Blog

Living through the COVID-19 Pandemic taught us a lot about our well-being – physically, socially, and especially mentally and emotionally. With unending days of isolation and distance, lack of routines, consistent uncertainty and fear, as well as grief and loss, the topic of conversation quickly highlighted the emotional suffering experienced by many. It emphasized that not only was living through this experience overwhelming, but the experience also exacerbated or contributed to the development of mental and emotional issues for many individuals. As the conversation continues to remain on the forefront on all systems levels, with increased community conversations and funding surrounding mental health, I offer a review of some of the effective, evidence-based approaches to a community response to mental health. Question Persuade Refer (QPR) From the QPR Institute https://qprinstitute.com/ The QPR mission is to “reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven […]

“A good therapist will meet you wherever you are in your journey and help you get closer to truly living your best life—however you define that.”   Sara Herrity Moscarelli, MS, LMFT | COE Senior Project Manager Finding a therapist can be confusing and challenging to navigate whether you have been to therapy before or are seeking it out for the first time. Our team is here to help with some tips on how to find a therapist who fits your needs. You can learn about distinct types of therapists, tips for finding the right fit, an overview of how mental health insurance works, and more.  How can a therapist help me?   Therapists can help you navigate life transitions, develop healthy coping skills, identify and process your emotions, and gain greater insight into your experiences. Even if you aren’t 100% sure what you hope to gain from therapy at […]

I am an elder millennial. I am part of the generation that knew what life was like before social media, but also went through middle school with the AIM screenname “saraobx”—leaving away messages with moody song lyrics and “brb ttyl lylas”. The generation who had to receive an invite to join Facebook when it was exclusive and cool, when Instagram was for photos only, when Twitter was called Twitter, and Vine was the original TikTok. Fortunately for my parents, they had minimal knowledge about the usage and impact of social media, chat rooms, and the Internet—outside of Ask Jeeves—as it was just getting its hold on their children. Also, luckily for them, we only had one home computer with dial-up internet so our addiction to being online was kept somewhat at bay. Yet fast forward 20 years and I am a parent raising a daughter in the […]

Our bodies are made up of complex systems. Not being a physician, I cannot explain the intricacies of our neurological system, respiratory system, endocrine system, digestive system and so on. I can however tell you that when I experience a stressor, I have a thought and depending on that thought my breathing may change, my stomach may gurgle, and my body may secrete a variety of hormones in response as well. Come to think of it, maybe it is the thought that generates the emotion that propels those system dominoes to react? Maybe our bodies even know it before we can consciously give language to the experience….or maybe it is all of the above. One thing we know for sure is that it is complicated. I have had many instances of experiencing the mind-body connection in my life. They began when I was very young. One summer […]

Have you ever had a day, a month, or, heck, maybe even a whole year or YEARS that really tested your resolve? A time that really pushed you mentally, physically, socially, spiritually to the edge? Maybe your sleep was troubled and you ate what you could when you could. Perhaps you forgot to call and text your family and friends back despite thinking of it a few times a day. Or you re-scheduled that dentist appointment for the fourth time because there just aren’t enough hours in the day. You were just going, going, going until BOOM – you crashed. That was my year this past year. It started when my father-in-law passed away after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis. Soon after, I got pregnant with my first child, then quickly realized that my “morning” sickness would be all-day, everyday sickness, making basic daily life tasks […]

In the behavioral and mental health space, we talk often about the biopsychosocial (BPS) model that was developed in the 70’s by psychiatrist Dr. George Engel. As we move in to 2023, some might reference the BPS model when talking about whole person care, a phrase that is firmly taking hold in healthcare overall. Our healthcare systems are acknowledging that there are elements beyond the physical domain that need to be taken care of if we are going to see improvements in a person’s overall health and well-being. However, we all seem to still be working on incorporating one more component of truly whole person care, and that is spirituality. In 1996, quite some time after Dr. George Engel wrote about this new BPS framework, a group of clinicians (Wright, Watson, & Bell, 1996) emphasized the importance of beliefs and of making meaning around illness and health, […]