July 11, 2023 • 44 mins
Michelle and Dr. Shairi are telling you to text! Dr. Shairi Turner is the Chief Health Officer of the Crisis Text Line. She discusses the help that the Crisis Text Line provides and how to get involved. CHECK IN to this episode if you need a new, simple way to receive some help!
For more information about the Crisis Text Line, visit: https://www.crisistextline.org/
For immediate help, text HOME to 741741
Make sure you’re following Michelle on social media!
Instagram: @MichelleWilliams
Twitter: @RealMichelleW
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. What if I told you
(00:20):
that there's a free mental health resource that you can
text whenever you feel like you need help with your anxiety, depression,
or even loneliness. Well, I'll be sharing that in more
coming up next on Checking In. I'm really really thrilled
(00:44):
about today's episode checking In. It really is about the
foundation of checking in everything as it relates to mental health. Today,
we have someone amazing and interness and pediatrician with expertise
and trauma informed practices and mental health and she is
(01:04):
currently the chief health officer of the Crisis text line.
You guys give it up and please welcome doctor Shayy
returner to Checking In.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Thank you, Michelle.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
It's an honor to be here have this conversation with you.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Absolutely absolutely. Do you still have your podcast? Did I
hear correctly?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So? I did a podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
We have a partnership with Nike, and we did the
No Off Season podcast which was about nine episodes talking
to different athletes and lead athletes about their mental health journey.
And I was able to honor to do some of
those interviews. Just hear the incredible stories that they've shared.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That is so amazing. I'm so glad that a company
like Nike has something like this because mental health and
mental illness can affect everybody. Just because somebody might have
had a perfect score, you know, probably does not mean
that they have not been dealing with probably the anxiety
that it takes to you know, uh.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
An a lead athlete, so tremendous stress, strain expectations, right,
and then you also deal with the you know, the
outward appearance right of having to always be at the
top of your game.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, well, thank you so much for sharing
you guys. Let me tell you the power of social media.
I love that it can connect and if you use
it right, relationships can be formed and opportunities can really
be in the palm of your hand. I'm sure y'all
have heard of the crisis text line and we have
(02:50):
SHAIRI as the chief help officer. Can you just give
us my mind is blown? First of all, intern is pediatrician.
Let's pivot back there first.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
It makes it.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
The whole story is so I grew up in the
Bronx and wanted to be actually the first physician in
my family. I went to Stanford as an undergrad and
then Case Western really with the aspiration Case Western for
medical school, and then I went to Harvard for the
(03:24):
Medicine Pediatrics Combined program, really aspiring to treat underserved populations
as a primary care physician. And then an experience with
a close family friend who died by suicide in prison,
someone who I considered family.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
You know, back then it.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Was really an obvious cycle of trauma that existed within
the family before we really acknowledge the impact of trauma.
So that occurred during my first year resident and see
and kind of sat in the back of my mind
as I went through and finished my residency and then
had the opportunity to do a practicum and get my
(04:12):
Masters of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
And it was a minority health policy fellowship, so we
were expected and asked to work with organizations around public health.
And I chose actually the Department of Youth Services in
Massachusetts and looked at the impact of their substance abuse
(04:34):
policies on the many black and brown children who were there,
and I'll never forget the administrator said to me, if
you could treat hopelessness, you would solve a lot of
the issues for these kids, and it didn't. Again, it
was like a seed that Land did that didn't really
speak to trauma because we weren't talking about childhood.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Trauma back then.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
But I then had the opportunity to be the first
chief medical director at the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice,
which incarcerated many, many black and brown children, and from
there just gained an understanding about trauma and adverse childhood
(05:19):
experiences and how that interplays with mental health, physical health,
the behavioral issues that these children were experiencing because they
had horrific childhood trauma stories experiences. And then spent some
time at the Florida Department of Health and a few
(05:41):
years later wound up at Crisis text Line, where I
became the chief medical Officer and then ultimately the Chief
Health Officer.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
But it combines all of my passions, just mental.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Health, trauma, public health because we reached so many people. Yeah,
so you know, it's all things coming together. Life is
a journey right.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Now, Wow, are you still able to practice as a
pediatrician now that you are the chief health Officer?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I do not have time to still practice and see
patients at this point.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Ooh, how many patients were upset?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
This was a wayte back.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I actually stopped practicing when I moved to Florida because
it really public health was a passion for me, and
being able to help large groups of people, like in
juvenile justice setting like Department of Health, and like our textures,
just to touch so many people in their times of need,
(06:43):
in their times of pain.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Wow. I asked that I have an uncle who is
a doctor, a family practice physician, and he did some
type of pivoting where I think he's now more in
public health and community health, and so he left your
more traditional health system. Yes, And I was like, oh,
my gosh, how many patients are probably so sad that
(07:06):
you know they can no longer see you. But you know,
passion and calling, you must follow it, even when you
may even disappoint people or make people sad. Because I'm
sure you had some favorite patients and you were probably
their favorite. So I can understand how difficult it was
to make that transition, which will encourage our listeners. Everybody
(07:29):
at so many walks of life are going to have
to make some type of decision. Here you are, I'm
sure at the top of the game. Medically, you know,
making this decision, not saying that you made a bad dish.
I'm not I hope it's not signing that way, but
a transition.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
It's easier probably to work in a health system, you know,
and making all the money and all this, and then
you're like, no, I'm going to serve a demographic that
probably gets ignored and turned away way if they don't
make a certain type of progress.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Right, No, you're right on target.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I believe that life is a journey and you should
look for opportunities to find joy in the work that
you do and find passion in the work that you do,
and that may mean pivoting several times to get to
that place. Right and for me, Crisis text Line we
serve people of color, we serve all people, but we've
(08:28):
found that our service reaches younger people. So seventy percent
of our textures are under the age of twenty four.
We know that we over index for BIPOC textures, so
we're getting out into communities that don't otherwise have access
to mental health and crisis intervention services. And over fifty
(08:49):
percent of our textures are LGBTQIA plus, so we're really
meeting a need for individuals who may not otherwise have
access to mental health support.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
That is so good. So what I do know about
the crisis text line is obviously twenty four to seven. Yes,
it ranges from everything to people can text about anxiety, depression,
eating disorders, anything self harming behavior. So is that what
makes the crisis text line different from a suicide prevention hotline?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So we view and we operate crisis text line on
the continuum. So as you said, anything from a teenager
who feels stressed about their homework to someone who is
actually physically on the brink of suicide or dying by suicide,
we can our volunteers and we've trained over fifty nine
(09:52):
thousand volunteers. Our volunteers are trained in active listening, in
problem solving, in developing cope and identifying coping strategies, in
de escalation and safety planning. So for any situation, the
volunteer knows how to work with a texture who is
(10:15):
in crisis. And we say a crisis to you is
a crisis to us.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
So that means it doesn't have to reach a certain level.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
So when someone reaches out for their homework, that is prevention.
That actually is suicide prevention because we're helping them to
develop coping strategies in that moment for that crisis. Right,
So whatever they feel in that moment needs to be addressed.
We are there to help them, and that is suicide prevention.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
And doctor schi Eerie, I feel like too, you are
saying something so crucial here when a person, a young
teenager reaches out to you, guys because they're stressed about homework.
Depending on how you grew up and what culture you
grew up in, that could be dismissed. You didn't pay attention,
(11:08):
Why didn't you pay attention? Why didn't you blah? And
something as stressed from homework that is major and should
not be dismissed. So I'm so glad that the Crisis
Texting Hotline it's also a teaching moment where it teaches
that person where anything like you said, anything that is
a crisis to you or a problem to you, is
(11:28):
a problem of a crisis to us. Something as stressed
from homework, because you never know, that could be the
last thing the straw that breaks the camel's back, as
they say, that might make a person decide to make
a more permanent decision with their life. But the Crisis
text Line is making it so to where we're not
(11:50):
going to dismiss anything exactly.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
And Crisis text Line is prepared right, We're prepared to.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Meet what we're experiencing now, which is a youth mental
health epidemic. We are losing children of color, Black, latinx Asian,
Native American children of color at rates that exceed their
white counterparts. So in this moment, we have a crisis.
(12:22):
We have an epidemic. We're losing our children, and Crisis
text Line wants to be and is a part of
that solution.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
What is a thread here when we talk about how
we're losing their children? What do you feel like this
is all they needed? What is something? Is a communication?
A safe place? What are our children needing?
Speaker 3 (12:46):
I wish it was as simple as one thing, right,
But what we know from our insights and data, so
we have a post conversation survey that ever read texture
is offered at the end of a text conversation that
they can voluntarily and confidentially complete, and it's from that
(13:08):
that we're able to gather these insights.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
And what these insights have shown us is that music
ah music in fact.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
For younger people and people in their early twenties is
a coping strategy that when asked what helps them, they
turn to music, they turn to time with friends, they
sleep right.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So these are some of the things that we.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Know our textures are choosing, and we can flip that
around and say, when our children are in need, this
is not holistically the answer, but these are options to
offer when they feel stressed. Right. So looking at our
(13:57):
data and insights allows us to offer up some possible
supports for children in general. But you know, we know
children have been through the pandemic, they've been through you know,
the racial and social unrest. They're in the midst of
this political thunderstorm that we're experiencing as a country.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
And they have access to social media.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
So it's this continuous exposure to all of these factors
that I know is we know is impacting our children.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
It's funny you should say all of that because I'm
about to sound like one of the old ages because
when we were growing up, but seriously, docn turn to like,
when we were growing up, we didn't have social media
that was everything is in your face, from politics to everything.
(14:53):
So that when something when there was some unrest. The
only way us as children saw it is if we
happen to rush Biden, Mama or grandma or grandpa was
watching seeing In or whatever their favorite news channel is. Right, So,
not only does that child have homework problems or spat
at school with a friend, but they're also having access
(15:15):
to everything that I think capacity wise that an adult
may have development enough to handle. You know, we see right.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Now, You're absolutely right.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
We know that a child's brain isn't fully developed until
early twenties, and all of the experiences, all of the
things that children are seeing have easy access to.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
It's affecting their brains. It's affecting the way they process
and look at the world.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Right we are with I mean all of these mass shootings, right,
we're telling children that the world is not a safe place,
that their schools are not a safe place.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
They can't you.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Know, they have to opt out of seeing that, right.
They have their phones. It's continuous access on the phones,
it's continuous twenty four seven news cycles. They actually have
to opt out in the way that you or I
would opt in if.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
We wanted to see what was on the news.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
They have to turn it off, shut it off, shut
it down, and that's hard to do.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
So are you saying that we should not give our
children social media to they're in their twenties based on
how their brains develop. I'm just gonna say it. When
I have children, I'm gonna say Doctor Turner said you
cannot have this till till you're twenty five.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
You can blame me. So yes and no, because we
know there's.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Connection through social media, right, So everything in moderation can
be positive or can be negative. So social media, especially
during let's say those deeply isolated pandemic years, was a
connection for children, right who were otherwise in their homes
(17:10):
by themselves oftentimes or just with their families, and social
media allowed them to connect with their peers.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
So it is not all evil.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
It is that adults need to help children understand the parameters,
the boundaries, the times that.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
You're on and times that you're off, and understanding the.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Impact of consuming what they see over social media and
how it frames the world for them.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
I mean, I discovered you, doctor Turner, through Miss Vanessa
through social media, right, So there are good things to
social media. But do you think is there influx of
even young people on neeting the Crisis text line because
of maybe anxiety or depression being induced by social media.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Well, we don't have that direct connection to say social
media caused.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Our textures to text in. What we can.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Say is that we saw in twenty twenty two amongst
our textures an increase actually in conversations for the first
time about relationships and isolation and loneliness. So it's hard
to kind of create that direct correlation, but we know
(18:33):
that social media does impact anxiety, depression and mental health issues,
and our United in Empathy Report in twenty twenty two
makes all of that information available and accessible to the public.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Wow, yes, I definitely see that. How in the last
year of the Crisis text line, it was discovered that
relationship stress, anxiety, or dysfunction were the top stressors of
conversations from people. Yes because people, yes, real people.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
People are people, and we know even the Surgeon General's
report showed that people were dealing with more loneliness and
social disconnect and that could be one of the reasons
that they're struggling with relationships. Right, we were isolated, then
we had to come back together. It's a new school space,
(19:29):
it's a new workplace environment. Everybody's trying to deal and
understand how to best communicate and work with each other
in this new post pandemic environment.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I will say I love traveling and all that good stuff,
but as a person who already likes to stay home
the pandemic, for me, when they said we had to
lock down, I was.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Like, yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
And then I've got other people who are more extroverted
who are like, no, I've got to get out. I've
got to connect with people. But for the people like
me who love staying home, I have found it more
difficult to want to be out because the pandemic made
it okay to stay in and the fact that we
can connect through Zoom. For some of us, work didn't
(20:23):
stop because we have Zoom right right, But at the
same time, it is contributing to loneliness and the dysfunction
in relationships. Yes, when you say that relationship stress was
really a highlight of the calls or the texts that
were coming into the crisis. Text line was it parental relationships, friendships, romantic.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
All kinds interpersonal right, anything between people. One in three
of our conversations discussed the stress and the dysfunction of
human relationships. So that can be parent, child, spouse, friends, parent.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Teacher, teacher child.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Anything where you know two individuals are interacting together can
cause stress, especially if the interaction has to be by
zoom where you don't get that real time experience of
being with someone which you know, which can.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Be positive too.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
I think the pandemic did lend itself to those who
were introverted, feeling comfortable, sort of being at home. But everybody,
the human being, the human element is about some type
of connection, and it's hard to fully connect through a screen.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
We are in a loneliness epidemic. We're not going to
ask how do we be here? Unless this was slowly
but surely on the way, the pandemic just kind of
accelerated it, I believe because we're all everybody's on their phones,
heads are down, so that's starting the lack of connection.
As it is, even when I go home and I'm like, okay,
(22:18):
y'all not talking about nothing at the dinner table, I'm
gonna grab my phone or the phone has been a
buffer between conversations that you know you need to have
maybe at the dinner table you need to connect. There's
so much easier to pick that phone up not have
the conversations that we should have. Doctor.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yes, those difficult face to face conversations that make relationships real,
that make relationships authentic, that ultimately helped to decrease the
loneliness because if you're able to get through those difficult
conversations and reconnect, that's a relationships, that a relationship that's
(22:59):
being rebuilt. Right, That's that's a way to decrease isolation
and loneliness. But you know, especially our children during these
formative years, that's when they learn about how to have
these difficult conversations and when we you know, when they
went through the pandemic and didn't have to interact in
that way. You know, it's far easier to take to
(23:22):
the phone and pick up a text and send a
text that may not be kind right when you don't
have to see someone's face. So it creates a buffer
for that interpersonal relationship that might make you think twice about,
you know, trying to say something harmful or mean to
(23:44):
someone else.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Now, see this, The rest of this conversation that you
and I are having can go two ways, because you
already answered a question I was going to ask about,
what is a way that we can cope with a loneliness,
but some of it is self induced because it's conversation
we are afraid to have. Yes, so some of us
might be lonely because the next question I have, we're
(24:08):
cutting off relationships. I'm just gonna cut you off now,
if you are in an abusive relationship by all means
cut off. Well, what about us this crisis of relationships
where the relationship didn't have to be cut off. We
just weren't mature enough, or maybe we were fearful about
having a difficult conversation.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
And rightfully so, right difficult conversations don't always make us
feel good. Getting to the point of reaching and understanding
does feel good, but you've got to go through the
rough road to get there, right, and that means looking
someone face to face, recognizing the pain that you may
(24:51):
have caused or they may have caused you, and talking
through it without might I say, getting triggered, right, because
we're all bringing past experiences and past relationships to our
present moment and our present relationships. And sometimes we can
be triggered by something that's said, or we can avoid
(25:13):
a relation a conversation because we think that person's going
to trigger us and make us angry, and we're gonna
say something we don't really want to say.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
All right.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I try to use triggers to mature me. Triggers used
to shame. I used to be ashamed of triggers because
I'm like, I'm in therapy. Why does this still trigger me?
Why does the thought of this situation still trigger me?
Why does it hurt me? But we can use it
to mature us to do what we need to do
so that it's no longer a stronghold. It's no longer
(25:52):
like the scent of nuggets, chicken nuggets should make you
go oh, yes, right, I'm just using that as an example,
but even a scent of something, like I said, this
conversation is it can go in so many ways because
we're talking about mental health and even sense. All right, trigger,
(26:13):
yeah right, you know. But I'm thinking of the person
that has to have the difficult conversation, or maybe you're
looking for the person that you have to have a
conversation with. You want their apology, you want to be understood.
And I can imagine that crisis text line too is
probably a lot of people just.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Wanting to be heard, just wanting to be under yes, yes,
they want to be heard, they want to know that
they're valued, they're seeing, they're heard, they're appreciated.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Because it is it is.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
A challenge for us to have the difficult conversations and
triggers are like you said, they're really actually growth opportunities
times when we can respond differently than we have previously. Right,
And I think one of the great things about our
(27:07):
volunteers is they can help textures right who are triggered.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
To problem solve.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Right, So if a previous interaction didn't go well, let's
talk about identifying problem solving skills for this next conversation.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Now does the crisis text line? Because I'm just wondering
when does it? Can the same person text over and over?
Or do you say, hey, do you refer them to
a counselor nine to one one a psychiatric evaluation? How
do y'all help someone where you know you could they
could really benefit from therapy? Right?
Speaker 3 (27:49):
So we are a mental health support and crisis intervention
organization and service, So we leave every conversation for a texter,
the volunteer provides them a resource, so usually something related
to the conversation that they can have on their phone,
(28:10):
either to look up, you know, get more information about
or a something that will help.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Them with their anxiety.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
But we do not make direct referrals to therapists or psychiatrists.
But if someone is at imminent risk of suicide, in
those just one percent of cases.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
So we've had one point.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Three million conversations in twenty twenty two and only one
percent of them really require a wellness check where we
work with a nine to one one call center because
we you know, our clinicians, so our volunteers are supervised
by mental health professionals, and the mental health professional who
(28:59):
supervised that conversation in conjunction with the volunteer has to
determined that this person is really at risk.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
And we need to engage nine to one.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
One call center for a wellness check to ensure that
they are not going to harm themselves.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
The Crisis text Line again is a free twenty four
to seven mental health support service via text and web chat.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
In English and in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Come on, what is the Crisis text Line? How can
people get to the Crisis text Line?
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Yes, anyone can text help or Hello to seven four
one seven four one.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
To reach us by text.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
They can text Ayuda and our Spanish service is bilingual
and bicultural, so it's not a translational service. These are
all live volunteers English and Spanish speaking, and they are
supervised for the Spanish service by bilingual mental health professionals,
(30:06):
So it's having a live person on the other end
is fundamental to the work that we do.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Seven four one, seven four one, the Crisis Text Price
Last text Line, Yeah, and volunteers. It peaked my interest
as well. What is the qualification for someone to maybe
want a volunteer.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Yes, so our volunteers have to be over the age
of eighteen, They fill out an application, they go through
background screening, and then they have approximately a thirty hour
online self paced training. We have trained fifty nine thousand
volunteers in our ten year history and they are trained on,
(30:53):
like I said before, active listening, empathy, coping strategies, problem solving,
really skills that they have then told us have helped
them in their relationships outside of the work that they
do volunteering for Crisis text Line. So we feel like
we're creating skill sets for people to spread empathy, to.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Listen better even outside of the work that they do
for Crisis Text Line.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
So basically, if you lack empathy and patience. Please do
not sign up to be a volunteer. Tell us about
wait a minute, you text me about this already. No, no, no,
you might not.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
We think our training is very good right at helping
people to develop those skills.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And so it can be developed. Okay, all right, not everyone.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
You know, reaching out and helping someone in crisis is
not something that everyone feels like they are prepared to do.
But for anyone who wants to help someone else, we
will give them the skills. We will make sure they
are supported so that they can become a volunteer.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
It's so good, so good. Thank you so much, y'all.
Crisis textline again is twenty four seven. I love what
she said. If it is a crisis to you, it
is a crisis to us. That is so good. I
wanted to ask you some more about trauma and as
(32:32):
a pediatrician and an intern, is what does trauma do
to the mind?
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Right?
Speaker 3 (32:40):
So we know now the adverse childhood experiences. Was that
sentinel study back in the early nineties that made that
connection between mental health issues and sort of key events
traumatic events that happened to children between the age of
(33:02):
zero and eighteen, And why that is such a significant
timeframe is that that's when brain development is happening. That is,
those are the years when a child's brain is fully developing. Right,
So a child who has experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse,
(33:23):
emotional abuse, neglect, family dysfunction, right, witnessing, spousal abuse, abuse,
those are all things that are affecting how that child's.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Brain is developing.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
So all of the pathways, the stress response is how
we view the world. This our safe, our view of
our perception of safety. All of those things are formed
during those important you know, zero to early twenties when
brain development is occurring. We know that, and that significant
(34:00):
trauma has actually been shown on MRI and PET scan
to impact and to affect the actual physiology of the brain.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Yeah, I ask you that because you've served so many positions,
the Deputy Secretary for Health and the interim State Surgeon
General for the Florida Department of Health. Y'all, the resume
is amazing. A faculty consultant for the National Center for
Trauma Informed Care. The reason why I ask about trauma
(34:34):
because we're hearing that word so much more, and I'm
glad that people are defining what trauma is. Someone that's
maybe not really have a lot of training and mental
health or maybe you haven't. I'm still currently in therapy,
been for years, So I know that trauma is more
(34:54):
than seeing blood maybe, yes, Okay, Trauma is more than
maybe a physical wound inflicted upon you by someone.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Right.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Trauma is witnessing the abuse, right.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Witnessing or experiencing, and then how that trauma.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Affects you as an individual. Right. So where two people.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Could have had similar childhood experiences, the response in their bodies,
the changes in their bodies can be very different.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
But we know.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
That the things that I listed out, the abuse and
neglect and dysfunction, affect our interpersonal relationships.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
It affects our minds.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Right, the average childhood experienced study will say, you know, depression,
It can be the normal response of the brain to situations,
to traumatic situations. Right, The brain just wants to shut down,
slows it down, shut it out, right, or we become
(36:06):
and the brain becomes hypervigilant. Right, where everything is a
potentially dangerous situation and everybody experiences trauma can experience trauma differently.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
We know some of the classic symptoms.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
But we're learning more and more about trauma every day
and the impact that it has on behavior and mental
health and physical health and teenage pregnancy.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
I mean the expanse of which you know through which trauma.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Touches people and touches lives, and then intergenerational trauma, right,
the epigenetics, the changes in our DNA that can occur
due to significant trauma.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
She's getting down really in a science of trauma. Sounded
like a neuroscientist to me, because then I want to
start asking you, Okay, well, neuroplasticity that can be reversed
or healed, yay or nay?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Well, you know, we know that children's brains have neuroplasticity,
that they are able to compensate it because they are continuing.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
To grow, right, continuing to develop.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
What's positive are the supports? Right, So the supports around
a child who has experienced trauma can help build you know, the.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
R word, resilience.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
But we can't underestimate the impact that trauma has had.
But we have to look at what supports are we
able to provide to a child, either inside or outside
of their family, because to be honest, right, some of
the trauma occurs within our families.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
What are the supports.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Available Okay, So going back to the crisis text line,
You've got children who are in situations they're experiencing trauma
in the home.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
What kind of.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Help is there? What should that child do experiencing trauma
in the home from a parent?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Right, so they're always able to text crisis text line
and again, depending on the conversation, if the child is
at risk, then that would be a situation where potentially
the mental health professional and the volunteer reach out for
a wellness check.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Again, like, if we feel like a child is at risk.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
So is the volunteer is placed with the mental health
professional maybe on that same text thread or just as needed.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
Yes, So let me explain our platform we've created. We
created a platform so the texture will text in, the
volunteer will be on their laptop, they will respond to
that texture, and the supervisor, the mental health professional, our
crisis supervisor, will also be able to follow that conversation. Now,
(39:18):
the volunteer has been trained, so the volunteer knows how
to engage with the texture, but the mental health professional
is always there to supervise, provide you answers to questions.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
You know, how should I handle this?
Speaker 3 (39:35):
If the volunteer asks that and then when the situation
is such that the texture has we feel that the
texture is at imminent risk of suicide, where they have
a thought of suicide, they have.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
A means, they have a plan.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Then seamlessly, the mental health professional can support that texture
and communicate with the nine to one one call center
as needed.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Wow, Crisis text Line y'all is amazing the work doctor
shay Erie Turner, Chief health officer of the Crisis text
Line y'all. We talked about an array of things, trauma, loneliness,
what the pandemic has done with us connecting, Doctor sha Erie.
(40:23):
What are resources that you have that we can follow
and get.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
So please come to our website Crisis Textline dot org.
We have resources. We have the web page for those
who want to volunteer. We have our United and Empathy Report.
We have our Mental Health School Supply Toolkit, which as
we approach the beginning of school, we have tools for students,
(40:50):
for administrators, for parents. How do you talk about suicide?
How do you talk about mental health? How do I
tell my parents that I'm strungruging with my mental health?
Speaker 2 (41:01):
All of these resources are available on.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
Our website on our Mental Health School supply toolkit.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
We have issue briefs about.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
Trauma, about gun violence and mental health issues, all of
the things that can impact mental health. We have our
Youth Resilience Report that talks about our coping strategies, the
coping strategies that our textures use to help them find
ways to cope.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
During stress and during crises.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
So we just have a plethora of resources on our website.
We have web chat and again we have access to
Crisis text Line at seven four one seven four one.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
I will echo again seven four one seven four one.
The resources are here. Crisis text line lets you know
you are not alone. Doctor Turna just gave us so
much stuff for back to school. There are all sorts
of things, y'all. You don't have to be by yourself.
(42:06):
You are not by yourself. Those voices that are in
your head that tell you no one understands what you're
going through. That's not true.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
That that is not true.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Come on, that is not true, doctor Turner. Thank you
so so much, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
You are amazing. Continue doing the work that you are doing.
Speaker 3 (42:25):
Uplifting, yes, advocating.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
Thank you, yes, ma'am, y'all.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
The Crisis text line is revolutionary, something that you know,
I feel like I'm getting to the age where I'm like, man,
I wish I had that going up. Everything that doctor
Turner discussed about the crisis text line again, it is
seven four one seven for one Because even if you're
listening right now and you feel stuck, you feel like
(42:58):
you don't have anyone to talk to, you feel like
someone will not understand, Please go right now to seven
four one, seven four one. It is the Crisis text Line.
I'm so thankful for doctor Shairi Turner, who by schooling
is a pediatrician and internist and is following her passion
(43:22):
now as the Crisis text Line Chief help Officer. Y'all
please go and get this help that you need. It
is a free resource. You got this and you will
make it. Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production
(43:55):
of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Checking In with Michelle Williams, a production of
iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. What if I told you
(00:20):
that there's a free mental health resource that you can
text whenever you feel like you need help with your anxiety, depression,
or even loneliness. Well, I'll be sharing that in more
coming up next on Checking In. I'm really really thrilled
(00:44):
about today's episode checking In. It really is about the
foundation of checking in everything as it relates to mental health. Today,
we have someone amazing and interness and pediatrician with expertise
and trauma informed practices and mental health and she is
(01:04):
currently the chief health officer of the Crisis text line.
You guys give it up and please welcome doctor Shayy
returner to Checking In.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Thank you, Michelle.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
It's an honor to be here have this conversation with you.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Absolutely absolutely. Do you still have your podcast? Did I
hear correctly?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So? I did a podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
We have a partnership with Nike, and we did the
No Off Season podcast which was about nine episodes talking
to different athletes and lead athletes about their mental health journey.
And I was able to honor to do some of
those interviews. Just hear the incredible stories that they've shared.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
That is so amazing. I'm so glad that a company
like Nike has something like this because mental health and
mental illness can affect everybody. Just because somebody might have
had a perfect score, you know, probably does not mean
that they have not been dealing with probably the anxiety
that it takes to you know, uh.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
An a lead athlete, so tremendous stress, strain expectations, right,
and then you also deal with the you know, the
outward appearance right of having to always be at the
top of your game.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, well, thank you so much for sharing
you guys. Let me tell you the power of social media.
I love that it can connect and if you use
it right, relationships can be formed and opportunities can really
be in the palm of your hand. I'm sure y'all
have heard of the crisis text line and we have
(02:50):
SHAIRI as the chief help officer. Can you just give
us my mind is blown? First of all, intern is pediatrician.
Let's pivot back there first.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
It makes it.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
The whole story is so I grew up in the
Bronx and wanted to be actually the first physician in
my family. I went to Stanford as an undergrad and
then Case Western really with the aspiration Case Western for
medical school, and then I went to Harvard for the
(03:24):
Medicine Pediatrics Combined program, really aspiring to treat underserved populations
as a primary care physician. And then an experience with
a close family friend who died by suicide in prison,
someone who I considered family.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
You know, back then it.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Was really an obvious cycle of trauma that existed within
the family before we really acknowledge the impact of trauma.
So that occurred during my first year resident and see
and kind of sat in the back of my mind
as I went through and finished my residency and then
had the opportunity to do a practicum and get my
(04:12):
Masters of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
And it was a minority health policy fellowship, so we
were expected and asked to work with organizations around public health.
And I chose actually the Department of Youth Services in
Massachusetts and looked at the impact of their substance abuse
(04:34):
policies on the many black and brown children who were there,
and I'll never forget the administrator said to me, if
you could treat hopelessness, you would solve a lot of
the issues for these kids, and it didn't. Again, it
was like a seed that Land did that didn't really
speak to trauma because we weren't talking about childhood.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Trauma back then.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
But I then had the opportunity to be the first
chief medical director at the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice,
which incarcerated many, many black and brown children, and from
there just gained an understanding about trauma and adverse childhood
(05:19):
experiences and how that interplays with mental health, physical health,
the behavioral issues that these children were experiencing because they
had horrific childhood trauma stories experiences. And then spent some
time at the Florida Department of Health and a few
(05:41):
years later wound up at Crisis text Line, where I
became the chief medical Officer and then ultimately the Chief
Health Officer.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
But it combines all of my passions, just mental.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Health, trauma, public health because we reached so many people. Yeah,
so you know, it's all things coming together. Life is
a journey right.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Now, Wow, are you still able to practice as a
pediatrician now that you are the chief health Officer?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I do not have time to still practice and see
patients at this point.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Ooh, how many patients were upset?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
This was a wayte back.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I actually stopped practicing when I moved to Florida because
it really public health was a passion for me, and
being able to help large groups of people, like in
juvenile justice setting like Department of Health, and like our textures,
just to touch so many people in their times of need,
(06:43):
in their times of pain.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Wow. I asked that I have an uncle who is
a doctor, a family practice physician, and he did some
type of pivoting where I think he's now more in
public health and community health, and so he left your
more traditional health system. Yes, And I was like, oh,
my gosh, how many patients are probably so sad that
(07:06):
you know they can no longer see you. But you know,
passion and calling, you must follow it, even when you
may even disappoint people or make people sad. Because I'm
sure you had some favorite patients and you were probably
their favorite. So I can understand how difficult it was
to make that transition, which will encourage our listeners. Everybody
(07:29):
at so many walks of life are going to have
to make some type of decision. Here you are, I'm
sure at the top of the game. Medically, you know,
making this decision, not saying that you made a bad dish.
I'm not I hope it's not signing that way, but
a transition.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
You know.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
It's easier probably to work in a health system, you know,
and making all the money and all this, and then
you're like, no, I'm going to serve a demographic that
probably gets ignored and turned away way if they don't
make a certain type of progress.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Right, No, you're right on target.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I believe that life is a journey and you should
look for opportunities to find joy in the work that
you do and find passion in the work that you do,
and that may mean pivoting several times to get to
that place. Right and for me, Crisis text Line we
serve people of color, we serve all people, but we've
(08:28):
found that our service reaches younger people. So seventy percent
of our textures are under the age of twenty four.
We know that we over index for BIPOC textures, so
we're getting out into communities that don't otherwise have access
to mental health and crisis intervention services. And over fifty
(08:49):
percent of our textures are LGBTQIA plus, so we're really
meeting a need for individuals who may not otherwise have
access to mental health support.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
That is so good. So what I do know about
the crisis text line is obviously twenty four to seven. Yes,
it ranges from everything to people can text about anxiety, depression,
eating disorders, anything self harming behavior. So is that what
makes the crisis text line different from a suicide prevention hotline?
Speaker 3 (09:27):
So we view and we operate crisis text line on
the continuum. So as you said, anything from a teenager
who feels stressed about their homework to someone who is
actually physically on the brink of suicide or dying by suicide,
we can our volunteers and we've trained over fifty nine
(09:52):
thousand volunteers. Our volunteers are trained in active listening, in
problem solving, in developing cope and identifying coping strategies, in
de escalation and safety planning. So for any situation, the
volunteer knows how to work with a texture who is
(10:15):
in crisis. And we say a crisis to you is
a crisis to us.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
So that means it doesn't have to reach a certain level.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
So when someone reaches out for their homework, that is prevention.
That actually is suicide prevention because we're helping them to
develop coping strategies in that moment for that crisis. Right,
So whatever they feel in that moment needs to be addressed.
We are there to help them, and that is suicide prevention.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
And doctor schi Eerie, I feel like too, you are
saying something so crucial here when a person, a young
teenager reaches out to you, guys because they're stressed about homework.
Depending on how you grew up and what culture you
grew up in, that could be dismissed. You didn't pay attention,
(11:08):
Why didn't you pay attention? Why didn't you blah? And
something as stressed from homework that is major and should
not be dismissed. So I'm so glad that the Crisis
Texting Hotline it's also a teaching moment where it teaches
that person where anything like you said, anything that is
a crisis to you or a problem to you, is
(11:28):
a problem of a crisis to us. Something as stressed
from homework, because you never know, that could be the
last thing the straw that breaks the camel's back, as
they say, that might make a person decide to make
a more permanent decision with their life. But the Crisis
text Line is making it so to where we're not
(11:50):
going to dismiss anything exactly.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
And Crisis text Line is prepared right, We're prepared to.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Meet what we're experiencing now, which is a youth mental
health epidemic. We are losing children of color, Black, latinx Asian,
Native American children of color at rates that exceed their
white counterparts. So in this moment, we have a crisis.
(12:22):
We have an epidemic. We're losing our children, and Crisis
text Line wants to be and is a part of
that solution.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
What is a thread here when we talk about how
we're losing their children? What do you feel like this
is all they needed? What is something? Is a communication?
A safe place? What are our children needing?
Speaker 3 (12:46):
I wish it was as simple as one thing, right,
But what we know from our insights and data, so
we have a post conversation survey that ever read texture
is offered at the end of a text conversation that
they can voluntarily and confidentially complete, and it's from that
(13:08):
that we're able to gather these insights.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
And what these insights have shown us is that music
ah music in fact.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
For younger people and people in their early twenties is
a coping strategy that when asked what helps them, they
turn to music, they turn to time with friends, they
sleep right.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So these are some of the things that we.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
Know our textures are choosing, and we can flip that
around and say, when our children are in need, this
is not holistically the answer, but these are options to
offer when they feel stressed. Right. So looking at our
(13:57):
data and insights allows us to offer up some possible
supports for children in general. But you know, we know
children have been through the pandemic, they've been through you know,
the racial and social unrest. They're in the midst of
this political thunderstorm that we're experiencing as a country.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
And they have access to social media.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
So it's this continuous exposure to all of these factors
that I know is we know is impacting our children.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
It's funny you should say all of that because I'm
about to sound like one of the old ages because
when we were growing up, but seriously, docn turn to like,
when we were growing up, we didn't have social media
that was everything is in your face, from politics to everything.
(14:53):
So that when something when there was some unrest. The
only way us as children saw it is if we
happen to rush Biden, Mama or grandma or grandpa was
watching seeing In or whatever their favorite news channel is. Right, So,
not only does that child have homework problems or spat
at school with a friend, but they're also having access
(15:15):
to everything that I think capacity wise that an adult
may have development enough to handle. You know, we see right.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Now, You're absolutely right.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
We know that a child's brain isn't fully developed until
early twenties, and all of the experiences, all of the
things that children are seeing have easy access to.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
It's affecting their brains. It's affecting the way they process
and look at the world.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Right we are with I mean all of these mass shootings, right,
we're telling children that the world is not a safe place,
that their schools are not a safe place.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
They can't you.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Know, they have to opt out of seeing that, right.
They have their phones. It's continuous access on the phones,
it's continuous twenty four seven news cycles. They actually have
to opt out in the way that you or I
would opt in if.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
We wanted to see what was on the news.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
They have to turn it off, shut it off, shut
it down, and that's hard to do.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
So are you saying that we should not give our
children social media to they're in their twenties based on
how their brains develop. I'm just gonna say it. When
I have children, I'm gonna say Doctor Turner said you
cannot have this till till you're twenty five.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
You can blame me. So yes and no, because we
know there's.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Connection through social media, right, So everything in moderation can
be positive or can be negative. So social media, especially
during let's say those deeply isolated pandemic years, was a
connection for children, right who were otherwise in their homes
(17:10):
by themselves oftentimes or just with their families, and social
media allowed them to connect with their peers.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
So it is not all evil.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
It is that adults need to help children understand the parameters,
the boundaries, the times that.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
You're on and times that you're off, and understanding the.
Speaker 3 (17:31):
Impact of consuming what they see over social media and
how it frames the world for them.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
I mean, I discovered you, doctor Turner, through Miss Vanessa
through social media, right, So there are good things to
social media. But do you think is there influx of
even young people on neeting the Crisis text line because
of maybe anxiety or depression being induced by social media.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Well, we don't have that direct connection to say social
media caused.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Our textures to text in. What we can.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
Say is that we saw in twenty twenty two amongst
our textures an increase actually in conversations for the first
time about relationships and isolation and loneliness. So it's hard
to kind of create that direct correlation, but we know
(18:33):
that social media does impact anxiety, depression and mental health issues,
and our United in Empathy Report in twenty twenty two
makes all of that information available and accessible to the public.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Wow, yes, I definitely see that. How in the last
year of the Crisis text line, it was discovered that
relationship stress, anxiety, or dysfunction were the top stressors of
conversations from people. Yes because people, yes, real people.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
People are people, and we know even the Surgeon General's
report showed that people were dealing with more loneliness and
social disconnect and that could be one of the reasons
that they're struggling with relationships. Right, we were isolated, then
we had to come back together. It's a new school space,
(19:29):
it's a new workplace environment. Everybody's trying to deal and
understand how to best communicate and work with each other
in this new post pandemic environment.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
I will say I love traveling and all that good stuff,
but as a person who already likes to stay home
the pandemic, for me, when they said we had to
lock down, I was.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Like, yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
And then I've got other people who are more extroverted
who are like, no, I've got to get out. I've
got to connect with people. But for the people like
me who love staying home, I have found it more
difficult to want to be out because the pandemic made
it okay to stay in and the fact that we
can connect through Zoom. For some of us, work didn't
(20:23):
stop because we have Zoom right right, But at the
same time, it is contributing to loneliness and the dysfunction
in relationships. Yes, when you say that relationship stress was
really a highlight of the calls or the texts that
were coming into the crisis. Text line was it parental relationships, friendships, romantic.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
All kinds interpersonal right, anything between people. One in three
of our conversations discussed the stress and the dysfunction of
human relationships. So that can be parent, child, spouse, friends, parent.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Teacher, teacher child.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
Anything where you know two individuals are interacting together can
cause stress, especially if the interaction has to be by
zoom where you don't get that real time experience of
being with someone which you know, which can.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Be positive too.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Right.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
I think the pandemic did lend itself to those who
were introverted, feeling comfortable, sort of being at home. But everybody,
the human being, the human element is about some type
of connection, and it's hard to fully connect through a screen.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
We are in a loneliness epidemic. We're not going to
ask how do we be here? Unless this was slowly
but surely on the way, the pandemic just kind of
accelerated it, I believe because we're all everybody's on their phones,
heads are down, so that's starting the lack of connection.
As it is, even when I go home and I'm like, okay,
(22:18):
y'all not talking about nothing at the dinner table, I'm
gonna grab my phone or the phone has been a
buffer between conversations that you know you need to have
maybe at the dinner table you need to connect. There's
so much easier to pick that phone up not have
the conversations that we should have. Doctor.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yes, those difficult face to face conversations that make relationships real,
that make relationships authentic, that ultimately helped to decrease the
loneliness because if you're able to get through those difficult
conversations and reconnect, that's a relationships, that a relationship that's
(22:59):
being rebuilt. Right, That's that's a way to decrease isolation
and loneliness. But you know, especially our children during these
formative years, that's when they learn about how to have
these difficult conversations and when we you know, when they
went through the pandemic and didn't have to interact in
that way. You know, it's far easier to take to
(23:22):
the phone and pick up a text and send a
text that may not be kind right when you don't
have to see someone's face. So it creates a buffer
for that interpersonal relationship that might make you think twice about,
you know, trying to say something harmful or mean to
(23:44):
someone else.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Now, see this, The rest of this conversation that you
and I are having can go two ways, because you
already answered a question I was going to ask about,
what is a way that we can cope with a loneliness,
but some of it is self induced because it's conversation
we are afraid to have. Yes, so some of us
might be lonely because the next question I have, we're
(24:08):
cutting off relationships. I'm just gonna cut you off now,
if you are in an abusive relationship by all means
cut off. Well, what about us this crisis of relationships
where the relationship didn't have to be cut off. We
just weren't mature enough, or maybe we were fearful about
having a difficult conversation.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
And rightfully so, right difficult conversations don't always make us
feel good. Getting to the point of reaching and understanding
does feel good, but you've got to go through the
rough road to get there, right, and that means looking
someone face to face, recognizing the pain that you may
(24:51):
have caused or they may have caused you, and talking
through it without might I say, getting triggered, right, because
we're all bringing past experiences and past relationships to our
present moment and our present relationships. And sometimes we can
be triggered by something that's said, or we can avoid
(25:13):
a relation a conversation because we think that person's going
to trigger us and make us angry, and we're gonna
say something we don't really want to say.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
All right.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I try to use triggers to mature me. Triggers used
to shame. I used to be ashamed of triggers because
I'm like, I'm in therapy. Why does this still trigger me?
Why does the thought of this situation still trigger me?
Why does it hurt me? But we can use it
to mature us to do what we need to do
so that it's no longer a stronghold. It's no longer
(25:52):
like the scent of nuggets, chicken nuggets should make you
go oh, yes, right, I'm just using that as an example,
but even a scent of something, like I said, this
conversation is it can go in so many ways because
we're talking about mental health and even sense. All right, trigger,
(26:13):
yeah right, you know. But I'm thinking of the person
that has to have the difficult conversation, or maybe you're
looking for the person that you have to have a
conversation with. You want their apology, you want to be understood.
And I can imagine that crisis text line too is
probably a lot of people just.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Wanting to be heard, just wanting to be under yes, yes,
they want to be heard, they want to know that
they're valued, they're seeing, they're heard, they're appreciated.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Because it is it is.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
A challenge for us to have the difficult conversations and
triggers are like you said, they're really actually growth opportunities
times when we can respond differently than we have previously. Right,
And I think one of the great things about our
(27:07):
volunteers is they can help textures right who are triggered.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
To problem solve.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Right, So if a previous interaction didn't go well, let's
talk about identifying problem solving skills for this next conversation.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Now does the crisis text line? Because I'm just wondering
when does it? Can the same person text over and over?
Or do you say, hey, do you refer them to
a counselor nine to one one a psychiatric evaluation? How
do y'all help someone where you know you could they
could really benefit from therapy? Right?
Speaker 3 (27:49):
So we are a mental health support and crisis intervention
organization and service, So we leave every conversation for a texter,
the volunteer provides them a resource, so usually something related
to the conversation that they can have on their phone,
(28:10):
either to look up, you know, get more information about
or a something that will help.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Them with their anxiety.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
But we do not make direct referrals to therapists or psychiatrists.
But if someone is at imminent risk of suicide, in
those just one percent of cases.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
So we've had one point.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
Three million conversations in twenty twenty two and only one
percent of them really require a wellness check where we
work with a nine to one one call center because
we you know, our clinicians, so our volunteers are supervised
by mental health professionals, and the mental health professional who
(28:59):
supervised that conversation in conjunction with the volunteer has to
determined that this person is really at risk.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
And we need to engage nine to one.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
One call center for a wellness check to ensure that
they are not going to harm themselves.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
The Crisis text Line again is a free twenty four
to seven mental health support service via text and web chat.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
In English and in Spanish.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
Come on, what is the Crisis text Line? How can
people get to the Crisis text Line?
Speaker 3 (29:35):
Yes, anyone can text help or Hello to seven four
one seven four one.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
To reach us by text.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
They can text Ayuda and our Spanish service is bilingual
and bicultural, so it's not a translational service. These are
all live volunteers English and Spanish speaking, and they are
supervised for the Spanish service by bilingual mental health professionals,
(30:06):
So it's having a live person on the other end
is fundamental to the work that we do.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Seven four one, seven four one, the Crisis Text Price
Last text Line, Yeah, and volunteers. It peaked my interest
as well. What is the qualification for someone to maybe
want a volunteer.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Yes, so our volunteers have to be over the age
of eighteen, They fill out an application, they go through
background screening, and then they have approximately a thirty hour
online self paced training. We have trained fifty nine thousand
volunteers in our ten year history and they are trained on,
(30:53):
like I said before, active listening, empathy, coping strategies, problem solving,
really skills that they have then told us have helped
them in their relationships outside of the work that they
do volunteering for Crisis text Line. So we feel like
we're creating skill sets for people to spread empathy, to.
Speaker 2 (31:18):
Listen better even outside of the work that they do
for Crisis Text Line.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
So basically, if you lack empathy and patience. Please do
not sign up to be a volunteer. Tell us about
wait a minute, you text me about this already. No, no, no,
you might not.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
We think our training is very good right at helping
people to develop those skills.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And so it can be developed. Okay, all right, not everyone.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
You know, reaching out and helping someone in crisis is
not something that everyone feels like they are prepared to do.
But for anyone who wants to help someone else, we
will give them the skills. We will make sure they
are supported so that they can become a volunteer.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
It's so good, so good. Thank you so much, y'all.
Crisis textline again is twenty four seven. I love what
she said. If it is a crisis to you, it
is a crisis to us. That is so good. I
wanted to ask you some more about trauma and as
(32:32):
a pediatrician and an intern, is what does trauma do
to the mind?
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Right?
Speaker 3 (32:40):
So we know now the adverse childhood experiences. Was that
sentinel study back in the early nineties that made that
connection between mental health issues and sort of key events
traumatic events that happened to children between the age of
(33:02):
zero and eighteen, And why that is such a significant
timeframe is that that's when brain development is happening. That is,
those are the years when a child's brain is fully developing. Right,
So a child who has experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse,
(33:23):
emotional abuse, neglect, family dysfunction, right, witnessing, spousal abuse, abuse,
those are all things that are affecting how that child's.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Brain is developing.
Speaker 3 (33:38):
So all of the pathways, the stress response is how
we view the world. This our safe, our view of
our perception of safety. All of those things are formed
during those important you know, zero to early twenties when
brain development is occurring. We know that, and that significant
(34:00):
trauma has actually been shown on MRI and PET scan
to impact and to affect the actual physiology of the brain.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
Yeah, I ask you that because you've served so many positions,
the Deputy Secretary for Health and the interim State Surgeon
General for the Florida Department of Health. Y'all, the resume
is amazing. A faculty consultant for the National Center for
Trauma Informed Care. The reason why I ask about trauma
(34:34):
because we're hearing that word so much more, and I'm
glad that people are defining what trauma is. Someone that's
maybe not really have a lot of training and mental
health or maybe you haven't. I'm still currently in therapy,
been for years, So I know that trauma is more
(34:54):
than seeing blood maybe, yes, Okay, Trauma is more than
maybe a physical wound inflicted upon you by someone.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Right.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Trauma is witnessing the abuse, right.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Witnessing or experiencing, and then how that trauma.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Affects you as an individual. Right. So where two people.
Speaker 3 (35:21):
Could have had similar childhood experiences, the response in their bodies,
the changes in their bodies can be very different.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
But we know.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
That the things that I listed out, the abuse and
neglect and dysfunction, affect our interpersonal relationships.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
It affects our minds.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Right, the average childhood experienced study will say, you know, depression,
It can be the normal response of the brain to situations,
to traumatic situations. Right, The brain just wants to shut down,
slows it down, shut it out, right, or we become
(36:06):
and the brain becomes hypervigilant. Right, where everything is a
potentially dangerous situation and everybody experiences trauma can experience trauma differently.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
We know some of the classic symptoms.
Speaker 3 (36:20):
But we're learning more and more about trauma every day
and the impact that it has on behavior and mental
health and physical health and teenage pregnancy.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
I mean the expanse of which you know through which trauma.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Touches people and touches lives, and then intergenerational trauma, right,
the epigenetics, the changes in our DNA that can occur
due to significant trauma.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
She's getting down really in a science of trauma. Sounded
like a neuroscientist to me, because then I want to
start asking you, Okay, well, neuroplasticity that can be reversed
or healed, yay or nay?
Speaker 3 (37:12):
Well, you know, we know that children's brains have neuroplasticity,
that they are able to compensate it because they are continuing.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
To grow, right, continuing to develop.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
What's positive are the supports? Right, So the supports around
a child who has experienced trauma can help build you know, the.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
R word, resilience.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
But we can't underestimate the impact that trauma has had.
But we have to look at what supports are we
able to provide to a child, either inside or outside
of their family, because to be honest, right, some of
the trauma occurs within our families.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
What are the supports.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
Available Okay, So going back to the crisis text line,
You've got children who are in situations they're experiencing trauma
in the home.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
What kind of.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
Help is there? What should that child do experiencing trauma
in the home from a parent?
Speaker 3 (38:21):
Right, so they're always able to text crisis text line
and again, depending on the conversation, if the child is
at risk, then that would be a situation where potentially
the mental health professional and the volunteer reach out for
a wellness check.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Again, like, if we feel like a child is at risk.
Speaker 1 (38:44):
So is the volunteer is placed with the mental health
professional maybe on that same text thread or just as needed.
Speaker 3 (38:53):
Yes, So let me explain our platform we've created. We
created a platform so the texture will text in, the
volunteer will be on their laptop, they will respond to
that texture, and the supervisor, the mental health professional, our
crisis supervisor, will also be able to follow that conversation. Now,
(39:18):
the volunteer has been trained, so the volunteer knows how
to engage with the texture, but the mental health professional
is always there to supervise, provide you answers to questions.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
You know, how should I handle this?
Speaker 3 (39:35):
If the volunteer asks that and then when the situation
is such that the texture has we feel that the
texture is at imminent risk of suicide, where they have
a thought of suicide, they have.
Speaker 2 (39:47):
A means, they have a plan.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Then seamlessly, the mental health professional can support that texture
and communicate with the nine to one one call center
as needed.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Wow, Crisis text Line y'all is amazing the work doctor
shay Erie Turner, Chief health officer of the Crisis text
Line y'all. We talked about an array of things, trauma, loneliness,
what the pandemic has done with us connecting, Doctor sha Erie.
(40:23):
What are resources that you have that we can follow
and get.
Speaker 3 (40:27):
So please come to our website Crisis Textline dot org.
We have resources. We have the web page for those
who want to volunteer. We have our United and Empathy Report.
We have our Mental Health School Supply Toolkit, which as
we approach the beginning of school, we have tools for students,
(40:50):
for administrators, for parents. How do you talk about suicide?
How do you talk about mental health? How do I
tell my parents that I'm strungruging with my mental health?
Speaker 2 (41:01):
All of these resources are available on.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
Our website on our Mental Health School supply toolkit.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
We have issue briefs about.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
Trauma, about gun violence and mental health issues, all of
the things that can impact mental health. We have our
Youth Resilience Report that talks about our coping strategies, the
coping strategies that our textures use to help them find
ways to cope.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
During stress and during crises.
Speaker 3 (41:32):
So we just have a plethora of resources on our website.
We have web chat and again we have access to
Crisis text Line at seven four one seven four one.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
That's it.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
I will echo again seven four one seven four one.
The resources are here. Crisis text line lets you know
you are not alone. Doctor Turna just gave us so
much stuff for back to school. There are all sorts
of things, y'all. You don't have to be by yourself.
(42:06):
You are not by yourself. Those voices that are in
your head that tell you no one understands what you're
going through. That's not true.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
That that is not true.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Come on, that is not true, doctor Turner. Thank you
so so much, Michelle.
Speaker 2 (42:21):
You are amazing. Continue doing the work that you are doing.
Speaker 3 (42:25):
Uplifting, yes, advocating.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
Thank you, yes, ma'am, y'all.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
The Crisis text line is revolutionary, something that you know,
I feel like I'm getting to the age where I'm like, man,
I wish I had that going up. Everything that doctor
Turner discussed about the crisis text line again, it is
seven four one seven for one Because even if you're
listening right now and you feel stuck, you feel like
(42:58):
you don't have anyone to talk to, you feel like
someone will not understand, Please go right now to seven
four one, seven four one. It is the Crisis text Line.
I'm so thankful for doctor Shairi Turner, who by schooling
is a pediatrician and internist and is following her passion
(43:22):
now as the Crisis text Line Chief help Officer. Y'all
please go and get this help that you need. It
is a free resource. You got this and you will
make it. Checking In with Michelle Williams is a production
(43:55):
of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,
visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen
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