Blog: 2022
Let it RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate and Nurture
The holidays are upon us. Time to surf the waves of grief. For some folks, they knew the waves were coming, as the losses have been recent. For others, there was no warning, thinking that the past stays in the past. Grief in unpredictable in that way. Seemingly unrelated moments can trigger a temporary surge of grief. As we continue to adjust to the new normal the pandemic has brought in to our lives, we are realizing how our lives have been forever changed.
This may be the first holiday season that feels “back to normal” even though so much has changed over the last several years. Maybe we...
Mental Health Matters: The LGBTQIA+ Community
As we transition into a post pandemic world, we find ourselves frequently discussing the importance of mental health. The time to prioritize mental health is now. However, every individual and community faces unique challenges to their mental health, particularly the LGBTQIA+ community.
A report from The Trevor Project showed that 73% of LGBTQIA+ youth report experiencing symptoms of anxiety, 58% report symptoms of depression, and 45% report having seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. According to the US Transgender Survey, 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide...
Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis? 988 Lifeline is Available to You and Your Loved Ones
The need for an emergency response can often come when we least expect it. When you fall down and can’t get up, you can call 911 for help. When you think someone is breaking into your home, you can call 911 for help. If you have or know someone who has been in a situation like this, you know how important it is to have a life saving service come to your assistance with just the push of three buttons on your phone. But what about mental health crisis’ that arise when we either least expect it?
Every year millions of mental health crisis calls are made to 911. While there is a response...
The Power of Resiliency
“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
–Maya Angelou
I love this quote by Maya Angelo. It sheds awareness to the fact that while everyone faces challenges, experiences trauma and goes through difficult situations it does not need to define who you are.
When I think of the people receiving services at Center For Family Services, the one skill that I hope they strengthen is their resilience. I want the children and adolescents as well as the adults we work with to be resilient. I want them to be able to cope with all that life might bring. I want...
Coping with Stress
Ever felt stressed out? Did you ever think to yourself,” Oh wow what a week or day!” Everyone faces stress from time to time and being an adult by no means exempts us from feeling a mixture of emotions on a regular basis. When we experience some ups and downs all sorts of emotions may come out and dealing with these big emotions can increase our stress levels to an overwhelming feeling.
Long-term stress can build up and cause adverse impacts on our mental health. In the suicide prevention field most of the time professionals focus on everyone else being safe and being in a good mental state...
Checking In On Your Mental Health: Tips and Resources
There is so much going on in the world. Our newsfeeds are overloaded with updates of a lingering pandemic, shortages, the latest political drama, and horrific events taking place around the corner and across the globe. At times, it seems as if we are just getting used to the chaos.
But, that doesn’t mean we aren’t impacted in some way. Maybe you have noticed that you aren’t sleeping well, maybe you find that you are easily irritated, or you feel more down than usual. Maybe you are avoiding your friends and family. Or, maybe, like so many, you just feel overwhelmed.
May is Mental Health...
Suicide Risk During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Often times we associate depression symptoms as a risk factor for suicide. This is certainly an unfortunate truth but did you know that suicidal ideation is also relatively common among pregnant and postpartum women? When a common person hears of a woman being pregnant you typically associate that as a time of their life in which they are filled with joy and anticipation of meeting their new baby but for some women it can actually be one of the riskiest, and scariest times of their lives as suicide has emerged as one of the leading causes of death among new moms.
While it is important to...
Grief In Spring
Spring is often a time of rebirth or renewal. Nature begins its dance towards warmer weather here in the Northeast. People take stock of their homes and often engaging in some kind of “spring cleaning”: dusting off the radiators, cleaning out a pantry, reorganizing a closet. Sometimes folks take a look at their fix-it list and tackle minor repairs that have been lingering for a while. Occasionally those repairs require breaking or taking apart the object in need of repair to assess the root of the problem.
There’s often a sense of hope or unburdening in these activities. Hope that the change...
Signs Your Child May be Depressed and Ways to Help
While all children and youth go through different moods and emotional responses to daily challenges, coping skills like exercise, deep breathing, talking with friends and family, and listening to music usually help us feel better. However, when it becomes harder to manage our feelings; when we have difficulty going to work or school; when we do not want to see our friends and feel hopeless, these are all signs and symptoms of depression and may require an appointment with your doctor.
Depression can be experienced by anyone at any time. According to the World Health Organization (WHO),...
What it Means to be a Social Worker
Social work has been part of my life for over forty years now. Part of what led me to the path of social work was the social unrest of the 1960’s. I found myself wanting to help advance social justice and better the lives of marginalized groups of people. My religious beliefs and family upbringing also motivated me to get involved in the field of psychology and mental health. When it comes down to it, I, like many others, was inspired to become a social worker because I wanted to make a difference, and have meaning in my life.
The profession of social work is over 100 years old and has...
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