As 2023 draws to a close, I find myself filled with anticipation and excitement for the potential that 2024 holds. Turning the fresh pages of a new calendar is an opportune moment to reflect on the journey we've traveled so far and to set our sights on the adventures awaiting us in 2024.
I am forever grateful to all of those around me - my family, friends, and coworkers - for their love, light, and support and am thrilled to enter another exciting year with them.
As we turn the corner into 2024, let's embrace the spirit of optimism and resilience. It's a time for new beginnings and promising opportunities as well as a chance to create meaningful experiences.
Wishing you a new year filled with joy, success, and countless memorable moments.
Warm regards
I am delighted to tell you that our next International Transport Training will take place in Dallas, TX, on March 21,22,23, 2024, at the DFW Behavioral Health Symposium.
If you’re looking to learn more about how to effectively provide trauma-informed care, this is the training for you. In this 16-hour workshop, participants will learn about the safety, collaborative, and relational aspects of Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Transports™. You’ll also be trained on how to perform a Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Transport™ and on the HRH&A Respectful Adolescent Transport Process™.
You can find more information about the training here.
Monthly Blog Round-Up
The following is a round-up of our monthly blogs in case you missed any on our social media pages.
As the seasons change and summer fades into the crisp colors of fall, many of us find ourselves struggling with a significant dip in our moods. Difficult and draining feelings of anxiety, sadness, or even dread can creep in with the longer nights and persist throughout the winter months.
While this feeling often seems isolating and difficult to discuss with others, it is actually a widespread phenomenon and well-recognized type of depression that affects many people around the world: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
The holidays are often portrayed as merry and filled with laughter, cheer, and love. For many of us, however, the reality is quite different. Seasonal pressure to spend time with others – whether at mandatory work parties, hometown holiday friend reunions, or during extended family gatherings and celebrations – can bring about feelings of intense worry and fear, particularly for those who struggle with social anxiety.
The worries and fears that characterize general anxiety play a large role in many mental health conditions, but social anxiety is a particularly persistent form.
Any kind of mental health diagnosis in the family can be tough to deal with. Suddenly, you’re in uncharted territory with new challenges and with little or no time to prepare. We want to help our loved ones as much as possible but are often unsure if it’s helping or hindering. This is especially true for bipolar disorder, one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions.
We are here to be your compass in these choppy waters and serve as a source of understanding, guidance, and, above all, hope.
In the face of adversity, we often hear such well-intentioned positive phrases thrown our way to comfort us. Whether we cynically brush them off as meaningless platitudes or take them more seriously, positivity at the expense of acknowledging real pain can be harmful. This is toxic positivity, an insidious trend that can undermine our mental health.
Toxic positivity represents an obsessive focus on positive thinking. While, in theory, it sounds great to “let go of all the bad things and only embrace the good,” it can result in the silencing of genuine negative emotions.
