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How to Help after a School Shooting
December 14, 2012 There are no words to quite describe the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut today. A tragedy that brought the president of the United States to tears, and to state, “our hearts are broken today.” In the aftermath of the shooting we must handle our own reactions,…
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The pursuit of happiness
There is a lot of hype about happiness out there. From books proposing how to find true happiness like The Happiness Hypothesis and The Happiness Project, to one simply called Happiness. Any moment now I am expecting to find one called “One Minute Happiness” written just to satisfy the consumer who wants happiness and wants it…
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Meditation and mental health
Meditation. Many ideas and opinions exist about this ancient, mind altering, self-healing practice. It is often dismissed as that “new age stuff,” or “that mystical stuff from the East (that you read about in Eat Pray Love).” In common parlance it may also be known as “hocus pocus.” This was the attitude of one our…
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The elephant and the rider
Most of us can relate to the idea that our brain has two independent systems – the emotional one and the rational one. If you have ever overslept, overworked, eaten too much, skipped your exercise (or not started your exercise program at all), become angry and said something you later regretted, become depressed because your…
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Getting to know the elephant
In the last post the Elephant was a metophor used to describe our emotional side, or our feelings, that can motivate yet so easily overwhelm us. Focusing is an elegant way to befriend the elephant – to learn about it, and moreover, to use it for our benefit. This post was contributed by Focusing instructor,…
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How to deal with the stress of school
The film Race to Nowhere was screened at our very own Saline High School last night (October 13th). As a parent and as a psychologist who practices in Saline I felt this was a very significant event in the Saline Community. The film talks about the experiences of (primarily) school age children across the country…
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Student stress
Student stress is real and Saline Area School has been taking new initiatives to attend to it. A second community screening of Race to Nowhere was held in Saline on Thursday December 1st. What do a Saline High School Climate Assessment, a Saline High School leadership retreat, and the film Race to Nowhere have in…