CASAT Conversations

Melissa Petersen, a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist, joins us to discuss her experience as a Wildland Firefighter, along with her passion for supporting the mental health of first responders. She shares how she has seen the first responder culture change with regards to mental health over the course of her career, along with how she hopes to see mental health evolve in the future. In addi...

Within this conversation, Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn, an expert in resilience and trauma care joins us. We discuss post traumatic growth, and the 6 stages of meta-rehabilitation that Dr. Joyce has discovered from her many conversations with trauma survivors. She highlights commonalities found among trauma survivors, and the program she’s developed based on people’s lived experience of finding meaning a...

Description: Dr. Steven Rose joins us this week to discuss his research with Verteran's and how social connection plays an important role in preventing and healing trauma. We discuss many relevant theories including transitional injury, sanctuary trauma, and moral injury and how these theories may apply to first responders and health care professionals. Key words: trauma, secondary trauma, social...

Nick Brown shares his lived experience as a veteran, paramedic, firefighter and peer support specialist. He gives voice to the impact of unhealed PTSD on his personal life, and the many techniques he's tried to heal over the last couple of years. He also notes what's been most helpful. You won't want to miss this real and vulnerable conversation.  Keywords: male-role belief system, emotional...

In episode 4, you’ll hear from Dr. Steven Nicholas an author and practicing marriage and family therapist. He shares about his work with first responders and highlights how their emotional needs are different from the general public. He describes what it means to be a culturally competent clinician when it comes to working in the first responder community, and what it takes to serve them well.&nbs...

Kathy Kain joins us for her second enlightening conversation. Kathy is a wealth of information with her 42 years of experience, and she shares the impact that she’s seen both on herself, and in colleagues who do the work of supporting trauma survivors.  We discuss trauma physiology and survival habits due to secondary traumatic stress, along with resilience habits that human services teams ca...

In this episode Beverly Kyler, an author, speaker, and compassion fatigue specialist shares the wisdom she's developed over the course of her career. Through her own personal experience with compassion fatigue, along with her research, she now dedicates her career to helping those who help others. We discuss symptoms people should look out for in themselves and their colleagues, along with the rol...

You won't want to miss this dynamic interview with Daniel Maté, co-author of the The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. We discuss the pervasiveness of trauma within society, and interplay between trauma and health. You'll also hear about his unique mental chiropractic practice where he helps make adjustments in client's thinking.   Key words: trauma, health, we...

In this powerful episode, Claudia shares her lived experience of racism, intergenerational trauma, and health inequity. She discusses her healing journey, and the need for people to share their stories. Claudia Martinez, Crisis Intervention Specialist Claudia Martinez has over 25 years of experience in healthcare.  Claudia feels that she has been blessed with the abil...

Marena Works discusses important considerations for policy and services in order to promote health equity in rural communities. She shares barriers to health for citizens living in rural communities, and innovative strategies for overcoming these challenges. In addition, she highlights health disparities and what needs to be done in order to support citizens who live in rural areas. Key Terms...

Jose Meléndrez joins us to discuss what is being done within the State of Nevada to promote health equity for all Nevadans. He shares how community partnerships and grassroots movements are positively impacting minority populations. He also highlights the need to mobilize each community in order to move the needle to a more health equitable society. Key terms: racism, health inequity, diversity, i...

In this episode, Dr. Eloisa Gordon-Mora discusses the connection between our understandings of democracy, and with respect to equity and health care. From her political science formation, she analysis the notion of “democracy” itself, addressing its historical evolution and from comparative, global perspectives, as well as myths, assumptions and values that are connected to the notion. She gives a...

This week we are joined by Zhizhong (Z) Li. Z is a seasoned trauma and critical care nurse, who is now nursing faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno. Z highlights inequities seen in emergency care, and how stigma can impact patient care. He shares how human dynamics play a role in patient treatment and patient outcomes. We discuss how leadership plays an important role in addressing healt...

Lorena Drago, MS, RDN, CDN, CDE discusses how food/nutrition play an essential role in health equity. We discuss the importance of language in health education, along with how assumptions about culture are a detriment to health. She shares important questions for clinicians to ask regarding food insecurity. Lastly, we discuss barriers in diabetes education, and the need to address them. Resources:...

Within this episode Dr. Lorraine Benuto discusses the stigma associated with mental health in the LatinX population. She shares creative ways she and her team have worked to address mental stigma and break down language barriers. She talks about important ways to reduce health disparities, and improve health for minority populations. Key Words: mental health, stigma, depression, anxiety, latinx, h...

Description: André Wade highlights key policy issues and needs for supporting health equity within the LGBTQ+ community. André also discusses important considerations for healthcare providers to be aware of when working with the LGBTQ+ population. He shares his own personal experience and professional insights in this important conversation. Key terms: Cultural competency, cultural...

Within this episode you'll hear from author's Breanna Lathrop & Veronica Squires as they share how the neighborhood you live in (your zip code) impacts your health. We hear how their own lived experiences have impacted the way they think, and practice medicine.  We discuss the policies and practices that have contributed to health inequities, and some important steps you can take to...

Brandon Jones shares a wealth of information regarding healing from trauma in this powerful episode. He shares his insights regarding healing as a lifelong process, and outlines the ABC's of resilience. We discuss best practices for cultural competency training, and he shares his important perspective on how we can develop cultural intelligence both personally and within organizations. We cov...

Within this episode you’ll hear from Will Rucker, a dynamic and engaging speaker who shares how health equity pertains to our common humanity. Will describes the importance of compassion, non-judgement, and self-awareness as important skills for creating a more equitable world. He also shares about the importance of diversity and how it shapes our culture. You won’t want to miss this inspiring con...

Kendal Holcomb and Diana Lara share information about the Nevada Resilience project. The Nevada Resilience Project supports families and individuals experiencing struggles and behavioral health challenges. This important resource helps to connect people with local resources, and access care. Within this episode we discuss mental health statistics for the state of Neva...

We are joined this week by Dr. Russel Kennedy, The Anxiety MD. Dr. Russ shares his own journey with anxiety as a healthcare provider, which led him to write his new book, Anxiety RX . He integrates neuroscience with wisdom practices to support healing the root cause of anxiety. You'll want to hear his unique perspective! Key Words: Anxiety, worry, fear, panic, childhood trauma, somatic therap...

Dr. Cohen Silver joins us this week to share her research findings on how people respond to large scale disasters. We discuss the role of media exposure (both news and social media) on stress and well-being, and how important it is to practice technology hygiene when it comes to media exposure. Dr. Cohen Silver also shares important things to consider on how to care for yourself when living i...

Dr. Meghan Corrado shares her resilience journey as she has learned to tap into sources of strength and creativity in order to support her own healing journey. She discusses how healthcare professionals work in difficult environments, and how critical it is to honor the reality of the challenges faced on a daily basis. She shares practical ways to support healing. Key Words: trauma narratives...

Within this episode, Henry Tobey shares his wealth of experience regarding secondary trauma. He shares what he has found to be helpful, along with what he doesn't find to be helpful when it comes to supporting health-care providers in dealing with the stress and trauma of their work. He shares his vicarious trauma dialogue, which he and his colleagues developed. Be sure to listen, as you may...

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Dana Rose Garfin, a researcher at UC Irvine. She and her colleagues have been conducting research to under the impact of both the acute and chronic stress of COVID-19. She has been studying how we respond to disasters for the past decade, and how to cope with stress. We discuss a balanced approach to looking at both the positive and negative aspects of COVID-1...