Mental Health Matters

As the nation and Michiganders continue to process the tragic events that happened at Oxford High School in southeast Michigan, it’s important to recognize that children may need help feeling safe as they learn about the shooting. According to...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: Talking to children about the Oxford School shooting"

It can be difficult to experience a mental health crisis or to watch someone you love go through it. It may feel like there aren’t any solutions and you may not know what to do during a crisis. It’s...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: Who to call during a mental health crisis"

Opioid use disorder can happen to anyone and can happen with any type of opioid, whether it’s using illegal drugs or becoming addicted to prescription medication. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an estimated 2...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: Medication Assisted Treatment for Substance Use Disorders"

An estimated 373,000 Michigan residents identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+). As a state, we have made progress to expand equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community and for the first time in history, Governor Whitmer...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: June is Pride Month"

By Gary Boerema. Guest Writer. God looked down on Earth and thought: “I have a child to give” But to the family of this boy It’s love by which he’ll live The love he needs and the love he...... READ MORE OF "A Father’s Love For His Son"

This past year presented so many different challenges and obstacles that tested our strength and resiliency. The global pandemic forced us to cope with situations we never even imagined and a lot of us struggled with our mental health...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: May is Mental Health Awareness Month"

By Lily Winston and Alan Neushwander We live in a turbulent time where mental health is concerned. On the one hand, there’s an argument to be made that there are more stress factors on people today than at any...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: How Telehealth is Expanding Mental Health Access"

By Cindy Boerema, West Michigan Community Mental Health “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” For individuals with developmental disabilities, hourly and daily routine schedules are lifelines and help control...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: How Covid-19 has impacted those with developmental disabilities"

The first day of winter is the shortest day of the year. This year, it falls on December 21. While we are still a few weeks away from winter, we are only seeing about nine hours of daylight each...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: Coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder"

I recently saw a meme on social media that said, “I’ve never met a strong person with an easy past.” When I first met Kelly Stoudt when I started working at West Michigan Community Mental Health last year, I...... READ MORE OF "Mental Health Matters: Recovery is possible for those battling addiction"