Trauma

Using the Mind and Body in Recovering from Sexual Assault

April 2, 2019

By Kelly Davis, MHA Director of Peer Advocacy, Supports, and Services

Reflecting on Sandy Hook

December 14, 2018

By Paul Gionfriddo, MHA President and CEO

I was sitting at home doing some writing in 2012 when I turned on the noontime news. There was only a small news item at first – there had been a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in Newtown, and there were at least a couple of confirmed casualties.

From a Survivor of Sexual Assault Living with PTSD

November 2, 2018

By Michelle DiMuria, Founder, Board Member & CEO, BEE Daring Foundation

Hearing “You have PTSD!” changed my life forever!

Never in a million years did I think I’d be diagnosed with PTSD, but I was sexually assaulted, and PTSD followed; it was in the moment I knew I wanted to share my story with others. Shortly after, I self-disclosed my diagnosis by telling close friends and family that I had PTSD.

The Importance of Mental Health During Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April 9, 2018

By Kelly Davis, Director of Peer Advocacy, Supports, and Services

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and any conversation about sexual trauma should include its impact on mental health.

Treatment is Prevention: An Argument for Trauma-Informed Mental Health Treatment

March 10, 2015

By Andrea Blanch, Ph.D. and David Shern, Ph.D.

Reflecting on Sandy Hook Two Years Later

December 14, 2014

By Paul Gionfriddo, Mental Health America President/CEO

I was sitting at home doing some writing two years ago when I turned on the noontime news. There was only a small news item at first – there had been a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in Newtown, and there were at least a couple of confirmed casualties.

It hit home for me, because of my Connecticut roots, and I began to pay close attention. As the next few hours unfolded and the extent of the tragedy became known, I was shocked and horrified by what I learned.

In the Aftermath of the Marysville Shooting

October 27, 2014

By Paul Gionfriddo, President/CEO

I was sitting at my desk when the news broke on Friday afternoon that a fifteen year old student at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington had opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing at least one other student before taking his own life as well.

Another fourteen year old died over the weekend, bringing the death toll to three – all young teenagers.

Ferguson is a Community in Distress, Not a Community at Unrest

August 24, 2014

By Paul Gionfriddo, President/CEO of Mental Health America

By now, everyone has heard the news from Ferguson, Missouri. An unarmed 18 year old named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer. Michael Brown was black.

Until recently, Ferguson was a community best known for its proximity to St. Louis and its designation as a Playful City, USA.