TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

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TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

3d ago

Step Up and Run: Social Work in the Senate with Senator Susan Eggman

A teenager watching people in crisis from the car asked her mother, “Why can’t we help people?” Her mother carried that question into her work.Former California Senator Dr. Susan Eggman shares the three laws she is proudest of: the End of Life Option Act, a rewrite of the conservatorship standard for “gravely disabled,” and the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA).In this conversation you’ll hear about: why she sees aid in dying and conservatorship reform as two sides of agency, how the BHSA shifts money toward the sickest of the sick and asks for outcomes, how she won almost unanimous bipartisan support, and why social workers belong in elected office.Whether you work in a clinic, a classroom, or the Capitol, this conversation is for you. Subscribe to hear more about where mental health policy meets clinical practice.CONTENT NOTE This conversation includes discussion of suicide and serious mental illness. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (U.S.) to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.0:00 Welcome and Susan’s roots in the Central Valley0:24 From struggling student to Army medic1:43 Learning when to speak up2:25 From social work professor to city council5:05 Her proudest laws: the End of Life Option Act7:33 Rewriting conservatorship and the personal stories behind it10:39 A psychiatrist’s view: when the law blocks medical care12:36 The Behavioral Health Services Act14:19 From the Mental Health Services Act to BHSA: funding with accountability17:50 Prioritizing the sickest: wraparound and whole-person care20:08 The 1% tax, the bond and new campuses21:40 Should other states do this? Pushback and civil liberties22:57 Building near-unanimous bipartisan support23:53 Social workers on staff and the next generation25:00 Why social workers should run, and why she’s back in academia27:45 Teaching medicine to social workers29:04 The one change she would make: pay social work interns30:54 Innovation grants and closing thoughtsInterview Recorded on August 14, 2026🔗 Subscribe to hear more about where mental health policy meets clinical practice. [tntopenmind.org] Susan Eggman, Behavioral Health Services Act, BHSA, California mental health, mental health policy, conservatorship reform, gravely disabled, End of Life Option Act, medical aid in dying, social work, social workers in politics, behavioral health, mental health advocacy, Mental Health Services Act, wraparound care, whole person care, serious mental illness, mental health legislation, California Senate, social work education, mental health workforce, LPS Act Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise
Oct 15

Chipped Away: The Grief Inside Domestic Violence with Victoria Clayton

Some of the most damaging domestic violence leaves no bruise at all.Victoria Clayton, MA, LMFT, is the Clinical Program Manager at Laura's House, the only state-approved comprehensive domestic violence agency in South Orange County. She oversees the agency's therapists and clinical services. Those services include Breaking the Cycle, a virtual therapy program for people who have caused harm and are ready to change. In this conversation with Autumn Payne, Clayton talks about how control shows up in money, in clothing and in the courts. She shares the image she uses for what that does to a person over time. She also gets specific about what providers can ask in a short visit and why a loved one's push to leave can backfire.In this episode:How power and control show up beyond physical violenceThe image she uses for what domestic violence does to a personWhy grief runs through nearly every client she seesThe grief that also surfaces in a program for people who have caused harmScreening questions to ask beyond "has he ever hit you?"Why rent and childcare can come before therapyHow family and friends can stay a safe and neutral presenceLearn more about Laura's House: https://laurashouse.orgIf you or someone you know needs support, call the Laura's House 24/7 crisis hotline at 866-498-1511 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.If you screen patients for domestic violence, work with families in crisis or love someone in a relationship that worries you, this conversation is for you.📌 Subscribe to hear more about mental health and whole-person care. tntopenmind.org0:00 Introduction0:30 Who Laura's House serves1:35 Leading the clinical team2:28 She just needed a job4:21 Why she stayed5:15 Starting over after twenty years at home7:19 When rent comes before therapy9:44 Misconceptions about domestic violence10:36 The whittling image12:29 Grief at the center of it all14:18 Working with people who have caused harm17:33 What providers should know18:43 It can happen to anybody20:03 Looking beyond physical violence23:27 Signs to watch for25:00 Screening questions to ask26:05 When patients feel misunderstood28:03 How to support a loved one30:45 Her hopes for survivors31:39 One chapter of the book32:16 Sitting with nuanceInterview recorded on August 14, 2026📌 Subscribe to hear more about mental health and whole-person care. tntopenmind.orgtags: domestic violence, domestic violence screening, intimate partner violence, power and control, coercive control, financial abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence survivors, grief and trauma, trauma-informed care, whole-person care, behavioral health, mental health, primary care, supporting a loved one, Breaking the Cycle, Laura's House, Victoria Clayton, LMFT, Orange County, TNT Open Mind Insights Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise
Oct 1

Building Trust Through Consistency with Ashley Alvarez

What happens when a patient in psychiatric crisis calls the number on their insurance card and has to wait weeks for help? Ashley Alvarez, a Transition of Care Nurse Practitioner at AltaMed, the nation's largest Federally Qualified Health Center, discusses one of healthcare's most overlooked bottlenecks: the gap between hospital discharge and actual psychiatric care.In this conversation, she breaks down why so many ER visits trace back to undiagnosed mental health conditions, why provider consistency is a measurable driver of patient outcomes, and how her team's coordinated approach directly reduced hospital readmissions and ER visits.Trust in healthcare takes more than just one provider. It's built by a team that's aligned. 0:00 – Cold Open: A doctor's inspiring journey2:04 – Welcome & introduction3:04 – Ashley's path into healthcare4:51 – How she became a nurse practitioner10:29 – The UC Irvine journey & Magnet status13:10 – Access to care challenges for low-income patients14:50 – What's at stake when patients wait18:07 – The psychiatric care access gap20:02 – Building a joint-effort care model22:00 – What drove her to expand her expertise28:24 – The big-picture vision for closing care gaps30:06 – The metrics: reducing readmissions & ER visits37:59 – Biggest takeaway & final thoughts Interview recorded on Mar 20, 2026🔗 Subscribe to hear more about the people closing healthcare's biggest gaps. www.tntopenmind.org healthcare, mental health, nurse practitioner, patient care, primary care, transition of care, psychiatric care, mental health advocacy, healthcare access, community health, FQHC, AltaMed, UC Irvine, nursing career, hospital readmissions, ER visits, health equity, underserved communities, behavioral health, care coordination, healthcare interview, medical podcast, patient trust, healthcare system, NP fellowship, Los Angeles healthcare, mental health crisis, care gaps, healthcare innovation Subscribe to TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series on Soundwise
Sep 19

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 itWhere the gap actually sits once a screen comes back positiveThe postpartum window where risk peaks and monitoring disappearsWhy cardiovascular disease leads for Black mothers, and what that has to do with mental healthWhat perinatal psychiatric access lines do and who should be calling themWhy an estimated one in ten fathers experiences postpartum depressionThe sleep question she puts to every familyLearn more about the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry: https://ncrptraining.orgIf 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 Introduction1:23 From OBGYN to psychiatry2:41 The conference that changed her career3:14 There is no accredited pathway6:07 The list of fellowships that became a national curriculum9:07 An all hands on deck problem9:44 The leading causes of maternal mortality10:59 Screening happens, then what11:33 Inside a perinatal mental health access line12:36 How a maternal mortality review works14:53 Fifteen states, every suicide death preventable15:39 Disparities in maternal mortality17:08 Why cardiovascular disease leads for Black mothers19:06 The drop off after the six week visit21:54 Nobody is checking on partners23:30 How perinatal access lines get funded25:18 What access lines do and who should call29:54 Sleep, support, and the we problem32:18 Where to find her workInterview 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
Sep 19

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 Sandoval1:08 — The Heart of Government Relations: Relationships2:34 — Why Mental Health Is a Priority at UCI3:41 — The Workforce Gap: Facilities Are Bulging at the Seams5:55 — Desperation, Homelessness & the Human Cost of Unaddressed Mental Health6:21 — Stigma, Overprescribing & Cultural Barriers in the Hispanic Community7:07 — It Can Be Solved: Optimism in Government Relations8:27 — Translating Lived Experience into Policy Change9:02 — How to Educate Policymakers10:35 — Why Clinicians Are the Most Powerful Advocates13:13 — How Healthcare Professionals Can Get Involved Today16:54 — The Starfish Story: One Person at a Time17:44 — Why Every Human Life Has Value19:45 — What World Do You Want for the Next Generation21:48 — Maintaining Optimism When the Work Is Hard22:28 — How Policy Change Actually Happens: The Long Game25:46 — From Research to Reality: UCI Success Stories27:14 — The Connection Between Mental Health and Homelessness28:33 — What Alberto Is Working on Now: UCI's 20-Year Vision29:03 — How to Connect With Alberto Sandoval & UCI CGRInverview recorded on March 20, 2026🔗 Subscribe to hear more about the people, policies, and programs shaping the future of mental health care. tntopenmind.orgmental 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
Sep 19

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 healthThe three-month wait for addiction specialists and what gets lost in itScreening for substance use at well-child visits, including cannabis use at nine and alcohol at twelveHow quantifying "just a glass of wine" changes what patients understand about their own drinkingThe connection between isolation, dopamine, and why the brain resists stoppingTreating chronic disease and substance use as one problem instead of twoSpeaking 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.orgsubstance 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
Sep 18

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 Mayhugh1:25 — A Career Rooted in Direct Patient Care3:55 — The Access Problem: Where the Crisis Really Begins5:10 — Discovering the Beck Institute & the Early Days of CBT6:55 — What Is CBT? Breaking Down the Core Framework8:50 — How Mind Street Works: The Platform Walkthrough13:00 — The Human-Supported Model: Why Technology Alone Isn't Enough16:30 — Reducing Provider Burnout Through Smart Offloading18:05 — Can AI Replace the Human Element?19:45 — Reaching Rural Communities: Care Without Geography21:55 — Mind Street vs. Other Mental Health Apps: What Makes It Different23:30 — The Research: NIH Validation & Gold-Standard Outcomes26:35 — Conditions CBT Can Treat — Beyond Anxiety & Depression29:35 — Comorbidity: The Behavioral Health–Chronic Disease Connection31:20 — How Providers Can Implement Mind Street Today32:05 — The Vision: Scaling Evidence-Based Care Across Communities34:25 — A Family Legacy in Behavioral HealthInterview Recorded on March 20, 2026🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about innovation in mental health care.🔗 Watch more interviews in the series: tntopenmind.orgCBT 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
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

TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series

Creator

Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency
Years Active

2026
Episodes

62
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 Ethical Narrative Storytelling Agency
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TNT Open Mind Insights - Mental Health Interview Series