It can be a deadly experiment. As Covid raged, drug overdose deaths rose 30 percent in 2020. Records were set: the most drug overdose deaths in a year; the most deaths from opioid overdoses; the most overdose deaths from stimulants like methamphetamine; the most deaths from the deadly class of synthetic opioids known as fentanyl. […]
Have you ever had the experience of running into a foe and found that you were surprisingly kind or gracious to them? They may have been a close personal friend who became your opponent. They might have been your lover who hurt you deeply through bad behavior. They might even have been your uncle who […]
This week’s news included a story of a US man who is suing a psychic. The psychic’s website advertises her services as a “psychic love specialist” and Ph.D. life coach. Her credentials engendered his confidence. The suit alleges that the psychic promised to remove a curse but did not do so. His ex-girlfriend had hired […]
I listened to, and enjoyed, a radio program, Stories From Across the Black Diaspora (thestoop.org, Feb 6 Episode 23: The Nod), that features the significance of a nod or smile among people of color. It is a silent “I see you” acknowledgment. It is black people’s solidarity nod given when they see another person who […]
Last week marked the 20th anniversary of the horrific September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Twenty years later, many people are still traumatized. That date is seared into our brains as a national trauma. Not all stress is bad. Examples of positive stress are a wedding and having a […]
I recently attended a workshop from the presenter, Lisa Elieson, who is a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor and an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist. The workshop was titled, Sexual Desire Discrepancy in Couples. Let’s face it, it is rare when two people have the exact same sexual appetite at the exact same time. Research shows that […]
Can we agree that people who are 65 or older and younger people with disabilities should have access to family counseling or mental health counseling provided by a licensed professional counselor? It seems like a no-brainer to me. And yet, it just isn’t the case. As a licensed family therapist, I’m personally aggrieved by the […]
If you have ever experienced the suicide death of someone you love, you’ll know what it is to question what you could have done to prevent it. A suicidal crisis is hard to predict, and thoughts can escalate quickly. In fact, a 2009 study by Strauss, Hinterhuber, Deisenhammer, Ing, Kemmler, and Weiss, studied the length […]
Haiti suffered another devastating earthquake on August 14, 2021. As of this writing, the death toll from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake has grown to 2,207, with 344 people still missing. They lack a coordinated effort to receive sufficient aid. They need food, water, shelter, and medical attention. One Haitian said, “It’s getting harder, harder, and […]
I confess that I am quite anxious about climate change. Melting glaciers, floods, wildfires, record-breaking heat waves, and droughts. Sir David Attenborough said, “We’ve overrun the planet.” He believes that world problems in the next five to ten years will be worse than the coronavirus pandemic, due to climate change. Yikes! What kind of world […]