Beyond Well with Sheila Hamilton

This is a revisit which originally aired in 2023.Andrea Herron's brilliant guidance for managing workplace mental health issues is one of our favorites. We spend eight to ten hours a day at our workplaces and the people in positions of authority can impact our mental health more than our doctors, friends, even our spouses.This guide for how to navigate human resources and a workplace if you need a mental health break is one you should bookmark or share with friends who are struggling.

This week, a special episode for those who feel as I do: the immense anger, grief, and disbelief that comes with witnessing state-sanctioned murder. I understand the horror we all felt watching the killing of Alex Pretti. But what continues to haunt me is the lie that followed.I watched footage from several angles, searching for evidence that Pretti moved toward his handgun or threatened the officers. That evidence doesn't exist. Multiple news organizations have verified the same recordings. Yet the response from power was immediate gaslighting: calling observers agitators, recasting motives, reshaping reality before our eyes.The psychological toll is compounded. First, the state kills a person. Then it kills the truth.I think many of us are grieving two losses today: the American citizens who have been murdered, and the world we thought we lived in. What do we do with that level of emotion? With the chaos? With the disturbing feeling that nothing we do matters?Diane Hamilton, a trusted confidante, a meditator, a mediator, and author joins Beyond Well to managing difficult emotions during troubling times.

Dr. Ross GreenDr. Ross Green joins Beyond Well to talk about the role of schools in regulating behavior. Dr. Green is a pioneer in childhood behavior, a clinical psychologist with more than twenty years of experience, and is now founding director of Lives in the Balance and the author of four books on childhood behavior.

This show is part of our "No Stone Unturned" series.A revisit that certainly deserves another listen.Margo Fowkes turned her enormous grief over the death of her son into a global force for healing. An extraordinary interview with a mother, entrepreneur and activist about the communal nature of grieving.

This is a ReVisit we recorded for Dry January in 2022.Many people are curious about what would happen if they stopped their drinking habit. Whether it's one glass of wine, or several cocktails a night, Dry January is gaining in popularity as people test the limits of their personal sobriety. What if you made the one biggest mistake of your life while under the influence? How do you rebuild a life without alcohol in a culture built around drinking? Angela Teuscher's story of drinking while parenting is riveting and serves as a cautionary tale for other parents.

This show is a revisit from 2021. But, it applies today.What if 2024 is the year you could really make the changes in your life? Dr. Jim Polo talks about the steps that are  necessary to make resolutions effective, and whether  psychology behind procrastination.

Sheila Hamilton interviews Manna  Abraham, a former CFO and trauma mentor who created the EMPR method, to discuss trauma-informed practices. Manna shares her background as a chartered accountant and CPA, and explains how her experiences working with diverse teams across different cultures led her to develop her own method for helping high performers lead with inner peace. Corporate America doesn’t often talk about how to release stored tension, outdated stories, or behaviors that are plaguing today’s leaders. Manna Abraham’s work embodies healing beyond talk therapy.

Dr. Leslie Dobson, an expert on forensic psychology, has spent her career at the intersection of mental health, the legal system, and people who have been accused of crimes and behavior. She studies and attempts to understand people like Nick Reiner, who is accused of murdering his parents.Dr. Dobson offers timely, salient advice for families living with a violent, aggressive, or disturbed teenager or adult.

Blaming Loved ones. Part Two.For decades, families have often been seen as part of the problem when a loved one is in psychiatric crisis. Parents and relatives are sometimes blamed — implicitly or directly — for their child’s or family member’s distress. But many clinicians and researchers are rethinking that narrative, recognizing the ways systems, stress, and biology all play a role, and that families can be essential allies in healing.Today we’re talking with two leaders who have each worked to reshape how we think about collaboration and compassion in psychiatric care.Dr. Stuart Ablon, Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital and a leading voice in collaborative problem solving, has focused on moving from blame to understanding in how we approach challenging behaviors.John Puls, a psychotherapist and clinical director with extensive experience in inpatient and family-centered treatment, has written and spoken about systemic change in psychiatric care and how clinicians can better partner with families rather than pathologize them.

Blaming loved ones, Part 1.For decades, families have often been seen as part of the problem when a loved one is in psychiatric crisis. Parents and relatives are sometimes blamed — implicitly or directly — for their child’s or family member’s distress. But many clinicians and researchers are rethinking that narrative, recognizing the ways systems, stress, and biology all play a role, and that families can be essential allies in healing.Today we’re talking with two leaders who have each worked to reshape how we think about collaboration and compassion in psychiatric care.Dr. Stuart Ablon, Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital and a leading voice in collaborative problem solving, has focused on moving from blame to understanding in how we approach challenging behaviors.Dr. John Puls, a psychotherapist and clinical director with extensive experience in inpatient and family-centered treatment, has written and spoken about systemic change in psychiatric care and how clinicians can better partner with families rather than pathologize them.

HolidaysThis is a revisit to a show we did in 2019. Dr. Jenna LeJeune and Dr. Brian Goff talk about navigating the holiday season, and dealing with internal and external stress.It is a very organic discussion as it just "happened" while we were still rolling audio from another show. We took the conversation as a gift and used it as a show... it's the season of gift giving and receiving after all.Enjoy.

Todd Weatherly is a therapeutic consultant at StuckerSmithWeatherly, and the host of the podcast, Head Inside Mental Health. What is a therapeutic consultant and why is it so important for families navigating mental health crisis to have access to someone who understands the mental health system, different modalities of treatment, and what the right form of care is for someone who is resisting treatment.

Dr George Bonanno joins us again to talk about his book, The Other Side of Sadness, What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life after Loss. Bonanno’s research on grief mirrors his work on trauma, and argues that all of us, even those enduring sadness and profound loss, possess a surprising ability to be resilient.

Dr. George Bonnano is professor of clinical psychology and director of the Loss Trauma, and Emotion lab at Columbia University. In The End of Trauma, Bonanno argues that most of what we think we understand about trauma is wrong. It is not nearly as common as we think, and people are overwhelmingly resilient to adversity. Prepare for a conversation that may overturn everything you thought you know about PTSD and how people respond to hardship

A revisit episode from 2023. Long before Sheila started the podcast Beyond Well she found herself feeling depressed, lethargic and sluggish during the winter months. Seasonal affective disorder in the Pacific Northwest is a serious challenge. Here, she talks to the host of City Cast about the evidence-based strategies she used to recover.Enjoy.

Hollywood therapist Dr. Nicki Monti never thought she was worthy of love and led a roller coaster life throughChildhood trauma, addiction, violence, divorce, and widowhood. Then, she did the work of learning to love herself and find her happily even after. Dr. Monti explores the self-esteem issues of kids who have had abusive or neglected childhoods, emotional blackouts, and why opting for hallucinogenic fixes without therapy might be worse than doing anything at all. 

Dr. Eugene Lipov is a physician researcher and board-certified anesthesiologist who specializes in intervention-based pain management in the Chicago area. He is best known for his treatment of PTSD using a technique called stellate ganglion block (SGB). The God Shot, is the upcoming book from Dr. Eugene Lipov and Lauren Ungeldi. It takes readers inside a medical awakening that’s upending everything we thought we knew about trauma.

John Puls. Violence and young men.Dr. John Puls returns for an in depth conversation on violence and young men. Dr Puls specializes in the treatment of adolescent and young adult men and speaks to the factors creating more withdrawn, reactive, and explosive young men.

Samantha Rose is an Emmy award winning tv writer, author, and a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter who collaborates with experts, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.Her book, bravely honest and inspiring, explores her mother’s suicide and her reflections on grief, resilience, and searching for answers that help heal.

Ross Szabo is the Director of Wellness at the Geffen Center and one of the most sought-after mental health speakers and trainers on college campuses. He offers valuable insights on young adults, male violence, and the state of adolescent mental health.