My morning walked yielded much more than increasing my heart rate.  I do my best thinking and summon my highest level of creativity during that time.  Today, typical of late July on the East Coast, is humid and stuffy.  It's not very hot, but still uncomfortable.  I pressed on to get in one mile.   Inhaling and exhaling with purpose, I found myself relaxed and undaunted by the steep incline of the path ahead of me.   In the past, I would have convinced myself that I needed to turn back. In the past, I would have told myself that  I needed to get back on the even trail--the easier path.  I would have been unaware of the negative voices that whispered--"you can't" ; I would have been controlled by these 'voices'.   If you're reading this, you already know where I'm going.  Many of us engage in self limiting, self negating, subconscious negative self evaluation. The awareness of this way of thinking isn't enough to change it. It takes work.  It takes time but once you do, the mountains you'll be able to climb will be huge.

How did I overcome this deeply entrenched  and powerfully limiting thinking?  I'll tell you in my next post.  It's simple and available to everyone.  Be back soon....

Welcome!  This blog will focus on  de- stigmatizing and demystifying  mental health disorders.   My specialty is working with children so much of the focus will be on issues that affect children.  Mental health disorders in children are growing at an alarming rate. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), 13% of children between the ages of 8 and 15 have a diagnosable mental disorder.  That is startling yet reflects my experience in working with children in school settings.

In 2007, I recognized that if I was going to make any impact on the lives of children and their families, I needed to take a more proactive stance. I needed to extend my reach beyond the boundaries of my private office.  If I was going to play a role in decreasing the taboo of mental health disorders and increase access to mental health services, I needed to create a more visible presence in many communities.  
I'll talk about  my very successful process in the next blog post.

Again, welcome.  If you're interested in learning about specific issues, let me know.  
If you're a mental health professional, who is interested in learning how to expand your reach, decrease the stigma of mental health services, I can show you how.