Society avoids discussing or even recognizing that seniors have sex. What are the issues for seniors and why does our society avoid acknowledging their sexuality?
Dick’s guest is Melanie Ramie, JD, MSW and CEO of The Hope of Wisconsin.
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Thoughtfully reviewing the highs, lows, turning points and critical decisions of your life can lead to more self awareness and help shape a better future.
Dick’s guest is Reverend Karen Gustafson who served for 30 years as a Universalist Unitarian Minister and now has established Life Review, a self renewal ministry.
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Are rich people happier than the rest of us? How much does financial success have to do with contentment? Can money make you unhappy?
Dick’s guest is Patricia Clason, an author, lecturer and Director of The Center for Creative Learning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over 5,000 people have taken her workshops in personal growth and development.
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Nearly 1/3 of Americans suffer from chronic pain. Most turn to pain medications, which can lead to unpleasant side effects and/or addiction. Strategies using your mind can be very effective at reducing the suffering that accompanies chronic pain.
Dick’s guest is Dr. Tamar Kelson, Senior Psychologist at University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Approximately 10% of marriages are between people 11 years or more apart in age. What are the unique problems as well as the benefits of May December marriage?
Dick’s guest, Linda Lewis Griffith is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is the author of two books and numerous articles in the field of marriage and family therapy.
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The mentally ill without resources need help. Community mental health centers serve this population. The majority suffer from drug addiction and severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.
Dick’s guest, Lynn Brady President and CEO of Journey Mental Health Center, explores current treatments for those who are the most in need.
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Having enough money and good health is not a guarantee for a happy retirement. A life of meaning, fulfillment and connection must also be achieved.
Dick’s guest, Mary Helen Conroy, author of Your Amazing Itty Bitty Book of Retirement: 15 Essential Tips For You, The Nearly and Newly Retired, shares tips beyond health and money to live a wonderful, meaningful and happy retirement.
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Dick’s guest offers numerous ideas on how to improve relationships and how to transform yourself in the process.
Susan Young is a motivational speaker, lecturer and author of “Release the Power of Re3: 77 Ways to Create Positive Change & Transformation.”
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Is binge drinking just a college phenomenon? How prevalent is it? Is it just innocent fun? When does it cross the line from fun to danger?
Dick’s guest, Gabrielle Koren, LCSW, SAC shares surprising information on what binge drinking really is and how pervasive it is in our culture.
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In explaining how he helps couples, Dick Goldberg, LCSW and host of Insights, shares some of his methods in couples counseling that can help get past anger and move to “companionate” love.
Guest host Amber Ault is a Ph.D., MSW, clinical sociologist, teacher, trainer, author of The Five Step Exit and previous guest of Insights.
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Boundary and ethical dilemmas frequently arise during therapy. Is friendship or sex ever permissible when therapy ends? What should therapists do if they or their clients develop strong attractions during therapy? What if you have common friends, serve on the same committees or your clients want to barter for services?
Dick’s guest, Dr. Frances Patterson, has over 25 years of treating clients and also 20 years conducting seminars that explore ethical dilemmas in the therapeutic relationship.
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Stalking is a serious problem that can lead to violence and even murder. Why do stalkers stalk? What do the victims need to know about stalking that could save their lives?
Dick’s guest is Wisconsin Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Robert Kaiser.
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What constitutes emotional abuse? What are the most common patterns of subtle emotional abuse? What is the healthy response for a victim of emotional abuse?
Dick’s guest is Amber Ault, Ph.D., MSW, a sociologist, teacher, trainer, author and psychotherapist. Her areas of clinical expertise include personality disorders, the treatment of trauma, crisis intervention, and suicide risk assessment.
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What are the most common frauds and scams? How do you protect yourself? What do you do if you are a victim of consumer fraud?
Dick’s guests are Frank Frassetto, Administrator and Michelle Reinen, Director of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
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Two successful people share their lessons from having been successful to hitting rock bottom both personally and professionally and then coming back to flourish.
Dick’s guests, Neil Mathweg, CEO of Realty Executives and Nancy Depcik of Unshakable Success, share their hard-earned insights on overcoming adversity.
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Can you do anything to prevent dementia? Are there effective treatments once you are afflicted?
Dick’s guest is Dr. Ken Robbins, head of Psychiatric Gerontology at Stoughton Hospital as well as Adjunct Professor of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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It happens more often than expected. Why does it happen? How often is it actually physical vs. emotional abuse?
Dick’s guest is Amber Ault, Ph.D., MSW, a sociologist, teacher, trainer, author and psychotherapist. Her areas of clinical expertise include personality disorders, the treatment of trauma, crisis intervention, and suicide risk assessment.
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Does Trump’s behavior fit the pattern of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)? When does the self-centered, self-absorbed person qualify as a clinically defined narcissistic personality? Can a narcissist be “cured”? How do you live with one? Can psychotherapy actually change a narcissist into a caring and compassionate person?
Dick’s guests, Dr. Jim McGloin and Lesa Fischer, have 50 years combined experience in working with personality disordered patients, including those with narcissistic personality disorder. 
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In some states, people who commit non-criminal parole violations return to prison in the same numbers as new criminal offenders. Why does this happen? Is it just? What changes are needed?
Dick’s guest is Cecelia Klingele, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her numerous articles and areas of research focus on criminal justice administration and community supervision of those on conditional release, such as probation, parole or extended release.
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What is life like for the over 11,000,000 undocumented immigrants living in the United States who face deportation? How do they cope?
Dick’s guests are Laura Minero, a Ph.D. candidate who came to this country at the age of five and is undocumented but has Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status and Dr. Karen Menendez Coller, Executive Director of Centro Hispano in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Two funeral directors share how their work can be healing for their clientele, how this work can affect even the most seasoned funeral directors and from their perspective, what everyone would benefit knowing about funerals before their time comes.
Dick’s guests are Connie and Roman Ryan of Ryan & Joyce-Ryan Funeral Homes.
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Is it being eloquent? Is it being warm? Is it being dynamic? Well, being a great teacher is much more method and strategy than simply personality.
Dick’s guest, Samantha Bennett, is a former middle school teacher who travels the United States helping teachers teach more effectively and is the author of “That Workshop Book: New Systems and Structures for Classrooms That Read, Write, and Think.”
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Do New Year resolutions work? Are they worth the bother? Is there a better way to get your life on track?
Dick’s guest, Patricia Clason, has been leading workshops for corporate clients and the State of Wisconsin for 30 years on how to get your life organized and actualized. She has written and conducted workshops on life management, time management and finding your life purpose.
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How does the federal government assist the poor? Is the level of support declining? How does our economic compassion for the poor compare to other industrialized countries? What are the specific poverty programs? Who gets the benefits? What change in poverty programs policies could have a huge positive impact on poor families with children and cost nothing?
Dick’s guest is Dr. Tim Smeeding, one of the nation’s leading experts on poverty. He is the Lee Rainwater Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics . He was director of the Institute for Research on Poverty from 2008–2014.
He was the founding director of the Luxembourg Income Study from 1983-2006. Professor Smeeding’s recent work has been on social and economic mobility across generations, inequality of income, consumption and wealth, and poverty in national and cross-national contexts.
His books include: SNAP Matters: How Food Stamps Affect Health and Well Being (Stanford University Press, 2015); Monitoring Social Mobility in the 21st Century (Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2015); From Parents to Children: The Intergenerational Transmission of Advantage(Russell Sage Foundation, 2012); Persistence, Privilege and Parenting: The Comparative Study of Intergenerational Mobility (Russell Sage Foundation, 2011); The Handbook of Economic Inequality (Oxford University Press, 2009); Poor Kids in a Rich Country: America’s Children in Comparative Perspective(Russell Sage Foundation, 2003); and The American Welfare State: Laggard or Leader?, (Oxford University Press, 2010). Dr. Smeeding earned a B.A. at Canisius College, an M.A. at the University of Connecticut, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in economics at the University of Wisconsin.
His recent work also has been on inequality, wealth, and poverty amongst elders, children and young unmarried families, including the children of immigrants in a cross-national context.
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Resilience is adapting to hardships, adversity and tough turns in life. All of us will be faced with these events in our lives. Some are small, some are very significant. Our mental health, our usefulness and the quality of our lives is greatly enhanced by becoming skilled at resilience and recovery.
Dick’s guest is Patricia Clason. A professional speaker since 1975, Patricia has created over 50 workshops, speeches, and
keynote presentations highlighting the skills of Emotional Intelligence. Patricia brings energy, enthusiasm and expertise to her speaking engagements and training sessions – so they’re fun and highly informative. A host for both radio and television interview shows for ten years, plus her extensive background in business and education, Patricia makes strong connections with participants from private, public and non-profit sector organizations, as well as associations. Emotional Intelligence is at the core of all of her work, helping people develop their self awareness and social awareness skills to build collaborative relationships personally and professionally.
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Being fat in America is not easy. It is one of the few remaining categories of people who can be openly mocked and ridiculed, and there is an assumption that people who are overweight are at best unhealthy and at worst, gluttonous people who refuse to take care of themselves while burdening society.
In this podcast,Pastor Julie Brock, interim Unitarian minister in Brighton, Michigan shares her knowledge and life experience as a “fat” person living in America.
Pastor Brock begins the discussion by describing the what it means to be “fat”:
“George Carlin…talks about using the word fat and how it’s just a description of people…’heavy is a euphemism. Aircraft carriers are heavy but they are not fat.’ Fat is a description of a body type and unless you put a negative judgement on it it’s not a negative thing. It’s like saying ‘you wear glasses’ ‘you are male’. It’s just a fact about a person…I love describing myself as fat because that’s how my body looks.”
Pastor Brock continues to tackle some of the most common questions about being fat in America:
What are the day to day experiences as walking through life as a fat person?
What do you say to people who think you have no self control?
How does the fat person in America feel self worth in a society that judges them so harshly?
Can a fat person be healthy?
During the discussion, Pastor Brock addresses how we can view fat Americans differently and how fat Americans can better manage the harsh judgement they receive.
Pastor Julie Brock, interim Unitarian minister in Brighton, Michigan shares her knowledge and life experience.
To view Pastor Brock’s sermon on being fat, click here.
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Dick reviews current findings on losing weight from Harvard, the Mayo Clinic and elsewhere and combined with his clinical knowledge, experience and common sense, offers a plan that is workable for almost everyone to get to and stay at their desired weight.
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Forgiveness is really for the benefit of the person injured. So many people suffer for many years from their anger at those who hurt them.
Dick’s guest, UW professor Dr. Robert Enright is the author of seven books on forgiveness and the founder and director of the International Forgiveness Institute, Inc.
Dr. Robert Enright
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Why do some men resort to physical violence with their partner? Why do women pick these guys and why do they stay with them? What stops this domestic violence and can men be “cured”?
Dick’s guest, Dr. Darald Hanusa is a Board Certified Diplomate (BCD) in Clinical Social Work and is licensed in the State of Wisconsin as a Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). He currently holds the following credentials: Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (CADC),Certified Batterer Treatment Provider (WBTPA), Certified Group Psychotherapist. He has a certificate in Personnel Psychology. Dr. Hanusa is a Senior Preceptor and Lecturer at the School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of the Wisconsin Batterers Treatment Providers Association and the Dane County Domestic Violence task force, both of which he is a founding member and past chair.
Clinically, Dr. Hanusa has specialized in the area of domestic violence with both perpetrators and the survivors of violence since 1980. Since 1989 he has offered assessment and treatment services for abusive men through the “ATAM” Program (Alternatives and Treatment for Abusive Men) and counseling for survivors through the Midwest Domestic Violence Resource Center at the Midwest Center for Human Services.
Additionally, utilizing approaches that focus on cognitive-behavioral, motivational and interpersonal therapies, Dr. Hanusa provides general mental health services for individuals, couples, families, and groups focusing on marital relationship issues, assertiveness/communication skills, stress and anxiety, anger management, child and adolescent behavioral problems, parenting skills, mood disorders, self-esteem and substance abuse.
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