The State of Mental Wellbeing: A Podcast on Mental Health and Substance Use
The State of Mental Wellbeing: A Podcast on Mental Health & Substance Use is a weekly series from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing that explores the people, policies and systems influencing mental health and substance use care across the United States. Hosted by Mohini Venkatesh, chief of staff at the National Council, the podcast brings together leaders, practitioners and advocates working every day to strengthen mental wellbeing in their communities and advance the field. Stream our latest episode wherever you listen to podcasts.
Episodes
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) has become a global movement, helping people build the confidence to recognize mental health challenges, reduce stigma and support one another. This week, leaders from Canada and Ireland share lessons on growth, adaptation and the power of human connection.
Host Mohini Venkatesh speaks with Donal Scanlan of MHFA Ireland and Shane Silver of the Mental Health Commissio...
What does it take to make mental health and substance use care accessible in some of the nation’s most rural communities? This week's episode covers how Westbrook Health Services is rethinking behavioral health care delivery in West Virginia, and why a new approach to funding is creating opportunities for lasting change.
In this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing, host Mohini Venk...
In this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing, host Mohini Venkatesh chats with Katie Oldakowski of the Mental Health Association in New York State and Tramaine EL-Amin of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing about practical ways to expand mental health education in your community.
How can your community turn Mental Health First Aid from training into a movement? M...
Guest host Philip Rutherford and John Driscoll, president and CEO of Caron Treatment Centers, discuss evidence-based addiction treatment, the role of brain health, and emerging innovations like GLP-1 medications and AI-assisted care.
What does the future of addiction treatment look like? In this episode, guest host Philip Rutherford sits down with Caron Treatment Centers Presid...
Mohini Venkatesh and Shankar Vedantam explore how the hidden brain shapes the way we think, respond to uncertainty and decide what actions are within our control.
Recorded live at NatCon26, this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing features Shankar Vedantam, founder of Hidden Brain Media, in conversation with host Mohini Venkatesh. Together, they explore the unconscious forces that influence our th...
Former National Council President and CEO Linda Rosenberg joins Chuck Ingoglia, current President and CEO, to discuss the evolving landscape of behavioral health. Together, they share insights on leadership, innovation and advocacy for advancing mental health care.
Host Mohini Venkatesh sits down with Linda Rosenberg and Chuck Ingoglia to explore behavioral health leadership, nonprofit strategy and innovation. Drawing on d...
On this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing, MohiniVenkatesh sits down with Natalie Cook from Missouri Behavioral Health Council to explore how Missouri became a national leader in Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs). Natalie shares how Missouri expanded statewide access to mental health and substance use treatment throughschool-based services, jail partnerships, data-driven advocacy and a prospective paymen...
In this episode, Mohini Venkatesh sits down with Steve Appleton of the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE) and Chuck Ingoglia of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing to explore how global collaboration can strengthen mental health care, substance use treatment and behavioral health systems. They discuss workforce shortages, task sharing, peer support, crisis response, leadership development and cross-sector innovation, ...
On this episode, special guest host Philip Rutherford, VP of Growth and Substance Use Strategy at the National Council, speaks with John Kelly, PhD, a leading addiction recovery researcher at Harvard Medical School, about the future of youth substance use prevention, treatment and recovery. They explore recovery science, recovery support services, adolescent substance use disorder, early intervention, high-potency ca...
On this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing, we sat down with Andi Smith from Ballmer Group’s Washington team to explore how the capitalization of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) is fundamentally changing the way community and behavioral health care is delivered in America.
During this episode, Mohini Venkatesh and Andi Smith discuss the ...
Dr. Nitin Gogtay joins Mohini Venkatesh to discuss the future of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and how a more scientific, flexible and person-centered approach could reshape psychiatric diagnosis, behavioral health practice and mental health care.
On this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing, Mohini sits down with Dr. Ni...
Join host Mohini Venkatesh and Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current, for a conversation about what it will take to create a more sustainable social sector and the Five & Rising initiative. They explore leading through constraint, changing how the social sector is valued and funded, and building a bold vision for the future.
In this episod...
In this episode, host Mohini Venkatesh speaks with Chuck Ingoglia, President and CEO, and Reyna Taylor, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, about the federal landscape of mental health and substance use policy. They explore current challenges and emerging opportunities shaping behavioral health care nationwide.
This conversation focuses on federal mental health and substance use polic...
For more than 20 years, our Middle Management Academy (MMA) has equipped behavioral health leaders with the tools,confidence and community they need to thrive. In our Dec. 10 episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast, we sat down with program lead Jeanne Supin, MA, to explore MMA’s origins, evolution and lasting impact. Tune in to learn how MMA continues to empower the leaders at the heart of our health care system.
In this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast, we explore the behavioral health workforce crisis through a deeply personal and visionary conversation between Chuck Ingoglia, CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and Dr. Joe Lee, CEO of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Joe shares his journey from an immigrant background to leading one of the country’s largest nonprofits in substance use and mental health ...
In this episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast, National Council for Mental Wellbeing President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia, MSW, sits down with Laura K. Murray, PhD, MA, sr. scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-developer of CETA, to explore how this groundbreaking approach:
• Breaks complex care into practical, measurable components.
• Empowers clinicians and other caregivers to deliver effective ...
This episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast is a heart-forward exploration of the impact of peer support specialists in community mental health, centered around VIP Community Services in the Bronx. Debbian Fletcher-Blake outlines the breadth of VIP’s integrated services—from methadone treatment and mobile medication units to shelter, behavioral health, and pediatrics—all under one roof. Their goal: meet ...
Accessing quality mental health care shouldn’t take a legal fight — but for Joe Feldman, it did. When his child was denied coverage for needed treatment, he took on the insurance company and won. Now, he’s helping others do the same. In our latest episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast, Joe shares his story and how to fight insurance denials, understand parity laws and access the care every family deserv...
In this October 15th episode of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast, we discuss the critical workforce crisis America is facing. Communities nationwide are grappling with a shortage of licensed mental health and substance use professionals, creating barriers to care for those who need it most. Our National Mental Health Workforce Acceleration Collaborative, developed in partnership with and funded by Kaiser Permanente, is address...
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, we held “Redefining Recovery: A Human-centered Approach to SUD Care,” a special National Recovery Month edition of The State of Mental Wellbeing podcast. In this episode, National Council Chief of Staff Mohini Venkatesh and Nzinga Harrison, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Eleanor Health, discuss elevating lived experience alongside clinical expertise, putting people at the heart of he...
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