Who Do You Trust? The Passion and Power of the Mental Health Profession
On Monday, I was at a dinner with a cool dozen mental health professionals. I am still reeling from the wealth of talent, housed in our private dining room. The dinner was sponsored by our friends at Alta Mira Recovery Programs and Bridges to Recovery and their Clinical Outreach Representative Carla Chludzinski. Egos and diets were […]
Fear Not the Pink Cloud, My Sober Friends
You can see it up there, can’t you? Right beside the sun, next to the unicorn. It’s hard to miss—a fluffy mass resplendent in its coral color. It has a built-in espresso maker and from its center, rainbows shoot high in the sky and stain the horizon with joy and high-fives. If you’ve […]
Excursions – Embracing the Challenges and the Triumphs of Recovery
I am one of those people who likes to experience the thing I am touting. No false advertising here. So when Sanford House set out to launch an online, lifestyle magazine for people in recovery, I did some soul searching – head and foot. We organized several meetings, where Sanford House staff unearthed what recovery […]
Getting Self-Esteem (I’m Not Much, But I’m All I Think About)
Mirrors I used to love looking in mirrors. As a child, I’d frown, make funny faces and would see just how far I could cross my eyes. I inspected myself—the gap in my two front chompers, the length of my hair, the way my eyebrows almost met. As I grew up, I found […]
Why is Positive Thinking So Good For Your Recovery?
Recently, I was with a group of women in recovery, and I asked everyone what they were grateful for – with a caveat. My car had just been towed away, and I felt pessimistic about the potential outcome. I said, “I am grateful for many things, except I’d be more grateful if my car worked.” […]
The Visual Language of Art Therapy…
I have the pleasure and privilege of bringing creative expression to Sanford House as the Art Therapist on staff. Sanford House contacted me after I had relocated to Grand Rapids following my master’s training in Milwaukee. At the time, I had been gracefully masterfully desperately attempting to connect with any and every counseling center […]
Therapy Dog Santino’s Official Portrait Unveiling
At the unveiling of Sanford therapy dog, Santino’s, official portrait, Founder David Green gave the following presentation: “It is a great honor for me to be officiating at the unveiling of the official portrait of Santino Green, to be known henceforth as the “Lord Santino Portrait”. Santino, while still a young man, has […]
