Infant Mental Health?

Have you ever heard this term before? What do you think it means? 

I agree with the definition found here:  Infant Mental Health * Houston

I plan to attend the next meeting in Houston for Infant Mental Health providers scheduled for Monday, January 4, 2010 12:00-2:00 PM. 

DePelchin Children's Center 
4950 Memorial Drive Conf. Room F 
Houston, TX 77007 

The meeting is designed to help Infant Mental Health providers in private and public practice by: 

* Offering continuing education programs 
* Presenting opportunities for professional growth 
* Exchanging information 
* Providing a networking forum 
* Sharing experiences 
* Reducing practitioner isolation 
* Acting as a voice to promote infant mental health 

I would love to hear your thoughts about Infant Mental Health. 

The Soloist

Medication can be helpful in the treatment of mental illness.  But understanding, respect and love are incredible therapeutic tools.

Nathaniel Ayers is mentally ill.  He is also a musical genius.  He was discovered while living on the streets. Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times columnist, connected with him.  This 60 Minutes clip talks about the remarkable relationship between them. Their story is the subject of a motion picture called The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers. Highly recommended. How can we continue to improve the treatment of persons with mental illness?  What does Mr. Ayers' story teach us?

3 great LPC supervisors

Here are the 3 great supervisors who were chosen to have their information featured on our website.  If you (or someone you know) are looking for a great supervision experience, this is probably the right place to start your search.  Choose wisely.  Your LPC supervisor will most likely have a huge impact on the rest of your career as an LPC.

How could we connect mental health interns and supervisors online?

Do you think that it would be useful for interns and supervisors to have a website where they can share information and get connected? Of course, this service would be FREE. I have some ideas on how to do this, but I want to hear from YOU first.  E-mail me at dbuenom@gmail.com or leave your comment.

Facts about suicide in Texas

Suicide is a complex issue.  We need a comprehensive approach aimed at prevention. 

I found some interesting facts (and the cool video) about suicide in Texas at www.texassuicideprevention.org

FACTS:

• Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Texans and the third leading cause of death among youth ages fifteen to twenty-four.

• In 2003, on average, slightly more than six Texans died from suicide each day.

• Regardless of age, males were more likely to die because of suicide than females. In fact, in 2003, 1,851 males and 504 females died of suicide in Texas.

• Suicide rates are highest among Texans seventy years and older. The highest reported suicide rate was among the seventy-five plus age cohort, which reported a rate of 17.4 per 100,000 in 2003.

• Among women, the highest suicide rate occurred among those in the age group of 45-54. The suicide rate for this group was 9.2 per 100,000 women.

• Adolescents are a particularly vulnerable group. In 2003, 348 adolescents ages fifteen to twenty-four died as a result of suicide. Of these, 276 were boys and seventy-two were girls.