our blogsCurrent Post Grief and HealingHannah Kilbert, MSW, LISW-SInsight Clinical Counseling and Wellness Grief. We are all familiar with it. When we hear the word, we most often associate it with death. I know I did. It wasn’t until I became a clinician that I...

“Those who expect you to get over grief have never suffered life-altering loss.” – Lisa Appelo
This blog is difficult for me, as I am trying to navigate writing this in my professional self and my personal self, so here’s a little bit of both. This November 29 will mark 6 years since I lost my brother, Kyle, to suicide.

According to a study by Adams, etc. in 2000 with 177 participants, 30% of pet owners experienced severe grief from losing their pet, while the remaining participants reported some impact with loss of their pets whether it was emotional, physical, or even social. People are impacted by pet grief as we often consider them a part of the family.

This is a topic most don’t want to think about, let alone talk about. However, that may be some of the problem. Not only is it important to acknowledge the problem, but educating yourself on signs and symptoms of poor mental health and suicide risk behaviors can help minimize the loss of life. If you know a child, in any capacity, this post is for you.

Have you ever wondered why we are the way we are or why we react the way we do to certain situations? Why you feel ready to book a one-way ticket halfway across the world when it feels like there is a threat to your relationship, you suddenly freeze when you hear your parents yelling in the next room, or notice yourself having an abreaction to a topic that reminds you of something that happened to you when you were a child? If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you have asked yourself something similar?!

You might be asking yourself, what does music have to do with mental health and how are playlists involved? At least I hope you’re asking these questions because music and mental health are very important separately. Music allows us to feel connected to others regardless of age, religion, or language. We can listen to a song and understand the emotion that it is trying to convey.

Ten months ago, my mother got suddenly, terminally ill and passed away six days later. Thankfully we were all with her in the hospital. Four months later, my uncle died by suicide in Mexico. Traveling to Mexico to get my uncle’s affairs in order and his body released for burial gave me concrete tasks and little time to grieve. After mom’s death, my brother began the arduous work of relinquishing her belongings; together with the rest of our family, we mourned our deep loss.

Case management is an incredibly beneficial service that connects clients to resources, valuable services, and other providers. You collaborate with passionate and resourceful humans who dive into your individual situation to determine how they can best support you.

We take medication when we have a virus, disease, pain, and/or chronic physical illness, in which most of the time we don’t think twice about taking. When it comes to medication for mental health, that is often stigmatized by us, as individuals, and the community around us. Psychotropic medication can typically fall under the following types: Anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, mood stabilizer, and antipsychotics.

May is mental health awareness month, and this year’s campaign is “Take a Moment.” The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) promotes mental health year round; however during this green ribbon recognition month, they are promoting “Take a Moment.”