America has had a suicide hotline for as long as I can remember. And while this was a great option for those experiencing thoughts of suicide, it had, in my opinion two large limitations. First, it was a 1-800 number so it was difficult to memorize. And, second, not all mental health crises are centered […]

It has always been a challenge to explain mental health diagnoses to people, as the diagnoses does not do a great job in summarizing the individual experiences of those who have the conditions. Terms like Major Depressive Disorder or Panic Disorder give some kind of a picture of what a person is dealing with, but […]

You have probably seen an infographic on Instagram with some positive self-affirmations. You may think they are cheesy or baseless or maybe they seem awkward or uncomfortable to do, maybe it’s hard to think about positive things for yourself, but there is power in self-affirmations. “Self-affirmation theory” states that people can cope with threats to […]

Political topics have always had some connection with mental health, whether regarding the general welfare of those in the country, the stress some political issues can cause, or simply in how we form relationships with others who may have different beliefs than we do. Unfortunately, the current political climate has enhanced how impactful these topics […]

I am a recovering pessimist. Sometime in middle school I realized I was a pessimist. I think it happened after hearing from more than a few friends and family members that I had a very negative outlook on life. But, to be fair, I had my reasons.

When is the last time you heard the word, “joy”? It is not a commonly used word. I hear people say, “Why am I not happy?” or, “I don’t know what to do to feel happy,” but rarely do I hear someone use the word “joy.”

I don’t like lazy. Lazy is a lazy word. It encompasses too much on it’s own. It’s too broad of a word, too much of a blanket term. Lazy implies righteousness in productivity. It implies one is less than for doing less and more than for doing more. It implies worthiness is tied to our […]

I have always said that if you understand the history, there is no “crazy behavior.” I have been providing mental health treatment as a counselor since 2006 and still hold firmly to this belief. Having said this, I believe there are many good and pure reasons that people get pulled into codependency. Some people are […]

The term “co-dependency” is synonymous with the term “enabler.” Codependency in the mental health field was coined from the mental health niche of substance abuse treatment. Friends, family members and loved ones of those who abused substances and stood by their side in unhealthy ways were labeled, “codependent.” Such codependent persons covered for a loved […]

Within the LGBTQ+ community there is a lot of words unique to the community used to describe someone’s experience of attraction, gender, presentation, or a variety of other things. You may feel awkward about speaking about LGBTQ+ issues or even talking to people in your life that are in the community because you don’t know […]