Reclaiming the Self After Narcissistic Harm and Boundary Collapse  

In this episode, we explore what boundaries really mean when survival, burnout, and long-term relational harm are part of the story. Leanne Wildly speaks from lived experience about healing from narcissistic abuse rooted in both childhood and adult relationships. She reflects on how violations become normalized early, how spiritual and caregiving roles can complicate recognition of harm, and what it takes to rebuild a sense of self after long periods of emotional control, gaslighting, and erasure that includes systems that are not trauma-informed. Sheryl Green is the author of You Had Me At No: How Setting Healthy Boundaries Helps You Banish Burnout, Repair Relationships, and Save Your Sanity.  She joins the program to talk about boundary depletion. The slow erosion of self that happens when people spend years managing others’ emotions, over-functioning in families or workplaces, and saying yes at the cost of their own wellbeing. Drawing from her own experience of severe burnout and recovery, Sheryl shares how boundaries are not about becoming rigid or confrontational, but about becoming rooted. Clear, grounded, and self-led. She discusses practical ways people can begin reclaiming time, energy, and identity without guilt or collapse. Together, this conversation examines the intersection between boundary collapse and abuse, especially for helpers, caregivers, and people socialized to be accommodating. Rather than framing boundaries as self-help tactics, this episode looks at them as a necessary foundation for survival, recovery, and integrity. It asks what it means to stop shrinking, stop over-explaining, and begin living from a place that actually feels like your own. This is a conversation about clarity after confusion, rootedness after depletion, and learning to honor yourself without abandoning connection. Music: Shari Ulrich

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From Bunny Hugs to Transgression: Conversations on Healing and Identity with Todd Rennebohm

Todd Rennebohm is a Canadian mental health advocate, author, public speaker, and host of the podcast Bunny Hugs and Mental Health, where he creates a free, open space for honest conversations about mental illness, trauma, suicide attempts, addiction, and recovery. A suicide attempt survivor who is in long-term recovery from substance abuse, Todd brings lived experience and compassion to dialogues with professionals, survivors, and families affected by mental health and addiction. His podcast has featured hundreds of episodes of candid storytelling and is recognized among top mental health podcasts for its combination of depth, vulnerability, and warmth. Bunny Hugs Podcast+1 Todd is also the author of the children’s book Sometimes Daddy Cries, a story told through the eyes of a child whose father experiences depression, designed to help families talk about mental health with sensitivity and insight.

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Homecoming: Ovid Thomas Reclaims History on the Poundmaker Cree Nation

This week on ReThreading Madness, Bernadine speaks with Ovid Thomas, a Sixties Scoop survivor and social media creator known for his educational content on Cree history and the Poundmaker Cree Nation.  Taken from his family at just two weeks old, Ovid grew up in a non-Indigenous home in northern Manitoba, facing  abuse, neglect, and systemic discrimination.

Ovid shares his journey of survival—from enduring racial bias in education and being falsely accused of cheating, to challenging policies that barred First Nations students from university-track courses. He opens up about how trauma, partial deafness, and years of misdiagnosis shaped his early life, and how returning to his community became a path toward healing.
 
Together, Bernadine and Ovid explore his reconnection with the Poundmaker Cree Nation, where he discovered family, belonging, and cultural roots long denied to him. They discuss his efforts to correct mistranslations of speeches by Poundmaker and Big Bear, his research into colonial distortions of Cree history, and his ongoing fight against medical and institutional racism.

This conversation moves from the personal to the political—linking Ovid’s lived experience with the
broader legacy of colonial systems that continue to harm Indigenous peoples. It’s a story of truthtelling, reclamation, and resilience.

Music by Shari Ulrich

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Theo Cuthand, TherapyToo, and Venge Dixon on Art, Neurodiversity, Therapy Harm and Survival

This episode brings together three voices working at the intersections of madness, creativity, survivorship, and resistance, each approaching mental health from lived experience rather than abstraction. Theo Jean Cuthand is a celebrated Indigenous filmmaker, visual artist, and game creator whose work explores Queer and trans identity, Indigeneity, love, and madness. With films and installations shown internationally, from MoMA and the Whitney Biennial to Berlinale and ImagineNATIVE, Theo speaks about using experimental media and game design to make inner experience visible. His video game A Bipolar Journey draws directly from his lived experience of bipolar disorder, challenging clinical narratives by centering self-knowledge, agency, and art as survival. Amy Nordhues joins the conversation as a survivor of therapist abuse and co-creator of the documentary series #TherapyToo. Groomed and assaulted by a psychiatrist as an adult, following earlier childhood abuse, Amy has become a leading advocate exposing harm within therapeutic and faith-based systems. She is the author of the award-winning memoir Prayed Upon: Breaking Free from Therapist Abuse and speaks candidly about what happens when systems meant to help instead exploit vulnerability, and why survivor-led storytelling is essential for accountability and change. Also joining is Venge Dixon, a writer, poet, visual artist, and contributor to Off the Map, an anthology of writings about mental health. Venge reflects on living with mental illness across a lifetime and using creative practice as a way to resist the rigid, punitive categories imposed on people labeled “crazy.” Her work explores creativity as both self-definition and responsibility, particularly for those living outside social norms and within marginalized identities. Together, these guests explore how art, storytelling, and truth-telling function not as therapy-lite or inspiration narratives, but as acts of survival, resistance, and reclamation. This episode asks what becomes possible when lived experience is treated as knowledge, and when people most impacted by mental health systems are centered in shaping the conversation.

You can find more information about Theo Cuthand at https://www.tjcuthand.com/

If you are interested in donating to the Docuseries TherapyToo information on how to do that can be found on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/people/TherapyToo-Docuseries/61577028284959/

Venge Dixon can be found on Instragram at https://www.instagram.com/vengetable/



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Beyond “Don’t Kill Yourself… Yet”: Practical Tools for Survival with Michael McTeique

Content note: This episode discusses suicidal ideation in a non-graphic, supportive, and prevention-focused context.

In this episode, we speak with Michael McTeigue, author of Don't Kill Yourself… Yet, about practical ways to interrupt persistent suicidal thoughts and regain a sense of agency when life feels unbearable. Drawing from his own lived experience with chronic depression and his work as a crisis-intervention and suicide-prevention hotline counselor, McTeigue shares the framework he calls the Seven Life Hacks. These are simple, memorable tools designed to help people break cycles of self-reinforcing negative thinking, reduce emotional overwhelm, and make day-to-day life feel more survivable and meaningful. Rather than offering abstract theory or platitudes, this conversation focuses on concrete strategies that can be used immediately, especially during moments when despair, anxiety, or hopelessness feel relentless. Each “hack” builds on the one before it, offering structure and perspective for people who may feel stuck, exhausted, or unable to see a way forward. Listener responses to McTeigue’s work often describe feeling clearer, steadier, and more capable of navigating difficult moments without being consumed by them. This episode explores why straightforward tools can matter so much when someone is struggling, and how small shifts in thinking and action can create breathing room, even when nothing else seems to help. 

As reviewed in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/26/books/how-not-to-kill-yourself-clancy-martin.html

Music by Shari Ulrich

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Fifty Years After I Fled: Rural Alberta is Still Failing to Protect Its Children

In this extraordinary solo episode of ReThreading Madness, host Bernadine Fox steps out from behind the mic to share one of the most personal stories she has ever told on air. Fifty years ago, as a 16-yr old teenager in rural southern Alberta, Bernadine ran away to save her life. She was growing up in a small farming community shaped by isolation, silence, and deeply entrenched cultural norms that left children vulnerable and without protection. In this monologue, she reflects on what it meant to grow up in a landscape where for some danger was ever-present and help was miles away. Now, half a century later, a family estate process brought her back into the systems  she had escaped. What unfolded in that rural courtroom echoed patterns she remembered from childhood — disbelief, minimization, and narratives that made her feel unseen. She describes these events from her own lived perspective, exploring how trauma, geography, and culture intersect in ways that continue to leave rural women and children behind. Bernadine also speaks to the broader crisis: in many rural areas, sexual and domestic violence rates remain significantly higher than in cities, and lifesaving services remain out of reach. Silence, she argues, protects the status quo — not children. This is not a story about blame. It is a story about systems, intergenerational harm, and what happens when progress bypasses entire small pockets of the country. It is also a story of reclamation. Bernadine shares her decades of work as a mental-health advocate, writer, disability-rights activist, artist, and host of this very program, reminding listeners that none of us are not defined by what was done to us, but by the life we build in its aftermath. Raw, poetic, and fiercely courageous, this episode challenges us to reconsider what safety means, who receives it, and who is left behind. A necessary listen for anyone concerned with trauma-informed justice, rural equity, or the ways silence travels across generations — and what it takes to break it.

The episode is rounded off with a re-air of an interview with Jamie Smallboy and Alli Geisbrecht (Gees Brecht) here to talk about a piece of art that was exhibited at Gachet’s Oppenheimer Annual show that addresses issue of MMIWG2S – which stands for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2 Spirit people.  Jame is Cree and single mother of five from Maskwachees, Alberta. She is a full-time student at Langara and te founder of the Red Ribbon Skirt Project for the families of our MMIWG2S.   Ally is a child of immigrants from Hong Kong who reside in Vancouver / Chinatown.  She is an activist, person of colour, mental health occupational therapist, and a resident of Vancouver’s DTES.  The piece of artwork these two collaborated on combines photographic images by Ally and with poetry by Jamie. Jamie shares this poem with us on this episode. 

music by Shari Ulrich and Good Vibes Tribe

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Kevin Jesuino Reveals the Magic of Theatre Terrific and Richard Lett Let’s Us in on what Makes Magic for Him.  

Kevin Jesuino is a first-generation Portuguese settler, performance-maker, director, choreographer, artist educator, and community arts organizer. He is a passionate advocate for the arts and a firm believer that everyone should have access to both creating and experiencing art and culture. Kevin is continually working to make the arts more inclusive and accessible for all. On his website, he writes: “Since 2004, my artistic practice has been driven by a radical interdisciplinary integration of performance, socially engaged art, and digital media. I create work—including performance, video art, temporary public artworks, and participatory installations—that is fundamentally rooted in the belief that art serves as a catalyst for collective emancipation. My central focus is to establish co-creative spaces that facilitate an embodied exchange of care and dialogue among participants. Through experiential processes, I explore urgent themes such as accessibility, unseen histories, gender and sexuality, and urbanism across both public and private domains.”

In this lively and insightful conversation with Bernadine Fox, Kevin delves into the meaning and purpose of art—its impact on individuals and communities alike—and shares his deep connection to Theatre Terrific, a vital arts organization in Vancouver, BC. Theatre Terrific pioneers inclusive opportunities for artists of all abilities to develop performance skills and collaborate on original theatrical productions. Its work challenges audiences to confront their assumptions and be moved by thought-provoking, boundary-pushing art. Every class, workshop, and production brings together a diverse mix of people—across physical, developmental, mental health, and neurodiverse spectrums, alongside practicing actors—who are collectively exploring inclusive approaches to theatre-making.

Most recently, Theatre Terrific presented their newest work, Dance Floors Memoirs, at the Vancouver Fringe Festival—continuing their legacy of inclusive, community-rooted performance.

Music by Shari Ulrich and Leela Gildray

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In Memoriam of the incredible JD Derbyshire, writer, comedian, mad activist, performer, playwright, theatre maker, director, inclusive educator and innovator.

Tonight on ReThreading Madness we re-air JD Derbyshire talking with Bernadine about being mad and the need for individuals who live with mental health challenges to have agency in their lives and to consider coming out. And laughing - we laughed a lot. But one always did in the company of JD.

“I don’t think we know much about the human brain and mental illness. The more I talk to other people; it seems like we all have are individual experiences with our moods and our thinking. Medication may be a part of that but we need to empower people to become aware of their emotional lives and thinking styles. Like this idea; Maybe it is possible to learn how you think and feel and know your limits and what happens when you get triggered and to still live a life taking calculated risks.”

“There are just so many negative representations of people with mental illness in theatre and film and television, often written and performed by people who haven’t experienced mental illness. And these characters are almost always twisted or broken… In my experience and with a lot of MAD people I know, it is not like that at all. “ from Auburn Lane



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Meditation and Mindfulness with Alan Murdock & Impact of child sexual abuse survivors with Charlene Hellson  

Since 1992, Alan Murdock has immersed himself in Soto Zen practice, seeking the stillness and clarity meditation can bring. But as a survivor of child sexual abuse, Alan also knows that mindfulness isn’t always gentle—sometimes it can open the door to old wounds and deep discomfort.

Today, Alan serves on the practice committee at the Cedar Rapids Zen Center in Iowa, while also working professionally as a creative consultant and founder of Murdock Media Production. In this conversation with Bernadine, he speaks candidly about the complicated relationship survivors may have with meditation. Together, they explore both the healing potential and the hidden risks of mindfulness when one’s sense of self has been fractured by trauma.

Alan offers insight into how survivors can recognize when meditation is helping—and when it might be hurting—and shares practical guidance on what to do if negative responses arise.

his is not just a conversation about meditation. It’s about navigating the fine line between healing and harm, and how survivors can approach mindfulness with both hope and caution.  

And then, Charlene Hellson is a proud Blackfoot who comes from the Siksika nation. Her grandfather was from the Kainai nation both of which are from the Blackfoot Confederacy in Southern Alberta.  She currently lives on the west coast of Canada.  Charlene has a background in the arts and is an actor, and writer who produces poem and short plays.  Academically, she was trained in psychology and anthropology.  She is currently working the College of Physicians and Surgeons as an Indigenous Patient Navigator.  Charlene came to the program to chat about the impact on survivors of trauma when they are told that they are strong.  Charlene gives us a good insight into how trauma operates in her life and inside of her, especially that which we are not conscious about.  Dealing with the trauma helped her to understand not just herself but her mother as well.  She described her trauma as a shawl of pain that was heavy, poisoning her, and then how taking it off lightened the load immensely.

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Mental Health and the Post – Secondary Student with Angela Sterritt 

A few weeks ago, Angela Sterrit, an award-winning investigative journalist, TV, radio, and podcast host, and national bestselling author from the Wilps ‘Wii K’aax of the Gitanmaax community (Gitxsan Nation on her dad’s side and from Bell Island, Newfoundland, on her maternal side) gave a keynote address on mental health and the post-secondary student.  What she has to say is shocking.  Not only is mental health a serious problem among post-secondary students a problem, it is such a known problem university install bars in windows of residences to stop students from jumping.  

Who is Angela:  (from her website:  https://angelasterritt.com/)  She has “worked as a television, radio, and digital journalist at CBC for more than a decade. She also hosted the award-winning CBC original podcast Land Back.  Her book Unbroken is part memoir and part investigation into the murders and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls. It became an instant national bestseller in May 2023. Unbroken was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes. It was also nominated for the prestigious Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Award for Best Non-Fiction Book in Canada.”  Angela announced her new book, Breakable, “will investigate how racism and colonialism cultivate harmful behaviors in men and how Indigenous men and communities are breaking cycles of unhealthy notions of masculinity.”   Angela has won an Academy Awards (Canadian Screen Award) for Best Reporter of the Year in Canada, a national Radio Television Digital News Association award, an RTDNA award, along with being named in Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 list of the city’s 50 most influential people.  She is a motivation speaker who addresses issues such as “overcoming adversity, breaking stereotypes, and creating change and relationships in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities”.

Forrest Lang, Author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption, talks about his journey through trauma

Trigger Warning:  We talk about childhood trauma in this program.  Please make sure you do what you need to to take care of yourself.

Meet Forrest. With an artist’s hands and a life forged in resilience, Forrest Lang has lived a journey carved by trauma, tempered by addiction, and transformed through recovery. His path moves through child abuse, foster care, and homelessness to sobriety, service, and purpose. Today, he speaks not just for himself, but for every survivor searching for light in the dark—offering strength, truth, and the promise of healing.

Forrest is a tattoo artist, father, and military veteran and resides in La Jolla, California. He is the author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption.

Bernadine and Forrest virtually sat down and talked about trauma in the way only two trauma survivors can.  From his website we grabbed this information and found that it was true for this program as well.  "Forrest’s ability to connect with his audience stems from personal experiences. He understands the struggles and doubts that individuals face on their path to success, and he uses his own story as a source of inspiration. Through his engaging storytelling and relatable anecdotes, Forrest creates an atmosphere of trust and authenticity, allowing his audience to truly connect with his message. …

Forrest covers a wide range of topics, including goal setting, overcoming adversity, vulnerability, and suicide prevention. … Forrest believes that true transformation occurs when individuals are equipped with the tools and mindset necessary to take control of their own destiny. Forrest is also the author of “Angel Blue, a Song of Redemption,” a memoir on overcoming trauma and success. His written works serve as a valuable resource for individuals seeking long-term guidance and inspiration."

Join us. 

You can find his book on Amazon or on his website angelbluebook.com

Music by Shari Ulrich and Siibii

Heidi Little and Her Journey to Heart-based Learning and Education

For 30 years Heidi Little hails out of Regina Saskatchewan before she moved to Mexico and then to Austin Texas.  She has been teaching and using music to give people the sacred space to explore and decide who and what they are here for. Heidi has created The Center for Heart Based Education and The Center for Advancement in Social Emotional Learning. She has written 14 books on heart based education. Including the foundation of the Center for Advancement with it's 8 stacking modules offer tools and techniques that connect to the heart and inner guidance system we all have.  According to Heidi, despite the ways in which we flounder trying to find ourselves, inside we know who and what we are AND when we are given safe, brave space to ‘come home to self’ we can find that for ourselves. Bernadine Heidi talk about single motherhood, dealing with terminal illness and finding your way out of that twice, find ourselves, participating in waterkeepers, Dr. Emoto’s work on how our intentions affect water and therefore ourselves.  And she mentions things like soul house, source energy, plant medicine and other things that mostly went over my head.  Come and listen as I try and keep up around navigating your own inner guidance systems to find what are your unique gifts, mission and purpose for being on the planet.

Music by Shari Ulrich and Heidi Little

Cass Freeman is an Improviser, Activist, Journalist and all-round funny person.  She joins us to talk about the benefits of Improv theatre for our mental health.  She teaches Improv and is setting up class starting in September specifically for folks with mental health challenges.  She chats with Bernadine about what Improv is, why its important, and how it can help all of us overcome fear, embrace positivity and learn to inspire others.  Classes are open to anyone who self-identifies as living with a mental health challenge and she does not require any disclosures.   

Then Shanice Docksin joins Bernadine for a very serious conversation about her experience with therapy abuse and exploitation.  And while that is what we are going to talk about here, that is not the most important thing about Shanice.  She is a leading Black businessewoman who has experienced her fair share of failures, challenges, and success. She transformed herself from a broken-home mentality to one of Oklahoma City’s very own published authors whose published works include "Unplugged".  Shanice is also a public speaker, coach, and a mental health/domestic violence advocate.  Shanice is one of those examples that tells us those who have been victimized by therapy abuse and exploitation are not chosen because they poor fragile, broken people.   

Music by Shari Ulrich, Kelly Clarkson, and Sons of Legions

Courage to Come Back Winner in Mental Health: Theresa Duggan’s Journey 
From childhood trauma to becoming a beacon of hope for others, Theresa Duggan’s story is one of resilience and transformation. After surviving years of sexual abuse and a suicide attempt 12 years ago, she struggled with undiagnosed bipolar disorder for much of her life — so paralyzed by her condition she couldn’t even brush her teeth or leave the house.  Everything began to shift when she was properly diagnosed. Theresa works in hospital psych wards, supporting others facing mental illness. As someone who has walked the same path, she builds trust quickly with clients, offering them something rare: true understanding. Theresa’s journey is a powerful example of how tragedy and healing can exist side by side — and how lived experience can become a lifeline for others.  Although winning the award happened 15 years ago, she credits it with changing how she takes on the world.    

And Richard Lett/Comedian and Spoken Word Artist We are then joined by Richard Lett in an interview we did a couple months back – but really wanted to get his voice back out there.  He talks about alcoholism and change and growth.  He always brings his particular form of comedy and spoken word to whatever stage he is standing on.   

Music by Shari Ulrich and Omar Rudberg

Off the Map 2

In this episode of ReThreading Madness, Bernadine has the joy of talking to four more writers from Off the Map: Vancouver Writers with lived experience of mental health issues.   Seema Shah was the powerhouse behind Off the Map.  She along with Betsy Warland and Kate Bird compiled and edited 33 different authors to put together this anthology of stories and poems published by Bell Press.  Seema is also one of the writers and she joins us today along Quin Martins, Sandra Yuen, and Merle Ginsburg to talk about what inspires them to write these pieces.  Each one of them graces us with a reading of their work.    

Music by Shari Ulrich & Jake Banfield

Exploring Transference with Amy Avalon

Trigger Warning: discusses therapy abuse

Bernadine sits down (virtually) with Amy Avalon, a retired psychotherapist and passionate advocate for survivors of sexual and emotional abuse by their therapists.  Together, they traverse the issue of transference: What is it? How does it play out in our lives, and specifically in therapy?  How can we work with it or use it to understand ourselves?  When we are experiencing transference with our therapists, how do we talk about it and, most importantly, how should a therapist respond to those disclosures and what they should and should not do?  Music by Shari Ulrich

Art at Outsiders and Others with Redrum the Sticker Artist

“Outsiders and Others is a non-profit art Society with a focus on bringing non-traditional artists to the forefront.  Their artists identify as outsider, folk, self-taught, visionary, intuitive, and artists with disabilities.”   Outsiders and Others defines outsider art as the work of those who have no formal training, create art for themselves to record their life experiences or document historical events (not necessarily for an audience), and use non-traditional materials (like found objects).  In May, Mental Health Awareness month, Outsiders and Others presented Brain Child featuring artworks from Caro Embling, REDRUM, and Gabriel Ostapchuk.  We had the opportunity to speak with Yuri Ajars. Artistic Director and Curator, about this exhibit and the gallery.  We also chatted with Redrum, the sticker artist (@redrum_ays_crew).  Redrum describes the different neurodiverse and disability issues he copes with daily but also how important art has been to his process specifically in inspiration around images and topic. You can find Outsiders and Others In Vancouver and at

 https://www.outsidersandothers.com/

Music by Shari Ulrich  

Off the Map with writers Angela J. Gray, Venge Dixon, Mary O’Toole with music by Ren

Trigger Warning: Song by Ren Gill includes foul language

May 1st 2025 saw the release of Off the Map an anthology of prose and poetry that has to do with mental health.  ReThreading Madness had privilege of speaking to 3 of the writers included in this publication.  Venge Dixon is a nonbinary lesbian who writes, creates art (and comic books) and make music.  She wraps a heart-warming story about a very difficult time in her life around a cat named Linus who showed up and put a wrench in her plan’s to die.  Angela J. Gray is an emerging black writer who writes about the “impact of colonization on children of African/Caribbean Diaspora who were adopted into white homes” in what, in her case, looks just like 60s Scoop. Mary Phyllis O’Toole says “ she writes, not only for emotional catharsis, but to shine a light on schizophrenia.”  All of them share a portion of their writing with us during this hour.  In addition, we have included a song entitled “Hi Ren” by Ren Gill, a musician from the UK who used music to have a conversation with himself about his current state of mental health and in, so doing, gives us an incredible inside view of what his world is like while leaving us all inspired and hopeful. 

Music by Shari Ulrich & Ren Gill

Courage to Come Back: Rachel Fehr (2017) and David Chalk (2025)

The most obvious thing about Rachel Fehr and David Chalk is that they are not defined by diagnoses and for both of them they have carried several labels.  All of which are important only in that  they defied them all.  Rachel is the 2017 Courage to Come Back award winner in mental health. In the years since then, she has gone from teaching marital arts to attending classes and using what she learned to parse out which of the psychiatric diagnoses she was given were accurate and which were misdiagnoses -and then realizing as is so usual her autism had been misdiagnosed as borderline.  From this she created new and positive life skills and taken her life that much farther.  Now she wants to use her skills to create a traditional medicine farm as 2nd stage housing for men coming out of prison.  David won the Courage to Come Back award this year (2025) has defied every assumption adults had about him as a child. He created his own businesses and was a millionaire at 28 years despite being told graduating from high school that the only life he could hope for was welfare, jail, or a psych ward.  Despite his success he held a burdensome reality.  His ADHD messed with his focus.  His Dyslexia messed with his ability to read.  And his pragnuh… meant he had a difficult time just recognizing faces – any faces.  But clearly David is not someone his accepts what others might consider fate.  At 62 years he participated in a program which led to him being able to read in 11 hours.  Now, he is developing an educational program that can be used around the world to help others to do the same.

Music by Shari Ulrich

Therapy Harm Resistance Project with Natalie Russ 

Natalie Russ is a psychologist and psychotherapist, with a background in dialogue and deliberation, training pedagogy, and community organizing. She was harmed in a twelve-year psychodynamic therapy beginning in adolescence, as well as in post-harm therapies with well-meaning therapists who, like most in the mental health industry are not trained to support therapy harm survivors. In addition to content creation, she writes and publishes poetry on her therapy harm and post-abuse therapy experiences. Her particular areas of interest include post-abuse therapies and therapist education on working with therapy harm survivors. (taken from https://www.natalierusspsyd.com/therapy-harm)

Natalie Russ joins us to discuss her recent work establishing the Therapy Harm Resistance Project (THRP), an advocacy and support endeavor to address therapy harm as a disavowed reality in the mental health field. We are creating content and resources for survivors, clients, and therapists, hoping to support a broader and ever-growing therapy harm resistance movement. We seek to join others within the therapy harm resistance space to build conversation and capacity. This movement needs a thriving ecosystem of activism, advocacy, scholarship, training, and victim/survivor support infrastructure. 

Music by Shari Ulrich, Jann Arden,