He stood behind the microphone with a gaping hole in his heart. This despairing teenager grieved the loss of his only friend, the one who was there for him, any hour of day or night, for long walks and conversation. His eulogy brought tears to my eyes. His only friend had succumbed to overdose. I […]
Every day we’re bombarded with news of gun violence. You can take a technology break and still not escape it, especially when the tragedy hits close to home and everyone’s talking about it. Whether you experience trauma firsthand or learn about it from the media, consciously or unconsciously, you’re going to have a reaction. “You […]
Disclaimer: Some topics relating to mental health and violence are discussed within this article — readers sensitive to those topics, please be advised. As the country reels from the bombardment of recent gun violence — that has been rapidly normalized, despite public fear, as federal regulations have been decisively cut back — the public is […]
On May 25, Washington Post Live hosted a discussion on Youth Mental Health with Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Miana Bryant, founder of The Mental Elephant, and Anna King, president of the National Parent Teacher Association. The discussion was planned in part due to a recent report from the U.S. Surgeon General that […]
Meg Kissinger walked into a Milwaukee laundromat in 2006 that was across from a group home for those suffering from mental illness. Inside, Kissinger noticed a woman with an intense stare and jagged teeth. Kissinger — a journalist focusing on housing limitations for those with mental illness — began talking with her. Not only was […]
It took six seconds recently for me to figure out the day was Tuesday, and the time was 10:00 am. Six seconds to shake that feeling of terror that the air raid siren I was hearing while I was out on a walk in my Chicago area neighborhood, was really the weekly local emergency test. […]
Many of us struggle to achieve balance in our daily lives, but finding your center can help you reach your highest potential. Experts from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, including four-time Olympian Kara Winger, BIÂN in Chicago, and the San Francisco Zen Center joined a virtual event with Make it Better Group’s Editor at […]
On February 5, Venue West in Chicago resembled a scene straight out of Vegas — a casino stocked with blackjack counters, craps tables and roulette wheels. It was all part of the glamourous backdrop for the Associate Board of the Juvenile Protective Association (JPA)’s annual All in for Kids Casino Night. More than 300 guests […]
With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to interject itself in every aspect of life—especially mental wellness, the Economic Club of Chicago recently hosted the panel discussion “Mental Health and Trauma.” Five Chicago-based experts represented corporate, social, and medical points of view on this topic and discussed structural, systemic and political solutions to promote mental health and […]
When Craig Flax, a longtime tennis coach at Redwood High School, discovered his teenage daughter potentially had an eating disorder, he was completely floored. She had always been a light and picky eater, and getting her to finish dinner could often be a chore, but they had chalked up her lack of interest in food […]
