Feeling Seen: A UNC CAPS Podcast Anthony Teasdale

Erinn and Anthony are joined on the podcast by our multifaceted CAPS colleague Kadeisha Bonsu, LCSW.  Kadeisha is not only a licensed clinical social worker and therapist, but she is also an ordained minister!  She discusses her journey in faith and shares with us the major life lesson she has learned - that fear is a liar!  Kadeisha discusses what she has learned about leaning into fear, and the possibilities of life that open up when she has.  Kadeisha also discusses the important role dance has played in her life and how dancing can be a representation of the divine; a way to feel close to God and to experience the presence of a divine spirit in her life.  We encourage everyone listening to know that religion and spirituality are an important topic of discussion and identity that can be brought to therapy, just like race, gender, or other diverse aspects of identity.  That it makes sense this would come up in therapy given the prominent role religion and spirituality play in many people's lives, and in their mental health. With a personal story this jam packed it was inevitable that we would only scratch the surface of who Kadeisha is.  We are already planning the sequel podcast episode! Please join us for this wonderful discussion.  

Today we're talking about joy.  We talk about what is bringing us joy right now, including reveling in the soapy period drama of "Bridgerton."  We discuss how we help clients define and examine the meaning of happiness.  Appreciating the moment is a big part of our discussion.  We discuss what children can teach us about joy and connecting to the child inside ourselves.  Given that so many people come to therapy saying their goal is to "be happy" we thought this was an important topic to tackle on the Pod.  This is a fun episode but also one to learn from.  

We are so pleased to welcome our friend and colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Christensen, to the podcast.  Given that Elizabeth and Anthony are co-coordinators of CAPS thriving group therapy program (offering 26 groups in Spring 2021), we can't help but talk about our passion for group and our experience with the power of group therapy to change lives for the better.  Elizabeth shares about her personal and professional journey with an astonishing vulnerability that demonstrates why she is such a wonderful psychologist, therapist, and human being.  She models exactly what we hope our clients, students, and listeners come to understand about living an authentic life.  Elizabeth shares about her professional passion for working with body image and eating disorders, and we speak about the struggle many people have faced around eating and body image during the COVID pandemic.  This includes parenting and feeding children.  Lastly, as we usually do, we end the episode with our segment "Just Stop It!"  Please join us for this intimate conversation.  

We managed to find time for CAPS very busy Assistant Director, Avery Cook, to join us on the Pod.  Avery was joined by Maya, the CAPS therapy dog and real star of CAPS.  For those who are interested you can check Maya out on the CAPS website and on Instagram.  She has some wonderful glamour shots.  This episode was amazing!  We learned so much about Avery.  Her journey through sports, divinity school, teaching, social work, and finally, arrival in college counseling and mental health.  What an incredible journey and life lived.  Avery discusses staying calm in a crisis, and ways the smallest help can turn things around when life feels at its most out of control. We discuss how faith and queer identities can coexist, challenging a commonly held belief that a person must relinquish one of those identities in order to fully embrace the other.  Keep listening until the end of the podcast for the return of our "Just Stop It!' segment where Avery "cancels" self-care.  This is a podcast filled with humor, revelation, and insight.  We were all energized by the discussion, reminding us why we started the podcast in the first place.  We are happy to share this special episode with you.  Enjoy!  

Welcome to 2021!  We are back after a lengthy period of not recording a new episode.  Life happens but we were so thrilled to be back together recording the Pod.  2020 was a challenging year in so many ways, especially because of a historic pandemic the likes of which no one living has ever seen.  A new year means a chance for renewal, and hopefully better days ahead.  Of course this also means the start of a new semester at UNC.  To kick off our first episode of the new year we reminisce about our Christmas holiday, time with family, and the significance of holiday traditions.  We kick things off with celebration and positivity, before shifting to acknowledgment that we are still in a pandemic and that our nation is under siege by hate, our very democracy threatened.  And yet even in acknowledging the serious realities of the world we still find time to be joyous about an adorable 3 year old and her superhero costume, reminding us of the hope and beauty that still exist around us.  Let's kick this new semester off right.  

This is the BIG one!  The Andre the Giant of podcasts.  A jumbo podcast episode filled with so many topics it is bursting at the seams.  We welcome our newest CAPS colleague, LaVoya Woods-Dionne, LCSWA to the podcast to discuss being a member of the newest CAPS initiative, the Multicultural Health Program (MCHP).  LaVoya and Erinn discuss the program's ambitions, including the underlying mission of reaching out to more BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students at UNC regarding mental health.  LaVoya introduces the concept of radical self-compassion and we discuss how this can help people step into their power as human beings instead of dimming their light.  Also, we discuss the myth that identity, especially career identity, is always clear to us when we are 20.  Instead, the true journey to identity is filled with ups and downs, detours, and changes in course.  LaVoya discusses her personal journey, leading to a discussion about the unique experience of being the first person in the family to go to college.  Racial trauma and love of nature are discussed.  Anthony brings up the topic of group because...that's what he does.  We have some laughs, discuss love of reading and our favorite and most influential books.   And of course we end with our "Just Stop It" segment, which ties back to radical self-compassion and encourages people to step into their power.  This is a fun one.  Enjoy.