July 20th, 2020 Transcript – Mental Health Moment 

Transcript by Google Voice Typing – Please excuse errors

Topic – Child Psychologist Resilience Training, Isolation, Back To School Preparation

Welcome to the Mental health Moment. It’s Monday again and time to take a moment for your mental health.  I’m your host Joe Newman from Life Launch Centers, and on this show we talk about all things for your mental health.  We teach healthy coping mechanisms, discuss current situations that affect our mental health, and really try to leave you with some tips and ideas that you can implement right now. Essentially we’re talking about resilience here, emotional resilience and I think it’s important to realize that it doesn’t come easy. It’s something you have to work at and work hard for.  It first starts with education, and then with putting it into practice, and that’s what we do at Life Launch Centers in our Resilience Group Counseling program.  It’s really amazing, clients and their families come 3-4 times a week, just like a college course, to learn these healthy emotional tools and have a chance to put them into practice with the group and at home.  And today on the show I’ve got with me Rodney Arnold, Clinical Director at Life Launch Centers here in St. George.  He teaches the resilience curriculum everyday.  Rodney thanks for being on the show with me today.

Thanks for having me Joe.

First of all just to help the listeners out there tell us a little bit about what’s your clinical background in therapy master’s degree in social work since that time I work in adoption agency at working a lot of residential treatment in my background as well substance abuse things like that have also done some work at the hospital is a crisis worker have also worked in the hospital variety a lot of back that’s great and I just want to vouch for the great job you’re doing a life on Sinners love how personally are and enters the wisdom that comes with all that experience what’s a great benefit for for those in the program and thanks again for coming on the show to me today with me because you know I’d like to maybe understand a little bit more about what is your role at life on sinners like what do you actually do in the family we are also facilitating Group by facilitating group want to be able to get everyone connected and keep the family working together that’s awesome so you work but you were like you’re in the trenches with the kids you’re like at the family group evenings you know with the parents so I mean you’re at your first hand with this stuff we loved it right I mean that’s where we wanted to be is right with the clients that are getting the hell magic happens that’s where the real Great stories and successes come from and you know I’ve had an opportunity to sit in on a few of those groups and and even facilitate some of our men and it is amazing to see how people build resilience I think a little bit like lifting weights I’m kind of I like to lift weights and I realize that it it takes a lot of effort and work in time and you know you can’t just sit around and wish that you you know grew in strength you have to like practice you have to you have to exercise right and I see that happen similarly with emotional resilience that you can’t just say I want resilience and then all the sudden you’re resilient like it takes work like what kind of work what kind of practices or exercise has emotional exercise would you say that that really do a lot of good in in group. It it’s really great to be on the dwarf growing everyday the three sizes I’ve seen implemented in group and you can help me understand a little bit more how this works but like for example of mindfulness I see mindfulness as like a real emotional resilient exercise and that we we do every time in group is that right I know like I said working in meditation 11 maybe another one going to be at work through a difficult very familiar because there’s a lot of different mindfulness techniques like we don’t do the same thing over and over again similar in my mind exercising because there’s a lot of different exercises and you kind of find which ones you like the best which ones work well for you and similarly with these emotional exercises are these Allianz building principals you get a try him out and then really dial in on which ones work work battery like you said to help bring your emotion down help calm down but but you got to learn on first right and there’s a lot of lot of ways to to learn them but I think the most value is that in this group you have the chance to kind of try it out together with the idea that you use it outside if you know you’re not just coming to group 262 you know use mindfulness for whatever you time you’re at group but but you let you do it regularly outside of group to reason our hands and feet that we struggle with it and wagon and not just you know emotionally-charged you know we’re mad so we’re going to scream at somebody is react so you mentioned distress tolerance jeweled I remember hearing that for the first time in like what the heck does that mean like help listeners out there I understand what what is a distress tolerance tool well I think even you are feeling overwhelmed and to be able to learn how to tolerate that rather than Thomas down they can help us relax a little bit and heart rate lower breathing you know all of those things that we can having a stressful event you are with those individuals who has the better you can get a job done right and I see that emotional tools like breathing techniques or sell compassionate touch or there’s a lot of these different or some more familiar we are with them the better-equipped we are to hand and we go through a lot of them doing with all of the sensors you know just being able to recognize OK calendar that we’re having to face it seems like today there’s a probably a greater impact than mental health because of current world situations and I know a lot of parents out there are especially worried as school is coming you know it’s supposed to be starting up here again soon and what does that even look like you know I mean it’s stressful for the parents it’s stressful for kids you got you know parents aren’t sure how they’re going to manage their kids while maybe they have to not be in school or you know there’s a lot of stuff going on right now I got to go to a break but we’re going to come back in the second half to discuss some things that parents can do right now in preparation for going back to school but if you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety depression or isolation or or other difficult mental health conditions just give us a call at life lunch centers we’re happy to give you a kind of an idea of what would be the best course of action to take with your loved one that’s a free 15-minute phone consultation so 83 again we’re going to come back in just a minute with Rodney Arnold Clinical Director at life launch centers talking about what we can do to help our prepare our kids in ourselves emotionally resilient for the upcoming school year will be back in just one minute 

 Welcome Back to the mental health moment I’m your host Joe Newman from life launch centers in today I’ve got on the show with me Rodney Arnold Clinical Director at Lifeline centers here in St George we’re talking about what parents can do to help prepare their kids for the upcoming school year and help them build emotional resilience so Rodney thanks again for being on the show with me today mental health particularly revolving around a isolation you know these quarantine than just the whole mentality of like keeping our distance social distance is kind of had some impact what it would have you seen you know with your clients and then group concerning isolation talk about how they do it felt powerful you know we live in a society where is parents weekend at all stressful situation in the world and being able to be real about that and you’ll be able to see that you’re on their side and you understand how they feel rather than feeling like oh really helped build that connection in that relationship and I think that’s going to you know honestly in some ways it has been really good because you know I think parents maybe understand a little bit more of the stress that their kids are going through because parents are under tons of stress with job you know changes are being laid off in being able to provide all these all these like stresses regarding you know the economic impact of covet you know maybe help parents and you have a little bit more empathy towards each other in all I could almost have to band together to get through this is very healthy but only with a lot of discussion like you’re talkin about being willing to open up world and things that can be scary but we still try to find a piece and a piece of mind and a hope for the future and a little bit more you know at the family we have a soft place to fall in this place where we can feel comfortable and supportive well and that that space to find keys right it’s definitely liked Instagram and Tik Tok and and you know these other places right like that’s where we go to Philippe’s I think you’re being sarcastic you just feel the devices and it just really leaves us empty these connections but I got a lot of water while you know that and you get onto these other sites and social media so polarizing and they have all been out there John can your like I can’t take this anymore I need to see somebody I know I and I think that’s so important for parents to be able to do as well be able to know the answer to your not really understanding how they think to be able to see that maybe they think differently than I do in terms of why you believe the way you lie you know I love that concept cuz I’ve got seven kids myself and you know I’ve got a few teenagers now and and it’s really interesting as you see that they’re their views and ideas of the world are different from your own and it’s it’s almost like I have this they should be just like me but then I realized no absolutely not like I want them out of my house as soon as possible right I want them to be independent contributing happy adults in life and so I have to allow their independent thought and even celebrate it and basically all I can do is like trying to offer the wisdom or ideas or whatever I have garnered over the years and share it with them and ultimately let them make their own choices and be taught not to just feel like I want you to feel this way but when we send that message there’s a certain part well and they draw way from you not not like good independent level like but more like on a I don’t want to be around that person anymore right for kids so much we want to keep him close as far as having a close relationship but like you said ultimately we are trying to work ourselves out of a job I want my kids to move out and have jobs and support themselves and have their own families you know I think that’s what what most parents really ultimately desire for their kids but but I’m in another minute because I feel like there’s a lot of that going on out there and maybe parents don’t know what to do like what are some actual things like if you had a patient or client right now that you know secluding in the room just and their parents are trying to draw him out what kind of things would you suggest for a parent to do to help draw their child out it’s always going to be impactful you know you know maybe having a time once a week where you are together where you can then say hey but being able to be a little bit more proactive so that they can either that on their phones on social media or on video games or something like that they can be very isolating rather than especially about food so I found it a way to a child’s heart is through their stomach and I’ll like you really want to draw kid out make it something special with food like like you said go out to a restaurant but just family dinner at our house is is so crucial because it’s interesting how you have you know like a delicious meal and we’re all going to sit around the table and we’re all going to talk about our day and stuff and it’s interesting how kids like look forward to the opportunity to tell their parent about their day if you if you hadn’t been doing this it’s not going to be like you know you first time you set the table that everybody’s going to just have this great discussion it takes a little like a bit of tradition to set up but ultimately they really do enjoy those social interactions and food can be that catalyst so family dinner is drive for us is crucial and connecting with our teenagers like you said none building muscle or are grills feel comfortable with us so you know a network that really goes to is is the building connections part of our resilience curriculum you know one of the steps in our curriculum we teach and I think it’s actually the most powerful one is building connections and we talked a lot about how the brain you know produces oxytocin this long-term happy hormone when we have those deep meaningful conversations another one is physical touch you know it building and as parents is it within families we have the opportunity to give each other hugs and sit down and watch a movie next to each other and just that physical touch builds those emotional resilience and we’re in a society right now that is very much hands off right I mean well that’s amazing you know I got a kind of wrap it up here Rodney but it’s been so awesome having you on the show and have your insights and what what you’re doing to help Youth and families build emotional thank you again for all that you’re doing absolutely working with youth and young adults we work with anyone from ages 11 to 26 years old struggling with anxiety depression or isolation and you know right now I’m at the school year coming up it’s a perfect time to help get your kids prepared start building some of that resilience so that they’re well-prepared so just jump on our website lifelaunchcenters.com Or just give us a call at 833-803-3883 We do a 15-minute phone consultation this has been your mental health moment join us again next time right here on St George news radio is your name and signing off from Life Launch Centers until next time keep those kids safe and keep your sanity.