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The Burden of Being the “Good Child”: How South Asian Kids Suppress Mental Health Struggles
In many South Asian immigrant families, the eldest child is often expected to set an example for younger siblings, excel academically, and fulfill responsibilities that extend beyond their years. These expectations are heightened by the struggles their parents face as immigrants, navigating a new...
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Therapy is for “Other People”: Why Many South Asian Parents Dismiss Mental Health Support
In many South Asian communities, mental health remains a stigmatized topic, leading individuals to suppress their struggles rather than seek help. This cultural undertone often results in both parents and children enduring mental health issues in silence, perpetuating a cycle of unaddressed...
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Assisting Grieving Families to Find Closure While Maintaining Compliance with HIPAA
The most fundamental goals of Harm Reduction and Buprenorphine Programs are to keep people alive and safe. Despite the best efforts of a very dedicated SUD workforce, over 107,000 people died of overdose deaths in 2023. Behind every overdose death is a family or friends in mourning. Often, they are...
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The Ripple Effect: Impact of Suicide on Family and Friends
The loss of a person to suicide touches friends, family, and other loved ones who must grapple with a host of emotions in the wake of tragic loss. The pain of suicide bereavement can ripple through personal relationships and affect the emotional health of the community of the individual who was...
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A Unique and Insidious Grief: Losing a Loved One to Suicide
Deaths by suicide are unquestionably tragic by any measure, but considerably more so when considered in the context of their impact on surviving family members. Most public health initiatives have logically targeted individuals at risk of suicide and promoted prevention efforts accordingly; fewer...
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Addressing the Adolescent Behavioral Health Crisis
Over the last year I have been writing about the growing public health crisis of behavioral health challenges among adolescents and young adults, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. The United Hospital Fund (UHF), in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), recently released The...
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Supporting Recovery Together: The Impact of Family Involvement on Housing and Employment Outcome
The journey of recovery from substance abuse or mental health challenges requires a multifaceted approach. While professional interventions are crucial, the significance of family involvement cannot be overstated. This article explores how family support enhances housing and employment outcomes for...
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Nurturing Healing Within Our Homes: Pathways to Treatment Within the Family
Nature versus nurture has plagued our educational and sociological philosophy for decades in social service and the mental health field. The idea behind treating addiction as a “family disease” has long been established in the understanding that there is a genetic component to addiction and...
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An Overview of Family-Based Substance Use Therapy
Historically, individual therapy and group-based treatments have been the predominant modalities used in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs. However, there has been increased recognition among researchers, clinicians, and clients of the importance of family structure and how it plays a...
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Helping Families Cope with Serious Mental Illness: Maternal vs Social Work Instincts
I am a Social Worker. I am also a mom of an adult child with SMI, specifically bi-polar disorder. My child is 23 and I pray that she welcomes God into her life. That’s the mom in me talking. As a social worker, I want her to get a job, find a great partner who will love her, and become as...
