Episode 137: Dr. Leslie Treece, Pediatrician (https://leslietreecemd.com/)

This episode features Jennifer Hope Longenecker (https://jenniferhopelongenecker.com/), who discusses supporting her daughter, Heather, through an eating disorder, multiple treatment stays, and a suicide attempt. Jennifer shares how Heather’s struggle began at age 14 or 15 with anxiety and covert behaviors, such as skipping family dinners and running three to five miles multiple times a day on top of cross-country training. Over a non-linear recovery journey that spanned five treatment stays, Jennifer learned firsthand how to navigate a fragmented healthcare system—including an initial residential stay cut short by insurance, which forced her to build a local care team starting with a dietitian. Moving past clinical confusion and a harmful counseling experience, Jennifer outlines how to vet true eating-disorder specialists, why families should avoid programs promising a "cure," and how to seek secular treatment while requesting a Christian therapist if faith-based alignment matters. Throughout this crisis, Jennifer relied on faith, prayer, and journaling, and she urges parents to act as fierce advocates for their minor children without framing them as "broken" or falling into parental isolation. To help other families find their way, Jennifer and Heather co-wrote the book Held in the Dark: Finding Light and Hope While Supporting Your Teen Through an Eating Disorder, which uniquely features both parent and teen perspectives in every chapter. Listeners can also access support groups, a specialized quiz, and bonus recordings for parents and teens on her website: https://jenniferhopelongenecker.com/bonuses/https://feast-ed.org/https://www.amazon.com/Held-Dark-Finding-Supporting-Disorder/dp/B0H5NRQHQB

On this episode, Susie sits down with Mike Loverde, Founder and Clinical Director of Family First Intervention (https://family-intervention.com/), to dismantle the outdated myths surrounding addiction and mental health crises. After leaving a career in finance after a life-changing family intervention in the late '90s, Mike has dedicated his life to rewriting the script on how families help loved ones recover. Mike explains why waiting for someone to "hit rock bottom" can be a dangerous mistake, how substance use masks deep-seated trauma, and why healing the family system is the ultimate key to sustainable recovery. Mike shares the approach that he and the team at Family First Intervention use, which includes a clinical assessment of a family's communication, reactivity, and historical environment, not a dramatic ambush. Mike’s new book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNLWBYGW

This episode features Sarah Callender, friend, mom, and author, for an open, deeply personal conversation about her own depression, anorexia, postpartum depression, bipolar II disorder, and what it means to parent a child with similar struggles. Sarah shares about the lengthy battle to understand her symptoms, why the diagnosis of bipolar II felt like a relief, and how speaking openly about her mental illness has changed the story for her family.  Sarah discusses the stigma associated with mental health issues, along with the difficulty of recognizing suicidal ideation in herself. Additionally, Sarah expresses the challenge of parenting a young child with a mental illness, as well as how her daughter, Anna, has been very open about her own mental health issues.https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/768761/lucy-in-between-by-sarah-callender/

In this deeply personal episode, Ellen Riley reflects on her son Aidan’s social media mistake, the legal response that followed, and the grief that changed her family’s life. After someone shared a screenshot of Aidan’s inappropriate comment, police arrested him when he was 13 years old. Ellen describes the nine-month legal battle that followed and shares why families need to meet young people’s mistakes with accountability, compassion, and room to recover. Ellen discusses the shame and isolation Aidan experienced, the bullying and community pressures that added to the family’s pain, and the questions she continues to ask about how adults and systems respond when young people make mistakes. Ellen also explores what it means to hold teens accountable while still leaving room for learning, repair, and recovery.  She also shares why she believes families need safe ways to work through mistakes together, and why a child’s relationship with their parent matters alongside rules and consequences. They discuss how screenshots and social media can make a difficult moment feel permanent, as well as the challenge of guiding young people through technology that continues to change. Ellen talks about the different ways her daughter and younger son have grieved, how she and her husband try to keep Aiden present in family life, and why siblings need care and understanding too. She remembers Aidan as adventurous, funny, gifted, and full of life, and shares the message his family carries forward: “Be brave enough to be kind”.

Dr. Amy Wilson, a music therapist and clinical researcher, shares how music can support healing across behavioral health, hospice, and rehabilitation. Drawing on her experience with people facing grief, trauma, mental illness, and the challenges of stroke recovery, Amy explains how music can offer a meaningful way to express emotions, reconnect with identity, and find hope when life changes unexpectedly.Amy discusses the connection between music and hope, including the ideas of agency—believing you can take steps toward a goal—and pathways—finding ways to move forward, even when circumstances change. Amy shares how singing, drumming, and songwriting can help people process difficult experiences, regulate emotions, and take part in rehabilitation. She also discusses the importance of making room for lament alongside hope, the role of families and caregivers in recovery, and how music can create connection and comfort at home. The conversation closes with practical encouragement for parents to listen and make music with their children, building shared memories and nurturing connection through everyday moments.

In this transparent episode, Karina Weinstein, a mother and mental health advocate, shares her journey of navigating her son’s sudden mental health crisis, hospitalization, diagnoses of autism, anxiety, and depression, and the challenges of finding appropriate care and school support. Karina shares how guilt, stigma, masking, limited post-discharge guidance, and her own family history shaped the experience, while emphasizing the importance of trusting your child, building peer support, and recognizing that mental health crises can happen in any family. She also discusses Roots and Resilience, the program she is creating with a mission of a more parent-centered youth mental health system that offers caregivers clear guidance, trauma-informed care, and meaningful support.https://rootsandresiliencenyc.my.canva.site/

Don’t miss this great conversation with Dr. Leslie Treece, a practicing pediatrician in Cookeville, Tennessee, about the mental health challenges she sees in kids every day. The conversation focuses on how primary care physicians and providers are often the first stop for worried parents, especially in rural areas where child psychiatry and therapy access is limited.  Dr. Treece also shares practical guidelines on recognizing red flags, handling anxiety, understanding the impact of screens and social media, and supporting kids without blame or shame.https://leslietreecemd.com/

Back for a second time on The Just A Mom Podcast is entrepreneur, author, speaker, and filmmaker Jason Reid.  Don’t miss this deeply personal conversation about grief, depression, and the power of creative purpose. Jason shares how the loss of his son Ryan to suicide changed his life, why he now focuses on helping parents and kids talk more honestly about mental health, and how his latest film, Shift, is designed to spark those conversations in schools and communities. We also discuss what self-care really looks like beyond the usual advice, why adults need creative outlets just as much as kids, and what Jason learned after discovering he may have been living with a form of depression himself.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellmystorycommunity/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1tellmystory/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tellmystory-org/

In this episode of the Just a Mom podcast, psychologist Dr. Jerry Weichman talks about the realities of parenting teens today, the impact of social media and device addiction on mental health, and practical ways parents can create healthier boundaries at home. Dr. Jerry Weichman is a child and adolescent psychologist with over 27 years of experience working with preteens, teens, and parents. He is also the founder of the Raising Families platform, which offers free resources to help families navigate mental health, parenting, and technology challenges.. Weichman shares why he chose to work with teens and families, what he has learned from more than 27 years in practice, and how parents can better support their kids through adolescence with short, consistent, real-world conversations. This conversation is a powerful reminder that parenting requires intention, consistency, and connection. Dr. Weichman’s guidance gives parents practical steps they can use right away to reduce chaos, build trust, and help their kids develop the skills they need for life.http://drjerryweichman.com/https://www.youtube.com/@RaisingFamilieswithDrJWhttps://www.raisingfamiliespodcast.com/https://theweichmanclinic.com/https://www.amazon.com/dp/1435717473?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Lisa Katona-Smith shares her journey as a mother navigating her son’s mental health challenges and substance use disorder. Through moments of fear, resilience, and hard-earned clarity, Lisa transformed her personal experience into a meaningful framework to support other families facing similar struggles—captured in her book, Parallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder (https://a.co/d/07C8FLzz).This episode offers both emotional validation and practical guidance—helping parents recognize early warning signs, advocate effectively for their children, and set boundaries that prioritize safety without sacrificing love. Lisa introduces a compassionate shift in perspective—from simply “loving harder” to “loving better,” and explores how families can move from crisis toward sustainable, long-term recovery together.