I hope you are well into "summer break" and finding ways to slow down, relax, and re-energize. We are often asked why we don't offer workshops in the summer and the answer is simple - I try to practice what I preach! What that means is I am on a mission to make sure that mental health professionals make the time and take the time to balance out the challenges of work with tangible acts of self-care, and I try to live my life by that same paradigm. So, July and August become opportunities to take things a little slower, travel with my family, increase my attendance at Zumba classes, and allow myself to be in "student mode" by attending conferences that give me new insight and wisdom so I can keep growing professionally and personally, too. The good news is it allows me to come back with renewed excitement, state-of-the art information, and a refreshed body and mind, which guarantees that we will hit the ground running as the Fall semester begins!  

The topic for this month's newsletter is inspired by a training I recently gave in Sarasota, Florida for primary care physicians on the identification and treatment of traumatized patients. I was so grateful for the opportunity to talk with them about trauma, and it reminded me, yet again, of the need for a collaborative approach when treating this population. It also reminded me of how little training physicians actually get in understanding how trauma presents in their offices, and the important role that mental health professionals play in helping clients in their healing journeys.