Heart Forward: Conversations from the Heart
The Podcast with Kerry Morrison

Welcome to Heart Forward: Conversations from the Heart. The American mental health system is broken and voices for change will be featured each week. We are inspired by the global best practice in Trieste Italy. If they can treat people with such kindness, then so can we. Be encouraged.

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LATEST EPISODE

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Part Two of our conversation with Dr. Mezzina and Dr. Sashidharan: Family relationships, law enforcement, human rights and mental health in the time of coronavirus

Our guests complete their description from a study visit to L.A. in 2019, and discuss the time they spent with families of loved ones living with a mental illness and learning about crisis response strategies in law enforcement. Looking ahead to 2021, thoughts are shared about the global pandemic of loneliness and the importance of applying a human rights lens to mental health treatment.

 

PAST EPISODES

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The U.S. Mental Health System seen through an international lens:  A conversation with Dr. Roberto Mezzina (Trieste) and Dr. Sashi Sashidharan (Glasgow)

Two prominent psychiatrists, involved with the WHO-recognized system in Trieste, share their impressions from a study visit they made to Los Angeles in 2018. We also learn about the influence of Dr. Franco Basaglia on the movement to close the asylums in Italy and move toward a community system of care.

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Fountain House and the Promise of the Clubhouse Movement as a Place of Hospitality and Purpose:
A conversation with Dr. Ashwin Vasan

Fountain House in New York City was the first clubhouse established in this country back in 1948. The clubhouse movement offers the therapeutic benefit of social connection and the dignity of vocation and purpose for people living with mental illness in our communities.

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He Came in with It: A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness - A conversation with the author – and my former neighbor – Miriam Feldman

Mimi Feldman recounts her journey as a mother of a son struggling with schizophrenia. From her book: “This is the story of how mental illness unspools an entire family…it exposes the shortfalls of our mental health system, the destructive impact of stigma, shame and isolation, and, finally, the falsity of the notion of a perfect family.”

 
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Vocation, Purpose and Bridging the Digital Divide: A Conversation with David Israelian of Peer Mental Health

Hear about how David’s personal journey has informed his passion for building opportunities for people living with a mental illness to pursue purposeful work and test their capabilities in the disciplines of technology and the arts. David Israelian is the founder and CEO of Peer Mental Health and co-founder and CTO of Painted Brain.

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Our Role as Mental Health Assistants at L.A. County Jail: A rare conversation with Craigen Armstrong and Adrian Berumen

Two inmates, facing extended prison terms, have lived embedded in the Forensic Inpatient Unit at L.A. County’s Twin Towers Correctional Facility for the past three years. Their role as “Mental Health Assistants” is unique at TTCF and they wrote a book about their experience.

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The Power and Promise of Community Inclusion: What We Can Learn from Trieste. A Conversation with Dr. Dave Pilon

Dr. Dave Pilon describes the groundbreaking work he helped to lead during a study situated at The Village in Long Beach.  Lessons learned along the way informed his approach when he drafted the 2019 framework for a mental health pilot, situated in Hollywood, inspired by guiding principles that have stood the test of time in the WHO-recognized community-based mental health system in Trieste Italy.

 
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Mutual Accompaniment and the Creation of the Commons: A Discussion with Author Dr. Mary Watkins

Mutual accompaniment challenges us to come alongside people in relationships grounded in “horizontality, interdependence, and potential mutuality.” Dr. Mary Watkins explores historical and contemporary examples of mutual accompaniment both in an American and global context.

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Housing That Heals: A Conversation with Lauren Rettagliata and Theresa Pasquini

Lauren and Theresa, AKA as “Moms on a Mission,” took a CA road trip in 2019 to search for housing solutions for people with severe mental illness. We talk about what led them to write their report “Housing That Heals: A Search for a Place Like Home for Families Like Ours.” Part Two of this interview takes us on the 2019 road trip where Lauren and Theresa traveled 3,170 miles to visit 20 distinct residential facilities or home settings throughout CA. We will explore six of this group that are noteworthy.

Listen to Part I
Listen to Part II

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Trailer: Heart Forward: Conversations from the Heart Introduction

Welcome to Heart Forward: Conversations from the Heart. The American mental health system is broken and voices for change will be featured each week. We are inspired by the global best practice in Trieste Italy.

 
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Proudly Produced in partnership with our friends at Peer Mental Health.

The success of the first season of the Heart Forward Conversations from the Heart podcast was linked inextricably to the partnership with Peer Mental Health, and, in particular, Paul Robinson, the technical producer. Kerry Morrison and Paul got into a weekly rhythm for 11 weeks to transfer raw interview audio files into edited interviews uploaded to the Buzzsprout podcast publishing platform.