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Supporting Recovery Through Peer Services: How Community-Based Support Helps People Reconnect, Heal, and Thrive
Peer services are often described as supportive, but at their best, they are transformational. Recovery is rarely a straight line, and it rarely happens in isolation. For many people living with mental health or substance use challenges, progress is shaped not only by treatment, but also by...
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Strengthening Peer Services in Behavioral Health: Operational Considerations for Sustainable Integration
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Behavioral Health Care Manager working within integrated care systems, I regularly see how deeply relationships and social environments shape an individual’s worldview, self-confidence, and sense of safety in the world. Recovery does not...
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City Voices: A Peer‑Run Legacy of Connection, Recovery, and Community
In 1995, a man named Ken Steele began what he described as his recovery from a “30‑year schizophrenic odyssey.” His story stretched across the United States — from Hawaii to New York City — through periods of homelessness, halfway houses, and profound disconnection. Everything changed...
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Healing at the Source: How Tribal Nations Are Redefining Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Substance use disorder (SUD) has taken a devastating toll on the Nation’s Tribal Lands, yet Tribal Nations are confronting the crisis with courage, creativity, and cultural wisdom. Native communities carry a disproportionate burden of addiction and mental health challenges while facing some of...
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Re-imagining Conservatorship: Recovery and Career Planning Through Peer Support
For most young people, career guidance centers on traditional roles—doctor, teacher, engineer, builder. Rarely does anyone tell a child struggling with a mental health condition that their experiences might one day qualify them for a career rooted in healing, empathy, and shared understanding....
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Innovative Training Through Personal Connections: How a Behavioral Health Podcast Is Transforming Staff Development
In today’s rapidly changing behavioral health landscape, frontline staff often face complex challenges that require continuous learning, updating skills, and meaningful guidance from those with deep expertise. Traditional training formats, while valuable, can be difficult to attend due to time...
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The Power of Integration: How Combining Evidence-Based and Holistic Therapies Creates Lasting Mental Health Recovery
Mental health recovery isn't a one-size-fits-all journey. While traditional approaches like medication and psychotherapy have helped millions, a growing body of research shows that combining evidence-based treatments with holistic practices creates the most powerful path to lasting wellness. This...
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Up, Up, and Aware: What Superman Can Teach Us About Mental Health
Chanukah came early for me this year with the release of James Gunn's Superman trailer. Superheroes have always soared through our imaginations, but lately, they’ve landed squarely in the world of mental wellness. As a rabbi, comic book aficionado (once called “New York’s Hippest Rabbi”...
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How to Approach Treating Older Adults with Complex Mental and Physical Care Needs
Roughly 14% of adults over age 60 (WHO, 2023) live with a mental health condition. As the geriatric population continues to grow (Urban Institute, n.d.), so do its rates of mental distress, depression, and drug deaths (Wilson, 2024). The behavioral health industry must prepare for treating more...
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Innovative Delivery of Therapy for Older Adults with Depression
There are many changes that take place as we age, but many people assume that depression is a normal part of aging. Instead, depression is best thought of as a response to losses and changes associated with aging, and most importantly – it is treatable! In our work with community-dwelling older...
