CXMH: On Faith & Mental Health

This week, I spend some time thanking people who help made CXMH possible recently and than talking about what's coming up for CXMH! After that, I talk with Rudy Caseres, an award-winning writer, speaker, & mental health advocate. He shares about his story, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and wanting to be the next Pope. Join the exclusive Cxmhunity Facebook group to interact with the ho...

This week, I talk with Aundi Kolber, a trauma-informed therapist and writer. We talk about mental health work as social justice, various types of trauma, attachment, and the importance of creating safety in our communities. Quotes:- "God didn't make me to experience abuse." ( tweet ) - "Have the courage to do your own work. You can't take people where you haven't been." ( tweet ) - "One of the mos...

I know, 'recast' may or may not be a real word. In the wake of the Parkland shooting, I've once again seen countless comments online & from public officials placing most of the blame on mental illness. In response, I thought it was important to rebroadcast our discussion with Gabe Howard from late 2017 where we discussed the link between violence and mental illness, if there is one, and how we...

Happy Valentine's Day week! Unless you hate Valentine's Day, in which case just have a great week. This week, I talk with Dr. Holly Oxhandler, the Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and an Assistant Professor at Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. Holly studies religion/spirituality, health and mental health, and is especially interested in whether and how...

Congrats to whoever won the Super Bowl, since I'm writing these show notes before it happens. This week, I talk with life & leadership coach, author, & speaker Amy Simpson.  We talk extensively about Amy's book Troubled Minds: Mental Illness & The Church's Mission, and we talk a lot about her experiences growing up with her father as a pastor and her mother being diagnosed with schizop...

This one's got it all! I talk with Dr. David Susman, a clinical psychologist, blogger, and award-winning mental health advocate, and he has a lot to offer! Based on Dr. Susman's most popular posts, we talk about the most common reasons people don't get mental health treatment: things like stigma, financial costs, availability of mental health professionals, and more. We also talk about practical w...

This week, Steve hijacks the show! He talks with Brittney Moses, a clinical Psychology student, app developer, and writer at the intersection of faith & mental health. She has some amazing things to say and share with us. Also, apparently Steve's inner critic is named 'Robert,' which I find highly offensive. Things mentioned in this episode:-Brittney's 7 Day Anxiety Detox E-Series can be found...

Happy MLK day weekend! This week, we're joined by pastor, blogger, and author Scott Sauls to talk about his new book, From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best In Your Leadership. We talk about topics like ambition, isolation, criticism, envy, anticlimax, opposition, restlessness, and insecurity, as well as how these things can go from vulnerabilities to strength. Co...

Trigger Warnings: In this episode, we talk about depression and suicide, including a specific case. This is a jam-packed one, folks. This week, I'm joined by Dr. Margaret Rutherford: author, podcast host, blogger, and psychotherapist. We cover a ton of topics including Seasonal Affective Disorder, Perfectly Hidden Depression, perfectionism, and more! Connect with Dr. Margaret Rutherford on her web...

It's the time of year to pause and reflect, so we take some time to think back on the show so far and what we've done in 2017. Also, Steve makes a big announcement. Join the exclusive Cxmhunity Facebook group to interact with the hosts, guests, and other listeners by pledging just $1/month on Patreon ! A huge thanks to the following people who made the first year of CXMH possible: Our wives and fa...

Whoa. This week, we learn a lot. We're joined by Dr. Sherry Molock and Dr. Amber Thornton to talk about the intersection of race, faith, & mental health. They share their personal & professional experiences, talk about the different ways we see mental health, and teach us about racial trauma. Steve & Robert don't do a lot of talking, which is always a plus. Join the exclusive Cxmhunity...

Trigger warnings: in this episode we talk about suicide attempts, including a description of a personal encounter with someone attempting suicide. This week, we're joined by Dr. Stacey Freedenthal, a psychotherapist and social work professor who specializes in Suicidology.  Dr. Freedenthal talks about why suicide is such an important area to learn about as well as offering some advice on helping s...

This Thanksgiving, it seems more important than ever to help share other voices than our own.  Our friend Kaitlin Curtice is a Native American Christian writing, speaker, worship leader, and author of the new book Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places. Kaitlin's recent blog post on Thanksgiving resources . Connect with Kaitlin on her website , on Twitter , or buy Glory Happening:...

Here are some recent quotes that made us frown:"This is a mental health problem." - Donald Trump on mass shootings"...almost every one has had some nexus to antidepressants." - Pat Robertson on mass shootings This week, we're joined by Gabe Howard (who you might remember from episode 6 on Bipolar Disorder ) to discuss the link between violence and mental illness, if there is one, and how we can re...

Topical! This week, we're joined by Kristen Kansiewicz to address a topic that's been on Robert's mind the past few days: are we really moving forward as a church on mental health?  Kristen is a licensed counselor on staff at a church and has some good thoughts on the matter. We first talked to Kristen in episode 10, listen here .  Kristen's blog post 'Connecting Pastors and Counselors' can be rea...

Does God have emotions? If you've ever wondered, this episode is for you. This week, I talk to Marc Alan Schelske, author of the new book The Wisdom of Your Heart: Discovering the God-Given Purpose and Power of Your Emotions.  We talk about the theological misunderstanding that emotions are always bad, how our story impacts our emotional reactions, how emotions serve as indicators pointing towards...

Sites about Risk Factors, Protective Factors, & Warning Signs:- CDC - WebMD - SPRC - AFSP Robert's resource page Books Robert recommends:- Why People Die By Suicide by Thomas Joiner- Myths About Suicide by Thomas Joiner- Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Redfield Jamison- Suicide: An Essential Guide for Helping Professionals and Educators by Darcy Granello & Paul Granello- Sui...

This week, Zach Hoag stops by to talk about his new book, The Light Is Winning: Why Religion Might Just Bring Us Back To Life. Also, Steve makes some pretty rude comments about movies. The t-shirts Robert mentions during the intro can be bought here to support AFSP, and you can learn more about his Suicide Prevention trainings here ! Buy The Light Is Winning , connect with Zach on his website or o...

Trigger warnings: sexual trauma, suicide, grief. It's National Suicide Prevention Day, so we're releasing this episode on Sunday. Also: holy cow. We talk with Kay Warren, and it's phenomenal. She shares a lot of her story with us including molestation, trauma, losing a son to suicide, working in ministry, and more. You (seriously) don't want to skip this one. Connect with Kay Warren on her website...

We're kicking off Season 2 strong! In the intro, we talk about internet trolls and get into a fight about college football. Then we're joined by Jason Chesnut, co-founder of The Slate Project and ordained ELCA pastor to talk about his depression, intersectional justice, switching medications, and Harry Potter. Note: we talk a bit about demons, but there's some clarification about how Jason uses th...

We're back! After a long summer break, we're ready for Season 2 of CXMH with more fake names, unrequested singing, witty banter, and of course: amazing guests who join us to talk about faith and mental health. This is just a welcome back episode though, so you'll only find the first 3 things. Connect with Robert on Twitter , his website , or Facebook . Connect with Steve on Twitter , his website ,...

It's summer break! We're wrapping up Season 1 of CXMH and taking a few weeks off, but (don't worry) we'll be back in the fall! In this short episode, Robert & Steve reflect on the episodes so far, what they've learned, and Robert switches halfway through this sentence to writing the rest of the description in the first person. We also give some sneak peeks at what we're planning for the fall a...

We're back from our Memorial Day break, and we have so much to talk about! We hit 10k (and then 11k) listens! Robert's friends are listening to the show! Steve went to New York! More importantly, we're joined this week by blogger & pastor John Pavlovitz and grief counselor Dr. Elizabeth Horn to talk about grief & loss. Are the stages of grief nonsense? What should we say to those who've ex...

This week, the Reverend Ed Bacon comes on the show to talk about prayer & meditation, as well as living in the house of Love vs. the house of fear. Connect with Ed on Twitter , his website , or buy 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind on Amazon . Support CXMH here , or sign up for our newsletter here ! Intro/Outro music for this episode is Fall Down by Rivers & Robots . Connec...

This week, we have two Doctors in the house! Dr. Jonathan Singer (host of The Social Work Podcast) and Dr. Sherry Molock join us to talk about suicide prevention in the context of churches, ministries, or other faith communities. Resources mentioned in this episode:- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)- Crisis Textline (text HOME to 741741)- Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860)- The Tre...