Captivate Podcasts Archive - Drawn to a Story

The Art of Loving an Addict – a vox pop

Loving an addict is one of the hardest things someone can do. This week we hear people’s reactions to Antonia’s Rolls’ exhibition, ‘Addicts and Those Who Love Them’.

In episode 1 of Drawn to a Deeper Story, Antonia spoke about being the parent of an addict. She invited me to her exhibition in Brighton and I went along to to talk to people as they came out.

This type of exhibition creates a visceral space and being part of people’s processing experiences felt like an important conversation to have.

See photos of the exhibition.

Contact Antonia

antoniarolls.co.uk – follow Antonia’s work

Subscribe to her newsletter

Youtube

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Instagram
Facebook
Website
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Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Resources for help

In the UK

Adfam – help for families dealing with drug and alcohol addiction

Al Anon – Family group support alcohol addiction, drug addiction and addictive behaviours

Carers UK – Support for carers

Samaritans – FREE Help – Tel: 116 123, E: jo@samaritans.org

NHS Depression Support Groups

NHS Mental Health Services

The British Psychology Society – Find a Psychologist

Mind – Addiction and Dependency Support

In the USA

National Institute of Mental Health – a range of helplines

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Tel: 1-800-273-8255

American Psychologist Association – Psychologist Finder

USA Government – Help for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

In Australia

Beyond Blue – Mental health support

Headspace – National Youth Mental Health Foundation with support services

The Black Dog Institute – Medical health resources, services and research

SANE Australia – Counselling support, Tel: 1800 187 263 (10am – 10pm)

Alcohol and Drug Foundation – Help and Support Services

OR contact medical services in your country.

Don’t let your child be your first Black friend – with Dr Laura Anderson

Even for the most-informed parent, unlearning racism and having tough conversations about race can be confronting. For families formed through transracial adoption, it’s essential.

This week, I’m talking with Dr Laura Anderson about transracial adoption and particularly, why nurturing a child’s racial identity is critical. In this episode, Dr Anderson talks about racism, unconscious bias and why White parents need to feel uncomfortable.

She highlights the importance of understanding the intricacies of racial identity and systemic racism and offers ways in which, as a White parent especially, you can nurture your child.

Dr. Anderson is a clinical child and family psychologist who has worked with children, adolescents, adults and families for over twenty years. She is licensed in Hawaii and California in the US. She has lived out of the United States on several occasions. Dr. Anderson is currently based primarily in Hawaii. She provides video health services to members of the expatriate community.

The areas of her expertise include school-based behavioral health, the assessment of children and adolescents, support for adoptive families, support for gender expansive youth and their families and parenting neurodiverse children and teens. Dr. Anderson has done talks and trainings in the US and internationally on child development, adoption, school-related issues, and issues related to gender identity development. For both personal and professional reasons, Dr. Anderson is passionate about supporting children, teens and families around the globe.

Positionality

This podcast acknowledges that this conversation is between two White women. It comes from a position of wanting to have an open conversation about parenting a child of colour and to encourage other White people to educate themselves about lived experiences of racism and privilege.

Follow Dr Laura Anderson

Common Chord Psychology Services

www.drlauraanderson.com

Social

Mentioned in this Episode

Families in Global Transition

Embrace Race – Web

Embrace Race – Facebook

Donate and Information – social justice campaigns

Black Lives Matter – Global

The Bail Project – USA

Stop Hate UK – UK

Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) – Australia

Sisters Inside – Australia (QLD)

Black Rainbow – Australia

Follow Cath

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Resources

Adoption UK – Support and advocacy for those parenting or supporting children who cannot live with their birth parents

CoramBAAF – Adoption and Fostering Academy

We are Family Adoption Support Community

Samaritans – FREE Help – Tel: 116 123, E: jo@samaritans.org

The British Psychology Society – Find a Psychologist

Australia

Intercountry Adoption Australia – local and community support

Adopt Change – List of national organisations and support services

SANE Australia – Counselling support, Tel: 1800 187 263 (10am – 10pm)

Mensline – help, support, referrals and counselling for men

Beyond Blue – Mental health support

The Black Dog Institute – Medical health resources, services and research

USA

PACT – For adopted children of colour and their families

Considering Adoption – USA

Boston Post Adoption Resources – Transracial adoption resources

American Psychologist Association – Psychologist finder

OR contact medical services in your country.

Rescuing LGBTQ+ Refugees – with Michael Faila

Care 4 Calais states that the world’s refugee crisis is the greatest humanitarian issue of our generation and how we respond will define us for years to come.

Among the support and work being done to support refugees however, are the voices of descent; those who seek to demonise refugees and their desire for a safe new life. This attitude has always bothered me intensely. I want to set the record straight.

We need hard conversations with those who know first-hand about the truth and realities of refugees. So this week I’m talking with Michael Failla. He’s been a refugee activist since 1982 and works closely with LGBTQ+ refugees to get them to safety and resettled in a new country.

His work is truly inspiring.

Donate

SCM Medical Missions – New Life Fund for LGBTQ+ people

Help Michael in supporting his refugees

Email Cath and she’ll put you in contact with Michael

Resources

UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency

Amnesty International – Refugees, Asylum-seekers and Migrants

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Roeing and Wading through the sea of misogyny

The devastating impact of the overturning of Roe v Wade is very real for millions of women and trans men.

In this special episode Cath reflects on the public outrage and pleads to not make injustices ‘normal’. She explores the links between #metoo last year and recent events, shares personal stories and offers a 30% discount on her ‘Roeing and Wading through the sea of misogyny‘ tshirt.

Listen to get the code!

Mentioned in Episode

Article about cortisol in pregnancy – Imperial College London

Abortion information NHS

Ep4 – Valuing motherhood over womanhood

Ep5 – The day I was charged with murder

Ep7 – Menopause: The final frontier

Ep10 – Herstory Rising: The patterns of patriarchy

Ep17 – Parenting a child through trauma

Roeing and Wading through the misogyny t-shirt

Episode Information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Resources:

Abortion NHS

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Abortion Support Network

Samaritans – FREE Help – Tel: 116 123, E: jo@samaritans.org

NHS Depression Support Groups

NHS Mental Health Services

The British Psychology Society – Find a Psychologist

Australia

Pregnancy Birth and Baby – Abortion information

Health Direct – Abortion information

Australian Abortion Law and Practice

Beyond Blue – Mental health support

Headspace – National Youth Mental Health Foundation with support services

The Black Dog Institute – Medical health resources, services and research

SANE Australia – Counselling support, Tel: 1800 187 263 (10am – 10pm)

USA

An overview of Abortion Laws (24 June 2022) – Guttmacher Institute

Data about abortion in the USA – Pew Institute

American Psychologist Association – Psychologist Finder

OR if safe to do so, contact medical services in your country.

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Parenting a Child Through Trauma – with Stephanie

You think you’ve done everything you can to prepare your child for protecting their physical boundaries and consent and then the devastating happens. You learn that your child’s boundaries have been broken.

The impact of this kind of trauma is incredibly painful, damaging and long-lasting. The ripple effect means that not only the child suffers, but so do parents and siblings. Personal and shared recovery takes time. In the face of such stressful and emotionally confronting events, how does a family cope?

In this episode, Stephanie shares the recent story of her family as they’ve dealt with the trauma of what happened to her daughter. Stephanie raises important questions about consent, physical boundaries, outside influences on teenagers, and the limitations of the law. She also talks about the importance of understanding your child’s silence. What are they not telling you? Do they know how to tell you things and are you giving them opportunities to talk to you?

Stephanie’s frank and heart-felt words offer real insight into the challenges of expat parenting in different cultures – national, state and familial.

Our conversation is challenging to listen to, but an important one for anyone raising children and especially globally mobile families.

Mentioned in Episode

Tea and Consent video – Thames Valley Police

Cusp – documentary

Euphoria – USA TV Series

Anatomy of a Scandal – Netflix series

Naked Attraction – British dating show on Channel 4

Resources

Police – call triple nine (Tel: 999)

Rape Crisis – England and Wales charity with helpline

Victim Support – information and support

NHS – Getting help

Rape Crisis – Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre

Samaritans – FREE Help – Tel: 116 123, E: jo@samaritans.org

NHS Depression Support Groups

NHS Mental Health Services

The British Psychology Society – Find a Psychologist

Australia

Police – call triple zero (Tel: 000)

1800 Respect – National sexual assault, domestic family violence counselling service

Healthline – National Helpline and information for sexual assault

Beyond Blue – Mental health support

Headspace – National Youth Mental Health Foundation with support services

The Black Dog Institute – Medical health resources, services and research

SANE Australia – Counselling support, Tel: 1800 187 263 (10am – 10pm)

USA

Police – call nine one one (Tel: 911)

RAINN – National Sexual Assault Hotline

Crisis – Crisis Text Line

Healthline – Sexual Assault Resource Guide

American Psychologist Association – Psychologist Finder

OR contact medical/legal/law enforcement in your country.

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Discovering You Are a Forced Adoptee – with Liz Harvie

In the expat and globally mobile community we are familiar with adjusting to new cultures, new countries and new homes. In our processing, we often look to our families, our roots, our ancestors and our childhoods.

What happens though when that avenue is not available to you? How does it feel to not have the same connection to your roots? Where does that leave you emotionally?

In this episode, I talk to Liz Harvie about being adopted and the impact of loss and grief as a child, through to adulthood and to having her own family. In our conversation Liz also shares the deeper impact of discovering that her parents were actually forced to give her up for adoption.

Liz offers insights into the social attitudes towards adoption, plus the emotional and physical importance of knowing where you come from. She also explains why the UK inquiry into forced adoptions matters so much to so many.

Mentioned in the episode

Forced Adoption: Birth Parents Urged to Give Evidence to Inquiry – BBC News

Follow Liz Harvie

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Resources

Adoption UK – Support and advocacy for those parenting or supporting children who cannot live with their birth parents

New Family Social – information/support for LGBT+ adoptive & foster families

Samaritans – FREE Help – Tel: 116 123, E: jo@samaritans.org

NHS Depression Support Groups

NHS Mental Health Services

The British Psychology Society – Find a Psychologist

Australia

Forced Adoption Support (South Australia)

National Apology for Forced Adoptions

SANE Australia – Counselling support, Tel: 1800 187 263 (10am – 10pm)

Mensline – help, support, referrals and counselling for men

Beyond Blue – Mental health support

The Black Dog Institute – Medical health resources, services and research

USA

The Centre for Adoption Support and Education

American Psychologist Association – Psychologist Finder

OR contact medical services in your country.

Life with Addictions – with Robyn Flemming

“You never drank THAT much.”

How often have you heard this yourself or said the same to a friend or family member? Many people consider their level of drinking as ‘normal’, when in reality it’s masking a distressed emotional state.

We all develop coping mechanisms to stress and people drink alcohol for a variety of reasons. So when does a self medicating vice become an addiction?

As Robyn Flemming shares this week, it’s not so much the amount, but the affect it has and what you’re seeking through it. In this episode Robyn talks candidly about her life as an addict, primarily with alcohol, but also other dependencies. She reveals the ever present personal negotiations around her drinking, and the trade offs she made to enable her addictions. For those with no experience of addiction, Robyn will help you to understand the complexities of this path, the internal struggles and what happens when you start to not like your own behaviour.

This is a powerful episode that encourages the listener to reflect on the relationship with themselves and explore their own coping mechanisms.

Robyn is the author of “Skinful: A Memoir of Addiction” and a freelance book editor. An Australian, she lived in Hong Kong from 1986 to 1993, and was a global nomad from 2010 to 2020. A former “grey area” drinker, she has run five marathons and 48 half marathons all over the world. In 2022, she will resume her global travels. Robyn is a keen smartphone street photographer.

Resources

Buy the book – Skinful: A Memoir of Addiction

Follow Robyn

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Instagram
Facebook
Website
Subscribe to the mailing list

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Resources for help

In the UK

Adfam – help for families dealing with drug and alcohol addiction

Al Anon – Family group support alcohol addiction, drug addiction and addictive behaviours

Carers UK – Support for carers

Samaritans – FREE Help – Tel: 116 123, E: jo@samaritans.org

NHS Depression Support Groups

NHS Mental Health Services

The British Psychology Society – Find a Psychologist

Mind – Addiction and Dependency Support

In the USA

National Institute of Mental Health – a range of helplines

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Tel: 1-800-273-8255

American Psychologist Association – Psychologist Finder

USA Government – Help for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

In Australia

Beyond Blue – Mental health support

Headspace – National Youth Mental Health Foundation with support services

The Black Dog Institute – Medical health resources, services and research

SANE Australia – Counselling support, Tel: 1800 187 263 (10am – 10pm)

Alcohol and Drug Foundation – Help and Support Services

OR contact medical services in your country.

Don’t ‘Dis’ My Ability – with Nicole Demos

What’s it like living with a disability? We might understand that a person uses a wheelchair as their legs, but what does that really mean on a daily basis?

This week Nicole Demos talks honestly about living with a disability. Nicole opens up, not only about her own emotional journey, but how she’s been able to uses her life experiences to better serve the students she teaches in special education.

In listening to Nicole, you will learn how to be inclusive about disability why visibility is so important, and when not to be ‘helpful’.

Nicole Demos is proud to be a disabled Third Culture Kid herself with over 25 years of experience in the US and overseas. She holds an M.A in Education from the University of Connecticut, an M.Ed in International Counseling and is currently enrolled in a pilot Social Emotional Behavioral Wellbeing Certificate also from Lehigh University. For the past ten years, Nicole has been a Learning Support teacher for students in grades 6-12 at the International School of Helsinki. Advocacy, Inclusion and Social Emotional Wellbeing are core beliefs that Nicole values and implements daily.

Nicole is also a SENIA Europe Board Member and seeks to spread awareness regarding inclusion for all in education. Spending time with loved ones and her toy poodle Sisu, singing, reading, traveling and cooking are Nicole’s hobbies when she is not at work.

Resources

DeMystifying Disability by Emily Ladau

Disability Stories by Alice Wong

Crip Camp – Documentary

Being Huemann: An Unrepentant Memoir of A Disability Rights Activist by Judith Huemann and Kristen Joiner

Nina Tame – The Disabled Step-Mum you never knew you needed

Find Nicole at

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Parenting a Trans Child – with Jennifer Killpac

When your child comes out to you as trans, there’s a lot that goes through your mind. Parenting is a tough job at the best of times, but add your child’s gender dysphoria and the social and cultural expectations and attitudes on top of that, and parenting changes a gear very quickly.

Yes, we need to protect trans kids, but in doing that we also need to support their parents. What are they adjusting to and trying to navigate?

This week I’m chatting with Jennifer Killpac about parenting a trans child. Jennifer talks openly about what it’s been like for her family and the types of issues they’ve faced together. In discussing her experiences, she also offers valuable insights that will help other parents support their trans children. And for allies, she gives lots of great ideas about how to be more affirming towards trans people.

Jennifer Killpac is a wife and mother of three very unique kids. She is raising her family while running a business in the Middle East and is passionate about social justice issues, travel and helping facilitate safe spaces where people from different cultures can grow in understanding of one another.

Resources

Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt – Book

Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard by Alex Bertie – Book

Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man by Chaz Bono – Book

Odyessy Teen Camp – Summer Camp in Massachusetts, USA

The Gender Unicorn – graphic that explains the concepts of identity, expression, sex & attraction

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

False Memories and Contested Sexual Abuse – with Kevin Felstead

False memory isn’t a subject you hear much about. If you haven’t heard about it, consider yourself lucky. Its impact on the individuals involved and their families can be catastrophic, not to mention the cost to the justice system.

Psychiatrist, Paul R McHugh, describes false memory as “a condition in which a person’s identity and interpersonal relationships are centred around a memory of traumatic experience which is objectively false but in which the person strongly believes.” (British False Memory Society website)

In this episode, Kevin Felstead shares the complexities of working with false memory cases within the UK legal system. He clarifies the difference between false memory allegations and real cases of sexual abuse. In talking about the implications of false memory, Kevin also introduces listeners to the work of the British False Memory Society.

Kevin is Director of Communications at the British False Memory Society.

Further information

British False Memory Society – UK website

How False Memories Corrupt Our Identities, Politics, and Justice System – Julia Shaw, TEDxBergen

Follow Cath at Drawn to a Story

Episode information

Music by Grant McLachlan

Resources

Worldwide

International Domestic Violence Resource Guide 2021

Refuge – National Domestic Abuse Helpline

Citizens Advice – Help for domestic violence and abuse