Beyond Well With Sheila Hamilton

Dr. Marissa Alert shepherds her clients through the ups and downs of wellness. Among the most tricky months--from Thanksgiving until New Year. Add in a global pandemic, with economic stress and fewer opportunities for socializing, and your wellness routine can be easily sabotaged. Dr. Alert has some key advice for people hoping to keep it realistic this holiday season. 

Dr. Rhonda Wells-Wilbon offers a reflection on the healing power of faith during times of social unrest. She encourages her clients and students to develop an intellectual curiosity about their spiritual being (whether they believe in a God or not), and to sit in meditation or prayer. In the days leading up to the election, we could all use a little more hopefulness and positivity. Dr Rhonda delivers. 

An “internal locus of control” is the belief that our actions have a direct effect on the outcomes in our life. Dr. Jim Polo explains the theory behind the locus of control and why it's important to our self-development, safety, and well-being when we focus on the things in our lives that are within our control. Please share this episode with anyone who feels overwhelmed by the recent election.

The majority of people who are threatening suicide either present at an emergency room or they see their primary care provider in the weeks before an attempt. For too long, health officials have not known how to properly evaluate for suicidal ideation and intent. Now, Jaspr Health is saving lives. The interactive tool empowers evidence-based suicide care at scale, and improves patient outcomes and experiences. Topher Jerome, a suicide attempt survivor, takes us through this revolutionary new platform. 

Csaba Mera is a former pediatric oncologist and a physician who has often wished he could provide more comfort to his suffering patients. As a screenwriter, his newest film Here Awhile, examines the Oregon Death with Dignity Act through the lens of a young woman who has made the personal decision to avail herself of the law. Mera’s film is winning international acclaim for its candor, humanity and intimacy. How does a physician come to the place in life where art communicates his deepest questions? And how does an award-winning screenwriter balance the demanding career as a physician? Mera’s immigrant story is one not to miss. Here Awhile is now available on Amazon.

Childhood is fraught with mood changes and behavioral adjustments. So, what separates a normal child struggling with anger, relationships and learning with someone who is exhibiting symptoms of BiPolar disorder? Dr. Jim Polo discusses the specifics of bipolar disorder in children here and why he is particularly conservative when medicating young people. 

Willa Goodfellow is one of the most insightful, optimistic and hopeful interviews we’ve ever done with someone living with bipolar disorder. Misdiagnosed, overmedicated and left distraught by her mental illness, Willa’s remarkable story of recovery will leave you cheering and sharing the episode with others. 

With a high degree of emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ), in the workplace, a person uses social skills, self-awareness, motivation and self-regulation to acknowledge, comprehend, regulate and reason using the emotions. Robin Hills is an emotional intelligence coach. He is Director of EI4Change, a company specializing in people development and the practical application of emotional intelligence in improving performance.   

Dr. Jim Polo talks about the potential and pitfalls associated with treating people with Bipolar disorder.

Dr. Alert received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami and her bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College. She has experience working with adults to help them better manage stress, improve their health habits, and live a life that is in line with their values. In this episode, Dr. Alert focuses on the stress of Covid19 on black Americans and the increase in emotional eating.

Dr. Rhonda Wells-Wilbon joins the Beyond Well team to provide the perspective of a social worker in the overall picture of mental wellness. Dr. Rhonda has been a social work educator for 25 years teaching at the undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. level. She is an author, psychotherapist, trainer, and holistic wellness coach. She has expertise working with adult survivors of sexual abuse and assault and financial planning. As an African American woman, Doctor Rhonda will also help provide insight into racial trauma, and resistance to counseling and therapy in the black community. She is the mother of two young adult sons who are both in graduate school.

Robert Kolker is the author of Lost Girls, a New York Times Best-seller. His new book, Hidden Valley Road, is an Oprah Book Club pick and a scrupulously researched accounting of the Galvin family, a Colorado Springs family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia. The family became subjects of researchers investigating the genetic origin of schizophrenia. 

The Covid-19 Pandemic has had a severe impact on mental health. More than 260,000 people have been impacted by anxiety and depression. In a volunteer survey, sixty percent of people report mental distress due to concerns about contracting the virus, economic stress, and the pressures of quarantine.    Now is the time to seek help--but how do you find the right practitioner? This episode answers all of your questions.

Dr. Jim Polo has worked as a general physician, a child psychiatrist, an adult psychiatrist, and in a state hospital setting. He's now the Director of Behavioral Health for Cambia Health Solutions. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Polo about why he chose this specialty and what his biggest breakthroughs/disappointments have been.

Laura Munson is the bestselling Author of This is Not the Story You Think it Is, a beautifully honest and searing memoir about a marriage that is coming apart.  In her new book, Willa's Grove, Munson explores the power and wonder of sisterhood, belonging, and taking care of one another, even during our most difficult transitions. The book lands at a particularly important time as women everywhere seek deeper and more intimate connection. 

In He Came In With It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness, artist Miriam Feldman expands into writing by sharing very personal experiences with her son’s mental illness as well as the greater impacts on the entire family. Feldman shares the ups and downs of navigating the mental health system, seeking the best care for her son within a structure that is all too often broken. 

Since the arrival of Covid19, Americans have turned to anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication in sharply increasing numbers. Dr. Jim Polo, a licensed psychiatrist, talks with Beyond Well about the who, what, where, and when of seeking psychopharmacological help. Also, why counseling and behavior modification improves outcomes more than medicines alone. 

Since the arrival of Covid19, Americans have turned to anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication in sharply increasing numbers. Dr. Jim Polo, a licensed psychiatrist, talks with Beyond Well about the who, what, where, and when of seeking psychopharmacological help. Also, why counseling and behavior modification improves outcomes more than medicines alone. 

Laryssa Birdseye is the rare performer whose onstage person matches the intensity and brilliance of her voice. Birdseye’s lyrics are drawn directly from her wry and hilarious commentary on the state of her psychological world. Laryssa’s  clarity about her lifelong battle with anxiety, an eating disorder, and finally alcoholism, is a refreshing blast of honesty, “You think it’s over because you’ve whipped it…oh, but no.”

How do you cope with the long reality of Covid19? Dr. Jenna LeJeune shares some tips and compassionate guided exercises for moving into the now.