In all of our relationships, we bring our history, the roles we’ve played, our strategies for belonging, our privilege, and our worldview to the dynamic. In this episode, we get to hear from two deeply reflective mental health workers, who spend much of their time attempting to redefine helping relationships within and outside the system, about their personal experiences with love and relationships. They shed light on their process for communication and the values they share that sometimes also apply to how they show up for friends, family, and their clients.

We also discuss:

• lessons learned from past relationships and examining what you want to do differently
• understanding your role in the family, in society, your privilege and worldview, and how that impacts how you relate
• what it looks like to process and communicate about needs and emotions
• the process of repair after conflict and receiving feedback from a partner with real life examples
• relating to clients authentically as a mental health worker, understanding power dynamics and determining your personal values

Leah Pressman (she/her) and Jay Stevens (he/him) live and work together in New York City with their three cats. Both work as program directors for mobile case management and mental health treatment teams at a non-profit agency.

Leah is a licensed clinical social worker by training, and continuously invests in unlearning unhelpful lessons from her formal education. She’s divorced (literally) from a path that no longer serves her; and has since committed to a life rooted in intentional choices, connection with others, creative expression, justice, and kindness. Leah finds purpose in nurturing her community and building systems that give a sh*. She’s a proud maker of home-cooked meals, crochet, collage, and any and all crafts that inspire her. Leah is an IDHA member and organizer with IDHA’s Training Committee. You can find her on the internet @leah.makesthings

Jay is both a harm reductionist and licensed mental health counselor (perhaps a contradiction of terms). He identifies as a person with lived experience of unhelpful substance use, being unhoused, and incarceration. He leads his team with a Harm Reduction and Decarceration lens to support those who are unhoused and/or living with mental health diagnoses. Jay believes in the foundational power of human connection, and the imperative to explore the link between personal and societal transformation. He dreams of mental health care led by people with lived experience that is community-based and free from surveillance and coercion. He organizes with IDHA and serves as treasurer of IDHA’s board of directors. Jay operates rooflesslove.com.

Links:

Jay & Leah’s Audio Blog: Unlicensed: Radicalizing Continuing Education https://www.idha-nyc.org/post/2023/1/31/unlicensed-radicalizing-continuing-education

rooflesslove.com

Saving Our Own Lives by Shira Hassan: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61757014-saving-our-own-lives

Dignity of Risk blog post by Jay: https://www.rooflesslove.com/blog/the-dignity-of-risk

Institute for the Development of Human Arts: https://www.idha-nyc.org/

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Disclaimer: The DEPTH Work Podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Information on this podcast in no way to be construed or substituted as psychological counseling, psychotherapy, mental health counseling, or any other type of therapy or medical advice.