It’s that time of year again — GRADUATION! It is such an honor to teach aspiring minds. Today, one of our psychology students was asking me about the stole stole I wear as part of my regalia. I was delighted to share with her that in graduate school, we were challenged to wear the stole in honor of someone who helped us in our educational…
I recently had the privilege of presenting at the American Association of Suicidology Annual Conference. It was quite humbling to be surrounded by thousands of people burdened by devastation of suicide and working to do their part to create change. In one of the sessions there was a debate on whether or not suicide prevention is possible. One of the arguments given was that when…
In light of the recent tragedies in my hometown, I wrote this article for the local newspaper. I am not sure if it was ever published, so I thought I’d share it on my website. Individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide are at an increased risk of suicide themselves. One study reports that people bereaved by suicide (Survivors of Suicide, aka SOS) within…
Why? This is the million dollar question. If I could answer this questions, I would be a very rich woman because it is the question we all ask…and rarely get answers. The past two years walking alongside my stepdad, Hershell, as he waited for a liver transplant has led to this question multiple times. Why? Why won’t the doctors give him a transplant? What do…
I haven’t written much this year because…well, I could give you a litany of excuses, but mainly because I have been emotionally spent. This year I said goodbye to my grandmother and to Michael’s mom (my first mother-in-law). In addition to those losses, my stepdad is battling a rare form of cirrhosis and his health has declined rapidly. We’ve had many ups and downs on…
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and yet yesterday in the news I read of another death by suicide. This grieves my heart. In Western culture, we have a low tolerance for pain. We live in a world of instant gratification. We have a headache, and we pop an ibuprofen. Sinus pressure — no worries, there’s a med for that too. Something happens to our psyche…