As I drive out of my neighborhood, I see firetrucks, police and EMTs scramble to extinguish a house fire, rescue the residents and their pets. As the neighbors and I watch in shock, I’m wondering what happened to cause this house fire? Later, I find out the woman living in [...]
The pressures of fitting in, being accepted, or excelling in grades/sports are typical middle and high school stressors we survived. If we know these typical stressors can compromise our ability to learn or make sound decisions, suffering from a mental health issue on top of “the norm” can derail even [...]
Who stole my child and replaced them with an alien? Anxious, rebellious, irritable, moody, distant...Some of this behavior from your child during adolescence (roughly ages 12 - 25) is COMPLETELY normal. So how do you know the difference between normal adolescent development and when your middle- or high-school age child [...]
“Boys will be boys.” How many times have we heard this age-old adage to explain a young male’s rambunctious behavior? As a mother of many boys, I myself used this logic from time to time to explain behaviors that may not have been perfect (we’re all imperfect, and that’s ok). [...]
After decades of working in addiction and mental health, I can say one thing with absolute confidence: everyone at some point experiences some kind of mental or emotional “dis-ease”. Those raised by the most loving parents still question their worth sometimes. The most optimistic people I know still feel despair [...]
Everyone at some point in life will face a mental or behavioral health issue, whether through personal experience or through knowing someone who is struggling. So why does mental and behavioral health continue to be a topic no one wants to discuss? Shame and stigma only compound the issue. What [...]