September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. The International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) asks us to: Light a candle near a window at 8PM To show your support for suicide prevention To remember a lost loved one And for the survivors of suicide. There are no “survivors” of suicide. There are unanswered … Read More
I think it is fair to assume that this reading audience has had an experience of loss in their lives. A family member, friend, mentor, community member, or a pet. There is a predictable, though painful journey in the grief process when there is something tangible to grieve. There are rituals that surround the death, … Read More
September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. The International Association of Suicide Prevention (IASP) asks us to: Light a candle near a window at 8PM To show your support for suicide prevention To remember a lost loved one And for the survivors of suicide. There are no “survivors” of suicide. There are unanswered … Read More
Last year, an article in the Star Tribune on January 19th caught my eye. As someone who has long kept personal diaries, I often wondered if the negative beliefs I had written about myself over those agonizing junior and high school years could have been rewritten to more satisfying conclusions about myself. Those diaries were … Read More
Too often, we think of health–whether mental, physical or emotional–as a static state. Once we lose weight, attain sobriety, return from the throes of depression, anxiety, addiction or some other illness to a manageable state, we believe we won’t have to worry anymore or continue to manage our health. We believe our problem will remain … Read More
We can look in the mirror and see a radiant glow in our skin, shiny hair, firm muscle tone and a smile on our faces that reflect a healthy body. We can measure our blood pressure, lipid, thyroid and blood sugar levels (among many things) to confirm good physical health. But how do we truly … Read More
Every other Saturday at the Calli Institute in Maple Grove, Otis greets patients at the door and offers support and attentive listening during therapy sessions. As the official Calli Institute therapy dog, Otis has worked side-by-side with his owner and boss, therapist Cathy Malmon, LICSW, LMFT since the mental health clinic opened its doors in … Read More
How is that another school trauma becomes a surreal part of our awareness? A school in Pittsburgh, of which I am familiar when I lived there was the scene of another senseless crime scene today. More adolescent teens will have to bear the brunt of witnessing their classmates get hurt, more crisis counselors will be … Read More
Yesterday morning I sat in my office and looked into the eyes of a man who had lost his son to suicide. That was not the way my morning was supposed to have gone but then again, that is not the way this man’s week was to have gone. The start of his summer was … Read More