Who Helps the Helpers? 2020 Stretches the Limits of Frontline Workers, Most of All by Madeline Burke As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread into the next year, many conversations have been focused on the return to normal and the new normal. The pandemic has significantly changed our daily lives at work, school…
Unmasking Anxiety: Facing the Culprit to Find Control by Heather Allmendinger Is it an inner voice, lightning through the chest, an uneasy stomach or a little green monster? In disguise and unexpectedly, anxiety can creep into daily life and set up shop ready to disassemble stability, piece by piece. According to a 2017 National…
Allies of Mental Health: Youth Home Arkansas’ deaf community in Arkansas is one of the most underserved and overlooked demographics in the mental health field. This unfortunate reality is one that Kerry Ingram, LPC-S, knows all too well, working with hearing-challenged individuals at Youth Home. And Ingram hasn’t just worked for these people on…
Out of the Flames: Glen Johnson Found Life in Arkansas by Dustin Jayroe It would be easy to say that Glen Johnson has “made it.” His version of the American Dream plays out every day before his contented eyes. He’s a business leader of what those without his air of humility would call…
Allies of Mental Health AY About You is proud to present its 2020 Allies of Mental Health, an inaugural special section to provide resources and further the discussion around the subject. Each of these talented individuals and esteemed organizations has left a lasting imprint on Arkansas, and we are grateful for their selfless service.…
Jeff Collins walks into a large room. He carries a plate of cookies that he sets down on a table before 15 sets of eyes slouched into folding chairs. Collins, 57, the founder and CEO of Second Chance Ministry of Northeast Arkansas, isn’t fazed by the lukewarm reception. He’s spoken in front of 80-something…
“When Oceans Rise, I will stand in your embrace.” That song has long been a soundtrack to my life, introduced to me by my husband. When oceans rise in my life, I have found great relief in standing in the embrace of my God. But some days, it has been so much more difficult…
Few pieces of literature have stuck with me in the way that Stevie Smith’s “Not Waving but Drowning” has. It’s a lingering presence that’s always there to remind, whether consciously or otherwise — which is not dissimilar to the very subject of mental health in general. Every time I learn of another tragedy that seems…
by Dustin Jayroe John Doe has battled addiction for nearly a decade. His substance use began as a social pastime during his college years; a little drinking turned into a little smoking and a little snorting, as his cohort of fellow young adults stumbled upon plethoric access to party-time potions. But what remained occasional…
As a high school teenager, I witnessed a lot of depression and had experienced suicide. Growing up in a small city that was growing into a bigger one, I became friends with a lot of people from school. So, experiencing depression was something I would see every day at school. I also battled with…
