Hope for Mental Health

  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...

  How to Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month: 1)  Take care of yourself Life has numerous ups and downs.  Some are solvable but others not so much.  When your mental health is a concern because it's interfering with navigating life,  thoughtfully and prayerfully  consider treatment.  Seek wise counsel and support from church, friends, family and mental health professionals. 2). Take care of your loved ones Check up on friends and family.  Many times, people just need a listening nonjudgemental ear and not to be alone with their suffering.  Stock up on tissues, and, really, just listen.  Offer support and encourage them to take care of themselves. 3). Talk about mental health Help de-stigmatize mental illness by normalizing the conversation.   This is one of the aims of Mental Health Awareness Month, as stigma creates delays in accessing help, funding for treatment, and research. 4) Know resources for people in crisis, ...

 Being kind of lazy today, I'll just share some information from the back cover of this amazing book: "Trauma is a fact of life.  Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat;  one in five Americans has been molested;  one in four grew up with alcoholics;  one in three couples have engaged in physical violence." In this book you will learn:  "how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain compromising sufferers' capacity for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust."  He explores "innovative treatments...that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. "  As someone who had undiagnosed PTSD for decades, and owes recovery to a number of the modalities he explores, I highly recommend this book! (Currently available on Amazon for $11.40.)