Judith Belmont, MS is a psychotherapist and author who offers practical approaches to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Through examples, she translates CBT principles into user-friendly tools for personal growth, emotional wellness, and mental health education. Her work focuses on helping people identify and challenge negative thought patterns, build healthier habits, and improve self-esteem. With actionable strategies her approach helps to manage anxiety, stress, and everyday challenges. www.belmontwellness.com; amazon.com/author/judithbelmont

Mary Anne Cohen, Director of the New York Center for Eating Disorders, coined the term "emotional eating". In this episode, she offers a nuanced perspective on Ozempic acknowledging its potential to provide relief from compulsive eating yet cautions that this benefit is only part of the story: the need to adress the deep emotional wounds at the heart of many eating disorders. She warns that Ozempic can feed dangerous cultural narratives that equate thinness with moral or emotional worthiness—reinforcing stigma around body diversity and compounding shame. Although we are still learning all of the information around weight-loss drugs, Cohen feels that Ozempic must be paired with a comprehensive personal strategy and invites us to think critically

There's a lot we can understand about the sibling abuse experience and outcome for the survivor through a theoretical lens. Dr. Meyers presents the theories in a digestible manner that helps anyone seeking to learn more about themselves or survivors and how relationships can be challenging. There is a bright side: resiliency is addressed as is therapy as an imperative measure to leading a more satisying life and a sense of self-worth.

One of many anxieties about working with people and their emotional lives is contending with suicidal gestures. This case presentation of a 16 year old with depression and anxiety and a history of child abuse uncovers the importance of accurate diagnoses and highlights the need for collaborative efforts to intervene appropriately. Further, rectifying one's own capabilities as a therapist based on needed expertise with particular populations must be prioritized over the desire to handle all.

After ten years of sexual abuse by her stepfather, Nicole Braddock Bromley found the courage to disclose to her mother at 14 years old. Though she encountered a receptive and supportive response from her mother, the trauma of abuse and subsequent events created deep wounds. Speaker/author/survivor and internationally recognized advocate for sexual abuse and trafficking victims, Nicole shares how she has turned her wounds into scars and became a model for healing, finding forgiveness, and using storytelling to transform lives.

How do we undertand the trauma immigrants have experienced in their home country and now our own? A professor, community social worker, and BSW student share personal and professional experiences that fuel their passion and compassion for the immigrant population. Join us as we dispel the notion that immigration is a new issue and confront this administration's conflation of terrorism and immigration and the need for border security. How do we help navigate the fears of immigrants and citizens? Our guests make a call to challenge dis/misinformation and speak truth to power.

The stigma of mental illness is reflected in Regina, a social worker who contends with her own mental illness diagnosis and its implications for working in the field. Having been let go from a few jobs, she raises the ethical dilemma of disclosure: the pathologizing impact vs. the potential for accomodations. Where is the boundary or adaptation in the social work profession regarding embracing employees who may be struggling with the same disorders as those we treat? Regina shares her personal experience navigating her BiPolar II disorder and calls to action the need for societal awareness and social work advocacy.

Making the move to private practice requires several considerations: When is the right time? Will I be financially stable? What is the cost/benefit ratio? Am I prepared personally and professionally? What is needed to be successful? Barbara Murphy, a seasoned professional, discusses her own trajectory to private practice and along the way, answers some common questions and anxieties about making the transition. She also provides an invaluable resource to support private and agency practitioners.