Mental Health

Autism signs in girls look nothing like what most parents expect to see. Note: I am NOT a doctor, psychologist, or psychiatrist; just a dad who’s seen a lot with a lot of education and experience under my belt. I will never claim to be anything other than what I am on this site. Parent-teacher…

Why We Needed a Calm Corner (Before Someone Lost It) Tuesday, 4:47 PM. Six kids ricocheting between rooms like caffeinated pinballs. Our Labrador’s claimed my yoga mat as his personal nap throne. A teenager just taped a “QUARANTINE ZONE—ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK” sign on her bedroom door. And there I am, frozen in the…

They Said I Had What? You walk out of that doctor’s office with a piece of paper in your hand and a label rattling around in your head. Maybe it was “generalized anxiety disorder.” Maybe it was “major depressive episode.” Maybe it just felt like someone had handed you a roadmap written in a foreign…

Picture this: You’re sitting in a waiting room holding an appointment card that says “Dr. Smith, LMFT” and you have no idea what those letters mean. Your teenager needs help, but you’re drowning in acronyms like LPC, LCSW, PhD, and PsyD. Sound familiar? Trust me, as a dad of six kids ranging from 6 to…

Getting your child the right mental health support starts with understanding how mental health is diagnosed. The diagnostic process can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be mysterious or frightening. I’ve walked this path with my own family, and I’ve learned that preparation makes all the difference. When you know what to expect,…

I remember staring at the prescription pad in my doctor’s hand, watching her pen move across the paper with clinical precision. The words she’d just spoken hung in the air like smoke — anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD. After twenty-plus years of military service and raising six kids, I thought I had life figured out. Turns…

Mental health conversations shouldn’t be whispered in corners or avoided at dinner tables. Yet here we are in 2025, still tiptoeing around topics that affect one in four adults annually. I’ve watched friends struggle in silence, family members hide their pain, and entire communities pretend mental illness doesn’t exist within their walls. The truth hits…

The roller coaster never stops. One minute you’re on top of the world, ready to conquer anything in your path. The next, you’re drowning in darkness that feels impossible to escape. Sound familiar? Welcome to the bipolar experience. Managing bipolar mood swings isn’t just about surviving—it’s about taking control of your life when your brain…