TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

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TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

  1. 4d ago

    Preventable Deaths: Inside Maternal Mortality Review with Dr. Sarah Nagle-Yang

    She expected to find that the screening never happened. Most of the time, it had. Dr. Sarah Nagle-Yang is a reproductive psychiatrist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and co-chair of Colorado's Maternal Mortality Review Committee, where she reads through the record of everyone in the state who died while pregnant or in the year after. Suicide and unintentional overdose are the leading causes. She also co-chairs the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry, which began as a list she and a mentor put together so that trainees looking for a fellowship would not have to start with a Google search. In this conversation with Dr. Sarah Arshad, she walks through what a maternal mortality review actually involves and what it has revealed. Screening has largely made it into primary care. What follows a positive screen has not caught up, and that gap shows up in the cases she reviews. She gets specific about where clinicians can intervene, including the access lines built for exactly the moment a provider has someone in front of them and no clear next step. In this episode: What the mortality review revealed about screening and what comes after it Where the gap actually sits once a screen comes back positive The postpartum window where risk peaks and monitoring disappears Why cardiovascular disease leads for Black mothers, and what that has to do with mental health What perinatal psychiatric access lines do and who should be calling them Why an estimated one in ten fathers experiences postpartum depression The sleep question she puts to every family Learn more about the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry: https://ncrptraining.org If you see pregnant or postpartum patients, screen for depression in your practice, or love someone in their first year of parenthood, this conversation is for you. 0:00 Introduction 1:23 From OBGYN to psychiatry 2:41 The conference that changed her career 3:14 There is no accredited pathway 6:07 The list of fellowships that became a national curriculum 9:07 An all hands on deck problem 9:44 The leading causes of maternal mortality 10:59 Screening happens, then what 11:33 Inside a perinatal mental health access line 12:36 How a maternal mortality review works 14:53 Fifteen states, every suicide death preventable 15:39 Disparities in maternal mortality 17:08 Why cardiovascular disease leads for Black mothers 19:06 The drop off after the six week visit 21:54 Nobody is checking on partners 23:30 How perinatal access lines get funded 25:18 What access lines do and who should call 29:54 Sleep, support, and the we problem 32:18 Where to find her work Interview recorded on August 15th, 2026 🔗 Subscribe to hear more www.tntopenmind.org maternal mental health, perinatal mental health, reproductive psychiatry, maternal mortality, postpartum depression, maternal mortality review committee, perinatal suicide prevention, behavioral health, mental health, primary care, pediatrics, postpartum care, National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Sarah Nagle-Yang, TNT Open Mind Insights, perinatal access line, maternal health disparities Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

  2. Aug 31

    Connecting Clinicians to Capitol Hill with Alberto Sandoval

    What does it take to close the mental health gap in America? Alberto Sandoval, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Community and Government Relations at UC Irvine, has spent decades building relationships in Congress, the private sector, and higher education. In this episode of TNT Open Mind Insights, Sandoval makes a direct case for why clinicians, nurses, and mental health professionals are the most powerful advocates in the room — more than any lobbyist. And why picking up the phone to call your legislator may be one of the most important things you do this year. Topics covered include the mental health workforce gap, the TNT program as a force multiplier, cultural barriers in Hispanic communities, the connection between homelessness and untreated mental illness, and why sustained relationship building is how policy actually changes. The mental health crisis is solvable. This conversation is about who is going to solve it. 0:00 — Introduction & Meet Alberto Sandoval 1:08 — The Heart of Government Relations: Relationships 2:34 — Why Mental Health Is a Priority at UCI 3:41 — The Workforce Gap: Facilities Are Bulging at the Seams 5:55 — Desperation, Homelessness & the Human Cost of Unaddressed Mental Health 6:21 — Stigma, Overprescribing & Cultural Barriers in the Hispanic Community 7:07 — It Can Be Solved: Optimism in Government Relations 8:27 — Translating Lived Experience into Policy Change 9:02 — How to Educate Policymakers 10:35 — Why Clinicians Are the Most Powerful Advocates 13:13 — How Healthcare Professionals Can Get Involved Today 16:54 — The Starfish Story: One Person at a Time 17:44 — Why Every Human Life Has Value 19:45 — What World Do You Want for the Next Generation 21:48 — Maintaining Optimism When the Work Is Hard 22:28 — How Policy Change Actually Happens: The Long Game 25:46 — From Research to Reality: UCI Success Stories 27:14 — The Connection Between Mental Health and Homelessness 28:33 — What Alberto Is Working on Now: UCI's 20-Year Vision 29:03 — How to Connect With Alberto Sandoval & UCI CGR Inverview recorded on March 20, 2026 🔗 Subscribe to hear more about the people, policies, and programs shaping the future of mental health care. tntopenmind.org mental health advocacy, behavioral health policy, UCI health, mental health access, clinician advocacy, healthcare policy, mental health professionals, force multiplier, TNT program, government relations, mental health gap, healthcare advocacy, people first language, mental health stigma, Hispanic mental health, homelessness mental health, UC Irvine, mental health reform, policy change, relationship building Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

  3. Aug 13

    Treating Addiction in Primary Care with Dr. Ihuoma Chukwueke

    What do you do when you can see the problem and don't have the solution? For years, Ihuoma Chukwueke, MD, DrPH , FAAFP, DipACLM, would take a social history, hear about a patient's drinking or drug use, and write a referral to an addiction specialist. The wait to be seen runs about three months. Readiness rarely survives it. A family physician with a doctorate in public health and board certification in lifestyle medicine, she had built a career around prevention and root causes — and substance use was the one place her tools ran out. Then a colleague talked her into applying for addiction medicine training for primary care providers. In this conversation she describes what changed: how she works substance use screening into visits that started with something else entirely, why quantifying a patient's drinking changes the conversation, and what happened when a woman who came in for a hand injury left having started treatment for alcohol use. She also lays out the arithmetic driving all of it. Roughly 3,000 addiction specialists nationwide against 48 million Americans who meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. In this episode: Why primary care providers are the first point of contact for substance use and mental health The three-month wait for addiction specialists and what gets lost in it Screening for substance use at well-child visits, including cannabis use at nine and alcohol at twelve How quantifying "just a glass of wine" changes what patients understand about their own drinking The connection between isolation, dopamine, and why the brain resists stopping Treating chronic disease and substance use as one problem instead of two Speaking about addiction in faith communities where stigma keeps people silent. 0:00 Introduction 0:22 Training Abroad and Six Years to a Medical Degree 1:52 Community Service in Communities That Had Nothing 2:24 From Public Health to a Doctorate in Preventive Care 3:21 Board Certification in Lifestyle Medicine and Addiction Medicine Training 4:30 Why You Cannot Separate Mental Health from Physical Health 5:35 The Referral She Could Not Make Work 6:03 3,000 Specialists and 48 Million Americans 7:16 Tobacco, Secondhand Smoke, and the Deaths We Are Not Addressing 8:28 The Colleague Who Talked Her Into Applying 10:12 Quantifying the Drink and Naming Alcohol a Carcinogen 11:27 Motivational Interviewing and the Shift from Empathy to Compassion 12:56 Screening at Well-Child Visits: Cannabis at Nine, Alcohol at Twelve 14:14 Prevention Versus Treating the Symptom 16:11 Chronic Disease and Substance Use as One Problem 18:34 Isolation, Dopamine, and the Hijacked Brain 21:01 A Hand Injury and the Conversation That Followed 23:35 Fifteen Minutes That Became Thirty-Five 25:15 Two Patients a Day, Every Day, Since March 27:38 Empowering Clinicians to Be the Hands and Feet 29:19 Speaking About Addiction Where Stigma Keeps People Silent 31:00 One in Eight High School Students 32:15 A Request That the Training Continue 🔗If you practice primary care, screen patients for substance use, or believe prevention belongs at the front of medicine — this conversation is for you. Learn more about TNT Open Mind Insights: www.tntopenmind.org substance use disorder, addiction medicine, primary care, behavioral health, mental health, lifestyle medicine, prevention, alcohol use disorder, substance use screening, primary care providers, stigma, Ihuoma Chukwueke, TNT Open Mind Insights, TNT Primary Care Fellowships, UC Irvine, family medicine, opioid crisis, motivational interviewing, underserved communities, public health Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

  4. Jul 31

    Technology Teaches & Clinicians Care with Dr. Brian Mayhugh

    It's a documented crisis that we don't have enough mental health providers. When the answer isn't as simple as finding more clinicians how can we make each one more effective? Dr. Brian Mayhugh, trained psychologist and CEO & Co-founder of MindStreet Inc., unpacks this solution to one of healthcare's most urgent challenges. His cloud-based CBT platform reduces provider time by 80% while matching the outcomes of in-person therapy — bringing gold-standard care to patients wherever they are. In this conversation, you'll learn why CBT remains the gold standard and what makes it so difficult to scale, why the human element remains irreplaceable even in a digital-first world, and why treating behavioral health improves outcomes for chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiac disease. Whether you're a clinician looking to expand your reach, a health system administrator searching for scalable solutions, or a community member who wants better access to care — this conversation is for you. 0:00 — Welcome & Introduction to Dr. Brian Mayhugh 1:25 — A Career Rooted in Direct Patient Care 3:55 — The Access Problem: Where the Crisis Really Begins 5:10 — Discovering the Beck Institute & the Early Days of CBT 6:55 — What Is CBT? Breaking Down the Core Framework 8:50 — How Mind Street Works: The Platform Walkthrough 13:00 — The Human-Supported Model: Why Technology Alone Isn't Enough 16:30 — Reducing Provider Burnout Through Smart Offloading 18:05 — Can AI Replace the Human Element? 19:45 — Reaching Rural Communities: Care Without Geography 21:55 — Mind Street vs. Other Mental Health Apps: What Makes It Different 23:30 — The Research: NIH Validation & Gold-Standard Outcomes 26:35 — Conditions CBT Can Treat — Beyond Anxiety & Depression 29:35 — Comorbidity: The Behavioral Health–Chronic Disease Connection 31:20 — How Providers Can Implement Mind Street Today 32:05 — The Vision: Scaling Evidence-Based Care Across Communities 34:25 — A Family Legacy in Behavioral Health Interview Recorded on March 20, 2026 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about innovation in mental health care. 🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: tntopenmind.org CBT therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mental health technology, behavioral health, mental health access, Mind Street, digital therapeutics, provider shortage, mental health platform, evidence-based therapy, telehealth mental health, rural mental health, comorbidity, primary care mental health, mental health tools, therapy at scale, NIH research, psychologist interview, mental health advocacy, healthcare innovation Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

  5. Jul 28

    Managing Pain, Monitoring Addiction with Jocelyn Nato Ligayo

    What happens when the provider handing out the prescriptions is the one who starts to question them?Jocelyn Ligayo spent years watching strong pain medication get prescribed for the simplest cases, first as a bedside nurse and then as a nurse practitioner in pain management. A patient who threatened her life over a refill became the turning point that moved her into primary care, where she now serves unhoused patients through Hope Christian Health Center's outreach program in Las Vegas.In this conversation, Jocelyn talks with Yami Reyes-Lima about facing her own assumptions — about prescribing, about addiction, and about the people she once believed had simply made bad choices. She gets honest about the stigma she carried into the work, why she says it's often the soul that's in pain and not the body, and what she thinks every provider owes the patient in front of them.Whether you work in healthcare, prescribe for pain, or care about how we treat people living with addiction, this conversation is for you.Chapters:0:00 – Introduction1:38 – Why she became a nurse and chose pain management4:21 – The reality check: what she believed about prescribing5:52 – When addiction hit close to home6:11 – The turning point: a patient's threat7:41 – Moving into primary care and outreach8:00 – Facing her own stigma about homelessness11:13 – What the patients' stories revealed12:43 – The biggest barrier to care13:26 – "It's the soul that's in pain, not the body"14:09 – Caseloads vs. the time to show up15:06 – Why her director urged her toward the TNT Fellowship15:57 – Months-long waits for psychiatric care in Nevada17:14 – Sending patients in crisis to the ER17:56 – Her hopes for the fellowship and the ripple effect22:18 – Solutions: kindness and communication26:57 – What lawmakers should know29:08 – Family, faith, and staying grounded31:00 – A message to other providers36:25 – Closing thoughts and how to helpInterview Recorded On: March 20, 2026🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with providers rethinking how we treat addiction and mental health.🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: www.tntopenmind.orgnurse practitioner, substance use disorder, addiction, pain management, opioid prescribing, controlled substances, provider stigma, homelessness, unhoused, mental health, behavioral health, primary care, harm reduction, addiction medicine, compassionate care, provider responsibility, Nevada healthcare, Las Vegas, underserved communities, TNT Primary Care Fellowship, TNT Open Mind Insights Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

    Managing Pain, Monitoring Addiction with Jocelyn Nato Ligayo

  6. Jul 14

    Chronic, Not Crisis: Rethinking Behavioral Health Systems with Luke Bergmann

    What if the fix for America's mental health crisis isn't more funding or more infrastructure, but common sense?Dr. Luke Bergmann has spent 15+ years leading behavioral health systems in New York and California — most recently as San Diego County's Director of Behavioral Health, now a Principal at Health Management Associates. In this conversation, he pulls back the curtain on why our system so often fails the people who need it most: institutions incentivized to keep beds full instead of keeping people well, a billing policy that split his own stepfather's care in two, and a federal policy landscape he calls "whiplashy."This hits close to home for Bergmann. He shares the story of his stepfather, whose final year was shaped by a system that couldn't treat him as a whole person, and how that experience now drives his work bringing county behavioral health and community clinics to the same table.Whether you work in healthcare, advocate for mental health reform, or are simply trying to understand a system that touches almost every family, this conversation offers a clear-eyed, hopeful case for change.🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of mental health and policy. 🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: [tntopenmind.org] Interview recorded on Jan 16, 202600:00 – Introduction00:45 – Why Dr. Bergmann dedicated his career to behavioral health02:59 – Staying hopeful amid policy "whiplash" ($2B in grants cut, then restored)04:38 – A personal story of common sense abandoned09:04 – The billing policy that split his stepfather's care in two11:38 – Current work: bridging county behavioral health & community clinics14:00 – Fixing the community clinic problem that took his stepdad16:09 – HR1 and the threat to Medicaid enrollment18:11 – Twin crises: community clinics and county behavioral health21:31 – Fixing the same-day billing policy — low-hanging fruit22:03 – Why county behavioral health is often the most resistant to change24:12 – What behavioral health can learn from primary care25:43 – Why behavioral health is "obsessed" with the word crisis28:04 – Renaming crisis as chronic illness — and the pushback he got29:56 – Inpatient psych beds: the "motel chain" business model32:08 – Training primary care doctors in psychiatry: a real-world example from NYC34:18 – De-stigmatizing care by integrating it into primary care34:53 – Final thoughts: common sense, hope, and getting in touchTags: behavioral health, mental health, mental health policy, mental health advocacy, healthcare reform, integrated care, psychiatry, mental illness, substance use disorder, addiction recovery, community health, primary care, Medicaid, healthcare policy, mental health crisis, health equity, public health, healthcare leadership, San Diego County, Health Management Associates, HR1, FQHC, crisis care, chronic illness, mental health awareness Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

    Chronic, Not Crisis: Rethinking Behavioral Health Systems with Luke Bergmann

  7. Jun 24

    The Pediatrician Who Became a Child Psychiatrist with Dr. Bruce Leewiwatanakul

    Most parents, and plenty of providers, assume mental health "treatment" means medication. A triple-boarded child psychiatrist explains what it actually looks like for kids.Dr. Bruce Leewiwatanakul is a pediatrician and child psychiatrist. He now runs integrated and collaborative care, the model built to reach kids with mild-to-moderate mental health needs before those needs turn into a crisis.In this conversation with Dr. Sarah Arshad, Dr. Leewiwatanakul breaks down how collaborative care actually works in a pediatric setting, why so much of effective treatment has nothing to do with a prescription, and what early screening is already getting right. He's candid about where the model strains under a teen's schedule and a parent's, what it would take to expand past anxiety and depression into behavior management, and the investment kids' mental health still isn't getting.In this episode:In this episode:Why a pediatrics background changes how you diagnose and treat in psychiatryWhat the Post-Pediatric Portal Program is, and why most people have never heard of itHow collaborative care manages a whole population of kids proactivelyWhy "treatment" usually starts with sleep, screens, and behavioral activation, not medicationWhat's working: earlier screening and catching kids before things get worseWhere the model breaks down for teens, and what real investment would unlockHis plea to stakeholders, families, and government on kids' mental healthInterview recorded on: Jan 16, 2026Learn more about TNT Open Mind Insights: www.tntopenmind.orgIf you're a pediatrician, primary care provider, NP, PA, fellow, or anyone building behavioral health into a pediatric practice, this conversation is for you.0:00 Introduction — meet Dr. Bruce Leewiwatanakul0:47 Why medicine, and a mother's advice to do something worthwhile1:43 The detour into teaching near UCLA2:29 What drew him to kids and family systems5:59 Finding psychiatry by listening to kids at midnight7:10 The gap pediatrics alone couldn't fill8:12 What the Post-Pediatric Portal Program is9:47 Pediatrician or child psychiatrist? Holding both10:26 How a pediatrics brain changes his psychiatry12:40 Prevention and anticipatory guidance in mental health13:01 Why he joined the TNT Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship14:36 Collaborative care and integrated care, explained16:30 What's working: screening and catching kids early17:40 What "treatment" actually means19:15 Why therapy for kids looks nothing like the movies22:54 The magic-wand question: investing in collaborative care25:07 A plea to stakeholders, families, and government26:30 What keeps him doing the workchild psychiatry, pediatric mental health, collaborative care, integrated care, behavioral health, child and adolescent psychiatry, primary care psychiatry, post pediatric portal program, Bruce Leewiwatanakul, OHSU, Doernbecher Childrens Hospital, behavioral health care manager, anticipatory guidance, early intervention, youth mental health, behavioral activation, TNT Open Mind Insights, pediatrician to psychiatrist, kids mental health Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

    The Pediatrician Who Became a Child Psychiatrist with Dr. Bruce Leewiwatanakul

  8. Jun 19

    Perinatal Recovery & Shame-Free Care With Amber Williams

    What does it look like when a patient becomes the CEO?Amber Williams walked into Janus of Santa Cruz suffering with substance use disorder as a teen mom with a newborn son and no insurance coverage left. Twenty years later, she runs it — and this September, Janus opens its first major infrastructure project: a 25-bed perinatal facility built so mothers in recovery won't have to be separated from their babies.In this conversation, Amber talks with Autumn Payne about what it takes to put clients at the center of every decision — from building environments that raise expectations, to asking providers to check their biases before they walk into a patient room. She also gets personal about the moment her own bias crept into her clinical work, and what she did about it.If you work in healthcare, treat patients with substance use disorder, or care about what recovery looks like for families — this conversation is for you.In this episode:Why environment is a clinical tool, not an amenityThe three barriers keeping providers from treating substance use disorderWhat happens when you recognize your own bias before it reaches a patientWhy perinatal-specific facilities are so rare — and what's at stake without themThe aging population being left behind on medsurg floorsWhere a bottomless well of hope comes fromChapters0:00 Introduction 1:20 How Amber first came to Janus as a patient 4:00 The decision that changed everything 5:30 Putting clients at the center of every decision 7:00 Why environment is a clinical tool 9:00 The new 25-bed perinatal facility 11:30 Why perinatal facilities are so rare 13:45 Three barriers providers face with SUD patients 18:00 Checking your own bias — a personal story 21:30 What to do when you can't check it at the door 23:00 Self-care for clinicians in high-intensity settings 25:00 Warm handoffs in a 15-minute appointment 28:00 Resources: 988 and the ED Bridge program 29:30 The California SUD landscape 33:00 The aging population left behind on med surg floors 36:00 Where Amber finds hopeInterview Recorded On: March 20. 2026TNT Open Mind Insights is a video series linking personal stories to solutions in mental healthcare. Sponsored by UC Irvine's Train New Trainers Primary Care Psychiatry Fellowship and produced by Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency. 🔗 Hear more insights: [tntopenmind.org] Connect with Amber: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-williams-laadc-98779b111/ Connect with Janus of Santa Cruz: https://janussc.org#SubstanceUseDisorder #AddictionRecovery #PeriNatalCare #BehavioralHealth #MentalHealth #HealthcareProviders #TNTOpenMindInsights #HealthcarePolicy #StigmaFreeRecoveryTags: substance use disorder, addiction recovery, perinatal care, behavioral health, mental health, healthcare providers, stigma, recovery, Janus Santa Cruz, TNT Open Mind Insights, healthcare policy, maternal health, addiction medicine, California healthcare, substance abuse treatment, harm reduction Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise

    Perinatal Recovery & Shame-Free Care With Amber Williams
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