Episode Eighteen: What Does Joe Biden Mean When He Talks About Healing Our Nation?

Or...how can we get Uncle Sam into therapy?

The topic we had originally planne for today was how to not take things personally, but Allen and Thom put that aside in light of President-Elect Joe Biden’s and VP-Elect Kamala Harris’s speeches the night before this podcast was recorded. In the spirit of “Conversations about What Matters Most,” the conversation in this podcast is about what this nation’s 46^th President and his historic Vice President had to say to us and the world about their plan for leadership. Their emphasis is multifaceted as it must be if they are going to address the many top priorities that have been moved out of the current president’s way as he remains singularly focused on holding onto power, in spite of having lost the election. But among those multiple top priorities for Biden and Harris is specifically working to heal the partisan divide that has become so debilitating to our government and to the social and cultural fabric of our nation. Allen and Thom acknowledge that feeling good about a message of healing and putting that message into practice are two different things and that both hosts see a role for mental health professionals if we are to move toward healing. The challenges are enormous, they acknowledge, but the principles of healing are the same as they are in their therapy rooms. The work of patching up a nation that has been split right down the middle is, after all, the work of helping human beings come to terms with emotions, expectations, differing beliefs and values, by way of healthy communication. Aka: THERAPY. Allen and Thom are calling on their colleagues in the field of mental health services to think creatively about how we can all contribute to healing --- starting right here.

Next: How can you still care about what other people think but not take their opinions personally?