Into The Fold: Issues In Mental Health

Since 1978, The Hogg Foundation’s biennial Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar (RLS) has been held to increase awareness about mental health concepts such as recovery, integrated health, and barriers to well-being. This year’s event offers a chance for Texans to promote innovation and collaboration among mental health care providers, advocates, consumers, and their families. Taking place September 8 & 9, in San Antonio, it will feature a keynote experience unlike any other—a powerful blend of rhythm, connection, and healing led by Grammy Award–winning percussionist Nina Rodriguez.  The theme for RLS 2025, Growing Together: Building Capacity for Collective Wellness, invites participants to explore what it truly means to build capacity through connecting. Joining Nina in conversation on the Into the Fold podcast is Dr. Kelley Glover, postdoctoral research fellow at the Hogg Foundation and a lifelong music educator.  Related Links: Robert Lee Sutherland Seminar 2025 Mental Health and the Musician's Life 2019 Robe

When it comes to supporting rural communities, especially around mental health, success often starts not with answers, but with questions—and a deep commitment to listening. In our latest episode of Into the Fold, host Ike Evans speaks with Tammy Heinz, senior program officer and consumer and family liaison at the Hogg Foundation, Rick Ybarra, senior program officer at the Hogg Foundation, Brian Dabson, rural policy analyst and researcher, and Allen Smart, advisor to philanthropy and nonprofits and Hogg Foundation National Advisory Council member. Together, they reflect on years of work in rural communities across Texas and beyond, revealing key lessons for philanthropic funders who want to make a meaningful, sustainable difference. Related Links: Strengthening the Mental Health of Rural and Rural Border Communities Transforming Community Through Collaboration Hogg Foundation to Award $3.75 Million in Grants to Strengthen the Mental Health of Rural and Rural Border Communities Funding Mental Health: Inovat

In this timely and heartfelt episode of Into the Fold, co-hosts Vicky Coffee and Ike Evans sit down with Shawn Kent, therapist and director at the Amala Foundation, to explore the mental health challenges—and sources of resilience—facing youth in today’s rapidly shifting world. Together, they unpack the pressures of social media, family stress, school systems, and the profound need for belonging and connection. Shawn offers insights drawn from his work with youth, especially young men, and shares how programs like peer mentorship, creative expression, and third spaces can foster healing and growth.  This conversation is a call to rethink how we design environments—at home, in school, and across society—to better support youth and families. Whether you're a parent, educator, or community member, you’ll come away with ideas and inspiration for helping the next generation thrive. Related Links:  Amala Foundation Into the Fold: Digital Well-being for Youth

Today’s conversation is about the promises—and the pitfalls—of technology. Specifically, we’re exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping mental health care and what it means for equity, access, and privacy. While AI has the potential to increase access to mental health tools and improve outcomes, it also raises urgent ethical questions: Who is being left out? Who has control over their data? And how do we ensure that innovation doesn’t deepen existing disparities? To help us make sense of it all, we're joined by Kenneth Fleischmann, professor at the UT Austin School of Information, where he studies the ethical and societal implications of emerging technologies. Related Links: Ethical AI Good Systems University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate Informatics Program University of Texas at Austin Master of Science in A.I.  Into the Fold: Digital Well-being for Youth

In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s both essential and often behind the scenes—funding. Who funds mental health work? How do organizations access support for the critical services they provide? And what does innovation in mental health funding look like? This conversation takes us into the heart of collaboration, innovation, and opportunity—through the lens of the Hogg Foundation’s reunion with the Texas Grants Resource Center. We explore how partnerships like these can unlock new possibilities for community-driven mental health work in Texas. Joining the show are Amy Loar, assistant director of programs at the Hogg Foundation and program administrator of the Texas Grants Resource Center; Giannina Cardenas, grants and contracts strategist at Caritas of Austin; where they take a whole-person approach to ending homelessness; and Lori Najvar, director of PolkaWorks, an Austin nonprofit focused on elevating the untold stories of Texas communities through multimedia storytelling. Related Content: Ep

March is National Social Work Month, and here at the Hogg Foundation, we see firsthand the major role social workers play in the upkeep of mental health. We are joined today by Catherine Wilsnack, a doctoral candidate in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. Catherine earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her M.S.W. from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Prior to pursuing social work, she worked as a mental health clinician. She discusses the unique perspective that social workers have on mental health and the collaboration between academic researchers and practitioners at the heart of the field.  Related Links:  Social Work in a Time of Division Children in 2021: Grief and Loss Understanding Mental Health in Older Adults  

Love is a profound and multifaceted concept that has fascinated people for centuries. But do we really understand it? This question is at the center of our most recent episode of Into the Fold, which features an archived recording of the Hogg Foundation radio show, The Human Condition, with commentary by present day staff members, Mary Capps, Elizabeth Stauber, and Darrell Wiggins.  Produced and hosted by former Hogg Foundation program officer, Bert Kruger Smith, The Human Condition aired from 1971 to 1983. This episode featured Dr. Leo Buscaglia, professor, motivational speaker, and bestselling author of several books focusing on love and human relationships.    Related Links The Loneliness Epidemic

This is Part 2 of the conversation we began with last month's Episode 169, Navigating Systemic Shifts: Policy Changes That Impact Mental Health Care. We want to know, from those doing the work, what feels different about doing mental health policy in 2025. For this episode, we bring back our guests Mandi Zapata of Texas Civil Rights Project, Noah Smith of Texas Counseling Association, and Maia Volk of Disability Rights Texas. This time we’re focusing more on the personal stakes of doing policy work in a challenging environment.  In a bonus segment, we revisit a conversation from 2023, about Girls Empowerment Network and what their experience has to teach us about the future of public policy. Episode 169 - Navigating Systemic Shifts: Policy Changes That Impact Mental Health Care Related links: https://hogg.utexas.edu/texas-mental-health-guide https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-purpose-of-policy-work-in-a-divisive-time https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-future-of-recovery https://hogg.utexas.edu/2-million-awarded-to-train-m

We are coming to you from Austin, Texas, site of the Texas Legislature an epicenter of the changes that are impacting people, as well as concerted efforts to address those changes. We thought it would be fitting to kick off this new season of Into the Fold with a look into the bustling world of public policy – and how policy changes impact mental health. For this conversation we are joined by Mandi Zapata of Texas Civil Rights Project, Noah Jones of Texas Counseling Association, and Maia Volk of Disability Rights Texas. They are all Hogg Policy Fellows, employed by organizations that have received Policy Fellows grants from the Hogg. They came to our studio for a conversation on how their mental health experiences both shape, and are shaped by, their work in the policy arena.    Related Links: https://hogg.utexas.edu/texas-mental-health-guide https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-purpose-of-policy-work-in-a-divisive-time https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-future-of-recovery https://hogg.utexas.edu/2-million-awarded-to-train-

The holidays can be a time of joy, but for many, they bring unique challenges, such as loneliness, financial stress, or grief. Today, we’re focusing on ways to provide meaningful support to individuals during the holiday season. We are joined today by Jen Cardenas, executive director of Austin Clubhouse, an organization dedicated to building a community that supports adults living with mental health diagnoses. Accompanying her is Kasey Pfaff, an Austin Clubhouse member. They discuss the Clubhouse's unique communal ethos and how it can be a balm during the holiday season.    Related Links: Exploring Gratitude A Peer Perspective on Health and the Holidays Relieving Holiday Stress and Hurricane Trauma

In today’s episode, we’re diving into the unique stresses and rewards of policy work, even or especially during an election year as divisive as this one has been. With the help of Alison Mohr Boleware, policy director for the Hogg Foundation, and Lyssette Galvan, policy director for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Texas, we'll discuss strategies for maintaining resilience and the deeper purpose behind policy work, even in challenging times.   Also check out: Political Climate as a Chronic Stressor A Reality Check Session Update from the Hogg Policy Team Social Work in a Time of Division Some Good News in Public Policy Some More Good News in Public Policy Social Work in a Time of Division Protecting Kids’ Mental Health in a Time of Polarization    

The Hogg Foundation often characterizes its mission as being one "to transform the places where people live, learn, work, play, and pray." That third word, work, is the focus of today's episode. In observance of World Mental Health Day and its theme, "It's Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace," we discuss how we can transform workplaces into spaces that support mental health. We also discuss structural factors that make real change difficult. We have brought back a previous guest, Dr. Ryan Sutton, an associate professor in the department of education psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and a former postdoctoral fellow for the Hogg foundation. Related Links: World Mental Health Day 2024 Women Knowledge Workers in Higher Education Show Themselves Out Opportunity Plus Struggle: Three Workplace Rules Peer Supporters Should Know  

For the month of September, the Hogg Foundation is celebrating National Recovery Month. Throughout the month we’ll be highlighting the creativity, resilience, and leadership of people in recovery from mental and substance use conditions, and the many things our grantee partners are doing to transform mental health in their communities. For this episode, we talk to two friends from within the Hogg Foundation’s wide network of changemakers. First, Jason Howell, executive director of RecoveryPeople, about the new film Humanly Possible, which explores the journeys of people recovering from substance use conditions. The film was produced with funding support from the Hogg Foundation. The second segment is a conversation with Hannah Slyzk, a past recipient of the Hogg Foundation’s Moore Fellowship for doctoral research, about youth mental health. Related Links: https://hogg.utexas.edu/recovery-month https://recoverypeople.org/humanly-possible/premiere/ https://hogg.utexas.edu/rethinking-youth-suic

Historically, the mental health system, and the conversation surrounding it, has given more value to the expert opinions of providers and clinicians than the experiences of those living with mental health conditions. For well over a decade now, the Hogg Foundation bas been elevating the visibility of mental health consumers and has thrown its full weight behind the peer support and recovery movement. But right at The University of Texas at Austin, there has been the full flowering of a peer support consumer specifically for students. Called Longhorn SHARE, it was launched in 2022 with the support of the University's Counseling and Mental Health Center. In this episode we talk to Adrian Lancaster, coordinator of Longhorn SHARE and a staunch advocate for student peer support. Related Content How Peer Support Improves Community Mental Health Peer Support in the Criminal Justice System Peer Support for Young Adults A New Mental Health App Comes to UT

Mental health care and recovery services have historically prioritized a clinical medical model. Under this model, expertise resided almost exclusively in the hands of professionally trained healthcare providers. Beginning in the 1960s and 70s, however, a recovery model emerged that put greater emphasis on the self-determination of “consumers” of mental health services and the expertise of individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges. This episode of Into the Fold was recorded onsite at PeerFest 2024 and guest hosted by Anna Gray and Janet Paleo. Anna and Janet are co-founders of Prosumers International, and Anna is also its executive director. Rooted in the belief that purposeful recovery is possible, Prosumers aims to create an empowering environment where people with mental health challenges can achieve recovery on their own terms. Anna and Janet spoke with Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation, to learn more about the Hogg Foundation’s s

PeerFest is an educational and celebratory event for Texans who have faced mental health challenges and are on a journey to wellness.   Dr. William DeFoore, author of, among other books, Anger Among Angels: Shedding Light on the Darkness of the Human Soul. His keynote address is titled, "Goodfinding: A Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health Incorporating Emotional Intelligence and Positive Psychology."    Sir Billy Dorsey (yes, an actual knight) will be delivering his keynote address, “In the Right Seat: Finding Purpose at the Intersection of Passion, Proficiency, and Positioning.”    “Texas has a vibrant community of people who are using their personal recovery journeys to advocate for broader change in mental health. PeerFest 2024 is a not-to-be-missed chance for people to tap into this community, to be challenged and inspired, and to infuse that energy into their lives going forward.

By some accounts, young people's relationship to technology is unfolding crisis. It is now commonplace for adults to lament the “screen time” of young people and worry about its effect on their social lives and mental health. In 2023, the American Psychological Association issued a health advisory focusing on adolescent social media use, and the U.S. Surgeon General has said that social media can have “a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. There is evidence that social media may contribute to issues like depression, anxiety, toxic social comparison, sleep problems, body image issues, and disordered eating.” But is that the whole story? And if there is real cause for for alarm, what should be done? Dr. Carrie James and Dr. Emily Weinstein are co-founders of the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard University. In their book Behind Their Screens, Emily and Carrie draw on a survey of more than 3,500 teens with the objective of

Dr. Melvin P. Sikes was a member of renowned unit of African American fighter pilots who flew during World War II known as the Tuskegee Airmen. After the war, Dr. Sikes earned a doctorate in education administration from the University of Chicago. He went on to become dean of Wilberforce University in Ohio and Bishop College in Marshall, Texas, a clinical psychologist with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Houston, and as we knew him best at the Hogg Foundation – a University of Texas at Austin professor of education psychology and a one-time member of the Hogg Foundation’s National Advisory Council. For Black HIstory Month, we are taking a look back at this remarkable man and his impact. In this episode of Into the Fold, not only do we get contemporary analysis courtesy of Elizabeth Stauber, Hogg Foundation archivist and records manager, but we hear from Dr. Sikes himself, by way of a vintage 1972 interview in which he discusses the challenges of balancing intellectual rigor with a commitme

For this first podcast of the new year we are taking a look back at the National Day of Racial Healing. The National Day of Racial Healing is a nationwide observance that also coincides with Martin Luther King Day. For the second year in a row, the Hogg Foundation joined the celebration by holding an event in Austin, this time in partnership with Austin Justice Coalition, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving quality of life for people who are Black, Brown, and poor in the Austin community. It was on Sunday, January 14, the day right before MLK Day, that our host, Ike Evans, joined about 80 other people braved the cold for a day of facilitated dialogue, fellowship, music, a dab of spoken word poetry, and food. We visit with the two facilitators from the day, Dr. Angela Ward and Dr. Mary Rice-Booth, who are both educators who write, speak, facilitate, and think deeply on matters of equity.   Related links:   Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Lead

it was back in 2017 that we had on Dr. Art Markman, co-host of the KUT show Two Guys on Your Head, to talk about political climate as a chronic stressor. And so, six years after the fact, we thought that it would make sense to close that circle by inviting on Dr. Markman's partner from Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Bob Duke. We recently had him come to the studio for a discussion of gratitude and an exploration of just what it means to stop and be thankful. Dr. Duke is the Marlene and Morton H. Meyerson Centennial professor of Music at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin. To quote him on gratitude, "When you do think about the capriciousness of life experiences, to me that is a real incentive for even greater levels of gratitude, because once you sort of recognize that you're not the author of your own story entirely, and that there are a lot of things that happen in your life to the good, which you actually had very little to do with, and it doesn't mean that what you did, you h