Myndtalk With Dr. Pamela Brewer

What A Therapist Knows - And How It Is Used Kathleen Landers is a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of clinical experience in addition to program development and non-profit management in clinical and administrative positions. She has worked in supervisory and leadership roles including manager of a hospice setting, clinical director of a special education school, and chairperson of Montgomery County committee allocating direct service funds for high needs children.

Author Michael Paymar joins Dr. Pamela Brewer on MyNDTALK to discuss.... Violent No More : Helping Men End Domestic Abuse ..."is for men who have struggled with or are currently being violent in an intimate relationship. Filled with real stories of men who have harmed the ones they love and found the courage to change, this highly acclaimed book has helped thousands acknowledge and reform their abusive behavior. Author Michael Paymar doesn't sidestep the unpleasant reality of domestic violence—included here are the sometimes shocking first-person accounts of violent men, along with those of battered women. More importantly, many of these stories illustrate the ways in which men were able to stop their use of violence and control. This edition contains four new chapters which address the challenges faced by practitioners who work with domestic violence offenders or victims, and the particular struggles faced by combat veterans returning from war, many of whom come home with PTSD and other mental health issue

The Dance Card Without a hint of warning, Ann Reinhardt’s husband betrayed her after thirty years of marriage. He told her he was no longer in lover with her, announced he was leaving and wanted a divorce. The unceremonious and unexpected end of her marriage left her devastated and blindsided, and was a rude awakening. Her dream of eternal marital bliss was over.   Instead of hanging her head low, at age 56 Ann jumped into the deep end of the cyberspace dating pool. Her quest to find love after divorce takes her on an exciting journey filled with romance, drama, heartbreak and ultimately self-discovery.

Learning Leadership Through Loss   What you learn during your most challenging times can become your greatest career asset. You just need to know how to extract and apply those lessons.  Sylvia Hepler shares her story as a teaching tool to help you discover how your losses can make you a strong and powerful leader. You'll learn how to: Transcend your personal limitations;• Find and use your leadership voice; • Manage time, people, and programs with confidence; • Claim the wisdom from the challenges of life and use it to enhance your career and impact the world. Women in every level of business or entrepreneurship will benefit from this new way to find courage, power, and professionalism by examining their past for career leadership lessons, then applying them so that they can be unstoppable.

Building A Better Man - Dr. William Seymour  In Building a Better Man , Dr. William Seymour joins his colleagues in working to understand the external forces that impinge on the developmental experiences of boys/men and broadens the scope of inquiry into their behavior by reviewing a range of external societal forces that contribute to the problems. Clinicians and group leaders will find that the approach laid out in Building a Better Man leaves clients feeling understood more than judged, which provides a different motivation for change and can set treatment on an entirely different and infinitely more productive path.  If you are interested in participating in the building of a better man - don't miss this conversation!

The Power of Ideals  Authors William Damon and Anne Colby discuss the remarkable lives of Jane Addams - "social worker" and Nelson Mandela, global icon - along with the lives and work of 4 other 20th century moral leaders who pursued moral causes ranging from world peace to social justice and human rights.  Authors William Damon and Anne Colby explore the workings of three virtues: inner truthfulness, humility, and faith. Through their portrayal of the noble lives of moral leaders, the authors say that all of us--with ordinary lives--can exercise control over important life decisions and pursue ideals that we believe in.   

Let The Tornado Come  When Rita Zoey Chin is suddenly besieged by terrifying panic attacks, her past trauma threatens her hard-won happiness and the stable, comfortable life she’s built with her husband. Within weeks, she is incapacitated with fear—literally afraid of her own shadow. Realizing that she is facing a life of psychological imprisonment, Rita undertakes a journey to find help through a variety of treatments. 

Buddhism For Couples   Want to change the way you relate to your partner?  Want to leave behind the stale, habitual ways of relating that don't work you - and transition to a perspective and an approach that could make the world of difference in how you see yourself and your partner?   With an emphasis on self-compassion, Sarah Napthali explains how to apply Buddhist teachings to your relationships to patch things up, hold things together, and, even on good days, scale the heights of relationship happiness.  For both men and women, this conversation tackles the loaded subjects of housework, anger, sex, conflict, and infidelity, and introduces Buddhist strategies that can enrich a relationship.

Bill Fletcher Jr has been an activist since his teen years. Upon graduating from an Ivy League college he went to work as a welder in a shipyard, thereby entering the labor movement. Learn about his path. Over the years he has been active in workplace and community struggles as well as electoral campaigns, written books, served as an on air commentator – all in the service of those who serve. He has worked for several labor unions in addition to serving as a senior staff person in the national AFL-CIO.  

Understanding Mental Disorders Dr. Brewer is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, CEO and President of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, Editor-in-Chief of Psychiatric News, the newspaper of the American Psychiatric Association and a member of the Editorial Advisory Group for Understanding Mental Disorders." Dr. Brewer and Dr. Borenstein discuss the history and use of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual as well as the APA's newest publication: "Understanding Mental Disorders: Your Guide to DSM-5®. This consumer guide is for anyone who has been touched by mental illness. Dr. Borenstein discusses this plan-english guide that includes descriptions of behaviors and disorders,  when to seek help, and how to get the right care.

Kayla Williams joins Dr. Brewer to tell her story of the love, tragedy and healing that became interwoven throughout her courtship and marriage to SGT Brian McGough whom she met at a mountain outpost in Iraq in 2003.  "Neither could have predicted the sequence of events that would shape their lives. Brian, on his way back to base after mid-tour leave, was wounded by a roadside bomb that sent shrapnel through his bra returning home, sought out Brian. The two began a tentative romance and'later married, but neither anticipated the consequences of Brian's injury on their lives. Lacking essential support for returning veterans from the military and the VA, Kayla and Brian suffered through posttraumatic stress amplified by his violent mood swings, her struggles to reintegrate into a country still oblivious to women veterans, and what seemed the callous, consumerist indifference of civilian society at large." 

Dr. Ramel Smith discusses "Building A Better Man: Blueprint For Decreasing Violence and Increasing Prosocial Behavior in Men," a book/workbook/guide Dr. Smith co-authored with his colleages Dr. William Seymour and Dr. Hector Torres.  "Building a Better Man presents a theory and science based discussion of masculinity in modern America, but it also does much more than that--it interweaves a diverse group of compelling personal stories with an exploration of aggression and masculinity in the socialization of boys and men. Where other programs tend to subtly denigrate men as perpetrators and focus on stopping the problematic behavior, Building a Better Man tries to understand the external forces that impinge on the developmental experiences of boys/men and broadens the scope of inquiry into their behavior by reviewing a range of external societal forces that contribute to the problems."      

Germany's Black Holocaust In the 1890s Blacks were tortured in German concentration camps in Southwest Africa (now called Namibia) when Adolph Hitler was only a child. Colonial German doctors conducted unspeakable medical experiments on these emaciated helpless Africans decades before such atrocities were ever visited upon the Jews. Thousands of Africans were massacred. Regrettably, historians neglected to properly register the slaughter--that is, to lift it from the footnote in history that it had been relegated to--until now. In an attempt to give the incidents their rightful recognition in the historical context of the Holocaust, Dr. Firpo W. Carr discusses his book, Germany's Black Holocaust: 1890-1945."  

Trauma: From Both Sides Dr. Brewer is joined by Dr. Isaiah Pickens, A NYC psychologist who focuses on providing trauma-informed care.  This broad ranging conversation includes the impact of trauma experiences on children, the importance of community policing, the impact of the Freddie Gray/Baltimore police events and more.  You will also learn about a program founded by Dr. Pickens for the specific purpose of aiding young people.  For more information about Dr. Pickens and the important work he is doing - you are encouraged to go to www.iopeningenterprises.com  

Learning to Breathe! Kelly Kittel never questioned her Mayflower Society mantra--"Family is the most important thing"--until the day her fifteen-month-old son was run over by her sixteen-year-old niece. Nine months later, Kittel's doctor made a terrible mistake during her subsequent pregnancy and she found herself burying yet another baby. Caught up in the maelstrom of a malpractice lawsuit, Kittel and her husband battle not only the medical system, but their own relatives, in the courtroom. As their family tree begins to topple, the Kittels struggle to nourish the roots of their young family and find healing. Achingly raw and beautifully narrated, Breathe is a story of motherhood, death, and family in the face of unspeakable tragedy and, ultimately, how she learns to breathe again."

Unworthy "As someone who has struggled with low self-esteem her entire life, Anneli Rufus knows only too well how the world looks through the eyes of those who are not comfortable in their own skin. In Unworthy, Rufus boldly explores how a lack of faith in ourselves can turn us into our own worst enemies. Drawing on extensive research, enlightening interviews, and her own poignant experiences, Rufus considers the question: What personal, societal, biological, and historical factors coalesced to spark this secret epidemic, and what can be done to put a stop to it? She reveals the underlying sources of low self-esteem and leads us through strategies for positive change."

Warrior: The Bipolar Battle Join Dr. Brewer for a look, with author K.S. Ram, at his life and his triumph..."All my life I had been known for my mind, and now the only thing I trusted was going out of control." 'That was the situation that confronted me when I was initially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Seven years of medication, rehab and therapy had got me stable and functioning again. And then ... the illness came back. Following an explosive meltdown fueled by a relapse of my Bipolar Disorder, I found myself surrounded by shambles: of my home, my arranged marriage, and my life. Confused and frustrated, I saw no choice but to leave everything I knew behind and search for a better way to live. Having previously been misdiagnosed once, an error that had Disastrous consequences, I was determined this time not just to control my illness, but also to truly understand and overcome it. From a village in my homeland of India to the mysterious Wudang Mountains in China, Warrior: The Bipolar Battle is the st

My Yellow Balloon It all started at the carnival...That's where Joey makes a new friend: a bright yellow balloon. Joey and his beloved balloon do everything together, until the balloon accidentally slips off Joey s wrist and flies far, far away. What will Joey do without his special friend? Tiffany Papageorge has crafted a poignant tale of love, loss, and letting go that will serve as a comforting guide to children who are navigating the complicated emotions of grief. Honest, unflinching, and ultimately reassuring, My Yellow Balloon will resonate with anyone who has endured the darkness of grief, while offering hope for brighter days ahead.

Smoking Cigarettes and Eating Glass Dr. Annita Sawyer’s memoir is a harrowing, heroic, and redeeming story of her battle with mental illness from an early age, and her triumph in overcoming it.  In 1960, as a suicidal teenager, Sawyer is institutionalized, suffering through 89 electroshock treatments based on a misdiagnosis before being transferred, “unimproved.”  After finally receiving proper psychiatric care, Sawyer is discharged in 1966, but the damage done haunts her life. She returns to school, keeping her past secret, while she moves on to graduate from Yale, raise two children, and become a respected psychotherapist, achieving a level of equanimity – until 2001, when she reads her hospital records.  What does she learn?  How does it change her life??   

Her Life's Calling Sheila Ford Murphy is the CEO of Mission to Mobilization LLC - Transforming individuals and communities by facilitating returning citizen re-entry, community integration and leadership development.   Sheila authored The MTM EXperience; simulating the life of a returning citizen and Resourced & Released; resourcing men & women released from incarceration.  Meet this caring, compassionate CEO and learn about the path she took to do the work she felt called to do.