The session in which we ponder the question – Will any good come of this pandemic? Feeling optimistic today.
No Place Like A Home
The session in which we chatted with Brandy Ryan,JD, staff attorney at the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty in Washington, DC. Brandy is a strong advocate for people experiencing homelessness and her work focuses right now on homelessness and education. Nobody should have to live without a home to live in. There’s just no place like a home.
Check out the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty nlchp.org. According to the website:
“Given close quarters, compromised immune systems, and an aging population, people experiencing homelessness are exceptionally vulnerable to communicable diseases, not excluding the current outbreak of coronavirus, COVID-19”
You can read more about the impact of coronavirus on homelessness at nlchp.org.
Grief and Loss
In this session, we share thoughts about grief and loss with our colleague Allison Gibbs, LCSW of therapyconciergellc.com. Typically our ‘After Hours’ conversations are somewhat lighthearted, but not so much with this one. It was pre-pandemic though coronavirus was ‘in the air’ so to speak and perhaps on our minds.
Creative Adjustments
The session in which we talk about how we’re all doing our best to shelter-in-place and make it work. Many of us are struggling and through the struggle we’re finding creative ways to make it through. Sometimes, hearing an idea that resonates in some way can help in our own struggle to get through this tough time.
On Education and Race
The session in which we chat with LaChan and Michael Hannon about race, education, and parent-teacher involvement.
LaChan V. Hannon is a culturally responsive teacher leader and educator. She is a PhD student researching culturally responsive school practices with particular attention to parent engagement. LaChan has published articles and chapters in academic texts including: International Handbook of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Dr. Michael Hannon is an Assistant Professor of Counseling at Montclair State University. His work has been featured in various media outlets and organizations including Autism Speaks, Thrive Global, Fusion, Huffington Post, and WURD 900AM. His forthcoming book, Black Fathering and Mental Health: Black Fathers Discuss the Needs of Men and Fathers Across the Family Life Cycle, will be published by Peter Lang in September 2020.
Together, LaChan and Michael developed the nonprofit organization, Greater Expectations Teaching and Advocacy Center for Childhood Disabilities, Inc. GETAC is dedicated to providing support resources to families and children living with developmental disabilities and the professionals who serve them.
Facing Change
The session in which we (Cindy and Julie) move to remote podcast recording as we adapt to current obstacles and needs. We discussed the many ways we’ve been adjusting to changes we now face day to day. As we moved to shelter-in-place, we experienced many different emotions and numerous situational challenges. We’ve also been working with people from many walks of life, all of us learning to adjust to new ways of being that none of us have chosen.
Self-Care
In this Shrinks After Hours session, we chat with Allison Gibbs, LCSW of Therapy Concierge, LLC and Holly Sawyer, PhD, of Life First Therapy, LLC about the importance of taking time for self-care. It was pre-recorded before we were all sheltering-in-place so not all of it may apply to today though much of it can still be helpful. We’ll be doing an update to talk about what self care looks like during a pandemic, but in the meantime, this session might offer some insights.
We explored our personal definitions of self-care, what keeps people from taking care of themselves, and what happens when they don’t. Listen in when you can – Maybe you’ll get some good ideas for your own self-care. We hope you do.
Black Mothering for White Spaces
The session in which we chat with LaChan V Hannon about mothering her two children and helping them learn to navigate white spaces, such as school and the classroom.
LaChan is the School of Education Certification Officer at The College of New Jersey and Executive Director of Greater Expectations Teaching and Advocacy Center. She is a PhD candidate in teacher education and teacher development at Montclair State University. Her scholarly work focuses on the intersectionality of race, disability and parent involvement. Her TEDx Talk entitled Young, Gifted & Black with Autism was released in 2016.
PostScript: We held our podcast interview with LaChan before the coronavirus took hold here this Spring. Recently, we asked her for an update regarding some of her thoughts at this time. She told us this:
Intergenerational Justice
The session in which we had a spontaneous chat with Joyce E. Russell, RN, the mother of Assata Thomas, Director of the Institute for Community Justice. Assata’s mom accompanied her to our planned podcast session and sat in the waiting room while we talked to Assata about the social activism and justice work she is passionate about (you can hear the convo on our Prison Services and Reentry podcast). Afterward, we thought it would be nice to have Mom in the interview to talk for a few minutes about her daughter. Once we turned on the mic, we found out that Joyce has her own stories of social justice work having spent years as a nurse in a prison. She spoke about how the work changed her, and her ever-growing deep pride in her family which now has yet another generation of social justice warriors coming up.
Prison Services and Reentry
The session in which we chat with Assata Thomas, Director of the Institute for Community Justice, about the work she does to promote the Institute’s mission of supporting people and communities impacted by mass incarceration. Assata is a strong advocate in the fight for “a world free from mass incarceration where communities have equitable access to health, safety, justice, and the opportunity to design their freedom.”