The Brattleboro Retreat's Stand Up to Stigma campaign is about helping people understand what is true and what is not true about mental illness and addiction. We also want to encourage and empower people to shift attitudes--their own, and those of their family members, friends, co-workers, and community members.
Siblings, no matter what our relationship is like with them at any given moment, are the only people in our lives who really know what our childhood was like.
When planning for our family, my husband and I determined (half jokingly, half seriously) we’d need to give our children at least one sibling so that they could have someone with whom they could complain about us and feel totally understood. Sibling relationships are also unique in that it is the one relationship that has the potential to span more years than any other relationship.
In this Keep Talking segment, Gay Maxwell, LICSW, is joined by special guest Patricia DiBartolo, PhD, who explains how perfectionism can be both a blessing and a curse and suggests how its painful aspects can be addressed in a therapeutic setting. Taped at BCTV in June 2014.
Host Gay Maxwell, LICSW, is joined by Cory Nohl, MD, the Retreat's medical director of the LGBT Inpatient Program, to talk about why individuals in the LGBT community are at higher risk for serious mental health or substance abuse issues and how their families can offer support. Taped at BCTV in March 2014.
Most of us have vivid memories, and often personal stories, of recent tragedies that have affected us or our nearby communities: Tropical Storm Sandy, the Newtown shooting, the Boston Marathon Tragedy, a hurricane named Irene and now the typhoon in the Philippines.
In the aftermath of these very public disasters, we often hear “good news” clips: the community comes together; a lost dog is found; the little guy reaches out to help his neighbors who are grateful and in turn help someone else.
In this insightful interview with Gay Maxwell, Kevin Gallagher, MS, LCMHC, NCC, explains how a teenage brain functions and the connections between brain function and behavior. Kevin also discusses the challenges teens face growing up in today's world versus the world in which their parents grew up.
During the holidays, many of us draw close to family and friends. Like pioneer days, when the wagons would circle to protect from outsiders, this is a natural reaction to wanting to be close and protective of those we love.
Now that a new year has begun, let us broaden our horizons to others. One of this country’s founding principles is that America is a melting pot, a rich blend of cultural traditions from all over the world.
Emerging adults, ages 18-29, face distinct developmental tasks that will lay the foundation of a healthy adulthood. Jennifer Tanner, PhD, discusses this newly identified developmental stage, its characteristics and why developmental psychologists see this as a critical period in life. A developmentalist and Vice-Chair of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Dr. Tanner offers insight into how this knowledge can impact our lives, our families' lives and society as a whole.
Research suggests that up to one in five people suffers from a personality disorder. In this 30 minute taped interview, nationally recognized expert Joseph W. Shannon, Ph.D., outlines the many different types of personality disorders (borderline, dependent, narcissistic, etc) along with their causes and treatments.
I’m often asked by concerned parents and other individuals who have regular contact with young people: “Is it possible to recognize when a teen, or even a younger child, has a drug or alcohol problem? What should I look for?” The short answer is yes, it is possible; but the longer answer can be much more complicated. That’s because it is not unusual for older people to be completely unaware of a young person’s involvement or dependence on alcohol or other drugs.
