Behavioral Health Matters!

Annette speaks with Darla Bellflower and Lisa Carter, both experts in the fields of substance use disorder and mental health. Join us to hear about the challenges and evolution of understanding co-occurring disorders, the importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment, and the role of medication in treatment.

This week, Annette talks with Julie Luzarraga, Executive Director of Dignity Health Collective, about three integrated pathways, barriers to behavioral health integration, expanding the definition of healthcare providers to include community healers, impacts of diverse providers, and policy changes to improve healthcare access & sustainability.

Dawn Darling, LICSW, joins us to talk about transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) care.

Mallory Swantek from Central Nebraska Mental Health, LLC joins us to talk about social media and mental health trends.

John Turner from the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (NIFA), Nebraska's Housing Finance Agency (HFA), joins us to discuss Nebraska’s Strategic Housing Framework and groundbreaking efforts to expand supportive housing across the state.

Linda Twomey, Executive Director & CEO of Siena Francis House, joins us to talk about Nebraska’s Strategic Housing Framework and its goal to create 10,000 affordable housing units. We’ll also dive into recent Supreme Court rulings impacting unsheltered homelessness and talk about the crucial work of the Siena Francis House Cooling Center.

Felecia Noguera and Sanjuanita Murguia from Completely Kids in Omaha, Nebraska join us to discuss the challenges and rewards of building a diverse, inclusive workforce in behavioral health.

Annette sits down with Katie Good, the Mental Health Coordinator at the Nebraska Alliance of Child Advocacy Centers. Katie shares her inspiring work to improve mental health access for children and families impacted by abuse and neglect across Nebraska. Tune in to hear how she’s breaking down barriers and expanding services statewide to ensure every family served by CACs gets the care they need.

Heather Kirk and Jessie H., both with Santa Monica House, and Maggie Ballard, with Heartland Family Service, join Annette to talk about this year's Hands Across the Bridge event, happening on September 14, 2024.

Join us as we prepare to celebrate National Recovery Month in September, and learn more about how this event came to be, what to expect, and how you can support the movement to Stay Ahead of Substance Abuse.

Michelle Nunemaker, 988 Nebraska State Administrator, joins us to share her insights on nearly two years of 988 in Nebraska.

Sherrie Watkins, LMSW, HRS, Regional Coordinator for the Opioid Response Network (ORN) joins us to share her journey with ORN and to talk about her work implementing evidence-based approaches like Supported Employment (IPS-SE), Housing First (HF), and more. Learn about ORN's mission, funded by SAMHSA, to provide free training, tools, and resources to address the opioid and stimulant use crisis.

We're thrilled to feature Dr. Melissa O'Dell, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and the founder and director of ASPIRE at UNMC, on our latest podcast episode! In this episode, we dive deep into the world of psychosis and recovery.

Fatuma (Tuma) Hassan, a Mental Health Therapist with Completely Kids in Omaha, Nebraska, joins us to talk about her journey to the United States, her early life experiences, and her path to working as a BIPOC therapist at a nonprofit.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is our nation's largest grassroots mental health organization. James Michael Bowers, Executive Director of NAMI Nebraska, and Susan Caban, the National Director of NAMI National Signature Programs, join Annette to talk about NAMI's work in Nebraska and nationwide.

David Geier, Director of the Nebraska Problem Gamblers Assistance Program, joins us to discuss behavioral health problems that result from gambling.

Maggie Ballard and Lorelle Mueting from Heartland Family Service join us to talk about the six strategies of substance misuse prevention.

Emily Freese with the Friendship House Counseling Clinic, joins us to talk about DBT, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, its history and its use.

Tracee Franssen with the Friendship House in Grand Island, Nebraska joins Annette to talk about EMDR Therapy.

Jennifer Jackson, Executive Director at Heartland Counseling Services in Lincoln, Nebraska, joins us to talk about art therapy.