Scope of Practice

Mitigation Specialist and President of the Connecticut Women's Consortium Dr. Jozlyn Hall joins us to talk about the scope of her work as a member of the criminal defense team and how it impacts sentencing in cases before the court Originally used solely in capital cases, it is not about excusing individuals of the responsibility of their actions, but for getting the accused the assistance they need based on a complete evaluation of their strengths, deficits and needs. Given that the needs may include SUD services, it is an important area for professionals working with justice-involved individuals to understand.

Aneri Pattani, Senior Correspondent for KFF Health News rejoins the podcast (after a 4-year absence!) to talk about the research she has done as part of a team to track the spending from the Opioid Settlement. Is the money being spent on things that it is intended for? Tune in and find out!

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Emily Hebert, Lead Researcher on a new, interactive smoking cessation app developed at the University of Oklahoma. The overall goal is to provide an opportunity for those populations with typically higher smoking rates to access assistance through an interactive app.

If our work in the behavioral health world focuses on meeting the clients where they are at to increase outcomes, wouldn't the parallel process of meeting employees where they are at have similar results? Consultant Gina Thorne joins us to talk about Servant Leadership, a model in leadership that taps into the needs of the employees and teams, rather than leading in a more common transactional relationship. A must-listen for anyone in a leadership position or aspiring for such!

Nikki Soda, Executive Director of Sodas Consulting in South Florida joins us to discuss the unethical and often illegal act of patient brokering, and to compel us to act in order to protects people with SUDs, our communities and our industry. Additional useful information can be found at https://www.naatp.org/programs/ethics.

Psychologist Dr. Lisa Liggins Chambers joins the program to talk about the dearth of educated and trained Black professionals in behavioral health identifying some of the root causes and opportunities for the industry to do better. If you've listened to our program before, you will appreciate her directness and honesty - a staple of our guests.

Season 6 begins with a discussion with Regina LaBelle of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health at the Georgetown University Law Center. A policy expert with significant experience in practice at the municipal and federal levels, we talk about potential changes in the new administration.

Ronna Brier, MS, LPC, LADC, Ph.D. Candidate is a clinician, educator and Consulting Hypnotist of the National Guild of Hypnotists. She joins the podcast to talk about using hypnosis as a tool in wholistic care of mental health and substance use disorders. Join us as we cover the basic information about the practice to eliminate any misconceptions.

Researcher, educator and subject matter expert, Dr. Juline Koken joins the podcast to address some of the barriers to mental health and substance use care for one of the most maligned and stigmatized groups of people in society: sex workers. How do we maintain our ethical requirement of unconditional positive regard and avoid value imposition?

Author, essayist and multiple-time TedX speaker LeRon Barton joins the podcast a second time to talk about microaggressions and their impact on marginalized communities. Join us and hear him talk about his experiences, as well as share his knowledge and insights on this (often) taboo subject.

We speak with Melanie Alvarez, Director of Programs at the Friendship Service Center in New Britain to help identify some of the problems faced by those experiencing or at risk of homelessness in our state. She offers her insight into the many concerns as well as sharing some information on new approaches to help those in need.

"Silence in the Streets" is a documentary film that focuses on the challenges for those individuals who live in our urban environments, the social determinants of health for those in our cities, and the barriers people face when seeking health care. New England HIDTA Investigator Robert Lawlor and Public Health expert Anna Gasinski join us to talk about this project.