Articles
These articles are written to be a resource for families, as well as other professionals in behavior health.
You will find a wide range of topics. Use the navigation menu below to quickly browse by category.
What Fear Can Teach Us?
Flying back from Munich to San Diego, I came across a German Proverb, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” As I contemplated this statement, I realized we all have fears, some of which can be quite imaginative and vocal, which may color the stories we tell...
When Life Gets Tough do you “RECOMBOBULATE”?
According to Ann Curzan, a dean at the University of Michigan, learning how to “Recombobulate” is the secret to tacking any challenge. Dean Curzan reflected in a much overdue (2 year Covid delayed) commencement address that over the past few years we were all...
Can Humor Be an Intervention Strategy?
While traveling home from the American Pharmaceutics meeting, I stopped to think about how I made folks laugh during my presentation.Humor served to break the ice and make folks more relaxed, so the ongoing discussions were full and the participants felt safe and...
Downstate Anyone?
I have often been characterized as a work alcoholic. I thrive on helping people in crisis. Why am I so good at this? Well, I suppose that growing up in a family beset with alcohol, other drugs, and mental health issues prepared me. I was walking on eggshells, always...
How do you Deal with Difficult Relationships (Thanks to Adam Brady)
Life is always a series of connections of relationships. Naturally, we want relationships of meaning, of happiness, and of growth. Not all relationships are like that. Most of the time, my team and I deal with folks who have difficult relationships with loved ones....
Death
Nothing prepared me for April 20, 1996. It was the day after Easter a supposed time of resurrection and goodness. Instead, my husband was DOA after sliding backwards into the center divide in his brand new (with not a scratch on it) Infiniti. Two days before after...
Biden Overdose Strategy
The current U.S. President, Joe Biden, will unveil a new strategy for dealing with drug addiction and overdoses that aims to expand access to medications for opioid overdoses, increase funding for law enforcement, and expand sanctions against traffickers. The Biden...
Different Types of Grief & How To Deal With Them
What is Grief Grief is the natural reaction to losing something Speaking Grief offers a wonderful website and resource which you can find here. Types of Grief Anticipatory Grief Expecting loss or change can lead to anticipatory grief. With it, "we end up essentially...
Leadership
This edition of my blog is devoted to leadership. Leadership especially servant leadership is needed in our world in general and in behavioral health care. Each day we face life and death situations. As professionals, we must walk with integrity as we work to help...