Welcome to the introductory episode #1 of the new Mentalbility: Mental Health and Wellness podcast by me, opnmnd (the Podbean subdomain for my therapy practice - Open Mind Therapy. Although, you'll have to look for that at https://paulavard.co.uk where you will find lots of information about training; my blog, which started well, however, I then became unwell and that tailed off, however, it will pick up now that I'm feeling more and more like a human being. I am a practising hypnotherapist and counsellor (registered here, in the UK), a counsellor (I use the solution-focus approach as my main model of intervention) and I'm also a supervisor, trainer and mentor for other counsellors wishing to add solution focus to their repertoire of skills. Mentalbility will be a place to ask questions, and to LEARN about  mental health and general mental wellness; and, importantly an opportunity to get under the rubbish that is often spoken about mental distress. You will learn about the origins of distress and about how to try to ensure you don't succumb, and about how, and more importantly, from whom you can get help. I'm intending to have a regular guest to be interviewed every second Episode, with an opportunity for subscribers to ask questions either of me, or of guests who will be flagged up, with their main area of interest / expertise in time for people to get questions to me, via emails, twitter, text or using the comments section on the podcast page. I want this to be a dialogue rather than a monologue, I know I was " born with the gift of a golden voice..." (c) Leonard Cohen, however I much prefer a dialogue Please subscribe to the podcast by clicking follow on this page, or on Itunes (when the podcast appears there), and I look forward to hearing from you. The first, full episode, will happen by the end of next week (around the 15th of February), there will be plenty of warning on social media.   Thanks for listening   Paul