Hope Pieced Together

Today we sit with survivor and thriver Gabbi Sorensen to talk about her triumphs over both an eating disorder and her turbulent relationship with social media. Gabbi currently uses the lessons from her past to help other women who are experiencing similar, if not the same, problems. We open the show by hearing about Gabbi’s early life as a ballet dancer and how ballet became a way of life for her....

Good mental health is crucial. We all need it to survive, but there are a number of reasons why men are less likely to speak up about mental health issues like depression. For many men, struggling with their mental health means suffering in silence. Stigmas around acknowledging mental health struggles and old-fashioned ideas of masculinity often play heavily into men’s reluctance to seek help. Tod...

Although the holidays are a beautiful time, they can also be difficult for many reasons. Whether it’s unmet expectations, not having the picture-perfect Christmas, or dealing with tricky family dynamics, this period can cause struggle, stress, and shame. Joining us today to talk about how to navigate the holidays is Licensed Professional Counselor, Kate Turner who has recently closed her private p...

Many people living with mental illnesses often use medication to help manage their symptoms and, while it certainly helps many address the issue, it can also cause side effects and mask the root cause. Today’s guest is Bibi Ladipo-Ajayi, a medical writer and pharmacist turned counselor that operates at the intersection of counseling and medication therapy for mental health challenges. Bibi helps p...

Grief is a natural response to loss. It might be the loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, or a way of life, like many of us are experiencing during COVID. Today's special guest is Bridget Caletka, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York. Bridget has ten years of direct counseling experience within academics, agency, and outpatient...

Anyone who has lost a loved one as a result of substance abuse knows that society treats this loss differently than a death from any other cause. Grief Recovery After Substance Passing (GRASP) was created to offer understanding, compassion, and support for those who have lost someone they love through addiction and overdose. Too many times, they suffer not only the death of the person they love bu...

Being a parent to a teen can feel almost as tumultuous as being in adolescence itself. This crucial developmental stage where children are supposed to experiment and explore can be conflict-ridden when parents respond in a critical, controlling way. According to today’s guest, Adam Bertoch, parents have to move past the idea of ‘stop behaviors’ and instead look at what ‘start behaviors’ they can e...

One of the miracles of recovery is the opportunity to serve as a tangible example of hope. Today, we’re speaking with Sarah Bolton, an advocate for mental health and addiction recovery services, to hear her story of recovery, and how she found beauty in the brokenness in her life. As the founder of Sarah Lenee Creative & Consulting, Sarah supports providers with Business Development, Public Re...

We know that the number of teen suicides is rapidly increasing and that children present with symptoms of depression and other mental health issues from a younger age than ever before, creating a growing need for mental health support in the emergency rooms of psychiatric hospitals. Today we have a conversation with Jeremy Sprott who is one of our board members and the owner of a company called Me...

In life, we often have moments that we say define us. Moments that stick out, clear as day — moments that shift the trajectory of our lives. We often refer to those as our turning points. That time in our lives where a shift happened as our life takes on the newly established trajectory. In this episode, we are so fortunate to hear a real-life story of what the journey through recovery looks like...

While individual therapy can be immensely helpful, family therapy takes into consideration the important role our family plays in who we are and even the struggles we have. Our guest today, Christie Farris, is a dual-licensed LPC (licensed professional counselor) and LMFT (licensed marriage and family therapist) who advocates for a systems approach to individual and family problems. Our parents an...

We are thrilled to have Dena and Tom Yohe, the authors of Hope for Hurting Parents , join us today. The book comprises a curriculum for support groups and is a resource that we, at Mosaics of Mercy, have used, and today we talk to them about their background and how they came to write this book. But before the book, Dena and Tom started a support group for parents whose children suffer from addict...

When personal struggles are overcome and leveraged for the benefit of others, it is a true victory and blessing. Joining us on the show today is Olympic gymnast Maria Ines Flores who trained at the well-known Bela Karolyi Gym alongside the likes of Mary Lou Retton back when she was a young girl at the peak of her athletic career. The conversation starts with Maria telling listeners about her life...

Today we are fortunate to have one of the co-founders of Mosaics of Mercy, Paige Butler, join us. While she holds the official title of Director of Operations, she, like many of us, wears many hats in the organization. In this episode, we talk about her title at home and how she has tied it into one of our programs. She is raising her four-year-old grandson who has been in their home since birth,...

Being bullied can be a traumatic event and may potentially lead to mental health struggles. Joining us today is to talk about this issue is Merrissa Hughes, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed School Counselor, and a former teacher. Combining her classroom experience with her counseling training, Rissa has a deep understanding of the impacts of bullying. This in this episode, we define b...

Today on the podcast we continue with our theme for May, hope to cope, and it coincides perfectly with mental health awareness month. People have shared their stories about hope and how they take care of their mental health on our social media and the podcast, and today Sherry’s son Clay joins the conversation. As a teenage boy, Clay experienced paralyzing depression and anxiety after he had to gi...

Sometimes you heal from it, and sometimes you heal through it. It’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and our theme this month is Hope to Cope. We know that it can be difficult at times – when we’re going through different struggles – to find hope, to know exactly how to walk in the midst of that, and how to cope. This month, we’re bringing in guests to share their personal stories of hope with you,...

Today listeners can look forward to an insightful interview with Lona Snell who is a Christian counselor in the community. Lona has her own practice where she and other counselors work with first responders and their families, focusing on the interaction between their work and home lives. In the past few months since the outbreak of COVID-19, first responders have been in the crossfire, risking th...

Anxiety is something that most of us can relate to at the moment. The uncertainties surrounding the global pandemic are affecting all of us in some way, and worries about health, safety, livelihoods, and finances are intensified by the constant influx of news and shifting circumstances. Joining us today is a local counselor, Carolyn Robistow, to share with us about navigating anxiety and tapping i...

Suicide carries such a stigma around it that people, including mental health professionals, feel afraid to bring it up, even when someone around them may be struggling with the issue in some way. As the number of suicides and suicide attempts continues to rise every year, it is increasingly important to break down these barriers and to engage in open conversations around the topic. Today’s guest,...

Joining us today is Kristin and Paul Abrahams to talk to listeners about marriage in stressful times. Right now, around the world, people are dealing with unprecedented stress, circumstances that take their toll on our mental health. With COVID-19 having many countries in lockdown, couples are facing a new repertoire of challenges. Kristin and Paul share some helpful resources to support marriages...

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are all constantly faced with the reactions of those around us. Lauren Hollis joins us today to talk about helpful ways of coping with external responses, as well as those within ourselves and our families. Lauren is a counselor in the Woodlands area and an LPC-certified child life specialist. As such she is very well positioned to give an informed perspect...

The connection between motherhood and ADHD is often made through cases where children are diagnosed with the condition. But what about situations where a mother is struggling with some level of ADHD? Our guest today, Patricia Sung, has her own podcast that deals with that exact question! Motherhood in ADHD is her exploration of her journey, grappling with the difficulties of her ADHD and the beaut...

On today’s show, we have Carolyn Robistow, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Texas. Carolyn specializes specifically in helping those who struggle with stress and anxiety, perfection, infertility, ADHD and focus. Inside this episode, we talk about the importance of prioritization in our lives, Carlyon expands on a new brain-based therapy called Brain Spotting, as well as a play the...

Sex and pornography addiction are coming more to the fore in the modern world as we see the effects of readily available explicit material on the internet. Today we discuss these issues with LeighAnn and Mike Schweser, a couple who have dealt with these problems in a very personal way. After 18 years of a supposedly happy marriage, Mike's use of pornography started to become apparent to Leigh...