Bullying: To overcome it, we have to understand it. In this episode of the Brewing Wellness podcast, Carol Morrison, a licensed clinical social worker and director of New Directions Clinic, explores how bullying impacts not only students, but educators, school staff and entire school communities. Unpack what bullying looks like in 2025 and how its dynamics shape the emotional climate of our schools. Learn how educators can respond in grounded, sustainable ways and where to find support.
Brewing Wellness is a podcast created by the UFT's Member Assistance Program to support the mental health and well-being of our members.
In order to do the work you do every day and be present for your loved ones, students, patients and colleagues, your cup has to be full. Brewing Wellness focuses on mental health and wellness topics that can help us all thrive in our professional and personal lives.
A new episode is released on the last Monday of each month.
Listen to Brewing Wellness wherever you get your podcasts. It’s available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube Podcasts and SoundCloud.
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Previous episodes
Season 2, Episode 7 -
Grieving the loss of a loved one, whether a family member, friend or colleague, can be complicated and difficult. Grieving during a pandemic is more complicated still. Listen in as Alan Fruzzetti, Ph.D., a psychologist from McLean Hospital and cofounder of the Center for Trauma and Stress Education, shares his insights. While there is no “right” way to grieve, in this episode, we will learn strategies for coping with grief and loss so it isn’t overwhelming.
Season 2, Episode 6 -
In this special podcast episode for UFT retirees, hear how retired UFT members throughout the country are experiencing life during this pandemic and learn strategies that retirees are using to cope with the new reality. “We want our retired members to know your union is here for you and you’re not alone,” said Retired Teachers Chapter Leader Tom Murphy. “Listen in to our conversation as one way to stay together while remaining socially distant.” The podcast features Murphy; Christopher Chin, the director of Retiree Social Services; and Donesa Jackson and Patti Vitucci of the UFT’s Florida retiree section.
Season 2, Episode 5 -
Learn tips and strategies about creating boundaries, setting routines and virtually supporting students in the remote era from Doreen Ng, the director of mental health at the UFT’s United Community Schools program, and Christopher Chin, the director of the union’s Retiree Social Services Department. In this interview with Lindsay Strickler-Levine, a licensed counselor with the union’s Member Assistance Program, Ng and Chin also discuss why finding a “win” every day is an important self-care tool.
Learn more about how the UFT Member Assistance Program is helping union members cope with the COVID-19 pandemic through individual consultations, virtual support groups and online resources at Membership Assistance Program.
Season 2, Episode 4 -
UFT Member Assistance Program Director Tina Puccio, LCSW, and licensed counselors Lindsay Levine and Jenice Acosta, who have been facilitating the union’s virtual support groups, discuss that strategies that have helped UFT members deal with the fear and anxiety triggered by the coronavirus crisis.
Learn more about how the individual consultations, virtual support groups and online resources that the UFT Member Assistance Program offers at www.uft.org/map
Season 2, Episode 2 -
Together we make a difference: transforming student-teacher relationships through functional fitness, with Libby Douglass, a CrossFit coach at CrossFit Wall Street and Jackie Boyle, a NYC public school teacher. Hear about the benefits of using exercise in the classroom and ways to incorporate exercise into your daily classroom routine. Learn more about the UFT’s Member Assistance Program and check out resources for new teachers at Member Assistance Program.
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