Marcus was a determined young man. He was not going to let his past trauma define him. He worked diligently on addressing his challenges, attending school, and gaining skills toward independence.

Casey, a resilient 14-year-old boy, had bounced in and out of 19 homes in his short lifetime. When he arrived at Nexus-Indian Oaks, he began the incredibly tough task of yet again, opening up, trusting people, and reliving his trauma. Through the ups and downs in treatment his smile and his big heart really stood out to our staff. He had so much love to give, but he didn’t have any family in his life and it was breaking his heart.  

There are many advantages to holding zoom meetings-no travel time needed, no reason to compete for available conference room space, and the meeting can be easily recorded and archived. With so many efficiencies using technology, why are so many of us feeling exhausted and fatigued? Here are three factors that may be contributing to our feelings of Zoom fatigue and how we might mitigate them.

Marjorie D. Grevious guides us through a  a mindful breathing.

I am a white woman who has several black female friends. Since the George Floyd murder and police brutality towards black and brown people, I’m feeling more and more alienated from my black friends and fear the divide is only growing. I am not sure if this is because I am white, or because I’m not doing something I should be? Or, maybe it’s all in my head. Whatever it is, I am very sad about it. What I can do to keep my friendships strong? I miss our connections and they mean a lot to me.

For children, ages birth-5 years old, mental health begins with how they form close relationships with caregivers, manage and express their emotions, and explore the environment and learn. A child's development is cumulative, building on previous milestones, which is why it's important to establish safety early on, both physically and emotionally, so that children can thrive in these areas.

I'm the oldest of three adult siblings. My youngest sister, “Sue” was diagnosed with chronic depression, bipolar disorder, and within the past year, narcissistic personality disorder. Since the narcissistic diagnosis, she's stopped seeing her psychiatrist and stopped taking her medication. She's always had issues with pathological lying but I recently found out she has been lying to my other sister and parents about me for years - hurtful, relationship-damaging lies my family believed and she continues to tell to this day. My heart is extremely heavy because I'm contemplating severing ties with her. I know her behavior is largely because of her mental illness but I feel I need to emotionally protect myself from her. I'm at a loss for what to do.

This past year has been many things – it has been challenging, emotional, overwhelming, stressful, and yet it has also been inspiring and rewarding. There is no doubt about it, we have all had to change not only how we do our work but adjust our personal lives due to new stress and worry that we’ve never navigated before. How do we manage all of this and still be the very best possible version of ourselves?

My significant other doesn't believe me when I tell her I have a mental illness. It is really affecting our relationship as she doesn't respect me when I tell her I need extra time or space. How else can I show her what I am going through? 

Nexus Family Healing recently welcomed Mary Bear-Dukes to the organization’s senior executive leadership team where she will serve as Vice President of Information Technology (IT) and Quality.

The Vice President of IT & Quality is a new position being added to Nexus Family Healing and will play a vital role in creating innovative change, securing the necessary technological and continuous improvement support necessary to meet the needs of the growing organization and its agencies. This position will oversee and lead information technology and quality outcomes, including implementing a digital transformation strategy, enhancing safety and risk management. Bear-Dukes will also work to set the vision and strategy behind Nexus’ data-driven decision-making and inspire continuous quality improvement practices to achieve positive outcomes for the children and families served each year.