Mental Health Champions: Why & How Dr Alison Cook Is Helping To Champion Mental Wellness
An Interview With Michelle Tennant Nicholson
Prayer — No matter what I’m thinking or feeling, I remind myself to bring God into that conversation in my mind. Research shows that when you connect with a loving higher power, we are more able to access compassion. It helps to remove shame.
As a part of our series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Alison Cook.
Dr. Alison Cook is a therapist and host of the top-ranked The Best of You podcast. Originally from Wyoming, Dr. Alison studied at Dartmouth College (BA), Denver Seminary (MA), and the University of Denver (PhD), where she specialized in integrating psychology and theology. Dr. Alison’s doctoral dissertation centered on the relationship between religion and prejudice. She is certified in Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) and is the author of the ECPA bestselling book The Best of You and coauthor of Boundaries for Your Soul, with nearly 100,000 copies sold– based on the popular IFS therapy model. Widely recognized as an expert at the intersection of faith and psychology, Dr. Alison empowers individuals to heal from past wounds, develop a strong sense of self, and forge healthy relationships. Connect with Dr. Alison at www.dralisoncook.com. Her new book, I Shouldn’t Feel This Way: Name What’s Hard, Tame Your Guilt, and Transform Self-Sabotage into Brave Action is available nationwide May 7, 2024.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in a small town in Wyoming with a close-knit family. We didn’t talk about emotions or mental health much. We relied on faith and spiritual practices as our primary anchors for life’s challenges. This wasn’t all bad, but as I became an adult I began to realize that not all emotional or mental health issues can be solved with spiritual solutions.
You are currently leading an initiative that is helping to promote mental wellness. Can you tell us a bit more specifically about what you are trying to address?
I bring together faith-based resources with science backed tools. I believe the two go hand-in-hand.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I experienced anxiety during my doctoral work and my faith (praying more, etc.) didn’t make it better. I needed to learn how to regulate my emotions (even the hard ones!), calm my nervous system, and take care of my body. I needed to understand how past wounds impacted my mental health. I realized that there were so many people like me who were bypassing their mental and emotional health. They didn’t want to lose their faith in God! But they also needed tools from psychology.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I was teaching about the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of therapy at retreats and saw how powerful it was. I realized that I needed to write a book integrating IFS with Christian faith and practice! I told my colleague and co-author, and we immediately took action to do it.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Our agent Wes Yoder took a chance on our book, even though we didn’t have a large platform. He believed in our idea and took us on as his clients. He helped us procure a book deal with a top publishing company. Our book has sold nearly 100,000 copies and helped so many people who want to combine their faith with psychology to heal.
According to Mental Health America’s report, over 44 million Americans have a mental health condition. Yet there’s still a stigma about mental illness. Can you share a few reasons you think this is so?
For centuries, we’ve sidelined emotions. We haven’t fully understood the reality of systemic, relational and developmental trauma. It’s only in the last few decades that clinicians have begun to understand our mental health is intimately tied with our stories, our traumas, and the larger picture of our lives. As we gain more understanding of the holistic nature of mental health, the stigma starts to go away. But we’ve got centuries of flawed ideas to overcome!
In your experience, what should a) individuals b) society, and c) the government do to better support people suffering from mental illness?
We need to do a better job educating parents, teachers, medical doctors, and clergy about mental health, including the things we can do preventatively.
What are your 5 strategies you use to promote your own well-being and mental wellness? Can you please give a story or example for each?
These strategies are from my new book I Shouldn’t Feel This Way:
- Journal-Naming — each morning I name the truth about what I’m feeling as part of my spiritual practice or prayer.
- Movement — each afternoon, I take a walk to move my body. During this time I reflect on what I’m thinking and feeling without shame. I simply get curious.
- Reframing thoughts — When I notice toxic thinking (You shouldn’t feel that way!) I consciously redirect my thinking to a truer, more helpful statement (I wish I didn’t feel this way, but I do. I wonder what that feeling’s about?)
- Prayer — No matter what I’m thinking or feeling, I remind myself to bring God into that conversation in my mind. Research shows that when you connect with a loving higher power, we are more able to access compassion. It helps to remove shame.
- Boundaries — I am very intentional with thinking through the boundaries I need in my life to stay healthy. Sometimes that means I disappoint other people. But the more you practice boundaries, the more you see how powerful they are to improving mental health!
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a mental health champion?
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der kolk
The Myth of Normal, by Gabor Mate
Boundaries For Your Soul, by Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller
3 podcasts that combine faith with psychology:
The Healing Trauma podcast
Being Known podcast
The Best of You podcast
If you could tell other people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
As you heal yourself, you will bring healing to others and to the world around you!
How can our readers follow you online?
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Inspired by the father of PR, Edward Bernays (who was also Sigmund Freud’s nephew), Michelle Tennant Nicholson researches marketing, mental injury, and what it takes for optimal human development. An award-winning writer and publicist, she’s seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Michelle co-founded WasabiPublicity.com.
