Lively Minds, the UK Mental Health Podcast Ellie Page & Will Sadler
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- Health & Fitness
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Led by people with lived experience, Lively Minds is a fortnightly UK-based podcast about mental health challenges that go beyond the ebb and flow of the everyday.
With a new episode landing every other Wednesday at 6am UK time, hosts: Ellie Page and Will Sadler present a show that is less about how we deal with our mental health problems, and more about how we understand them in the first place.
In our first season, we will be talking with Clinical Psychologist Karen Lowinger about High Functioning Mental Health problems, therapist and fellow podcaster Stuart Ralph about one of the most misunderstood of all mental health conditions: OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Professor William Tov about the definition of 'happiness', Jake Dunn about men’s mental health groups and the responsibility of communities to look after one another’s mental wellbeing, Dolly Sen about whether ‘mental illness’ even exists and Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen about how mental health intersects with spirituality and gender.
Will and Ellie speak about mental health entirely from their lived experiences. This podcast does not constitute medical or therapeutic advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help.
To find out more about our show and for signposting to mental health support visit www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds
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S2E7 - Funerals and mental health, with Andy Jones
“Sometimes, people just need to be really very sad together”
In this episode, we will be talking with funeral celebrant - or ‘funeralist’ - Andy Jones about funerals and mental health.
We ask Andy what ingredients he thinks a funeral needs in order to best support the wellbeing of those that have lost someone.
We also discuss how, as someone who spends his life around death and grieving, Andy looks after his own mental wellbeing.
You can hear Andy interviewed on the Cinematologists podcast by clicking here
He will also be interviewed on an upcoming episode of the Endings podcast, which you can find here.
Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more at https://www.bio.link/livelyminds
Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website anyamedia.net/livelyminds -
S2E6 - What is dramatherapy? with Ciara McClelland
What is Dramatherapy? How does it work? And how can it help us make better sense of our mental health?
In this episode, Ellie and Will chat with Ciara McClelland of Dream Together, who is a registered dramatherapist and social worker.
We explore dramatherapy's application in both individual and group contexts. From facilitating personal healing journeys to shedding light on pressing social issues, dramatherapy emerges as a powerful tool for fostering self-awareness and collective understanding.
We will also discuss how dramatherapy helps to reclaim the way we understand ourselves, leading to profound insights into the complexities that shape our lives.
Please note: case study examples are 'mock ups' of therapeutic scenarios for which consent has been given.
Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more at https://www.bio.link/livelyminds
Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website anyamedia.net/livelyminds -
S2E5 - Uncovering unregulated therapy in the UK, with Phil Doré and Amanda Williamson
Did you know, that in the UK, anyone - no matter what their qualifications or experience - can set themselves up as a counsellor, a psychotherapist, or indeed use any job title except for a chosen few that are protected by law?
In this episode, we will be talking Phil Doré and Amanda Williamson about regulation - or rather, the lack of it - in mental health care in the UK.
Amanda Williamson is a Senior Accredited Counsellor and Coach working in private practice. Following her experience of abusive therapy as a trainee, she joined Phil Doré as part of Unsafe Spaces and campaigned for the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy.
Phil Dore is a mental health nurse who has spent most of his career in the NHS, which is where he currently works. He started the Unsafe Spaces blog and together with Amanda, Phil wrote the Unsafe Spaces report in 2016 (see link below)
Now you may be wondering why we are interviewing people who wrote a report that’s now 8 years old?
Well, the reason is because - as we’ll hear later - everything in that report remains equally as relevant, if not more so today.
Links
Link to the Unsafe Spaces report
Link to the investigation by the Daily Express
Link to the Professional Standards Authority's 'Share Your Experience' form
General advice on choosing a therapist in the UK
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/talking-therapy-and-counselling/how-to-find-a-therapist/https://positivemindpractice.co.uk/blog/finding-accredited-therapists/
Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more at https://www.bio.link/livelyminds
Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website anyamedia.net/livelyminds -
S2E4 - Arts activism and mental health, with Vici Wreford-Sinnott
How can the arts help achieve positive change for people with mental health problems?
Who can get involved? What counts as “activism”?
Writer, director and Disabled rights activist: Vici Wreford Sinnott returns to the show to discuss these questions. She highlight some of her favourite examples of mental health-focused activism and talks about how those with and without mental health challenge can work together to make society a more equitable and happier place for everyone.
Links
More information about the Feeble Minded Control Bill (which became the Mental Deficiency Act 1913) Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more at https://www.bio.link/livelyminds
Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website anyamedia.net/livelyminds -
S2E3 - Tackling misinformation about OCD, with Matthew Antonelli and Stuart Ralph
How many times have you heard someone say “I’m being so OCD” to describe a random bit of preciseness or when they need to double-check something?
Whether it’s newspaper articles falsely linking OCD to violent behaviours, unhelpful social media memes that perpetuate mistaken concepts of “intrusive thoughts”, or the names of brands which trivialise the experience - misinformation, and perhaps sometimes active disinformation, about OCD remains rife.
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is one of the world’s most misunderstood mental health disorders. For a long time, it has been portrayed in the media as a personality quirk that has something or other to do with cleanliness. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, it is one of the most disabling conditions on Earth. Whilst ‘contamination OCD’ is the most common subtype, this strand of the condition is grossly mischaracterised by the media, who also ignore the fact that most forms of OCD have nothing to do with germaphobia.
In this special collaboration with the OCD Stories podcast, Ellie and Will chat to Matthew Antonelli from the IOCDF, and Stuart Ralph, from OCD Stories, about the impact OCD myths can have on those with the condition - and what we can do to spread positive messages that encourage people to seek the help they need and deserve.
Links
The OCD Stories PodcastThe IOCDF’s response to articles that appeared in the New York Post
Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more at https://www.bio.link/livelyminds
Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website anyamedia.net/livelyminds -
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Customer Reviews
More about origins of mental health problems than quick cures
It’s great to hear a show that looks more at the origins of mental health problems rather than pretending to have quick fixes
Really getting to appreciate this
I like its matter of fact approach, honesty, carefulness and variety.
I think it might be resonating with lots of people and helping reduce a sense of isolation amongst those who struggle ….
Great show!
Really enjoying this, great philosophical conversations about mental health!