Category: Family and Friend Support
-
The Trauma for Suicide Loss Survivors
Sometimes life and mental health can become just too much for someone. Losing this person to suicide is a tragedy, and that tragedy creates ripples of pain and trauma for the loved ones they left behind. For these suicide loss survivors, the story doesn’t have to end. You can learn more about suicide, find support,…
-
Unconscious Ways We Ask for Help
By Christa Banister Whether it’s the charge led by professional athletes like Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, or NBA star Kevin Love — or the recent television and social media messages reminding everyone that “mental health is health” — the deliberate effort to destigmatize asking for help when you’re going through a…
-
How Traditions Build Self-Esteem and Belonging
By Anna McKenzie We all have traditions that we take part in year after year. We may be more aware of them at the holidays — they’re often what we look forward to as we celebrate the season — but we actually observe rituals year-round. They can be common, like decorating a Christmas tree, or unique…
-
Being Thankful: The Effect of Gratitude on Our Emotional and Mental Health
By Anna McKenzie It’s natural that Thanksgiving inspires an attitude of thankfulness. But can this attitude actually improve our well-being? What is the longstanding effect of gratitude on our emotional and mental health, and is it significant? Is it worth practicing gratitude throughout the year versus just the holiday season? It’s important to remember that…
-
Accepting the Past as an Asset in Recovery
What if I were to tell you that all aspects of your past would be used as an asset? Would you believe it, or would you instantly regret it and want to change it? I have a love/hate relationship with the word “acceptance.” As a stubborn addict, I am not supposed to agree with everything,…
-
Facing Family Togetherness
By Jessica Smith, BSN, RN As the holiday season approaches, I am reminded of the oft-quoted line in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Holidays have a way of bringing out both the best and worst in people. We enter the season with childlike…
-
Partners of Sex Addicts Struggle with Loneliness and Isolation
By: Dr. Georgia Fourlas, LCSW, LISAC, CSAT, Clinical Director of Rio Retreat Center Workshops Partners of sex addicts often find themselves feeling alone and isolated. First, the feelings of loneliness come when the addicted partner acts out. Although the partner of the sex addict is not always able to identify what is wrong, they often…
-
Sex and Love Addiction: Help for Family Members
By: Jerry Law D.Min, MDAAC, CIP, Program Director of Family Education and Leadership Training for Meadows Behavioral Healthcare Dave and Sue were immediately hit with that sinking feeling in the gut, having received a call that their son was arrested for solicitation of a sex worker. Tammy found a suspicious e-mail that led her to…
-
Codependency: What’s It All About?
By Tian Dayton, Ph.D. The word codependency touched a nerve when it first plowed its way into our everyday vernacular. Initially, it grew out of the twelve-step term co-addict, which was a way of describing the spouse of the addict; however, as it didn’t tell the right story, it morphed into co-dependent. It was a…
-
Your Family Survived the Holidays But Not Unscathed
There is nothing quite like the holidays to bring a family closer together or to drive them even further apart. Families and holidays can be wonderful. However, they can also be painful and traumatic. Even the best families can have some holiday drama.
-
Healing Heartache: A Grief And Loss Workshop
When you’ve experienced a loss ─ the death of a loved one, the loss of your health, the loss of a relationship, the loss of an opportunity, etc.─ it can be helpful to take time out to lean into your grief. It’s often difficult, if not impossible, to initiate the healing process in this way…
