Author Archive: April 2021

After what feels like an eternity of stay-at-home orders and roped off public spaces, a somewhat “normal” summer is a welcome treat. Longer and warmer days, a more flexible work schedule (or even summer break) and an abundance of social...

It’s no secret that there is an unprecedented mental health crisis in the U.S. However, there is something we can do it about it. We know from the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) curriculum that the sooner a person experiencing...

*If your child does or says anything that indicates they have a desire to hurt themselves or others, take them seriously. If you feel your child is in danger, call 911, a local mental health crisis hotline or one of...

Tobacco use has often been portrayed as harmless, something the “cool” kids do, especially in popular TV shows aimed at teens, like “Skins” and “Euphoria.” But in reality, commercial* tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease, disability...

Throughout my Army career, I carried a piece of paper folded in the breast pocket of my uniform with a list of the names of the 35 soldiers killed in my brigade during my first deployment to Iraq. I carried...

Deputy sheriff. Army veteran. Crisis intervention specialist. Hostage negotiator. These titles paint a picture of the multitude of trainings I’ve taken and certifications I’ve earned throughout my career, but I am first and foremost a Mental Health First Aider.  I...

This month, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing scheduled a mental health day to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month. It was a modest but important measure to help our hard-working staff, and the benefits were significant.  Like all employers,...

May 8-14 is National Prevention Week, an annual observance sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) dedicated to increasing public awareness and action around substance use prevention and promoting positive mental wellbeing. In the past year,...

Our youth need our help. A new CDC survey shows significant increases in high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, considering suicide or attempting suicide over the past decade – trends that have been exacerbated by the...

As a grits-powered mental health programming developer, facilitator and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Instructor, food is more than a source of sustenance for me. It’s an ice-breaker and a way to get friends, attendees and strangers to talk about...

For millennia, people living with mental health and substance use challenges were imprisoned, tortured and subjected to inhumane treatment. Our society has come a long way since then, however the stigmatization of these challenges is still a significant problem. Even...

Many of us may be familiar with the phrase, “Hindsight is 20/20.” I know I am. I routinely wish I had known many of the things I know now when I was younger, especially regarding my mother’s life-long challenge with...