We can all improve our community's capacity to reduce social isolation if we pay attention to five key attributes of healing community. Download this blog post as a PDF. Feel free to use this guide in your workplace or community. THE FIVE ATTRIBUTES 1. A feeling of...

We welcome blog posts by guest authors who work in the fields of mental health and addiction treatment and who promote person-centered, progressive, and individualized approaches to the treatment of mental health and addiction issues. Meet Today's Guest Author: Alicja...

First, Kate Spade and, then, Anthony Bourdain! Two famous and successful people whose lives apparently became so distraught and disconnected that, perhaps in an impulsive moment, they decided to commit suicide. We also have today’s New York Times article: “Defying...

I recently had the pleasure of completing an online DBT training course designed by Marsha Linehan, the founder of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). I am not a mental health clinician, nor do I aspire to become one. I see myself more as a witness, facilitator, and...

Photo from The Guardian by Jim Wileman. On February 21, 2018, George Monbiot published his article, 'The town that’s found a potent cure for illness – community' in The Guardian. The article shines a light on the town of Frome in Somerset, England where the community...

The following post represents thoughts of Dr. Christopher Grala, Psy. D., the executive director of Spirit of Gheel, a therapeutic community in Pennsylvania. The post was prompted by an article appearing in The Guardian on March 31, 2014 concerning the current state...

The term "informed consent" is used a lot in mental health care. Those two little words are a big, and complicated, deal. In this blog post, I unpack the term "informed consent" and all the things that come along with it: dignity of risk, duty of care, autonomy,...

This roughly 30-minute excerpt about genetics and environment is from the much longer 2011 documentary film, Zeitgeist.   This excerpt includes interviews with Dr. Robert Sapolsky of Stanford University, Dr. James Gilligan of NYU, Dr. Gabor Maté, addiction...

Psychosis is a symptom. A symptom is not an illness in itself, but an indicator that something more chronic or severe may be going on. Psychosis is a profound experience of losing touch with reality. During psychosis, your everyday thought patterns are disrupted and...

How do we connect with someone who is overcome by the symptoms and behaviors of serious mental illness and addiction and help them begin their healing journey? When you approach your family member as a caring parent or a caregiver, they may respond with a cascade of...