The Power of Friendship

First Steps Into Mental Health - June 2026

Mental health services are popping up all over...not just in counseling centers or offices or hospitals. Services are more available and more accessible - and more importantly - more comfortable for people who may be reluctant to take that first step. Cameron Burns from Crisis Services talks about the expansion of the Crisis to Care Collaborative. Tom Tharp from Spectrum Health's Wyoming County Counseling Center talks about the Mobile Therapy Unit. Kate Hill from Spectrum Health Buffalo Hope joins us for a moment of mindfulness, too.

Mental Health Awareness Month 2026

This month we focus on two agencies with events that celebrate accomplishments and spread awareness! Melinda DuBois, Executive Director, Mental Health Advocates of WNY talks about the agency and its annual recognition event. Jeanmarie Cieslica, Volunteer, Greater Buffalo Food Allergy Alliance and Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, licensed school and counseling psychologist and host of the "Don't Feed the Fear" podcast share valuable information about the connection between food allergies and wellness.

Stress Awareness Month 2026

Don't let stress rain down on your April days! April is Stress Awareness Month Will Christopher, a Community Wellness Specialist from Spectrum Health's Buffalo Hope COMPS team shares tips and techniques for reigning in stress. spectrumHealth & Human Services Buffalo Hoper Andrea Pierce, LMHC, Founder of HCOC Mental Health Corporation, talks about self-care in the helping professions because April is also Counselor Awareness Month.

The Power of Friendship

We talk music and radio with Chuck Stevens from the Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service. Dan Lukasik and Mark Anthony Dellas preview a new documentary called Travels With George about the power of friendship. In the Hope segment, Christina Jakubowski from Spectrum Health reminds us that Mental Health Matters every day!

Vulnerable Populations

This month we open our hearts to our community's more vulnerable individuals. Join Malene and Bob for some insightful conversations. Randy Hoak, Commissioner of Senior Services for Erie County shares resources for older Western New Yorkers who are looking for ways to be active and engaged. Tanya Drake is Spectrum Health's Re-Entry Coordinator. She tells us about her team's work in helping individuals acclimate to the community after incarceration.