Heart Forward Conversations from the Heart
The American mental health system is broken beyond repair. Rather than trying to tweak a system which fails everyone, it is time to commit to a bold vision for a better way forward. This podcast explores the American system against the plumb line of an international best practice, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), in Trieste, Italy. The 40-year old Trieste model demonstrates how a community-based treatment system upholds the human rights of the people served. The Trieste story is anti-institutional and models the therapeutic value of social connection. Topics will address contemporary challenges in the American failed mental health system as contrasted with the Italian approach toward accoglienza – or radical hospitality – as the underpinning of their remarkable culture of caring for people. Interviews will touch upon how the guiding principles of the Italian system – social recovery, whole person care, system accountability, and the human right to a purposeful life – are non-negotiable aspects if we are to have any hope of forging a new way forward in our American mental health system. This podcast is curated and hosted by Kerry Morrison, founder and project director of Heart Forward LA (https://www.heartforwardla.org/). Heart Forward is collaborating with Aaron Stern at Verdugo Sound as the technical partner in producing this podcast (https://www.verdugosound.com). Kerry Morrison is also the author of the blog www.accoglienza.us.
Episodes
49 episodes
Building trust takes time: A conversation with Claudia Battiston, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Technician in Trieste
In this episode, we speak with Claudia Battison, a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Technician (PRT) in the mental health system in Trieste Italy. I am joined in this interview by Dr. Joy Agner, Assistant Professor at the USC Chan School ...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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53:38
How I learned to love my madness: A conversation with author Elena Cerkvenic
Elena Cerkvenic recently published a book, Sono Schizofrenica e amo la mia follia, which translated means:&nb...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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53:52
An integrated ecosystem connecting community mental health centers with the central hospital psychiatric unit: What collaboration looks like with Drs. Alessandra Oretti and Tommaso Bonavigo
In this episode, we learn about the inner workings of two critical elements of the community-based ecosystem in Trieste: the community mental health center (CMHC) and the psychiatric unit in the city’s general hospital (known as the Psych...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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1:18:59
Life as a Basaglian Revolutionary: A history lesson with Dr. Giovanna Del Guidice
Dr. Giovanna Del Guidice has spent her entire career in pursuit of promoting a more humane and relationship-based treatment ethos for people living with mental health conditions. In this interview we hear the story about how she bol...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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1:02:17
The special community at Luna e l'Altra and the role of peer support: A conversation with Beatrice Stanig
Beatrice Stanig is a young woman who is making her way in Trieste. She is a member of the Women’s Association, Luna e L’Altra and a peer support worker in the mental health system. She...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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52:50
Trailer for Season Five
Season Five is a special treat: made in Italy! This past year, with generous support from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Heart Forward was afforded the opportunity to
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Season 5
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8:08
From Strength to Strength: A glimpse into what defines resilience with Georgette Darby in Hollywood
Meet Georgette Darby in this interview. She is one remarkable woman who has endured so much and has emerged strong and resilient. Georgette has a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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1:06:45
Beyond Treatment. How Clubhouses for People Living with Serious Mental Illness Transform Lives and Save Money: A Conversation with Fountain House
In this episode, we visit with two representatives from Fountain House in New York. Our primary intent was to provide a platform to share the results of a recent research report issued by Fountain House:
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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56:35
From radical hospitality in LA County Twin Towers to the reality of state prison: A conversation with former inmate Mental Health Assistant Adrian Berumen (Part Two)
In Part II of this interview with Adrian Berumen, an inmate at Calipatria State Prison, we track his journey from serving as an inmate Mental Health Assistant (MHA) at LA County ...
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46:14
From radical hospitality in LA County Twin Towers to the reality of state prison: A conversation with former inmate Mental Health Assistant Adrian Berumen (Part One)
In this 2 -part interview with Adrian Berumen, an inmate at Calipatria State Prison, we track his journey from serving as an inmate Mental Health Assistant (MHA) at LA Coun...
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56:05
Finding meaning in daily living: A conversation with Dr. Deborah Pitts on the untapped promise of integrating occupational therapy in mental health settings
Dr. Deborah Pitts is a Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Her practice expertise inc...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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47:44
Ten (10) recommendations to shore up fragile LA County licensed residential facilities. Part Two of our conversation with The Future Organization
This is Part Two of a conversation with Leila Towry and Aimery Thomas of The Future Organization (TFO) about their recent year-long research study into Los Angeles County ARFs and RCFEs. These are commonly referred to as “board and ...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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53:20
Long-awaited research findings signal need to pay attention to our fragile system of licensed facilities serving people with mental illness: A conversation with The Future Organization (Part One)
This is Part One of a two-part podcast interview.A long-awaited research study and report prepared by The Future Organization (TFO) helps to shine a light on an important, but fragile segment o...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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1:02:54
Conservatorship: Inside California's System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness. (Part Two) A Conversation with author and NYU professor Dr. Alex Barnard
Is involuntary psychiatric treatment a solution to the intertwined crises of untreated mental illness, homelessness, and addiction? In recent years, elected officials and advocates have sought to expand the use of conservatorships, a legal tool...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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59:22
The Importance of Work to Identity and Recovery: A Conversation with Paul Barry
What we do each day and how we define ourselves to others is critical to our identify and sense of self worth. In this interview, we will explore the importance of identity as a foundational component of mental health recovery. ...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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1:10:06
"Suffering in Silence." Operating a Los Angeles board and care home today
This interview with an amazing couple – Rhoda and Gochin – who have operated a small family-style board and care home in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles) for the last 22 years, will leave you feeling anxious at the end. And that is t...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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59:40
Season Four Trailer
Wow - it's been 10 months since we uploaded the final episode of Season Three! This podcast is a labor of love -- and is not something that is casually produced on the fly. So, the time is right to jump back in and resume these in...
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Season 4
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Episode 0
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2:44
The tragic intersection of mental illness with our criminal justice system. Making sense with Mark Gale.
Mark Gale’s credentials for this interview are unparalleled. He serves as the Criminal Justice Chair of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Grea...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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1:20:39
Does the American mental health system stand the test of a human rights framework? A Conversation with Dr. Soumitra Pathare
Soumitra Pathare trained as a psychiatrist at Seth G S Medical College & KEM Hospital Mumbai and St Thomas’ Hospital, London. He has a doctoral degree from VU University, Amsterdam and is a Member of The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Unit...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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1:11:22
What does it take to provide housing that heals? A conversation with Michael Weinstein and Lynda Kaufmann of Psynergy
Psynergy operates four facilities or campuses – Morgan Hill is the first one, which is discussed in the interview. In addition, they operate Greenfield ...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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1:11:06
My week in Los Angeles. A conversation with Dr. Roberto Mezzina: shadowing LASD’s Homeless Outreach Services Team, visiting LA County jail and an update on the situation in Trieste.
Dr. Roberto Mezzina headed the Dipartimento di Salute Mentale in Trieste until his retirement in late 2019. Both of the California delegations that visite...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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58:58
Lessons learned from the mid-90's Village Integrated Services Pilot and why they're even more relevant today: A history lesson with Dr. Mark Ragins and Dr. Dave Pilon
This interview will regale the history of a mental health pilot from the early 90’s that remains as relevant today as the day it was started. Back in the day, the Wright-Bronzan-McCorquodale Act of 1988 (known as AB 3777) funded – ...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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1:22:58
Italian psychiatrist Franco Basaglia: his life, his impact, his legacy. A conversation with Professor John Foot.
John Foot is a professor of Modern Italian History at the University of Bristol in the U.K. He is an expert on the life of Dr. Franco Basaglia, the visionary psychiatrist whose lasting impact on the Italian mental health system cont...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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50:05
What is Peer Respite and why don't we have more of these crisis beds available? A conversation with Guyton Colantuono of Project Return Peer Support Network
Guyton Colantuono is the executive director of Project Return Peer Support Network, a position he has held since 2014. He has spent more than 25 years working in the field of ...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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1:05:48
Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health. A conversation with the author, Dr. Tom Insel
Dr. Tom Insel is a psychiatrist, a neuroscientist and an influential voice in the national conversation that is gaining momentum around the failures of the American mental health system and the need to do better for the humans that are sufferin...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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1:03:40