PEERS Radio

Kompha Seth lost all but two relatives during the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. It is estimated that two million people died between 1975 and 1979. What has helped him through the pain after all of these years? Spirituality. In part two of our coverage on mental health, spirituality and the Asian community, host Jenee Darden interviews Kompha Seth, founder of the Killing Fields Memorial in Chicago and president of the Cambodian Association of Illinois.
 

Head next door to the Paramount Theatre in Downtown Oakland and visit PEERS' "See Me, Not My Diagnosis" mask display. While participating in a mask workshop created by activist and artist Adella, mental health consumers created the pieces. They express their bouts with stigma and perseverance through self-love. "Mental Health and Wellness Radio" host Jenee Darden explains the purpose of the exhibit and introduces the artists' inspirational stories.  

View photos of the masks on...

"Mental Health and Wellness Radio" visits a conference on Asian Americans, spirituality and mental health. In part one of our coverage, host Jenee Darden learns about the martial art Qigong and how it can be used as a wellness tool for such diagnosis as depression and anxiety. She interviews Dr. Randy Sugawara of Qi Recovery. Dr. Sugawara is a psychologist and martial arts instructor. 

Photo Credit: Mr. Moses Ma

After a divorce, the sudden death of his grandmother and a near-fatal car accident, writer and comedian Brian Copeland sunk into a deep depression. His one-man show “The Waiting Period” is a humorous and dark look at Copeland’s bout with depression. The play covers 10-days Copeland waits for the arrival of a gun he plans to use for suicide. “The Waiting Period” is a follow up to his smash autobiographical play “Not a Genuine Black Man,” which holds the record for the longest running solo play in San...

On Saturday October 1, 2011, PEERS hosted its first Mental Health and Wellness Walk at Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley. PEERS Podcast host Jenee Darden gives you an audio tour of the day.

The PEERS Podcast is on location at the 25th Annual Alternatives Conference in Orlando, Florida. Host Jenee Darden takes time for giggles at a laughter yoga workshop led by Grace Karen Sweet, Director of The Average Miracles Foundation near Santa Cruz, Calif. Sweet explains why this type of yoga helps those with mental health challenges.

The PEERS Podcast is in Orlando, Florida for the Alternatives Conference. Host Jenee Darden drops by the “Restoring the Spirit” workshop about spirituality as a mental-health wellness tool. Can Truong, director of the National Asian American Pacific Islanders Empowerment Network, explains how his spirituality brought him through recovery.

Michael Schratter has been traveling the world on his bicycle for just over a year. The Canadian schoolteacher is cycling the globe to raise awareness about mental health stigma through his “Ride Don’t Hide” campaign. Schratter is now wrapping up his tour in Canada and expects to roll up to his Vancouver home next month. PEERS Podcast host Jenee Darden spoke with him during his stop in Montreal. 

Photo of Michael Schrattter cycling in Mexico.