101 Sober Things to Do to Beat the Winter Blues
Are you feeling the winter blues? There are many wonderful things about living in Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan. But, and there is a but, the winters are long. Many of the awesome things to do are currently buried beneath a crazy quilt of variations on the color white. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real […]
Why Does Mommy Need a Nap? Children of Alcoholics Making it All Better
What is Codependency? The definition of codependency is “excessive emotional or psychological reliance on a partner. Especially one who requires support on account of an illness or addiction”. At Sanford Behavioral Health, our Family Program addresses codependency and other coping mechanisms loved ones of those with substance use disorders employ to make things better. […]
Dieting? A Healthy Approach to Your New Year’s Resolution
Thank you to Susan Shaw and Wood TV 8 for including Sanford Behavioral Health in their “New Me in 2023” series. Susan’s conversation with Lori Kehoe, Program Director at Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders, about dieting the “eat healthier resolution” was perfectly timed. A couple of weeks into the New Year, folks already […]
The Effects of Eating Disorders on the Whole Body – Limelight Interview
At Sanford Behavioral Health, we are proud of the team we have assembled, with some of the brightest minds in the behavioral health field. At Sanford Comprehensive Treatment for Eating Disorders (SCTED), the interdisciplinary team works to treat the whole person. According to our Limelight interviewee, Amy Boshoven, her “welcoming” teammates have an open-door […]
Supportive Living – When It’s Not Safe to Go Home
Around recovery meetings, folks always say you need to change people, places, and things to manage an addiction. But what happens if you don’t have the option to change your current situation? If you live at home with parents or siblings who use, for example. It makes long-term recovery look daunting and can keep an […]
Dry January – What are the Lessons We Learn?
During the holidays, I was extolling (as one does when loved ones gather) about the relative ease of my recovery from an acute alcohol use disorder. I am nine years sober, and at this stage of the game, not drinking has become as much of an affectation as my omnipresent wine glass used to be. […]
New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work? Implementing Change with GUSTO
Welcome to 2023! In your social circles, the “buzz” is probably about New Year’s resolutions. Did you make any? I want to share some perspectives with you on how humans make behavioral changes like resolutions or adjustments to our relationships and lives. Resolutions & Change When it comes to a resolution for a […]
How to Set Boundaries in Addiction Recovery
As the family program facilitator at Sanford Behavioral Health, I spend a lot of time helping loved ones establish boundaries. Establishing healthy boundaries is possible in family recovery. Establishing boundaries is essential to effectively work with a loved one with a substance use disorder (SUD). Healthy boundaries are at the heart of any positive relationship […]
Benefits of Art Therapy for Your Mental Health
When always asking patients to “show me.” Show me where in the image you are feeling a conflict. Show me how you would change that. Of course, when I ask someone to show me something, I’m actually asking them to show themselves. In Sanford Behavioral Health’s mental health treatment, patients participate in art therapy, a […]
Could Parenting Styles Cause Eating Disorders?
Research has shown that children and youth who diet are much more likely to develop eating disorders. In fact, the earlier that dieting begins, the more likely a significant eating disorder can occur. Body positivity begins at home; parenting styles can help to develop body positivity naturally. It is normal and expected that […]
