being a teen isn’t easy.
Seen & Heard is a limited series podcast about teen mental health.
One connection - with one supportive adult - can be life-changing.
This podcast is for teens — and the adults who support them
Teens: You are not alone. Listen to your peers share their stories with raw honesty and openness. Their insights might surprise you.
Adults: When teens struggle, one connection with one supportive adult can make an enormous difference. Learn from adults who have been hand-picked by our young guests. They’ve provided meaningful support. You can too.
All Listeners: You’ll come away more confident when talking about mental health and better equipped to connect with each other. And, throughout, you’ll hear from mental health professionals who will help you connect our guests' stories to your own lives.
12 episodes
4 featured guests
3 episodes each
first episode
Our featured guest.
A teen or young adult (Ellie, A.J., Brenna, Lauren) shares their story with raw honesty and openness.
second episode
A supportive adult,
hand-picked by our featured guest, shares their perspective … and … a mental health professional provides deeper insight.
third episode
Your host,
Charlotte Bausha, talks it all over with her friend and mentor, Lucy Pilcher.
episode 1.
Ellie’s summer took a painful turn when she faced a traumatic workplace experience. Back at school for her senior year, a new opportunity helped her find her footing and step toward recovery.
“I needed someone to tell me that it doesn't have to be so big. The trauma doesn't have to be everything. It can just be a little sticky note that you put in the closet.”
- Ellie
episode 2.
“Trauma can drive the need for understanding and making sense of an experience that simply doesn't make sense. And so that's really where self-blame can start, and guilt can really take hold.”
- Christina Moore
Ellie’s creative writing teacher, Stephanie, offers unexpected support without even realizing it. Christina Moore, a psychologist at Dartmouth Health, puts Ellie’s experience in a larger context.
episode 3.
Host Charlotte Bausha talks with her friend and mentor Lucy Pilcher about teen mental health and the importance of supportive connections between teens and adults. They draw further insight from Ellie’s story.
“The most important message you want that child or that teenager to get is, it's okay that you just came to me and said that. It’s OK for you to be you here. I'm not judging. There's no expectations. You can come as you are, and I'm here, and I'm safe.”
- Lucy Pilcher
episode 4.
As A.J. drifts into social isolation, he wrestles with depression and negative thoughts. He finds his way out, through new friendships, new activities focused on helping others, and new understanding of how childhood trauma shaped him.
“If I could time travel to tell myself anything, I’d probably tell myself everything’s gonna be alright. That it’ll all get better one day.”
- A.J.
episode 5.
A.J. draws strength and insight from his connection with William, who runs the restorative justice program at A.J.’s school. Caroline Christie, a social worker in both schools and health systems, offers additional insight.
“I also see teenagers … and there's some data around this, too … that feel like they should be able to manage their own mental health without outside help. And so, some shame around needing help or feeling like they don't have it all under control.”
- Caroline Christie
episode 6.
Charlotte and Lucy discuss connection, validation, and healthy coping mechanisms, with a focus on A.J.’s story.
“If you think of how hard it is to ask for help as an adult, doing it for the first time and as a teenager is always going to be hard. It's taking some bravery, some courage to take that step.”
- Lucy Pilcher
episode 7.
Brenna doesn’t expect anyone to fix her OCD. She wants validation and spaces where she feels safe to be herself.
“You don't always need to take a superhero role and like fix things. Just to be there in any acknowledging capacity can make a really big difference.”
- Brenna
episode 8.
One of Brenna’s teachers, Peter, lets her eat lunch in his classroom and checks in with her regularly. Brenna remembers Peter’s support years later. Sarah Clark, a psychologist at Dartmouth Health, offers additional insight on the needs of teens like Brenna.
“Validation, I think, was one of the most important things, to let her know that, yeah, we all struggle with things, and your struggles are real, and they're hard. They're very, very hard.”
- Peter
episode 9.
With a focus on Brenna’s experience, Charlotte and Lucy contrast how society talks about mental and physical health, and the negative impact that difference can have on how people with mental health diagnoses see themselves.