Why Not Try Dry January?
An interesting thing happened to me this holiday season. I had a late-night Target pickup, and as I exited the parking lot and headed to the highway, I made an honest driving mistake. My Target has one of those go-right-to-go-left situations where you must cross four lanes of fast-moving traffic to get to a U-turn […]
Are You Supporting or Enabling Your Addicted Loved One?
Over the many years I have spent working with family members of individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), the number one question I get is, “What can we do to help?” The question leads to a discussion about supporting and enabling behaviors to engage in while attempting to get a loved one to acknowledge a […]
CRAFT and Family Treatment in the Addicted Home
If you have followed my two previous articles, you are aware of how a substance use disorder (SUD), a dangerous disease by itself, becomes a family disease. An SUD negatively impacts the current and future generations of a family. Negative consequences of this disease will impact every relationship and situation in the life of a […]
Sanford Outpatient Programs Guide for Mental Health
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we are ready to address today’s busy lifestyles with flexible physical spaces and expanding outpatient and telehealth programs for substance use disorders (SUD), eating disorders, and co-occurring mental health treatment. In 2023, nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. These individuals also have work, family, school, childcare, […]
9 Things Parents Teach Children to Prevent Eating Disorders
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), “Starting at a young age, we begin to internalize messages that can lead to negative body image. Having a healthier body image is an important part of mental wellbeing and eating disorders prevention.” Body image begins at home, and at Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders, our […]
Holidays in Rehab – The Best Gift
It’s the holidays—the time for pageants at church and school, traditions, office parties, and family responsibilities. At Sanford Behavioral Health (Sanford), we understand that those with substance use disorders, eating disorders, and mental health conditions try to find reasons to put off getting treatment. Of course, the holidays present the ultimate excuse, no matter whether […]
What Real-Life Recovery Means to Me
(first published in The Sanford – internal newsletter) Years ago, when Sanford Behavioral Health was a 10-bed women’s facility, we had an alumni event. These days, we have robust alumni programs for eating disorders and addiction, but in 2017, it was the first time our clients had the opportunity to return to the place where […]
Real-Life Recovery with Outpatient Clinical Manager, Ali Kitchin, LMSW
Outpatient addiction treatment at Sanford Behavioral Health gives individuals the support they need while maintaining work, childcare, school, and other responsibilities and routines. Sanford West Behavioral Health Campus Outpatient Center offers individualized addiction recovery programs that work with “real-life” situations. When entering Sanford addiction treatment, each person is assessed to determine their appropriate placement; our […]
The Psychology Behind the Sunday Blues – Wood TV Interview
Why does weekend frivolity make Sunday afternoons feel so foreboding? The term “Sunday Blues’, or “Sunday Scaries” refers to the anxiety 80% of American workers experience as the weekend winds down on Sunday afternoon. Wood TV 8 noon anchor/reporter Emily Linnert and Sanford Behavioral Health Founder Rae Green, JD, LPC, CAADA, discuss the psychology behind […]
Addiction Defenses: Denial, Justification, Deception, Manipulation
I wrote the complete series on people’s dynamics and defenses as they develop a substance use disorder (SUD) for the Sanford Behavioral Health Family Program. The primary defenses used as addiction progresses are denial, justification, deception, and manipulation. Denial, Justification, Deception, Manipulation For the family members of an individual developing an SUD, these defenses […]
