"Not only is it difficult for the person going through their mental health concern, but it's also really difficult to be a witness; and to not have the floor to say, "Oh, this is hard for me, too."

Today we welcome Kara Bucci to the podcast! Kara is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in the Hudson Valley region of New York and she is here to speak with Courtney about challenges and strategies associated with caring for someone with mental health issues. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI - nami.org) more than 20% of Americans experienced a mental health concern in 2020 (nami.org/mhstats, retrieved October 27, 2022). With nationwide stats suggesting that 1 in 5 individuals are living with a diagnosable mental health disorder it is easy to assume many of us have been impacted by this - in big and small ways - at some point in our lives.

Of course, these impacts are more deeply felt when the individual is a friend, parent, child, or even colleague. Kara is here to help frame this experience through the lens of roles, responsibilities, and ultimately, limitations. She is also going to provide some ways of approaching these relationships with love, empathy, and compassion, and also with a view toward preserving our own wellbeing as caretakers.

About our guest:

Kara is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founder of a small (but growing!) group practice called the Upstate Therapy Group located in Beacon, NY. Kara has been in private practice for 5 years, where she works primarily with adolescents and adults, in individual or group psychotherapy. Kara typically works with people who are going through difficult life transitions, struggling with anxiety and depression, and people who underneath it all, are looking to learn and explore themselves through the lens of a therapeutic relationship. Prior to working in private practice, Kara worked as a residential Counselor at Silver Hill Hospital, where she managed Transitional Living Programs for the Adolescent Program and the (now called) Psychotic Illnesses Program. While at Silver Hill, Kara went through the Foundations training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which was particularly helpful in helping develop the resilience skill set for higher risk patients. Kara is continuing her education as a candidate for the Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.

Thanks for listening! If you are loving this content, please share with your people! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you are listening. Send topic suggestions, questions, and comments to [email protected] or fill out the contact form at shineandsoar.com/podcast.