Prepping for Super Bowl Sunday It really was only a month ago when we were writing about the holidays and New Year’s resolutions. This week many, if not most, Americans are readying their plans to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday.  Yes, Super Bowl XLVII (for those of us not familiar with Roman Numerals, this is Super...Read More

Creating a labyrinth to aid healing Cottonwood Tucson’s labyrinth Four years ago, our staff decided to install a 40′ Classical-style labyrinth for patients use at Cottonwood.  From its inception, the labyrinth was a community project.  Our landscaping crew cleared the area. Our clinical staff chose the design and sliced it into the dirt. Our patients...Read More

Post Office And Dam, Sandy Hook, Connecticut 1914 Postcard, Pub by Corbett & Crowe, Sandy Hook, Conn A village, a town, and the river that runs through it… If you have ever lived in New England, then you are aware that many towns are made up of small villages. Sandy Hook, CT, is one such...Read More

English: Leonard Cohen (Photo credit: Wikipedia) “I speak of a clinical depression that is the background of your entire life, a background of anguish and anxiety, a sense that nothing goes well, that pleasure is unavailable and all your strategies collapse.” …Leonard Cohen Holidays and depression This is the time of year when many people...Read More

Headlines are buzzing about the DSM-5 If you have been reading the mental health headlines over the past couple of days, then for sure you have seen at least one headline dealing with the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) final approval of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). According...Read More

Circumstances beyond one’s control… As you know September is National Recovery Month and it’s an opportunity to celebrate recovery, alcohol and drug rehab treatment programs, treatment professionals and those individuals and families who are in recovery. An important fact to remember about individual’s ability to access recovery treatment is that where and how you find...Read More

Anticipating DSM-5… If you are a psychiatrist, psychologist, a licensed social worker, a researcher, or employed by a health insurance company or a pharmaceutical company, then you are very familiar with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). On the other hand, if you suffer from a mental disorder or your loved one...Read More

Recovery – “One Day At A Time” Recovery and Employment Finding gainful employment when recovering from any illness or injury can be and often is difficult. If you are a treatment professional working with people who are recovering from mental health disorders and/or addiction, then you know how important it is to include a discussion...Read More

PTSD and Addiction Post traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse often go hand in hand. Therapists working with PTSD patients will often discover/uncover that the patient also suffers from the disease of addiction, symptoms from both presenting and co-occurring. This week a new study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association...Read More

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Have you ever heard a parent say to their teenager, “What were you thinking?” Let’s face it, raising teenagers can be challenging and often our teenage children do something that just makes no sense to us as parents. Would it surprise you to know that...Read More