21Jul

Borderline Personality Disorder: What is it?

Borderline Personality disorder is sometimes referred to as complex PTSD. People often refer to borderline personality disorder in shorthand as BPD. BPD impacts self-concept or image, how one feels about themselves and others in their life, patterns of unstable relationships and may find it difficult to manage emotions and behavior. It usually begins in early […]

10Jul

Do As I Do (Parenting)-The Personal Side

A study by the American Journal of Psychiatry followed children of depressed parents over a 20 year period and found children were three times more at risk for mental health and substance abuse disorders than children whose parents were not depressed (integrisok.com). Please do not be overly concerned reading this if you have depression. Having […]

01Jul

Do As I Do (Parenting)-The Practical Side

Talk is cheap. What we say to our children about how they should behave, interact with others and manage stress is much less important than how we address these issues while our children are watching. And trust me, they are always watching. Our actions are far more powerful than our words. How we greet a […]

22Jun

Time Moves Quickly: Mindfulness & Presence

Someone told me this past week why it feels like time goes faster as you get older. When you are in your first year of life there is only 365 days between you and when you came into the world. With every year that passes, it becomes more days behind you than you’ve ever had before. At […]

15Jun

Changes to Mental Life in the “Post-COVID World”

While I am not a part of any historical committee that makes these decisions or labels, I do believe we are in what we can call the “Post-COVID World”. The quotations I put around this label serve 2 purposes: to indicate this is a formally defined term that everyone agrees with, and to give awareness […]

07Jun

Care for the Caregiver—The Personal Side

I have a friend whose mother-in-law—let’s call her Maureen–has taken care of her mother around the clock for several years. Maureen takes turns with one of her siblings to care for their mother in the home. This arrangement has been going on for years. And this is not uncommon.

01Jun

Care for the Caregiver—The Practical Side

Parents of special needs children, adult children caring for their parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren…when I think of caregivers, so many different types of people and roles come to mind.  Caregivers come in so many forms. Those who choose to care for others with special needs are some of the kindest, most giving and most […]

22May

Autonomy: Building a Child or Adolescents Independence and Self-Esteem

Autonomy refers to self-government and being responsible for control of one’s life. As we progress into adulthood autonomy becomes a more relevant fact of our lives because we naturally have more independence, more responsibilities, and subsequently more choices to make. In psychology the self-determination theory explains the three basic psychological needs that people require to […]

15May

Chronic Pain: The Ultimate Motivator for Bad and Good Changes

Physical pain is a universal experience, in as much that everyone who lives will experience at least some level of physical pain semi-frequently. Most of it is very minor and sometimes even ignorable. Random aches, cramps, stings, and spasms happen daily and are so small they don’t even register at the level of mental awareness. […]

07May

May = Mental Health Awareness Month—The Personal Side

Years ago, I heard the story of a man who survived the Nazi concentration camps. I have also read behind Corrie ten Boom—who survived them as well. What has stayed with me in these two accounts of horrific torture, loss, starvation, abuse and witnessing death, is that these individuals maintained some form of positivity and […]