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Recently, mental health disorders have been affecting adults, children and adolescents at an increasingly alarming rate, especially during the current coronavirus pandemic. Although social distancing and other safety rules are necessary to reduce the spread of the virus, they can make people feel isolated and lonely, and can increase stress and anxiety.

Meet our guest panel:

SHANNON SANGUINETTI

Shannon Sanguinetti is a behavioral neuroscientific researcher with a specific focus on emotional learning and memory. She is also a former Division 1 ACC scholarship soccer player, championship coach and Anatomy & Physiology dissection teacher. Her endeavors have been purposefully structured around understanding mental health to its fullest extent, as Shannon witnessed her mother struggle with suicidal depression when she was a teenager.

Born in Florida to Jamaican parents, she has founded two separate entities, The Outsmart (www.theoutsmart.com) and Zenka (www.getzenka.com) that both focus on mental health education. The Outsmart teaches community members about cognition, emotion, behavior formation and mental health development, as well as how to identify, discuss and get help for those who show signs of decline. Her other business, Zenka, focuses on teaching individuals how to understand, then change the way they think to sustainably achieve and maintain happiness.

JULIE GAHM Ph.D.

Julie Gahm obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2008, and went on to work as a clinical pharmacist at a top-10 hospital for almost a decade. She became a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy specialist in 2007 and has worked in various inpatient settings throughout the country.

For most of her adult life she has struggled with mental health disorders that have required multiple hospitalizations, inpatient treatment, intensive outpatient, therapy, and at times medication. Her personal difficulties and first-hand experience with the intense stigma and discrimination that often surrounds healthcare professionals with mental health disorders have made her a passionate advocate for breaking down the barriers for healthcare workers to get treatment without consequence or shame.

In 2020, she started her own business; Bliss Health and Beauty, with other female business owners, to provide natural health and wellness products along with handmade jewelry. She hopes this may one day serve to raise funds to donate to mental health awareness. Most important to her, is her amazing husband and children. She currently resides in New Hampshire with her three children, husband, dog, cat, and over 100 fish!

Latanya Buckham

Latanya Buckham, MA, MHC-LP, heeded the call to become a member of the mental health and wellness community, an urge she has felt since the age of 16. To fulfill this calling, she attended CUNY John Jay College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree focusing on Forensic Psychology, History, and Corrections. Subsequently, she spent most of her time serving children and families in two capacities: as a teacher’s assistant and as a child welfare professional.

In 2018, she was accepted to the Mental Health Counseling Master’s Program at New York University. In June 2020, at the height of Covid-19, she was approved for graduation and participated in her first ever virtual graduation.

As a therapist, Latanya continues to maintain a social justice lens. As such she takes an inclusive, culturally affirming, and holistic stance to treatment. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, playing volleyball, and creating new recipes to keep her skin and hair healthy.