Mesa, doctoral student and psychedelic substance researcher, joins the show to discuss the benefits (and possible detriments) of substances such as psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, ayahuasca, and others. The clinicians share their varying views and opinions, along with plenty of live audience chat commentary on their applications, uses, misunderstandings, triumphs, and personal recovery stories. Book: How to Change Your Mind 

In this episode, Brandon teaches about the stages of grief that many of us experience when dealing with the pain of loss. While we don't necessarily experience all of them (and certainly not necessarily in order), understanding that it's normal to feel this stuff can be quite liberating for those are.  Book: Elizabeth Kubler-Ross - On Death and Dying

In this episode, we sit down with Eric Jones, the Director of Man Therapy Partnerships, to explore the intricacies of mental health. Man Therapy stands out for its innovative, comprehensive approach, designed to engage men effectively by meeting them right where they are in their mental health journey. Eric sheds light on the organization's mission and unique strategies for promoting mental wellness among men. Additionally, Eric opens up about his own mental health experiences, offering a personal perspective that adds depth and relatability to our discussion. Mentioned in this episode:Grit Digital HealthMan TherapyCactus The Head Strong Project

John is a reporter for the Milwuakee Journal-Sentinel who covered gun deaths, specifically focusing on gun suicides.  discusses the need to use language carefully and avoid catchphrases that may be misunderstood or divisive. The conversation also touches on the reception and backlash to the coverage, highlighting the importance of understanding different perspectives. John emphasizes the complexity of the issue and the need for nuanced solutions rather than relying on quick and easy legislative measures. The role of politicians in addressing gun deaths is also discussed, with a recognition of the challenges and limitations they face. The changing landscape of journalism and the financial challenges news organizations face are discussed, along with John sharing his journey with firearms and the role of mental health, therapy, and God in his life. We have a renewed hope for journalism and the potential for positive change through connection, unity, and seeing each other's humanity.Read the article series here.

Holly Schneider and Andrew Nett join us to talk about their work within and around Delta Defense, the parent company of USCCA. Leadership at both organizations has prioritized mental health in the workplace, employing Holly and Andrew full-time and making them available for therapy during office hours for all 600+ employees.  The clinical team talks about this process, how it began, how it was integrated, and how it has been received (spoiler alert: it's gone smashingly!), as well as the broader topic of firearm owners' mental health.  During this episode, we plug Holly's Book and highly recommend reading it and sharing it around.

In an incredibly redemptive interview, Jake and Mike sit down with Emon Alexander Mahban, who survived a suicide attempt with a firearm. With the bullet still lodged in his skull, this discussion explores where Emon was mentally during that time, the series of events that led up to the suicide attempt, the events of that night, and where he is in life now.  Emon's story serves both as inspiration and a cautionary tale. Suicide is often so impulsive that no one sees it coming, and yet, the demons lurking beneath the surface can sometimes arise when we least expect it. And still...life is worth living.

 As the national spokesperson for The Liberal Gun Club, Lara Smith bridges a unique gap between the political left and firearms ownership, highlighting the growing demographic of left-leaning gun owners. She shares the challenges of addressing root causes of violence and the need for practical solutions while also touching on the impact of tribalism and the lack of accountability in politics and sharing her personal journey from being anti-gun to becoming a pro-2A gun owner.As an attorney, Lara also covers the ethical, legal, and civil rights obstacles to exercising 2A rights, such as the federal 4473 form (completed when purchasing any firearms) and so-called "Red Flag" laws as they pertain to mental health and the LGBT community.The Liberal Gun Club is a 501(c)4 nonprofit whose membership is open to anyone and can be followed on Facebook and on X.

Join hosts Jake Wiskerchen, Michael Sodini, and Kevin Berry in this episode as they delve into the revealing insights uncovered by Walk the Talk America's latest mental health survey conducted in September. Gain an in-depth understanding of the survey methodology, explore anticipated outcomes, and discover the surprising revelations that emerged. This engaging discussion goes beyond the numbers, offering valuable perspectives on mental health awareness and the importance of open dialogue in the gun community. 

Jake Wiskerchen and Michael Sodini interview Dustin Hayes, a Navy veteran and CEO of Red, White, and Badass Brew, a coffee company that offers badass flavors like Whiskey Business and Vanilla Warfare. In this conversation, Dustin talks about facing a lot of challenging times during his life, which sets the stage for discussions in the back half of this episode about mental health and suicide. As a veteran who faced challenging times post-medical retirement, Dustin has gone from construction and outdoor labor to a veteran-branded e-commerce store. All of the sales of their coffee and merchandise have a donation that goes to help fight PTSD and suicide in the veteran community. His business mission is to give back and continue to support fellow veterans. 

Dr. Andrew Hartz is the founder of Open Therapy Institute, which is working to re-establish the fundamental tenets of professional psychotherapy. In the face of an increasingly polarized (and politicized) culture, Dr. Hartz and OTI aim to restore reason, balance, and an appropriately welcoming environment to all those who need help, including centrists, moderates, conservatives, libertarians, and liberals. He is a professor of clinical psychology at Long Island University in Brooklyn. Drawing on years of training and practice, Dr. Hartz provides psychotherapy that addresses all aspects of his patient’s goals and personalities. He received training at Columbia Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the William Alanson White Institute. He completed coursework at Columbia University, Columbia Medical Center, Haverford College, and Long Island University. Dr. Hartz uses evidence-based tools from CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic psychotherapies to address each patient's unique needs. Dr. Hartz's Links:https://hartzpsychology.com/https://www.opentherapyinstitute.org/

Johnny Sanders is a LPC in Oklahoma and Texas. He started an online Christian Counseling practice to align with his conservative Christian values. Johnny provides online individual and group counseling for adults in Oklahoma and Texas. He specializes in homeschooling mothers struggling with anxiety, firearm owners (including police officers/military), and pastors dealing with burnout in the ministry.In this episode, the clinical team explores why and how counseling and Christianity are not mutually exclusive concepts and how professional psychotherapy services can serve those with a belief in Jesus. 

The WTTA clinical team addresses common misconceptions about the mental health field. In many instances, non-clinical people have widely divergent (and inaccurate) opinions on practices, treatment plans, diagnoses, insurance coverage, and confidentiality. If you have questions or feedback, we welcome your input through our social media channels or website contact. 

In this episode, Jake dissects and explains the 10 core emotions inherent in every human being's brain. Understanding one's emotional functioning is critical not only to navigating life itself and all the stimuli we encounter as we move through the day, but it can also improve communication, intimacy, leadership, parenting, work ethic, patience, and so much more.To learn more about this, please click here to watch Jake's emotional functioning video series. 

Guest host Kevin Berry interviews Eddie Davenport in this episode, which lets the audience get to know a member of our clinical podcast team better. Eddie gets vulnerable in this conversation, telling us about his journey from a gun owner to a gun-owning therapist. 

The WTTA clinical team, led this episode by Dr. DB Palmer, explores the concepts and foundations of one of counseling's oldest (but least understood) orientations: existential psychotherapy. In this exploration, Dr. Palmer and the team discuss how to handle all sorts of life matters - including death - as viewed through the existential therapy lens. To learn more about this, we recommend reading books by Irvin Yalom, such as Love's Executioner, Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, or anything by Rollo May.

Dr. Christian Conte, creator of Yield Theory and one of the world's foremost anger management experts, joins the WTTA clinical team to discuss improving communication, avoiding conflict, and de-escalating potential problems.Dr. Conte has written multiple books and workbooks, including Walking Through Anger, Advanced Techniques for Counseling and Psychotherapy, and 21 Days To Change Your Life. His YouTube channel is full of free insights and skills, and his 60-second podcast provides pithy life lessons useful for anyone.  We invite you to subscribe to both. 

Mike and Jake have a frank discussion with Russell Lemle and Aimee Johnson about their multiple decades of experience working with the veteran community and dispelling myths about veteran care within the VA system and how best to help someone who is in need. Russell B. Lemle, PhD is a Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute Policy Director. He’s authored numerous scientific publications and media commentaries, and testified to Congress, on veterans’ health care and the prevention of firearm suicide, including in Guns & Ammo, The Hill, The American Prospect, Washington Monthly, Task & Purpose, and Federal Practitioner. From 1993 to 2019, he served as Chief Psychologist for the San Francisco VA Healthcare System.Aimee Johnson, LCSW has over 20 years of experience as a clinical social worker. From direct clinical practice with youth, families, and adults in crisis working with military service members, Veterans, and their families, she has worked in the private sector and for the federal government, most recently at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She is considered a national subject matter expert on firearm suicide prevention and lethal means safety strategies, creating and launching media campaigns, building, leading, and implementing public-private partnerships, and leveraging innovation to bring new strategies to the field of suicide prevention. She owns and operates Aimee J Consulting.

When presented with new information, sometimes we don't handle it in the best manner, which means sometimes we get defensive. But what are we defending?We all try to maintain our worldview in a way that makes sense to us so when we get information that conflicts with the way we see things, our minds will deploy certain mechanisms. In this episode, Jake teaches about psychological defenses that often present in our lives, and how some of them can be helpful to us, while others can be harmful. The clinical team dissects and applies these concepts to the gun community.

A year after first appearing on the show to tell us about being victimized by the New York SAFE Act, US Army Veteran Isaac Richey returns to give an update on the injunctive releif lawsuit he has filed against the State of New York. The ins and outs of the story are enough to make any reasonable person's blood boil, but hope exists for all those who cherish freedom and respect the rule of law, as Isaac shares his optimistic take on his story. If successful, his legal action could send a message to others who would use a temporary mental illness to revoke someone's civil rights: that liberty infringements simply due to being sick are totally unacceptable. 

CBT has been around for more than six decades and although it is well known in the clinical counseling community, very few people outside the profession truly understand how it works - and more importantly - that they can use these skills without even coming into the therapy office. In this episode the clinical team explores the foundational concepts of this modality and shares why it works so well and underpins so many of the counseling techniques used in modern psychotherapy.