May is Mental Health Awareness MonthAt the risk of stating the obvious, though, our attention to mental health has to persist because the cost of struggling with mental illness, especially those with symptoms of depression, can be so high. Homage to Duane Who Killed Himself 9 Years AgoWe close out this month with an homage to Rebecca’s good friend, Duane, …

Mental Health Awareness Month/Homage to Duane and the People We’ve Lost to Suicide Click to Read Post »

Gioia–Have Faith When we first started writing this newsletter 5 years ago, Hurricane Sandy had just devastated New York and New Jersey.  In the span between then and now, we’ve seen many global tragedies–the Pulse shootings, Manchester, Charlottesville, Paris, Harvey, the refugee crisis, threats of nuclear war, violent political extremism, wildfires and earthquakes.  And we in the aftermath of the …

Standing at The Gates of Hope Click to Read Post »

Rebecca–Rising Sun When we work with people in substance abuse recovery, we focus on identifying positive emotions they’d want to experience if their recovery from addiction goes as well as it possibly could. Using this “fake it ’til you make it” approach allows people the opportunity to imagine, and act “as if”, their ideal life was a reality. In this …

Low-Key Joy Click to Read Post »