Episode 11: Mental Health: ADHD – Part One
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is one of the most common diagnoses made in childhood. Although estimates say that approximately one in nine school aged children suffer from the condition, it is very often misunderstood. In this episode of The Mental Breakdown, Drs. Berney and Richard talk about the history of the disorder, associated symptoms, and they begin to tackle the issue of the ever increasing rate of prevalence. We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences with ADHD, so please write in to us on either Facebook or on our blog at thementalbreakdown.com. Also, we welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions for future podcasts.
This episode was edited by Mr. Andrew Rasmussen.
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Podcast Episode 10: Education: Giving Zeros
As used in schools today, a zero indicates that a student does not deserve any credit. While teachers and parents justify and defend their use, zeros rarely serve the purposes intended. In this episode of The Mental Breakdown, Drs. Berney and Richard discuss the most common reasons teachers assign zeros, the fallacies associated with those zeros, and the true effects that they have on student motivation and performance. Drs. Berney and Richard then offer several alternatives to zeros that provide teachers and school administrators with more useful and more effective ways of evaluating student performance.
This episode was edited by Mr. Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 09: Education: More On The Left Behind
In this week’s episode, Drs. Berney and Richard welcome their first guest, Mr. Thomas, facility administrator of a small juvenile correction facility for youth with borderline intellectual ability. Berney, Richard and Thomas discuss the issue of education in a juvenile facility and explore the fact that these high risk juveniles are held to the same state standards as any other student, despite a multitude of risk factors. Our current educational climate attempts to treat all students as though they have the same resources, motivations, and abilities. This, however, is an example of a group of students who are being held to a standard that they cannot meet.
This episode was edited and produced by Mr. Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 08: Education: 45 Hours, Teacher Voices, and Opt-Out
In Episode 8, Drs. Berney and Richard respond to listener emails. The first addresses the new Florida law restricting testing to 45 hours. Is it really 45 hours, or is more time wasted than we think? The second email addresses a very important issue. Who are making these school reform decisions? The third email references many of the recent news reports about students and schools “opting-out” of the standardized tests. What implications will this have and is it a viable option for Florida students?
This episode was edited by Mr. Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 07: Education: What’s Broken?
In Episode 07, Drs. Berney and Richard respond to several emails from listeners inquiring about some of the more controversial and challenging aspects of current school reform. Drs. Berney and Richard encourage listeners to write in with their questions and comments.
This episode was edited by Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 06: Education: Laws, Policies, and Testing
In Episode 06, Drs. Berney and Richard walk listeners down the path of the federal laws and regulations that have led to current test policies and procedures which continue to plague the lives of students, parents, and teachers. Listers will gain a better understanding of how we have found ourselves in the current assessment predicament.
This episode was edited by Mr. Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 05: Most Children Left Behind
In this week’s episode, Drs. Berney and Richard expand their discussion on the impact of school reform as we know it today. Emphasis is focused on the impact that the current school climate has on students and teachers. We hope that you enjoy this episode and would love to hear from you on our Facebook page or on Twitter (@drberney).
This week’s episode was edited and produced by Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 04: School Reform
In this episode, Drs. Berney and Richard begin a series on school reform. We are tackling this topic because high stakes testing, Common Core, and teacher evaluations are all a part of our current school reform initiatives. There are many unanswered questions and Drs. Berney and Richard hope to provide information that will keep you up to date and encourage you to join in on the discussion of this important public policy.
This podcast was edited by Andrew Rasmussen.
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Episode 03 – Mental Health, Mental Illness, and Violence
In Episode 03, Drs. Berney and Richard expand their discussion of mental health and mental illness. In this episode, the relationship between mental illness and violence is reviewed. While many believe that violent offenders often have some form of mental illness, Drs. Berney and Richard provide multiple examples that illustrate the relatively small relationship between mental illness and violence.
This episode was edited by Andrew Rasmussen.
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02.1 Mental Health vs. Mental Illness (take 2)
Welcome to the second podcast of The Mental Breakdown. In this episode, Dr. Berney and Dr. Richard talk about the difference between mental health and mental illness. Unfortunately, there are many stigmas associated with mental illness. Drs. Berney and Richard present a new paradigm for considering mental health.
Note that this is a second posting, as the original podcast was not sent to iTunes.
This episode was produced by Andrew Rasmussen.
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