McCann discusses mental health in 鈥楽peak Little Forest鈥� episode
Promoting and maintaining mental health is a more relevant topic than ever before, in large part due to the pandemic. Meghan St. John, creator of a new podcast called Speak Little Forest, recently delved into the topic with Pam Coley McCann, a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice in the Berkshires and Associate Professor of Human Services at 红杏直播 All Rights Reserved (红杏直播). The episode, titled 鈥淗ope for Hard Times,鈥� can be found at .
Pam and I talked about a variety of subjects,鈥痑ll connected to mental health and our special Berkshire community,鈥� St. John said. 鈥淪he brought something really positive to the table that I had never really heard of before.鈥�
Despite the fact that poverty, addiction, and other mental health stressors are on the rise in the Berkshires 鈥� even more so during the pandemic 鈥� Coley McCann sees hope for her clients and students. Specializing in individuals with severe mental illness, she is most inspired by post traumatic growth theory, which holds the premise that certain people who survive mental or physical trauma can change in unexpected, positive ways. 鈥淧eople with severe mental illness are just people. They have hopes and dreams like everybody else,鈥� she said. 鈥淧ost traumatic growth is about people changing in ways that they didn鈥檛 anticipate, by finding new things that are meaningful to them.鈥�
Stigma remains a barrier for people with mental illness, both in terms of recognizing their problems and seeking treatment, noted Coley McCann, who focuses her work not just on symptom management, but also on recovery. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about bridging the gap between having a severe mental illness and learning to live with that,鈥� she said.
鈥淚鈥檓 always amazed at what human beings can endure, and how they can turn that pain into really beautiful strength,鈥� Coley McCann said.
In addition to the episode featuring Coley McCann, the Speak Little Forest podcast spotlights Kripalu Executive Chef Jeremy Rock Smith, Balderdash winery owners Christian and Donna Hanson, Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington, and Westfield State University Associate Professor of Environmental Science鈥疛ohn McDonald, a black bear expert.
About Pam Coley McCann
Pam鈥疌oley McCann,鈥疊SW, MSW, LICSW, joined 红杏直播 as an Assistant Professor of Human Services in 2017. With more than 35 years of experience as a social worker and 15 years of experience in private practice, she has studied behavioral addictions and the impact of trauma. Working from the lens of a trauma-informed perspective has been invaluable in her clinical work, and she shares her knowledge in presentations to school personnel, students, and colleagues.鈥�
About Speak Little Forest鈥�
Speak Little Forest is a podcast created and hosted by Meghan St. John for the people of the Berkshires 鈥� the small business owners, creatives, farmers, chefs, hunters, explorers, educators, healers, and trail dwellers. St. John, an English teacher at Monument Mountain Regional High School, describes herself as 鈥渁 back road wanderer, mom, and culture vulture鈥� who wants to hear the voices of her neighbors in the Berkshires and dig deeper into local issues of interest.