Three Black mental health professionals will share their expertise on a special television show aimed at helping Minnesota students, families, and educators manage stress levels in the wake of a wave of gun violence.
A round table discussion called “Healing and Hope: Navigating Life After School Tragedy,” will stream at 8 pm and 10:35 pm this Friday, Feb. 24 on Kare11.com and KARE 11+. The original program will be hosted by KARE 11 Sunrise anchor Jason Hackett.
In a groundbreaking partnership, KARE 11 is teaming up with media personality Sheletta Brundidge and her podcasting platform SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com. Together, the television station and the podcaster are producing a program offering real talk about the all-too-common experience of school shootings.
“We’re scared about these incidents and worried about how living with this threat is taking a toll on the mental health of our kids. Even if it’s not their school, they’re being impacted,” Brundidge said.
Brundidge and several of her podcasters were hearing from people in the community seeking advice on how to cope with school violence. In just the past few weeks, a teenager was shot at a St. Paul recreation center, a student was stabbed to death at Harding High School, and a shooting at Michigan State led to multiple deaths and widespread terror on campus.
“I was creating programming on my podcast network to talk about this when I realized that working with KARE 11 would reach more kids, parents, and educators,” said Brundidge. “We all need help navigating life and creating a sense of safety for our kids after these tragedies.”
The SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com podcasting platform produces 10 weekly podcasts that feature Black subject experts. Brundidge tapped the expertise of three of her podcast hosts who work in the field of counseling and mental health.
The trio will be featured for their knowledge of working with children and adolescents and will offer advice and suggestions to families for moving forward in an uncertain world.
They include:
· Lambers Fisher, licensed marriage and family therapist, and instructor of multicultural awareness training. He hosts “The Diversity Dude” podcast.
· Dr. Verna Cornelia Price, author, academic, human potential expert and founder of Girls Taking Action and Boys of Hope, nonprofits benefiting underserved Minnesota youth. She hosts “Dr. Verna’s Virtues” podcast.
· Brandon Jones, a psychotherapist, professor, and executive director of the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health. He hosts the “It’s Not Your Fault” podcast geared at teens and their parents.
“We will also hear from Twin Cities teenagers in the audience,” said Brundidge. “You can’t have a roundtable discussion about teen mental health without actually talking to teens about how they feel.”
“Healing and Hope: Navigating Life After School Tragedy” will premiere at 8 pm on Friday, Feb. 24 on kare11.com and the KARE 11+ streaming app for Roku, Fire TV, and other smart TV platforms. The special will also be available on-demand on the KARE 11 YouTube page, as well as streaming in multiple re-airings on KARE 11+, including 10:35 pm on Friday.
This information was provided in part by SHElettaMakesMeLaugh.com.
