This is Part 2 of the conversation we began with last month's Episode 169, Navigating Systemic Shifts: Policy Changes That Impact Mental Health Care. We want to know, from those doing the work, what feels different about doing mental health policy in 2025. For this episode, we bring back our guests Mandi Zapata of Texas Civil Rights Project, Noah Jones of Texas Counseling Association, and Maia Volk of Disability Rights Texas. This time we’re focusing more on the personal stakes of doing policy work in a challenging environment.

In a bonus segment, we revisit a conversation from 2023, about Girls Empowerment Network and what their experience has to teach us about the future of public policy.

Episode 169 - Navigating Systemic Shifts: Policy Changes That Impact Mental Health Care

Related links:

• https://hogg.utexas.edu/texas-mental-health-guide
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-purpose-of-policy-work-in-a-divisive-time
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-future-of-recovery
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/2-million-awarded-to-train-mental-health-policy-fellows-in-texas
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/mental-health-goes-back-to-school
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-statement-on-migrant-mental-health

We are coming to you from Austin, Texas, site of the Texas Legislature an epicenter of the changes that are impacting people, as well as concerted efforts to address those changes. We thought it would be fitting to kick off this new season of Into the Fold with a look into the bustling world of public policy – and how policy changes impact mental health.

For this conversation we are joined by Mandi Zapata of Texas Civil Rights Project, Noah Jones of Texas Counseling Association, and Maia Volk of Disability Rights Texas. They are all Hogg Policy Fellows, employed by organizations that have received Policy Fellows grants from the Hogg. They came to our studio for a conversation on how their mental health experiences both shape, and are shaped by, their work in the policy arena.

Related Links:

• https://hogg.utexas.edu/texas-mental-health-guide
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-purpose-of-policy-work-in-a-divisive-time
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/the-future-of-recovery
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/2-million-awarded-to-train-mental-health-policy-fellows-in-texas
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/mental-health-goes-back-to-school
• https://hogg.utexas.edu/hogg-foundation-statement-on-migrant-mental-health

The holidays can be a time of joy, but for many, they bring unique challenges, such as loneliness, financial stress, or grief. Today, we’re focusing on ways to provide meaningful support to individuals during the holiday season. We are joined today by Jen Cardenas, executive director of Austin Clubhouse, an organization dedicated to building a community that supports adults living with mental health diagnoses. Accompanying her is Kasey Pfaff, an Austin Clubhouse member. They discuss the Clubhouse's unique communal ethos and how it can be a balm during the holiday season.

Related Links:

• Exploring Gratitude

• A Peer Perspective on Health and the Holidays

• Relieving Holiday Stress and Hurricane Trauma