Changing the Conversation on Grief and Mental Health: An Interview with Dr. Robert C. Smith
In this episode of 'Grief is the New Normal,' Dr. Heather Taylor, a licensed psychologist and grief specialist, hosts Dr. Robert Smith, author of 'Has Medicine Lost Its Mind.' The discussion focuses on the inadequacies in medical training regarding mental health and grief support. Dr. Smith shares his personal experiences and insights into the gaps in primary care mental health training, emphasizing the need for systemic change in medical education. Both doctors discuss the mismanagement of grief in the medical model and stress the importance of community and family support in navigating grief. The conversation aims to raise awareness and advocate for reform in how mental health care is approached in the medical field.
00:00 Introduction to Grief is the New Normal
00:24 Introducing Dr. Robert Smith
01:09 Dr. Smith's Journey in Medicine
05:11 The Crisis in Mental Health Training
09:43 The Role of Grief in Mental Health
20:21 Stigma and Mental Health
23:52 Call to Action: Reforming Mental Health Care
32:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Robert C. Smith, MD, MACP is a University Distinguished Professor and a Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry Emeritus at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. With many publications, awards, and strong grant support, he has been involved in teaching and research in patient-centered communication and in primary care mental health since 1985.
He and his colleagues defined the first evidence-based patient-centered interview, now published in a popular interviewing textbook, Smith’s Patient-Centered Interviewing: An Evidence-Based Method (4th edition, McGraw Hill, 2018). It is used in medical, nursing, and other health care schools in the USA and abroad for teaching interviewing and the doctor-patient relationship.
Dr. Smith’s group also identified the first evidence-based method, the Mental Health Care Model, to guide primary care clinicians in managing mental health and substance use problems. Essentials of Psychiatry in Primary Care: Behavioral Health in the Medical Setting (McGraw Hill 2019) resulted and is widely used to teach primary care mental health.
Dr. Smith’s next book is for the public: Has Medicine Lost Its Mind? will be published by Prometheus Books in March 2025. It addresses the poor state of mental health care in the US, why it occurred, what needs to be done, and how to accomplish this politically. Details are available on his website: https://www.robertcsmithmd.com/.
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Grief is the New Normal is the podcast that refuses to sugarcoat loss—because grief isn’t a problem to fix, it’s a reality to live with. Hosted by Dr. Heather Taylor, a licensed psychologist with over a decade of experience in grief, trauma, and reproductive psychology, this show dives deep into the messy, nonlinear, and very real ways grief impacts our lives.
Whether you're navigating the death of your person, wrestling with the weight of an invisible loss, or trying to figure out who you even are after everything changed—this podcast is here for you. With a mix of solo deep dives, expert interviews, and candid conversations, Dr. Taylor unpacks the emotions no one warns you about, challenges outdated grief narratives, and offers both practical tools and hard-earned wisdom to help you feel less alone.
No toxic positivity. No “fixing” your grief. Just honest talk, validation, and the reminder that you don’t have to do this alone. Because in a world that wants you to move on, Grief is the New Normal is here to help you move through.
https://www.griefisthenewnormal.com
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