Recently, when I was making plans with a friend, I said that I would not be available on the afternoon of June 10 because I will be at the Stark Pride festival. My friend looked confused and replied, “But you’re straight! Why are you going to a Pride festival?” In a way, she’s right. I … Continued
Every day you should make your mental health a priority. During the month of May, National Mental Health Awareness Month, this is a great time to take inventory of your mental health and look to establish positive habit-forming strategies. When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, many of us vow to make a New … Continued
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A’s) and its community partners are celebrating a milestone fifth anniversary of Stark County Schools Mental Health Awareness Week, May 1-5. This year, C&A and its community partners are using this opportunity to bring positive mental health awareness to more than 53,000 students and more than 6,000 teachers, administrators, cooks … Continued
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (C&A) held multiple training sessions during President’s Day for clinical staff. One of the presentations covered the topic of Mental Health Stigma. Dan Sager, a C&A doctoral intern who gave the presentation, used a definition provided by the Western Australia Department of Health. “Stigma is a mark of disgrace that … Continued
A first-time parent looks at their child, starry-eyed and full of love with many preconceived thoughts of what their life will be in the future. At the many crossroads of life, with each milestone passing, concerns over whether the child has friends or if the friends share their family’s values; will the child experiment with … Continued
This week I wrapped my gift for our office white elephant gift exchange. I’m the one that always gives the weird stuff at these gift exchanges. Many years ago, for a family white elephant gift exchange with the theme “snowman”, much to the horror of my aunt Ruth, I showed up with a 3-foot plastic … Continued
Have you ever noticed that Santa Claus is never seen drinking alcohol in public places? Never mind the 681,000,000 results for images of Santa and alcohol online. He’s an adult after all. It certainly could be argued that he deserves a nice glass of wine after his night of deliveries. Why is it that we never … Continued
Does a strong physique for an athlete relate to them being strong with their mental health? Do old school coaches who verbally abuse high school and college athletes make the person “mentally tough” or do they instead about bring undo stress, anxiety, pressure and fear of making a mistake? Does the yelling, barking and … Continued
College is an exciting time for families. For many young adults, making the transition from living under their parent’s roof to venturing out on their own and make their own decisions is exhilarating, stressful, fun and anxiety filled. The experience often includes meeting new friends, learning about different cultures and managing expectations or reaching … Continued
In today’s ever fast-paced lifestyle, teenagers and their parents often pass each other during the day but struggle to find time for meaningful dialog. Once your child falls asleep for the night, you decide to check their phone. Scrolling through text messages and SnapChat conversations, shockingly you stumble across a picture of your child’s significant … Continued