David Susman

Addressing Mental Health Needs Stemming From COVID-19

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An Interview with Cara McNulty, DPA Recently, I had a unique opportunity to correspond with Cara McNulty, DPA, President of Behavioral Health for Aetna, a CVS Health Company. I wanted to get her thoughts about how COVID-19 is worsening our mental health and to find out more about the role that CVS Health is playing in expanding mental health support and suicide prevention resources. Here’s our conversation. DS: What have recent studies revealed about the impacts on mental health from …

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10 Ways to Help Others Navigate the Health Care System

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I’ve been reading a great book called “Improving Healthcare Through Advocacy: A Guide for the Health and Helping Professions” by Bruce S. Jansson, a Professor of Social Policy and Administration at the University of Southern California. Jansson talks about the many barriers that people can face in trying to access care for physical and mental health conditions. He also outlines several ways in which you can serve as an advocate to help empower others to more easily navigate the often …

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My Children are Moving Forward

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Genevieve Gagnon This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. This interview is unique in that child wellness expert Genevieve Gagnon has two sons with very different mental health challenges. She preferred to recount each of her son’s experiences in a separate interview. Accordingly, you will find Part 1, which is about her older son “ZS,” who has an anxiety disorder, and Part 2, in …

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Raising Voice and Awareness of Inequity and Injustice

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Advocacy Spotlight: Dr. Anjhula Mya Singh Bais This is the first in an occasional series of posts in which I’ll be interviewing incredible advocates about how they view advocacy and some of their current advocacy priorities. I can think of no better person to feature for this first interview than psychologist and humanitarian Dr. Anjhula Mya Singh Bais. Here’s our conversation. How do you define advocacy? Advocacy is the means by which people raise voice and awareness of inequity and …

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It is the Courage to Continue That Counts

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Troy Steven This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked engineer and author Troy Steven about his journey. Here’s our interview: DS: Tell us about when you first started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health. TS: I became aware of having a mental health problem in 1993 when I had my first bipolar episode. I remember becoming anxious and …

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20 Questions to Ask Your New Therapist

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Deciding to begin psychotherapy to address your mental health concerns or personal struggles requires a significant investment of time, money and mental energy. I’ve talked at length about how to find a good psychotherapist, understanding how your therapist thinks, and things you can do to fully engage in therapy as treatment proceeds. I’ve also discussed the many benefits of therapy, its effectiveness, and how to get the most out of online therapy. Please be sure to check out these articles. …

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Still Fighting Every Day to Have a Better Life

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Cara Lisette This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked blogger and advocate Cara Lisette about her journey. Here’s our interview: DS: Tell us about when you first started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health. How did these issues continue to affect you before you sought treatment? CL: I started struggling with my body image and weighing myself in …

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Combating Misinformation in Political Media

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Like many others, I’ve been both fascinated and exhausted by the recent political campaigns and elections here in the United States. As I reflect on the past several months, I want to share a few thoughts and observations, which are characterized by a wide array of mixed emotions. I’ll try to keep my remarks as objective as possible, in hopes of having readers from both sides of the aisle hear what I have to say. First, I’m happy and pleased …

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