SMI Spotlight

"Gone Before Gone": Coping with Ambiguous Loss to Psychosis

In today’s episode of SMI Spotlight, host Dr. Xavier Amador (Clinical Psychologist and author of “I Am Not Sick I Don’t Need Help!”) speaks with Jerri Niebaum Clark, author of “Gone Before Gone: When Mental Illness Steals Someone You Love.” Together, they explore the deeply personal and often misunderstood experience of ambiguous loss caused by severe mental illness and psychosis.Jerri shares the story of her son Calvin, offering an intimate look at how bipolar disorder and psychosis impact not only individuals, but entire families. This conversation sheds light on the emotional toll of loving someone who is physically present but psychologically changed—what experts call ambiguous loss.The discussion also takes a critical look at systemic barriers in mental health care, including how current policies often require individuals to be an imminent danger to themselves or others before they can access treatment. Dr. Amador and Jerri examine how these systemic failures contribute to the criminalization of mental illness, leaving families without support until a crisis unfolds.In addition to sharing Calvin’s life and story, Jerri discusses the creation of her book, its self-help structure for caregivers, and the deeply symbolic owl painting on the cover, representing her enduring connection with her son.This episode is essential viewing for family members, caregivers, mental health advocates, clinicians, and anyone interested in severe mental illness (SMI), bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anosognosia, and mental health reform.Video Sections: * (00:00) - Intro * (01:18) - Today's guest Jerri * (01:44) - Jerri's son Calvin * (02:06) - Jerri's Book: Gone Before Gone * (02:53) - What does Gone Before Gone mean? * (05:40) - What is ambiguous loss? * (10:13) - How does the term ambiguous loss help? * (11:16) - Jerri's son Calvin's story * (15:09) - The challenges of trying to access hospitalization * (19:26) - How does the system punish people with severe mental illness? * (22:23) - How Jerri's book became structured in a self-help style * (24:59) - Calvin's letter at the start of Jerri's book * (28:21) - Jerri's poem * (33:17) - The story of the owl painting on Jerri's book's cover * (34:30) - Jerri's connection with Calvin and owls * (35:37) - How Jerri met the book cover artist * (36:43) - The full owl painting * (37:37) - How to find Jerri's book * (38:30) - How Pete Earley, author of "Crazy", wrote the foreword to Jerri's book * (42:13) - Thank you!

SMI Spotlight Short: A Music Fundraiser for Mental Health

Today, SMI Spotlight host Dr. Xavier Amador interviews two special guests who are collaborating to raise money for TAC through the release of a musical album. Jimmy Haslip is an acclaimed Grammy-winning bassist. Julia Gillies is an advocate whose family has been deeply impacted by severe mental illness across generations. Here they share the story of what inspired them to launch this music fundraiser and how they hope it will help others access quality care for mental illness. To donate and support the creation of their album, go to:https://gofund.me/5efbbfc7d

How can Police Effectively De-escalate Mental Health Crises?

In this episode of SMI Spotlight, Dr. Xavier Amador sits down with Sgt. Robert McKeirnan, a leader in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and co-response strategies in Olathe, Kansas. Together, they explore how law enforcement can respond more effectively, compassionately, and safely to individuals experiencing mental health crises. Sgt. McKeirnan offers an insightful look into the realities of crisis response. He discusses how de-escalation begins the moment a call comes in and carries through in the decisions leading to direct interaction. He also covers the barriers that make it difficult to connect people with the right services for mental health treatment instead of criminalization. He shares how CIT units work, why mental-health‑related calls have risen sharply, and the skills officers use to reduce risk and build trust during some of the most difficult moments a family or individual may face. Dr. Amador and Sgt. McKeirnan also give practical tips on how families can prepare for crisis situations. A crisis checklist can be helpful for this. Sgt. McKeirnan shared the checklist that his team provides to families in Olathe. The checklist can be found at this link: https://www.tac.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/911-Checklist-Olathe-Example.jpg Whether you're a family caregiver, mental health professional, law enforcement officer, or simply someone trying to better understand crisis response, this conversation offers invaluable insight, guidance, and hope. * (00:00) - Mental Health Crisis Police Response  * (00:48) - Sgt. Robert McKeirnan  * (01:35) - Appearing in uniform  * (02:25) - Associating the police uniform with kindness, respect, and trust  * (03:06) - CIT Co-response model in Olathe  * (04:24) - What happens when the team is called? How is safety ensured?  * (05:32) - Why has the number of mental health calls jumped exponentially?  * (06:40) - What is de-escalation?  * (10:18) - The time it takes to de-escalate  * (10:32) - How much time does de-escalation take?  * (12:21) - How to reach a CIT team and frame the call  * (16:08) - How many times are the same people seen?  * (17:28) - How to respond when someone meets involuntary admission criteria  * (21:35) - The most common elements of de-escalation. Right vs right for the situation  * (25:23) - How could crisis response be improved?  * (27:34) - How can law enforcement change to improve crisis response?  * (32:33) - Engaging and helping family caregivers  * (36:29) - Dr Amador's advice for families  * (37:01) - Importance of early intervention  * (38:18) - Crisis info cards  * (39:35) - Cops who care

Effective Talk Therapy for Schizophrenia and Psychosis

In this SMI Spotlight episode, Dr. Xavier Amador - clinical psychologist and author of I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! - sits down with Dr. Aaron Brinen, author of Living Well With Psychosis and a leading expert in Recovery‑Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R).Together, they explore how CT-R helps people living with severe mental illness (SMI) build hope, strengthen personal agency, and move toward meaningful, self‑directed recovery.Dr. Brinen shares insights from his clinical work, the science behind CT-R, and the powerful role that goals and adaptive motivation play in helping individuals with psychosis move forward. He also offers practical guidance for clinicians, ACT teams, families, and anyone seeking effective recovery‑focused strategies.If you’re a family member seeking tools to support a loved one, a clinician wanting to learn more about CT-R, or someone with lived experience looking for hope-oriented approaches you’ll find this conversation invaluable.Video chapters: * (00:00) - Intro * (02:23) - Dr Brinen's background * (04:17) - The connections between treatment of psychosis and anxiety disorders * (05:07) - Recovery oriented cognitive therapy - meaningful recovery * (07:59) - Tapping into personal, motivating dreams and goals to serve recovery. * (09:02) - What's a typical opening question in this type of therapy? * (10:44) - How does recovery oriented CBT help with symptoms of SMI? * (14:49) - What's the time investment by a clinician to get this intervention to work? * (15:50) - Training ACT teams in CT-R and how widespread is CT-R? * (19:28) - CT-R with Anosognosia - lack of insight * (21:23) - How CT-R bypasses the "need" to have insight into one's diagnosis * (24:45) - Hope, identity, and personal agency * (28:02) - Activating the adaptive mode in CT-R * (30:33) - How to find a CT-R therapist * (31:16) - 3 actionable steps for families to help a loved one with SMI * (35:14) - A key priority for policymakers to help people with SMI

The nurses leading mental illness outreach in NYC subways

In this episode of SMI Spotlight, Dr Xavier Amador sits down with three nurses from New York City’s SCOUT (Subway Co-Response Outreach Team) program — a unique initiative that brings mental health expertise directly into the NYC subway system. These clinicians meet people with severe mental illness (SMI) where they are, building trust underground, offering compassionate care, and helping individuals access treatment when they need it.The SCOUT nurses share what drew them to this work, how they build relationships in unpredictable environments, and how they know when it’s time to bring someone to the hospital. They break down the mental status exam, discuss person-centered assessment tools, and talk about maintaining dignity, safety, and humanity — even when police are present. Through powerful stories, they show what successful outreach really looks like: connection, compassion, and meeting people with severe mental illness without judgment.We also explore how SCOUT measures success, what program evaluation looks like in the field, and how a humanizing approach can change lives at an individual level. Whether you’re a clinician, advocate, policymaker, or someone who wants to better understand SMI, this conversation offers a grounded, hopeful look at compassionate street-level mental health care in NYC.Video Sections: * (00:00) - Intro * (01:41) - What is the SCOUT program? * (03:08) - What attracted them to the program? * (07:02) - How do you build relationships and know when it's time to take someone to the hospital? * (10:18) - Mental Status Exam Overview * (13:11) - Clinical assessment tools with a humanizing approach * (16:51) - Maintaining the dignity of the person * (18:19) - Helping individuals feel safe even with police presence * (19:38) - Tactics for helping people feel safe * (23:20) - Program success stories * (28:21) - Measuring success in connection and care * (29:01) - Program Evaluation * (30:15) - Seeing the humanity of unhoused and mentally ill people * (35:46) - People-first thinking and language * (39:40) - Treating everyone like family * (41:49) - Effectuating change at an individual level