The Trauma & Mental Health Report Podcast

As AI tools like ChatGPT become part of everyday life, more people are turning to them for advice, comfort, and even therapy. But can artificial intelligence truly take on the role of a mental health provider? In this episode, writer Niemat Yusuf speaks with Dr. William Agnew, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, whose work examines the ethics of AI and its impact on marginalized communities. Together, they explore what current research reveals about AI’s potential and its limits in emotional support.

In this episode of the Trauma and Mental Health Report’s podcast, contributing writer Amanda Fernandes interviews Dr. Stephen Lewis, Associate Professor in psychology and Research Leadership Chair at the University of Guelph. His research has focused extensively on lived experiences in mental health, as well as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among youth and young adults. Together we delve into his co-authored paper exploring diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health difficulties among school, clinical, and counselling psychologists, and graduate students. Dr. Lewis draws on his own lived experiences and academic expertise to advocate against the stigmas that have prevented applied psychologists from disclosing and addressing their mental health struggles. He provides meaningful insights into the topic of clinician effectiveness given mental health struggles, and poses several avenues of future research and change.

In this episode, Trauma and Mental Health Report writer Adrian Parham interviews Dr.Jeffrey Wardell, associate professor at York University and director of the BehaviouralAlcohol and Cannabis Lab. His lab uses clinical, social, cognitive and personalitypsychology to better understand the behavioural processes of substance use and misuse.The goal of the lab is to support policy makers tailor interventions and harm reductionefforts, by providing scientific data.

In this episode, Trauma and Mental Health Report writer Sierrah Hamilton interviewsDr. Mirisse Foroughe, the Research Institute Director at Emotion TransformationInstitute, the Clinical Director at Family Psychology Centre, and the developer ofEmotion Focused Therapy for Youth. She is also the author of two published books onEmotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and Emotion Focused Therapy for Youth(EFT-Y), and she hosts workshops where she teaches these tools to caregivers andclinicians internationally. Today, we will dive into her most recent work, using EmotionFocused Therapy for Youth and Caregiver-Youth dyads, and how you can think aboutand use some of these techniques within your own family.

In this episode, Trauma and Mental Health Report writer Shontae Cameron sits down withJaeRan Kim, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Washington, Tacoma, in theSchool of Social Work and Criminal Justice. As a writer, blogger, and scholar, Dr. Kim’swork focuses on adoption, foster care, and child welfare. Together, we explore ambiguousloss—a form of disenfranchised grief that deeply affects individuals with adoption andfoster-care experiences. From the emotional complexities of non-death losses to their lasting psychological impact, Dr. Kim shares her expertise, insights, and personal experience in this compelling discussion.