Our bodies respond to stress with a fight-or-flight response that may be disproportionate to the situation we’re encountering. In this episode of the Brewing Wellness podcast, Lisa Siclari, a licensed mental health counselor, shares some simple somatic techniques that support emotional regulation, stress relief and overall well-being. Bring your body into the conversation with techniques that can be easily integrated into your daily routines at work and at home.
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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Have you ever wondered how to avoid power struggles at home and in the classroom? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Chazz Lewis (aka Mr. Chazz), a parent and teacher coach with a huge social media following. A former Montessori teacher and the author of “No Bad Kid,” Mr. Chazz will share his experiences guiding parents and educators in managing difficult situations with children, and he’ll talk about turning interactions from war to peace. Learn how to see children for who they are to better guide them and win their trust as you foster a healthy environment.
Classroom equity is achieved when all students feel understood, respected and included. In this episode of the Classroom Café we will take a deep dive into what equity is and is not. Special guest Moza Coote, a veteran New York City public school teacher who is now a teacher development specialist with the city's Department of Education, will share insights and resources to help educators bring their compassion and kindness to the experience of teaching and learning.
Art can be a way of expressing our thoughts and feelings when words come up short. In this episode of Classroom Café, we explore art as a way to alleviate stress, help us process trauma and get to know ourselves better. Listen in as our special guests Caitlin Hanvey, a creative art therapist, and Asha Hanna, a Brooklyn-based artist, discuss their experiences using art as a form of therapy for both children and adults.
Food plays a role in our emotional, physical and even psychological health. In this episode of Classroom Café, Leeann Rybakov, a health coach who is certified in functional medicine, will discuss how we can make healthier choices to support our overall well-being. Rybakov will share some practical and time-saving food choices that will nourish our bodies and spare our wallets.
- Free Pantry Swaps Resources from Leeann Rybakov
- Leeann Rybakov on Instagram
Mindfulness strategies can help teenagers take back some control over their emotions and overall mental health. In this episode of Classroom Café, Lexi Mulee, a licensed mental health clinician who works with teens, will discuss some short, innovative approaches to mindfulness that pique teens’ interest, including mindfulness meditation. This is a technique that can calm anxieties and help both teens and adults manage their emotions.
Teenagers test limits and push boundaries. But some behaviors, such as withdrawing from friends and family or increased anger and mood swings, may indicate your teenager or child is struggling with their mental health. In this episode of Classroom Café, we are joined by Lexi Mulee, a licensed mental health clinician and the founder of Wise Mind Counseling. Mulee specializes in working with teens and will discuss ways to build positive relationships with them as well as the warning signs that your student may need help.
Grief is an intensely personal experience, which can look very different from one person to the next. There is no "right" way to grieve. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Ashley Groesbeck, a clinical social worker, and Alain Metellus, the UFT’s director of crisis intervention, for a discussion of ways we can validate the experience for the bereaved and help them, or ourselves, to accept and move through the grieving process.
What does addiction look like, and how can our personal biases, experiences and judgments affect the way we view this illness? In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, we are joined by Steven Sulzer, a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, educator and credentialed substance use disorder counselor. He will share his own experience as well as tools and resources we can use when a family member or loved one may be dealing with substance misuse.
Learn practices, techniques and resources that can be used in school-based settings to identify survivors of domestic violence and support their health and well-being. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Jules Perkél, a trauma psychotherapist and clinical social worker, will discuss the most commonly seen behaviors of survivors of domestic violence and the best practices when working with those who have experienced this trauma.
Students are trying to figure out how to navigate the new school year. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Dr. Miri Rosen talks about how educators can support students while reengaging with them at school. Learn how to identify students in need and how creating healthy boundaries and engaging in self-care can benefit our students. Dr. Rosen is a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist.
Here we are in the 2021-22 school year, still dealing with COVID-19, wearing masks, social distancing and trying to manage stressors created by the pandemic. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, mental health speaker and best-selling author Mike Veny will discuss the “next normal” and how to support people where they are. Listen in for tips on how you can maintain your own mental wellness and support others with compassion and concern.
Learn ways of identifying students at risk of substance use and how to support them. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, the New York Times best-selling author Jessica Lahey will discuss her latest book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence. She will share her personal story as an educator with addiction, the latest research around youth and substance use and resources to support students and their families.
Feelings of isolation, stress and anxiety have been heightened during the pandemic, creating the perfect storm for an increase in substance use and other addictive behaviors. In this episode of the Classroom Café podcast, Anthony Rizzuto of the Seafield Treatment Center on Long Island, a master social worker, alcoholism and substance abuse counselor and national speaker, will discuss how these stressors can affect you and your loved ones and how best to cope with them. He'll give you strategies for managing emotions without resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms and explain how you can support others in these difficult times.
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