Author Archive: February 2019

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...

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...