Psychoeducation

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation intended to gain control and dominance over a targeted individual. The term comes from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband tries to convince his wife that she’s insane by causing her to question herself and her reality. In…

June is both Pride month and PTSD Awareness month. Pride is a yearly celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community. The first Pride parade was held on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which galvanized the movement. Pride is so much more than a flag, a…

Having experienced trauma can make it hard to relax. This is because the fight/flight/freeze system is chronically activated.  Many trauma survivors find they are constantly on the lookout for danger, which we call hypervigilance. There is also often an increased startle response and difficulty unwinding…

The experience of trauma has always been at the core of understanding PTSD. However, research is starting to show what many therapists have known, that adverse and traumatic experiences are also at the heart of things like depression, anxiety and even Schizophrenia. It is important…

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is promoting a Why Care campaign this month to help raise mental health awareness and reduce the stigma. So here are some of the reasons that I care: Because suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the…

Sometimes it is hard to know how to help those who are struggling with mental health issues. Sometimes people don’t want to mess it up or offend so they stay silent, and that is not helpful. First and foremost is just being a listening ear.…