Clinical Director Tessa Sterling on OCD, Access to Care & the Campus Concept

Tessa Sterling graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in social work. Afterward, she moved to Chicago to get her master’s in social work with a specialization in mental health in the advanced standing program at Loyola University. Tessa has a wide range of experience in the mental health field. She has worked […]

Sanford on the WGVU Shelley Irwin Morning Show Talking Eating Disorders Event

In an upcoming collaboration between Sanford Behavioral Health, Forest View Hospital, and Rockford Public Schools, participants will share ideas and answer questions about eating disorders (ED) from a diverse audience. During the event Eating Disorders Hiding in Plain Sight, speakers will discuss the hidden medical complications of eating disorders. Dr. Anna Flores from Authenticity Recovery […]

The “Lady” With the Lamp – Modern-Day Nursing in Mental Health

What would life be like without nurses? Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern-day nursing, devoted her life to the service of others. She felt called to help as a young woman and made it her life’s passion. Florence worked deliberately to educate herself in the art and science of nursing at the cost of the […]

Sanford Founder Rae Green On Our Most-Read Articles of 2024

12 Days of Hope Series #5 Every year at this time, we look back at our best articles and discuss why people want to read what we have written. “Best” means most website clicks and social media shares, and a couple of these articles (with regular updates) have been going strong for years. Looking at […]

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 […]

Best of Resolutions for a New Year

12 Days of Hope Series #3 This time of year, the word “resolution” is on the mind. There is something about a clean New Year and the hope for change. For those with active addiction or an eating disorder, the holidays exacerbate their disorders and accentuate emotional triggers. Social media says we should keep resolutions […]

Resolutions and Changes – Making Them Stick

Welcome to 2025! In your social circles, the “buzz” is probably about New Year’s resolutions. Did you make any? I want to share some perspectives on how humans make behavioral changes, such as resolutions or adjustments to our relationships and lives. In our second addition to the 12 Days of Hope series, we give you […]

Ideas to Bolster Your Mental Health – 12 Days of Hope Series

12 Days of Hope Series #1 Last year, we published a series of hopeful ideas for improving mental health during the winter holidays and beyond. (Even playing in the snow can be good for mental health!) We’re doing it again this year, beginning with the best ideas from last year. As we head into 2025, […]

Excuses? Our Admissions Team Has Heard Them All

It’s that time of year when families gather. Pageants at spiritual centers and schools and an array of events herald holidays and the coming of the new year. The admissions specialists at Sanford Behavioral Health have probably heard every excuse for putting off the inevitable treatment for addiction, especially this time of year. We have […]

Hope for Creating Personal Boundaries in the Addicted Home

Recently, Sanford Behavioral Health Founder Rae Green and I presented an educational in-service for the Mental Health Association of Michigan. Our focus was on boundaries (personal or external) for recovering families. After the presentation, I began thinking deeply about boundaries and recovery. I became even stronger in my belief that families dealing with addiction have […]