The word ‘family’ is commonly interpreted as a group of individuals bound through marriage, blood, or adoption consisting of two parents and one or more children. The question at hand is what makes a household a family? Is it the fact that they are related, live in the same home, or is it because of the connections they have to each other? My definition of family is someone who you can go to for support, ask for guidance, depend on, and have unconditional love for you.  

There are direct and indirect warning signs when it comes to suicide.

My daughter is a 35-year-old, college graduate. She is very smart and intelligent. During her undergrad, she suffered from depression and it continues today. She has been treated by many psychiatrists doctors. First, she was diagnosed only with depression, then she was diagnosed with major depression, panic, and anxiety issues. Please advise me where to go from here? Is any treatment can help her? I am desperate to find some treatment for her.

Don’t be afraid to ask: It is a common misconception that asking about suicidal feelings will in some way “plant the idea” in a child’s mind and cause them to attempt suicide. In fact, the opposite is true.

I overheard my teenage daughter and her friends talking about their favorite show and how one of the characters committed suicide. I was a little nervous overhearing this conversation and I want to help them have guided conversations around suicide, but I don't know where to start. How can teens talk about suicide with each other?

Are you a planner? As a parent or caregiver, what if there was a way to plan for more than just the monumental moments in life? However, there may be unforeseen moments throughout our children’s lives that lead up to these milestones, and we want to ensure that your child reaches these milestones safely. It is important to help your child develop a crisis safety plan for moments when life may feel a bit too heavy to handle on their own. 

Help kids identify ways to cope with stress, relax, and practice resilience in the face of difficult events.

I work as an ICU RN and for the past year or so I’ve been in the COVID ICU. It is like a war zone, where I watch people die every single day. The amount of stress has taken a toll on my health. Things were getting better for a while, but now as the COVID numbers increase again it means managing more cases and experiencing more death. My mom lives with me and has been living with me for about 5 years. We had a great relationship, but this last year her best friend submerged her into conspiracies theories. My mom doesn’t believe COVID is real, doesn’t wear a mask, and thinks vaccines are a way to control us. What can I do?

Connection is incredibly important for kids’ health and well-being. Help your child identify people in their lives they can look to for help.

My teenage son's friend committed suicide and my son is having a really hard time. We haven’t talked together about suicide in the past, and I am not sure what approach to take to have these difficult conversations. How do I start the conversation and how do I best support him at this time?