The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed twenty-six people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and six were adult staff members. The loss of a child may be the worst trauma a human being can […]

“Our reputation means the world to us, and we would never cheat”, lied Jake Runyan, a fisherman at a tournament. If you haven’t seen the video of Jake Runyan and Chase Cominsky at a professional fishing tournament in Ohio, you should. The tournament director cut open the winning fish and found egg-shaped weights of more […]

You’ve probably been wronged at some point in your life. Have you ever been so deeply wounded that you’ve wanted to stick pins into a voodoo doll with fantasies of revenge? Sometimes we want to hurt the people that have injured us. Revenge is thought to bring a sense of catharsis and closure. Emotional catharsis […]

Robin Hood was the legendary bandit of England who stole from the rich to help the poor. Although stealing is morally wrong, sometimes there needs to be economic fairness. But what about people who steal from the poor? They are harming the harmless for personal gain. How do they sleep at night? Let’s consider fraud. […]

I’m writing this on August 31st, National Overdose Awareness Day. Its purpose is to help prevent drug overdoses by raising awareness, reducing stigma, and acknowledging the grief that comes with death. The opioid epidemic is one of the world’s public health crises. Covid worsened this crisis. Why? According to CDC data, over 87,000 Americans died […]

What is hoarding disorder? The DSM5, (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), provides a diagnosis containing four parts. One, there is an excessive acquisition of stuff. Two, people demonstrate difficulty discarding possessions. Three, there are living spaces that can’t be used for their intended purposes because of clutter. Four, the behavior […]

Let’s face it, we all struggle from time to time, some more than others. I notice that many people are confused about terminology in the psychology field and don’t understand what types of care are available. When it comes to mental health, there are various levels of care. Self-help is the first “rung of the […]

Children are forever asked what they want to be when they grow up. They tend to identify uniforms and roles. It may be a way to make conversation and learn what interests them. But it also encourages them to have future goals and aspirations. At some point, they will want to make their mark on […]

I’m overwhelmed with news of violent extremists and school shootings. It seems that the world is falling apart quicker than we can fix it. Dr. Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D., specializes in threat and risk management and the psychology of extremism. Brian is the deputy director of safety for D-Prep where he trains K-12 schools, colleges, […]

Death, divorce, and serious illness are difficult. Sometimes we just don’t know how to talk about it with the people experiencing the grief and pain. We don’t want to make it worse by drawing unwanted attention to their pain, but we also don’t want to be callous. Social support is healing. Here are some tips […]