These 10 Excuses are the Enemy to Your Recovery. Do Any Apply to You?
It’s the holidaysโthe time for pageants at church and school, office parties, and family responsibilities. As a person in recovery, I can remember this time of year while in active addiction. On top of the crushing TO DO list of everyday holiday tasks, there was the exhausting schedule of drinking, planning to drink, and […]
Art Therapy: It’s Not What You Think
Art therapy has always been a part of Sanford Behavioral Health’s programming. One of the tenets of art therapists is to ask a group to โshow me.โ Of course, when asking someone to โshowโ something, they are asking them to show themselves. Sanford embraces creative expression as a viable and effective framework for treatment.ย Because […]
Letting Go in Family Recovery (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Once again, itโs the holiday season with a tradition of gathering and gift-giving to folks you care about! And Thanksgiving is the time we count our blessings and express gratitude – all part of the recovery process! At Sanford Behavioral Health, we care about our clients andย Excursions readers and have a little practical […]
10 Tips for a Sober Holiday
My family has a legend we talk about from my non-sober holidays past. Itโs about the time โMom,โ with a bottle of chardonnay coursing through her system, put hot stuffing into a Pyrex bowl. And while the rest of the Thanksgiving meal was sliced, mashed, and dolloped into serving dishes, I attempted to keep […]
Dear Rae: No Alcohol for the Holidays? Iโm Mad!
Dear Rae: I just got an email from my aunt saying our cousin (weโll call him Bill) is in early recovery from addiction, and to support him, she is not allowing any alcohol in her house for the holidays. I have to admit it makes me mad! My aunt is always the center of our […]
What’s the Connection of ADHD and Substance Use?
Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to use substances as a way to cope with their symptoms, such as impulsivity and hyperactivity. There is also some evidence that ADHD medications may reduce the risk of developing problematic substance use behaviors, making ADHD treatment a critical part of preventing or managing substance use in […]
ARFID – Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is avoidance of food/nutrition. Still, the avoidance is based on fear of choking or vomiting triggered by smells and textures, not anxiety about weight gain. It results in a loss of weight or a failure to gain weight at the rate expected along the developmental trajectory for a […]
Avoiding the Whack-a-Mole Eating Disorder Game
Iโve never liked the carnival game whack-a-mole. Bashing heads with a cartoon hammer while an endless succession of new rodents appears. It is too stressful and unpredictable. But I could relate when a friend in recovery said they thought eating disorders, popping up during addiction treatment, reminded them of playing whack-a-mole. Because just when […]
Clinical Therapist Advice – Work With a Team Before Going Solo
I started my career as a therapist in the Intern Program at Sanford Behavioral Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was called “Sanford House” in early 2018, and we were managing outpatient addiction treatment in the carriage house at Sanford House at Cherry Street for Women. I was fortunate enough to shadow an amazing […]
Addressing Workplace Mental Health
A recent U.S. Surgeon General’s Report cites Five Essentials as “engines of well-being” in the workplace. The essentials to workplace mental health are a guideline for creating a healthy work environment. The framework for workplace mental health contains the following essentials: 1. Protection from Harm – safety and security 2. Connection and Community – […]
