The Trauma & Mental Health Report Podcast

EP68: Rethinking Parasocial Relationships: Harmless, Helpful, or Misunderstood?

As social media grows, our connections to the people we see on screens continue to deepen. The term “parasocial relationship” has been spreading through online discourse, but are these relationships inherently negative? In this episode, writer Natalie Joly speaks with Dr. Gayle Stever, an expert in parasocial relationships and author of Parasocial Experiences and The Psychology of Celebrity. They discuss common misconceptions surrounding these nuanced relationships and how the term is often misunderstood and misrepresented.

EP67: AI Therapy and the Risk of Getting it Wrong

As AI tools like ChatGPT become part of everyday life, more people are turning to them for advice, comfort, and even therapy. But can artificial intelligence truly take on the role of a mental health provider? In this episode, writer Niemat Yusuf speaks with Dr. William Agnew, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, whose work examines the ethics of AI and its impact on marginalized communities. Together, they explore what current research reveals about AI’s potential and its limits in emotional support.

The Stigma of disclosing Mental Health difficulties among Professionals in the Field

In this episode of the Trauma and Mental Health Report’s podcast, contributing writer Amanda Fernandes interviews Dr. Stephen Lewis, Associate Professor in psychology and Research Leadership Chair at the University of Guelph. His research has focused extensively on lived experiences in mental health, as well as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among youth and young adults. Together we delve into his co-authored paper exploring diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health difficulties among school, clinical, and counselling psychologists, and graduate students. Dr. Lewis draws on his own lived experiences and academic expertise to advocate against the stigmas that have prevented applied psychologists from disclosing and addressing their mental health struggles. He provides meaningful insights into the topic of clinician effectiveness given mental health struggles, and poses several avenues of future research and change.

What drives Cannabis use disorder, and how does it relate to government policy? Discussion with Dr. Jeffrey Wardell

In this episode, Trauma and Mental Health Report writer Adrian Parham interviews Dr. Jeffrey Wardell, associate professor at York University and director of the Behavioural Alcohol and Cannabis Lab. His lab uses clinical, social, cognitive and personality psychology to better understand the behavioural processes of substance use and misuse. The goal of the lab is to support policy makers tailor interventions and harm reduction efforts, by providing scientific data.

How emotion focused therapy for youth helps nurture healthy family relationships

In this episode, Trauma and Mental Health Report writer Sierrah Hamilton interviews Dr. Mirisse Foroughe, the Research Institute Director at Emotion Transformation Institute, the Clinical Director at Family Psychology Centre, and the developer of Emotion Focused Therapy for Youth. She is also the author of two published books on Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and Emotion Focused Therapy for Youth (EFT-Y), and she hosts workshops where she teaches these tools to caregivers and clinicians internationally. Today, we will dive into her most recent work, using Emotion Focused Therapy for Youth and Caregiver-Youth dyads, and how you can think about and use some of these techniques within your own family.