The Well Mind Podcast

In this episode of the Well Mind Podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls speaks with Dr. Joshua Mears about his journey in mental health care, focusing on the integration of faith in clinical practice. They discuss the challenges and rewards of working in corrections, the importance of spiritual care in therapy, and the concept of transcendence in mental health. Dr. Mears shares insights from his experiences and e...

In this episode of The Well Mind podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls speaks with Latrina Radler, a new faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. They discuss Latrina's journey into mental health, her formative helping experiences, including community care following Hurricane Katrina. She also shares her insights around the impact of addiction on families. The conversation emphasizes...

In this episode, I welcome back my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Jennifer Londgren. Season 2 continues as Jenna shares about the experiences that drew her to the field and how her journey to professional counseling was shaped by her love for people and understanding behavior. We discuss the significance of scaling impact through writing and public speaking, as well as the integration of faith and...

In this episode of the Well Mind podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls engages in a broad and thoughtful conversation with Anita Smith, exploring her journey into the counseling field, the integration of faith in therapy, and the value and joy of play therapy. They also discuss Anita's global counseling experiences, the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in the field, and the need for personal human co...

Summary In this episode of the Well Mind Podcast, I speak with Dr. Helena Stevens, core faculty member at Bethany Lutheran College in the CMHC Program. We discuss Dr. Stevens' unique journey to becoming a counselor, the importance of mentorship, and the integration of faith into professional identity. The conversation also explores the capstone experience for students, emphasizing the signific...

In this episode of the Well Mind Podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls welcomes Dr. Karina Clennon back to the podcast. Karina opens the conversation by sharing about her journey of becoming a professional helper. Together we explore the significance of time and presence in relationships, the challenges of balancing personal and professional roles, and the impact of 'busy'ness culture on mental health. T...

In this episode, Dr. Ben Kohls returns to the Well Mind Podcast after a hiatus, sharing updates on his work in the counseling program at Bethany Lutheran College, including efforts towards specialized accreditation. He discusses the upcoming season, which will feature interviews with faculty members, focusing on their experiences and insights in the field of mental health and counseling. Dr. Kohls...

Welcome to the show, friends! I’m excited to have you with me. The Well Mind Podcast is space for meaningful conversation on a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. For this conversation, I invited Dr. Jason Paltzer back to the podcast to chat about all the changes that have happened for him personally and professionally. Jason and I connected way back...

Welcome to the show, friends! How are you doing? I really mean it, how are you doing? Are you giving time and attention to your well-being and relationships or have they been an afterthought lately? Depending on your season of life, current commitments, stress levels, you may be struggling to take time to reflect on and attend to your mental and emotional well-being. This is a challenge we all fac...

Welcome to the show, friends. It is great to have you here. The Well Mind Podcast is a space for meaningful conversations on wellness and mental health. I want to start by sharing a quote with you from a book that I just recently finished reading. “Does the destination matter? Or is it the path that we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve...

Welcome to the Well Mind Podcast, a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I am a clinical mental health counselor and counselor educator. This podcast is my effort to bring free and open access content on health and wellness. I hope that by tuning in you discover new and meaningful ways to think about your wellness and take...

Welcome to the Well Mind Podcast! I'm excited to share my recent conversation with retired Major General Gregg Martin in this episode. He is a 36-year army combat veteran celebrated for his remarkable career commanding engineer units and holding prestigious roles such as president of the National Defense university and commander of Fort Leonard Wood. An accomplished author, his book Bipolar Ge...

The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics and this episode is a beautiful example of that mission. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. My guest for this episode is...

The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. I’ve got another special episode for you....

Welcome to episode 36! The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. If you’ve been a m...

Welcome to the Well Mind podcast, I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls, I am a professional mental health counselor, counselor educator, and currently the director of the clinical mental health graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. This is a special episode of the podcast, where I have not one, not two, but THREE guests on the show. Paul Tenhaken, in addition to being the mayor of Sioux Falls, SD,...

The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. This conversation is a real treat to shar...

Welcome to episode 33 of the podcast! Thanks for joining me for today’s conversation. How important is it to you to have peace in your life? How about this: What does it take to be a peacemaker? Certain famous people in history likely come to mind when you think about being a peacemaker, but what if I told you that you can be a peacemaker in your own life and relationships. I believe that we could...

The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. For this episode, I invited one of our ad...

My guest in this episode is a surfer, father, husband, entrepreneur, and expert in the practice of breath work and cold exposure. Relatably, Reis Paluso found himself caught up in the ever accelerating process and goals of building a life through his work, family, friendships, and favorite pastimes but was simultaneously losing a sense of balance and connectedness in his own life. Then he hit an i...

The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. Welcome to the podcast! It’s great to have you with me today. On a snowy January day here in Mankato, Dr Luke Weber joined me in the studio. Dr. Luke is an athlete, coach, provider or chiropractic care, and an all around good...

I recently read an article in Counseling Today entitled Six Steps for Addressing Behavioral Addictions in Clinical Work and knew immediately I needed to invite the author onto the podcast. Fast forward a few short weeks and I was able to sit down with Dr. Amanda Giordano and talk all about behavioral addiction. What is a behavioral addiction you may be wondering. Well most folks recognize gambling...

Welcome to the podcast! In this episode we venture back into the familiar theme of Vocation. This is a topic that has been featured on the Well Mind previously, but it’s one that is so relevant to our everyday life that we will likely continue to draw from this well repeatedly for deeper insights into ourselves and our relationships. My guest is a professor of apologetics, reverend, author, public...

Welcome to the first ever crossover episode between The Well Mind Podcast and Gird Up! Podcast. Charlie Ungemach is the host of the Gird Up! Podcast and invited me on the show to talk men and mental health. It was fun being on the other side of the table and getting to be a podcast guest! I give a brief introduction and Well Mind update and then I turn things over to Charlie. I hope you enjoy the...

Welcome to a very special episode of the podcast. In addition to the typical audio format, there is also a video format available on YouTube. Listeners may enjoy checking out the video version, because we have included some visual images to accompany the discussion. You can find a link to the video version in the show notes below. My guests are Haylee Blauert and Jason Jaspersen. Haylee is the aut...