Greetings,

In case you did not already know, October is Mental Health Awareness Month. It seems like there is a day, week or month for just about every cause now and it can be hard to keep up! While it may appear to be a little silly that we have applied a title to just about every day on the calendar, it is important that we bring awareness to the issues that our society face.

As a mental health professional I can not express enough how vital it is that people understand their mental well-being is just as important as their physical self, and it often worries me that people are not taking the topic seriously enough. I am also concerned about the stigmas that our society has applied to the field of mental health, and those affected by mental health disorders. My colleagues at Rice Psychology Group and I are working hard to help eliminate these misunderstandings, but it is a long road that will take a lot of work. That is why we have begun our Debunking Myths series on our YouTube page (see below) and regularly share useful and interesting information on our social media channels. Rice Psychology Group has also been busy since the last newsletter installment giving talks and television interviews, which I hope will help widen our reach and spread our message. 

I am going to ask that each of you dear readers help me in my efforts to normalize the discussion around mental health so that people no longer feel afraid to speak up when they need help. You can do this by sharing this newsletter with a friend or interacting with our social media channels and sharing the information we post there.

Happy reading, and thank you for your help and support.

Warmly,

Obsession Versus Compulsion: Recognizing the Symptoms of OCD

Chances are you’ve heard some people complain about their obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) if their knickknacks are not arranged in a specific order or if their floors just aren’t clean enough. However, there’s a big difference between being a perfectionist and having OCD. An obsessive-compulsive disorder can affect adults and kids and will...

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Mentall Illness/Health Awareness Week Encourages Change

Silence can be a welcome state of serenity and peace for many people. Yet, for those afflicted with a mental illness, their silence can be deafening and destructive. At Rice Psychology Group, we see it as our duty to break the stigma surrounding mental illnesses by providing the necessary evaluation, education and therapy services for those afraid to speak up.

Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW), also known as Mental Health Awareness Week, was established to educate and promote awareness about mental illnesses...

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Debunking Myths

Topic: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

It is often thought that the only people who have Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) are those that wash their hands repetitively or have to count before completing a certain action. Dr. Wendy Rice helps to debunk this myth by explaining the causes of OCD and clarifying that it actually has a very broad definition.

See the full video here

In the News

Mental Health Awareness Month: The Absurdity of the Stigma of Mental Illness

Make sure you tune into Tampa Bay's NBC News Channel 8 TODAY at 4pm to see a segment Dr. Wendy Rice recorded in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. In it, she addresses what the stigmas associated with mental illness are, why they exist and the reason it is vital that we work to eliminate them. 
 

Professional Talks

Bullying

Dr. Wendy Rice spoke with a group of 7th graders a few weekends back on the topic of bullying as a part of her yearly series with youth at her local temple. In this day and age of cell phones and social media bullying isn't as clear cut and obvious as it used to be. As a part of this discussion her goals included helping these middle schoolers to understand the causes of bullying, how to be able to identify when they and others are being bullied and what to do when they see bullying in action. She also moderated a discussion on how these individual children could help to create a more inclusive environment in their schools and other gathering places to put a stop to bullying before it even starts. Dr. Rice has received wonderful feedback each year from the kids and parents that participate in this group discussion, and this year was no different.

If you are interested in having one of our Rice Psychology Group team members speak to your group, please give us a call and we will happily tailor our information to your needs.

Our Team

With five psychologists on staff, Rice Psychology Group is dedicated to providing highly personalized and compassionate care.

For More Information on Our Services, Please Contact Us at
813-969-3878 or by email at info@ricepsychology.com