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From the Shadow of COVID, a Bright Emergent Resource: Crisis Stabilization Center
One enduring effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is its intense illumination of the need for more accessible mental health and substance-use services in our community (a patchwork of towns east of New York City). During the pandemic, CN Guidance & Counseling Services—born in 1972 to fill a gap in...
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The Integral Role of Families in Promoting Mental Health and Managing Mental Illness
When you think about those at the forefront of managing mental health concerns – psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors, and other professionals may come to mind. However, former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher released a mental health report in 2000 that declared “families are...
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Healthy Aging: For Older Adults, The Pandemic is Far from Over
As we move into Year Three of the Covid-19 pandemic, older adults remain at high risk. Those over age 65 now account for 90% of COVID deaths – and many of those becoming ill are fully vaccinated and boosted. While many Americans feel confident to resume social activities and travel, our older...
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The Behavioral Health Workforce Crisis and its Impact on Families
The behavioral health field has been enduring a workforce shortage for some time. In 2021 alone, direct support organizations saw a turnover rate of 43%. On top of that, research has shown an increase in the demand for behavioral and mental health services since the beginning of the COVID-19...
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Addressing Clinician Burnout in a Community Mental Health Setting During the COVID Pandemic
More than two years into the COVID pandemic, we are probably all familiar with the term “burnout.” According to the literature, burnout is defined as a syndrome resulting from one’s profession that is comprised of three dimensions of symptoms: fatigue and emotional exhaustion, a low sense of...
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How the Pandemic Turned Behavioral Healthcare for Older Adults on Its Head
The past three years have brought about the greatest transformation in behavioral healthcare practices that I have seen in four decades. I have served as Chief Executive Officer of Service Program for Older People (SPOP) for 33 years. We provide community-based behavioral healthcare for adults...
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Recognizing the Root Cause of What Ails Us
Our behavioral healthcare system has navigated innumerable challenges in pursuit of its overarching aim to alleviate human suffering. Ostensible improvements in treatment protocols and related technologies, sociocultural developments (specifically those that promote a greater understanding and...
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Percentage of Overdose Deaths Involving Methadone Declined Between January 2019 and August 2021
National data indicate COVID-era treatment expansion was not associated with harms, add evidence to support take-home treatment for opioid use disorder The percentage of methadone-involved overdose deaths relative to all drug overdose deaths declined from January 2019 to August 2021, according...
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Acknowledging the Effects of Intersectional Stigmatization
Our work is devoted to helping health professionals learn different types of stigmas, recognize the effects of stigmatization, and guiding the implementation of effective strategies to assess and address those stigmas in a variety of settings. This article outlines the most common forms of mental...
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Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Illness: Peers Play a Critical Role
Sharing a lived experience may be the single most important tool we have to address the stigma of living with a mental illness, and the isolation of COVID only exacerbated how important it can be to have someone to talk with who truly understands. Over the past two years, we all learned to keep a...
