Understanding Mental Health Airing on KISU-FM 

Understanding Mental Health, hosted by psychologists Dr. Cameron Staley and Dr. Jennifer Miesch, answers your questions about mental health and counseling. As stigma around mental health and help seeking declines, there is an ever increasing need for accurate information to inform conversations and practices around mental health care. Understanding Mental Health seeks to fill the gap between mental health awareness and expert understanding for the Bengal community. Sponsored by the ISU Counseling and Testing Service, Understanding Mental Health airs the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. on KISU-FM. 

Do you have a question about mental health or what to expect in counseling? Use this link to submit questions for the hosts to answer on an upcoming episode! To learn more about counseling services for currently enrolled ISU students or general mental health resources, visit the ISU’s Counseling and Testing Service website.

Host bios

Cameron Staley is a clinical psychologist who is passionate about mental health, counseling, and training mental health professionals. He graduated from ISU with his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2013 and enjoys working with students at ISU’s Counseling and Testing Service. He has worked at several university counseling centers in the Intermountain West over the last 10 years. Cameron utilizes principles from mindfulness based approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) along with a focus on the therapeutic relationship and multicultural sensitivity to help students accomplish their goals. Cameron has presented his research on sexuality at the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR) and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) along with peer-reviewed publications in the journals of Socioaffective Neuroscience and Psychology, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Biological Psychology, Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, and Archives of Sexual Behavior. In his TEDx talk, Changing the Narrative Around the Addiction Story, Cameron shares details from his research and counseling experience regarding helpful ways to talk about sexuality and how to effectively reduce unwanted sexual behaviors through mindfulness-based approaches.

Dr. Jennifer Miesch is a licensed psychologist and Assistant Director/Clinical Coordinator of the Idaho State University Counseling & Testing Service. She has been at ISU since 2011 and loves working with ISU students and the campus community. Jennifer has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from University of Oregon, M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark College, and B.A. in Biology from Berea College. She is a certified teacher for the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program and has been studying and practicing mindfulness for more than 12 years. Jennifer primarily utilizes interpersonal process, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and evidence-based mindfulness and self-compassion practices in her clinical work. She prioritizes multicultural issues and advocacy and works to de-stigmatize mental health services and promote accurate education about mental health and therapy. She also enjoys supervising trainees and teaching mindfulness classes. When she is not practicing psychology, Jennifer enjoys hiking, camping, and gardening.