Hope for Mental Health

Safe and Sound and FOCUS Programs Path of Life counseling is proud to be able to offer two home/office based programs.  We are planning to start a new group of interested families in September.  These programs last from 1 week to 60 weeks.  They can easily be integrated into a homeschool program or an evening ritual for the working adult.  The FOCUS Program includes physical activity using multi-modal input to help children/special needs adults learn better regulation and social behaviors.   One program is the Safe and Sound Protocol, designed by Stephen Porges.  It  works on the vagus nerve to move a person out of anxiety and depression and into the social engagement system.  It can take as little as 5 hours for some adults.  Children may need more time in the program, and may need to use all 3 portions of the SSP program.  The SSP is especially helpful for highly dysregulated nervous systems and adults or children who have experie...

  Emma's mission is to provide easy access to mental health resources with videos, programs, and her blog.  She is a Christian, and a licensed therapist. Her newsletter is a generous offering of videos on a wide range of mental health topics.  Here are some links from her most recent newsletter: How to help someone with depression How to help a child with anxiety Why do we dissociate? To Subscribe:   Therapy in a Nutshell *You'll also find lots of free resources as you scroll to the bottom of the page to subscribe.  Blessings! Berta Aronson, MSW Coordinator,  Hope for Mental Health, a ministry of Monmouth Christian Church

  Bottom line, yes!  After thoughtful, prayerful consideration and research. I still talk with people saying they've been told they just need to pray harder!  That idea is theologically bankrupt and just plain cruel, and it tells me that stigma is still alive and well. That said, I think medication is overused in our culture because we want a quick fix, and counseling and lifestyle changes are a long term proposition.  Research shows that counseling and medication together are your best bet for recovery, as there are often unresolved issues, lack of support, and lack of education.  (Unfortunately, counseling is often not available, but that's another conversation.) I confess, I find it hugely frustrating that modern psychiatry is mostly behind the times.  Psychiatrists are the only medical specialty that rarely look at the organ they treat!  There are now ways to figure out what's actually happening to your brain and to develop individualized treatment...