Heart Forward Conversations from the Heart

Kerry Morrison
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The American mental health system is broken beyond repair. Rather than trying to tweak a system which fails everyone, it is time to commit to a bold vision for a better way forward. This podcast explores the American system against the plumb line of an international best practice, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), in Trieste, Italy. The 40-year old Trieste model demonstrates how a community-based treatment system upholds the human rights of the people served.  The Trieste story is anti-institutional and models the therapeutic value of social connection. Topics will address contemporary challenges in the American failed mental health system as contrasted with the Italian approach toward accoglienza – or radical hospitality – as the underpinning of their remarkable culture of caring for people. Interviews will touch upon how the guiding principles of the Italian system – social recovery, whole person care, system accountability, and the human right to a purposeful life – are non-negotiable aspects if we are to have any hope of forging a new way forward in our American mental health system. This podcast is curated and hosted by Kerry Morrison, founder and project director of Heart Forward LA (https://www.heartforwardla.org/). Heart Forward is collaborating with Aaron Stern at Verdugo Sound as the technical partner in producing this podcast (https://www.verdugosound.com).  Kerry Morrison is also the author of the blog www.accoglienza.us. 

  1. 17 Oct

    Radical Matters: A conversation with Fr. Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries

    Fr. Greg Boyle probably never could’ve imagined the future harvest resulting from the simple seeds he planted back 30+ years ago when he saw a need in the neighborhoods that surrounded the parish he was assigned to in East L.A.  Actually as I write these Episode Notes, I am sitting in the Homegirl Café just north of downtown LA, having met a colleague for breakfast.  It is buzzing with customers and a bevy of enthusiastic employees serving signature dishes like chilaquiles or providing their most excellent customer service!    Homegirl Café is part of a network of social enterprises that have been nurtured over the decades to provide a pathway to employment and purpose for the men and women who find their way into the Homeboy ecosystem. In this conversation, we explore the evolution of the Homeboy Industries ecosystem over the years.  You will hear me ask, “when did you create a Strategic Plan?”  Anyone who manages a nonprofit organization will want to hear this answer! We’ll compare and contrast the commitment Homeboys holds to Radical Kinship and the mantra of Heart Forward, which is Radical Hospitality.  We will talk about the importance of cultivating relationship in order to foster mutual trust.  And in our reference to Dr. Mary Watkins and her work on Mutual Accompaniment, I'll share here that the word we were looking for is "compagnon" which is French for companion. You will also hear about the treatment and wellness campus planned for a property in Hollywood, formerly known as the Monastery of the Angels.  Homeboys Industries secured this property  and was able to take advantage of a nearly $25M grant from the California Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act as a result of funding made available via Proposition 1 that was approved by the voters in March 2024.  Renovations are now underway to create Home of the Angels, a planned residential and outpatient recovery campus in Hollywood.    Other resources discussed in this conversation: Mutual Accompaniment and the Creation of the Commons by Dr. Mary Watkins Secure by Amir Levine, M.D.: 9798217179817 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books by Amir Levine MD The Whole Language:  The Power of Extravagant Tenderness by Gregory Boyle, SJ  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ With special recognition to our key sponsors: Presenting Sponsor, Tony HaleCommunity Impact Sponsor, Peter LizotteAnd a special thank you to those who have helped to make this season possible: Sarah Dusseault, the Thomas and Deborah Insel Fund, Brian Folb, Dave Pilon, Nick Halaris, Jae Lee and David Israelian.

  2. 22 Sept

    The long awaited English translation of Basaglia's "The Negated Institution:" A conversation with Professor John Foot

    This is the second time I’ve had the privilege to interview Professor John Foot (see  Season 3 Episode 5), and this time, it is upon the occasion of the much anticipated translation and publication of the book The Negated Institution:  Report from a Psychiatric Hospital edited by Franco Basaglia.   This book originally published in 1968 (as “L’ istitutzione negata”) sparked a revolution in thought throughout Italy and the non-English speaking world. It is a collection of essays, conversations and interviews involving nurses, patients, psychiatrists and others associated with the psychiatric hospital in Gorizia, where Basaglia was assigned before he went to Trieste.  The book is available in hard copy from Punctum Books and is also available as a free downloadable pdf.   We’ll explore with Professor Foot some of the theories as to why a book that was so popular and influential in other parts of the world seemed to be shunned by the more traditional clinical “thought leaders” in the UK and the US.   We’ll also explore why, in this time of institutional protections and so little progress in the human-centered focus of our mental health system, reading this book might provide inspiration to spark new ways of thinking about system change.  Professor Foot is the author of The Man Who Closed the Asylums:  Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care.  Some of the topics that surface in this conversation deserve follow up links: Link to film by Raymond Depardon, San Clemente Basaglia’s International Legacy by Tom Burns and John Foot, May 2020  The Isaac Foot Collection at University of CA at Santa Barbara   With special recognition to our key sponsors: ·       Presenting Sponsor, Tony Hale ·       Community Impact Sponsor, Peter Lizotte And a special thank you to those who have helped to make this season possible: Sarah Dusseault, Brian Folb, Dave Pilon, Nick Halaris, Jae Lee and David Israelian.

  3. 31 Aug

    Redemption, recovery and reentry: A conversation with Marc Novick, peer case manager

    For this episode, we handed the podcast studio over to one of our UCLA interns from the Luskin School of Public Affairs, Mei-Mei Barnhardt.  She interviews Marc Novick who brings a wealth of lived experience to his role as a case manager for Project 180, a program that is focused upon diversion and reentry programs for people involved in the criminal justice system.   Since late last year, Heart Forward has been involved in a Hilton Foundation-funded project which involves taking a deeper look at the residential ecosystem that is connected to LA County’s Office of Diversion and Reentry (ODR).   This program, working in concert with Superior Court judges in the criminal and mental health courts, offers programs that divert individuals with serious mental, physical or behavioral health needs from jail into community-based care, housing and supportive services.  The Heart Forward team, as part of this project, has been visiting various service providers who staff these residential placements, and when we visited Project 180’s Crescent House last fall, one enthusiastic member of the case management team captured our attention.  That was Marc.  Mei-Mei, in particular, was drawn to his positive energy and asked if she could meet with him to learn more about his life.   As she relayed back to us the substance of their three-hour meeting – where he candidly shared his challenges with family trauma and addition, starting at a very young age, we thought he would be a great candidate for an interview.  And, in the spirit of promoting student learning, we offered Mei-Mei the opportunity to take the reins in the podcast studio.  His journey out of addiction is inspirational, and undergirds the role he plays as a peer supporter with other men facing similar life challenges.   With special recognition to our key sponsors: Presenting Sponsor, Tony HaleCommunity Impact Sponsor, Peter LizotteAnd a special thank you to those who have helped to make this season possible: Sarah Dusseault, Brian Folb, Dave Pilon, Nick Halaris, Jae Lee and David Israelian.

  4. 11 Aug

    Have I told you how much you matter ...and do you believe me? A conversation with Dr. Gordon Flett

    This season starts off with a wonderful conversation with Dr. Gordon Flett, Professor Emeritus in Psychology at York University in Canada and the author of the 2018 book, The Psychology of Mattering:  Understanding the Human Need to be Significant.   Dr. Flett’s research into “mattering” – which he started in the 1980’s --  seems to be finding a contemporary relevance in the 21st century as our society trends toward social isolation and loneliness.   His work resonates with Heart Forward because of our belief that the human posture of coming alongside people, and practicing radical hospitality in our relationships, can be transformative for all involved.    Flett, who is considered one of the global experts on this topic, believes that the experience of mattering is critical for human well-being and a sense of flourishing.  As you will hear, this is not the same as a sense of belonging or self-esteem.  People need to feel seen and heard and they yearn to know that they are making a difference or add value in some way.  Dr. Flett has been busy in his so-called retirement from academic life and has appeared on several podcasts and interviews in the past year.  Here are some helpful links: Hidden Brain podcast:  Do you Feel Invisible (Feb 2026) Hidden Brain podcast:  A Secret Source of Connection (June 2026)  Dr. Flett responds to listener questions and comments sparked by the February podcast) The Oprah Podcast:  How Mattering to Yourself & Others Can Change Your Life with Oprah, Jennifer Wallace & Ina Garten (January 2026)   Books and publications The Psychology of Mattering:  Understanding the Human Need to be Significant.  Dr. Gordon Flett.  Published 2018.  The Healing Power and Potential of Mattering.    APA PsycNet.   Other resources Mattering in Action | Making Schools More Human Why ‘Mattering’ Is a Key Part of Mental Health - The New York Times Ted Talk Des Moines Nov 2021 Angela Maiers – You Matter   Gordon L. Flett.  2026 With special recognition to our key sponsors: Presenting Sponsor, Tony HaleCommunity Impact Sponsor, Peter LizotteAnd a special thank you to those who have helped to make this season possible: Sarah Dusseault, Brian Folb, Dave Pilon, Nick Halaris, Jae Lee and David Israelian.

  5. Season 6 Trailer

    Season Six Trailer

    Welcome to Season Six of Heart Forward Conversations from the Heart.  After dedicating all of Season Five to voices from Trieste, for the next 10 episodes we’ve returned home.  I am excited to share with you some amazing people and their work from which I know you will draw inspiration and hope.   We will explore this simple question:   What if the way we treat people is just as important as the services we provide? Or, perhaps, more important? As you know, if you’ve been on this journey with us so far, we characterize this culture of coming alongside fellow human beings as Radical Hospitality.   It is fundamentally simple: We see you. We hear you. You are safe here. Your voice matters. This season we'll explore what happens when those values move beyond philosophy and become everyday practice. We'll talk with researchers, practitioners, advocates, and people with lived experience who are challenging the way we think about recovery, belonging, addiction, community, and what it means to truly matter. You'll hear conversations with Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries, psychologist Dr. Gordon Flett, experts in diversion and recovery, and others who press for system change and ask us to reimagine how we care for one another. If you believe there is a more humane way to approach mental health care, you’re in the right place. If you are interested to partner with Heart Forward as one of our sponsors, which helps us to avoid monetization and the pop up of annoying ads mid-sentence, please explore our sponsorship package HERE.   A direct link to our Donor Portal is provided HERE.  Subscribe now, and join us for Season Six of Conversations from the Heart. New episodes begin in August. With appreciation always to our technical producer, Aaron Stern of Capstone Audio.

  6. 04/09/2025

    Basaglian psychiatry through the prism of philosophy: A conversation with Dr. Mario Colucci

    Support this podcast with a contribution of any amount HERE Meet Mario Colucci, a psychiatrist who has worked in a variety of roles in the Trieste system for over 30 years.  He is currently the director of the Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Service , which is linked to the general emergency room of the civil hospital in Udine, in the same region of Trieste.    I consider him “the psychiatrist’s philosopher” because of his keen intellect and how he effortlessly weaves philosophy into telling the story of Basaglia.    In this interview, we explore four themes: Philosophy – and how it impacted the thinking of Franco Basaglia in the 1960’sEducation of psychiatrists – then and nowPower dynamics between clinician and patient – and power-sharingThe “total institution” To provide some additional resource material to follow along in the conversation, the following links may be helpful. General discussion of phenomenology. Four influential books that coincidentally were published in 1961, the same year that Franco Basaglia was assigned to the asylum in Gorizia: Madness and Civilization:  A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason.  Michel Foucault (1961)Asylums.  Erving Goffman.  (1961)The Wretched of the Earth.  Frantz Fanon.  (1961)The Land of Remorse. Ernesto de Martino (1961) Additionally, Dr. Colucci provided additional resources from his own research. In  2001, he and Pierangelo Di Vittorio wrote the first monograph on Basaglia.  In 2024, they wrote a book and the links to the abstract and the book are provided below.  Franco Basaglia. Thought, Practices, Politics  [abstract from a book written by Mario Colucci and Pierangelo Di Vittorio]  2001 by Edizioni Bruno Mondadori, Italy. 2005 by Éditions Érès, France; 2006 by Ediciones Nueva Visión, Argentina; 2020 by Edizioni Alpha Beta, Italy; 2024 by Meltemi Editore, Italy.  Franco Basaglia. Pensiero, pratiche, politica.  Mario Colucci and Pierangelo Di Vittorio.  2024  Here is a link to an article, “The Issue of Violence in Psychiatry,” written by Colucci in April, 2025.   Foucault and Psychiatric Power after Madness and Civilization[Published in Alain Beaulieu and David Gabbard (eds.), Michel Foucault and Power Today: International Multidisciplinary Studies in the History of the Present. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006.]  Medicalisation.   Mario Colucci.  SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies Journal of Science Communication ISSN 1824 – 2049 http://jcom.sissa.it/   JCOM 5 (1), March 2006 Psychiatrie et santé mentale: une quer

  7. 29/07/2025

    The human right to work in Italy: A conversation with Stefania Grimaldi of the social cooperative La Collina

    Stefania Grimaldi works with the social cooperative La Collina in Trieste Italy.  This particular social cooperative was formed in 1988 and employees 200 people, 35 percent of which are considered “disadvantaged.”    In this episode, we briefly explore the origins of the social cooperative network in Trieste – starting with the first one called the Basaglia SC, which was features recently in a movie called 50 Years of CLU.  We explore the two different types of social cooperatives – Type A and Type B.  In particular, we are interested in the Type B social cooperative because e they train and employ people who fall int the disadvantaged sector – which can involve physical and mental disability, substance use addiction and past experience with incarceration.  What is interesting is how the social cooperative must operate like a business and coimpete in the market place to secure contracts to provide labor and services.  La Collina will be competing with other private entities – and therefore their workforce must be up to the job. We explore their pathway to work which involves mentoring and internship before full employment status is achieved.   The cost of the internship is underwritten by the health agency, ASUGI.     The take-aways for an American audience are threefold: ·       Work is a human right, guaranteed by the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on Rights for Persons with Disabilities.   ·       So-called disadvantaged workers can achieve full employment and pursue their life aspirations ·       The proper supports must be in place to ensure people are trained and prepared to pursue their employment goals

  8. 13/06/2025

    Peer support to help "jump start" young people into independent life: A conversation with Michele Sipala of Recovery House

    Michele Sipala is a peer support worker at Recovery House, located in the heart of the city centre in Trieste.  Recovery House provides a six-month transitional residential environment for six young people, age 18 – 35, to help give a “kick start” into more independent living.   Recovery House was started in 2015 and over the past nine years, it has served 55 young people. In this conversation, we discuss the unique needs of younger people in the mental health services in Trieste who are transitioning into the adult service sector – with changes to their clinical supports and all the stresses and challenges that can accompany an expectation of moving into adult life.  He reiterates the three pillars of their mental health system:  the importance of work, home and socialization.    Resources and publications mentioned in this conversation: The Recovery House in Trieste:  Rational, participants, intervention as the “work.”  APA Psyc Net 2018 The Recovery House of Trieste. Journal of Recovery in Mental Health.  2018 Full article here.  Book that has had a great impact on Michele: Tutto chiede salvezza  (Italian) Everything Calls for Salvation (English version) And it is a Netflix series – with two seasons.

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The American mental health system is broken beyond repair. Rather than trying to tweak a system which fails everyone, it is time to commit to a bold vision for a better way forward. This podcast explores the American system against the plumb line of an international best practice, recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), in Trieste, Italy. The 40-year old Trieste model demonstrates how a community-based treatment system upholds the human rights of the people served.  The Trieste story is anti-institutional and models the therapeutic value of social connection. Topics will address contemporary challenges in the American failed mental health system as contrasted with the Italian approach toward accoglienza – or radical hospitality – as the underpinning of their remarkable culture of caring for people. Interviews will touch upon how the guiding principles of the Italian system – social recovery, whole person care, system accountability, and the human right to a purposeful life – are non-negotiable aspects if we are to have any hope of forging a new way forward in our American mental health system. This podcast is curated and hosted by Kerry Morrison, founder and project director of Heart Forward LA (https://www.heartforwardla.org/). Heart Forward is collaborating with Aaron Stern at Verdugo Sound as the technical partner in producing this podcast (https://www.verdugosound.com).  Kerry Morrison is also the author of the blog www.accoglienza.us. 

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