September 2017

Black Americans are far less likely than their white peers to successfully erase their debts in court—and a network of attorneys profits as a result. Novasha Miller pushed through the revolving doors of the black glass tower on Jefferson Avenue last December and felt a rush of déjà vu. The building, conspicuous in Memphis’ modest skyline along the Mississippi River, looms over its neighbors. Then she remembered: Years ago, as a teenager, she’d accompanied her mother inside. Now she was 32,...

For most of us, temptations are everywhere, from the dessert buffet to the online shoe boutique. But a new study suggests that exercise might be a simple if unexpected way to increase our willpower and perhaps help us to avoid making impulsive choices that we will later regret. Self-control is one of those concepts that we all recognize and applaud but do not necessarily practice. It requires forgoing things that entice us, which, let’s face it, is not fun. On the other hand, lack of...

In any given week, Ben Crotte, a behavioral health therapist at Children's Home of Cincinnati, speaks to dozens of students in need of an outlet. Their challenges run the adolescent gamut, from minor stress about an upcoming test to severe depression, social isolation and bullying. Amid the flood of conversations, meetings and paperwork, the challenge for Crotte - and mental health professionals everywhere - is separating hopeless expressions of pain and suffering from crucial warning signs...

Proclamation: The mayor will proclaim October as Resilience Awareness Month in a presentation to Children’s Resilience Initiative Director Teri Barila. [For more on this story, go to http://www.union-bulletin.com/news/local_governments/walla_walla/agenda---walla-walla-ctiy-council/article_47156f68-a2ea-11e7-9472-d7890f8619d9.html ] Photo: Second and Main in Walla Walla, Washington

Suicide is a national public health concern. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States in 2013. 1 Recent research indicates that suicide is at a 30-year high. 2 In addition, other reports conclude that the suicide rate is rising sharply for males aged 45 to 64 (from 20.8 to 29.7 deaths per 100,000 between 1999 and 2014) and females aged 45 to 64 also had...

A recent review of the research in the area, which included data from six countries, including Mexico and India, found that soda taxes do indeed reduce soda consumption. However, they also prompt substitution – typically fruit juices or milk. While these do have more nutritional value, they do not have fewer calories so it is unlikely that they will have long-term effects on weight. The bottom line: without addressing why people overeat, obesity can’t be fought effectively. And, though it is...

http://www.liherald.com/rockvillecentre/stories/the-importance-of-understanding-childhood-trauma,96043

Featuring 9 Wellness Stations designed to reflect the 8 Dimensions of Wellness, the morning activities were followed by a World Cafe style (the Wellness Cafe) discussion of the meaning of, and need for, healing in daily life. This blog post captures Part I- the adventure through the wellness stations. Part II will highlight the afternoon activities, including Wellness Cafe and the Wellness Cookout.

Without yoga and coffee, I'm kind of a jerk. These are my personal "puppy uppers and doggie downers" and prevent me from being cranky, quick to cry, and ready for conflict. Coffee and calming make life more manageable. They make humans seem tolerable and me less prone to hate them (us) for being so needy. Despising needs isn't a great trait for a parent, partner or a professional. Or a self. My partner says coffee and exercise are acts of kindness and promote public safety. In other words,...

Riitta Excell wore a pair of homemade wool socks: white with red floral patterns and rounded blue toes. Around her were women sipping tea and enjoying plum pastries and chicken feta pie. They wore homemade wool socks, as well. It was nearly 3 o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon, and Pirkko Fihlman’s living room on the outskirts of Helsinki was filled with black-and-white family photos, porcelain figurines of angels and birds, and embroidered rococo chairs. The clink of tea cups fell silent, and...

Public School 48, where I’m on staff as a social worker, sits on a block between a juvenile detention center and a strip club. The school serves around 900 mostly Hispanic and African American children in prekindergarten through fifth grade, with a large percentage of those kids living in shelter apartments. Of course, PS 48 has an educational mission, not a clinical one, but I’m part of a service staff that includes speech, occupational, and physical therapists. I’ve been a school social...

The challenge to the Trump administration’s travel ban has been pulled from the Supreme Court docket for now, but the justices still have an opportunity this coming term to confront a high-profile case that raises direct questions about racial or religious animus. The court has been asked to overturn its own precedent and invalidate a Louisiana law that permits criminal convictions in felony cases where a jury is not unanimous in finding guilt. Only two states — Louisiana and Oregon — employ...