Resources

Head Inside Mental Health Podcast

Navigating Young Adult Independence: How Family Systems Theory Changes Lives
What happens when we shift our focus from "fixing" young adults to understanding the family systems that shape them? Dr. Vaughn Heath and Steve Roth of the Arise Society join host Todd Weatherly in this groundbreaking conversation exploring how anxiety moves through family systems like electricity through a circuit, with parents often functioning as "capacitors" and struggling young adults becoming the "grounding wire" for family tension.The experts dive deep into Bowenian family systems theory, explaining four emotional regulatory mechanisms that families use to manage anxiety: distance, engagement, triangulation, and reciprocal positioning. When these mechanisms become rigid rather than flexible, young adults develop symptoms like depression, anxiety, and motivational issues.This episode challenges conventional treatment models by showing that accountability-based approaches often...
Attachment Styles: The Hidden Blueprint of Our Relationships
In this deeply insightful conversation we welcome Dr. Jack Hinman, founder of Engage Transitions, and Eric Fawson, Clinical Director at Elements Wilderness Treatment Program, to explore how our earliest relationships create templates that shape our connections throughout life. Both experts bring unique perspectives from their extensive work with young adults and families navigating mental health challenges in therapeutic settings. For parents struggling to navigate relationships with young adults, the experts offer a practical framework: love unconditionally, support positive growth, refuse to enable destructive patterns, and—perhaps most challenging—don't treat young adults as fragile. As Jack explains, "Your attachment style is not locked in. It can continue to grow and change," offering hope that we can all move toward more secure attachment through...
The Neuroscience of Sex and Gender with Dr. Michael Gurian
Dr. Michael Gurian, New York Times bestselling author of 32 books, takes us deep into the crisis facing boys today with his latest book "Boys: A Rescue Plan" where he offers a roadmap for raising healthy and fulfilled men. This conversation reveals what Dr. Gurian calls "a mismatch of the male brain with our systems." Drawing from neurobiological research, he demonstrates how male brains develop and function differently from female brains—not better or worse, just different. Yet our educational, counseling, and family systems often fail to accommodate these differences, leaving boys struggling and vulnerable.Dr. Gurian challenges the big three; academic, political and media influences and extremes in the gender debate, offering a science-based perspective. He introduces the concept of "bridge...
Breaking Free: Mental Health, Addiction, and Family Support with Heidi Stewart
A lawyer-turned-therapist opens up about watching family members struggle through addiction and mental health challenges while navigating her own recovery journey. Heidi Stewart, who works at the Aegis First Episode Psychosis Clinic in Asheville, NC, shares profound insights from both sides of the treatment equation.Heidi challenges the "tough love" approach that permeates American attitudes toward addiction and mental illness. "The way I deal with it is 'I love you' and I set a boundary," she explains, offering a more effective alternative to cutting ties. This perspective comes from painful personal experience – watching her father battle alcoholism, losing two brothers to substance use disorders, and supporting her adult daughter through ongoing recovery.The episode highlights a comprehensive care model that wraps...
Breaking Down Healthcare Silos with Dr. John Santopietro
Dr. John Santopietro never planned to become a leader in mental healthcare transformation, but after witnessing systemic failures firsthand, he couldn't stay on the sidelines.From his unique beginnings working in a family fish market where he observed countless personality types, through his Quaker education emphasizing introspection – Dr. Santopietro's path to psychiatry reveals how personal experiences shape professional passions. Today, as Senior Vice President at Hartford HealthCare and Physician-in-Chief of their Behavioral Health Network overseeing 3,000 employees, he's implementing bold solutions to fix a fractured system, including The Ridge Recovery Center.The conversation delves into a troubling shift in psychiatric care – from an earlier model focused 80% on understanding patients to today's approach emphasizing 80% management of symptoms. Dr. Santopietro...

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