STAY Tuned: Supporting Transition-Age Youth with mental health conditions

In this episode of  Stay Tuned: Supporting Transition Age Youth , co-hosts Gillian and Mei speak with returning guest Jamie Yang about the powerful role pets can play in improving mental health and supporting community participation. Jamie shares how caring for their dog, Mendelssohn, helped create daily structure and opportunities for self-compassion during challenging periods of mental health re...

In this episode of STAY Tuned, Gillian and Mei discuss the challenges many people with mental health conditions face during the holidays and share realistic ways to cope, set boundaries, and stay grounded. Through personal stories and practical tips, they highlight the power of community and self-compassion. This episode is for anyone who needs a reminder that it’s okay to navigate the holidays in...

In this episode, Ty Smith joins us to share their powerful story of resilience and advocacy. From difficult experiences in the mental health system to designing their own college degree and becoming a policy advisor, Ty’s journey challenges the stigma around mental health and disability while shining a light on the importance of peer-led support and meaningful, dignified employment for all.   We e...

In this episode, we chat with Paul Cherchia, Assistant Director at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University, about PASS (Peer Academic Supports for Success)—a peer coaching program supporting college students with mental health challenges. Paul shares how PASS was developed, its evidence-based success, and its unique model that pairs trained student coaches with other student...

In this inspiring episode, Jamie Yang, a graduate student and mental health advocate, shares her journey of resilience and growth in navigating recovery from an eating disorder. She highlights the powerful role of community in fostering healing through friendships and hobbies. Through her journey, Jamie explores how recovery involves unlearning toxic messages about food and bodies, setting boundar...

In this episode of STAY Tuned, Micah Webster shares his journey of living with anxiety, supporting a sibling with serious mental health conditions, and finding healing through both therapy and his faith. As a behavioral health researcher and person with lived experience, Micah offers a unique perspective on the intersection of mental health, spirituality, and community.  Micah discusses how suppor...

In this episode, we sit down with Wyatt Wagner - a dynamic 21-year-old youth peer advocate, nonprofit founder, and newly announced candidate for his district's board of legislators. Wyatt shares the powerful story behind Youth of Lewis County , the nonprofit he started to create safe spaces and supports for young people in his rural community. We dive into the challenges and triumphs of buildi...

In this episode, we dive into the impactful work of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (now known as MassAbility) and how it empowers young adults with disabilities to build fulfilling careers and independent lives. Our guest, Amanda Baczko from MassAbility, shares personal insights from her journey with her mental health and professional exploration, offering a glimpse into the challenge...

In this episode, we chat with Destiny Maxam. Destiny is a therapist who shares her story about self-advocacy and navigating life with chronic illness and a spinal cord injury while building a career in the mental health field. She opens up about going back to school while living in a nursing home, her passion for psychology, and what drives her to help others living with chronic illness, disabilit...

In this episode, we sit down with Davy, a musician and member of our young adult advisory board who shares his experience of using creativity and music to support his mental health. We discuss the transformative power of creative communities and their impact on mental health. Davy talks about discovering creative writing groups, musician groups in both virtual and hybrid communities. He shares how...

Part 2 of our conversation with Scott Bryant-Comstock covers the intention of, and evolution of, the Children’s Mental Health Network (CMHN), an organization he founded to act as an independent voice supporting improvements in mental health practices for children and young adults. The CMHN managed to bring together people from diverse backgrounds for dialog around interventions, policy change and...

Do you procrastinate until the last minute for assignments and then feel frustrated at yourself for not starting sooner? You’re not alone. In this episode of STAY Tuned, Emily and Mei (our podcast hosts) get real about their personal ADHD journeys, exploring what it’s like to be diagnosed later in life. From struggles throughout school and work in young adulthood, they share their highs, lows, and...

In today's episode, we speak with a remarkable guest, Scott Bryant-Comstock, an advocate in the field of mental health for over 40 years, and Founder and CEO of the Children’s Mental Health Network. Scott shares his decades-long journey from working in halfway houses in San Jose to pioneering parent-professional collaboration in national mental health policy. His career is filled with funny st...

There is a stereotype that gaming is a waste of time, but this episode with Derek Lewis, a member of our Young Adult Advisory Board challenges that notion head-on. Derek shares his personal journey, revealing how gaming became a lifeline for him, while growing up in a gang-prone LA neighborhood. We talk about how gaming helped Derek build meaningful relationships, including one with a gamer friend...

Debbie Nicolellis, the Training Director for the Helping Youth on the Path to Employment (HYPE) Study at the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research brings her knowledge on all things accommodations in this episode.  What can mental health accommodations look like in school and work? If your medication makes you drowsy in the morning, maybe it’s shifting your work hours to start and end an ho...

AmandaGrace Krier, a certified peer specialist with Youth MOVE National joins the show and discusses her journey advocating for herself in school and then in the workplace. There is not just one way to practice advocacy. It can look like anything from standing up for yourself to standing up for others through legislation. For AmandaGrace, self-advocacy was not always easy but was a skill she had t...

Can a mobile intervention using avatars help young adults manage their mental health after being discharged from the emergency department? Dr. Lourah Kelly’s “Avatar Project” explores this possibility. She’s testing an app-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young adults with alcohol misuse and suicidal thoughts who have visited the ED. Lourah shares that “this age group [has] the...

Today we talk with Joshua Calarino, a member of our Youth Advisory Board, about ways getting involved in his community has helped his mental health. Joshua shares his journey, from someone who struggled with their mental health in high school, to his discovery of different activities that helped him feel better and more connected to his community. His story of recovery started when he said “yes” t...

Do you find yourself going back to your childhood favorite shows and movies like Wizards of Waverly Place, Mulan, or Max and Ruby? Maybe you find yourself playing your old games like Webkinz, The Sims, and Pokemon. It’s actually quite common if sometimes all you want to do after a long day of work is consume the nostalgic content you grew up with. But what we wanted to know is, what is it about no...

Graduate high school, graduate college, get a job. A deceivingly simple timeline that young adults were expected to follow since they were kids. In reality, life is messy and we're here to tell you detours along the way are normal and there's more than one way to reach your goals. In this episode, we bring on Maya Ingram, a Project Director here at UMass Chan Medical School. Maya tells her...

Today's episode might be a longer one but we promise it's worth it! Join us and Dr. Michelle Mullen CRC, CPRP, as we discuss her work on preventing disability and keeping young adults out of a system that breaks them. She explains why the language used to describe the mental health of young adults is so key and what can be done to change the narrative of self-blame. We also get into her th...

Left alone at a baseball field in a thunderstorm with no way to get home, 17-year-old Joan Sullivan found that her life had changed forever. Joan would later be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), stemming from the tangled web family often weaves. As young adults, many are left to overcome the traumas they were dealt growing up, leaving them confused and powerless as they transit...

While Emily and Mei are not taking a leave of absence from work or school right now, it's still important to discuss, should you ever feel that taking a leave is the right option for you in order to prioritize your mental health. How does one go about sharing their mental health conditions with their supervisor? What's it like coming back from taking a leave? How might you address your lea...

Hello hello! Emily and Mei are back this week with a special episode of STAY Tuned. In this episode, Emily and Mei wanted to let you guys get to know us a little bit better. They keep it real and discuss their struggles in creating healthy routines in a life where screens dominate one's whole day and later get into the lonely reality of post-grad life. How does one make friends outside of work...

Today's episode features iSPARC's very own Emma Narkewicz, a research coordinator here at the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research. Emma begins by walking us through her work on Pre-employment Transition Services in Massachusetts. Later we dive into what it's like being a young adult with mental health conditions entering the workforce and sustaining a career. Let's talk navigating mental...