I am in LOVE with this program. Ian Mouser is a local singer-songwriter who worked in a therapy setting with kids struggling with behavioral problems. Ian noticed the almost immediate reduction in harmful behavior when he allowed kids to work out their emotions to music. He started a non-profit called My Voice Music where kids […]
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” ~Albert Einstein Why are activities with music, movement, drama, and art so successful with people suffering from mental illness? Through activities with the arts, artists can give meaning to thoughts and feelings that might otherwise […]
Eric Hutchinson gladly lent his support to the #KeepOregonWell campaign. The singer-songwriter talked openly about battling depression and why he thinks everyone should consider talking with a therapist about the challenges they face. Eric was in town with Kelly Clarkson at the Moda Center.
Alpha Rev’s Casey McPherson’s music has so much emotional depth and beauty, one begins to sense that this charismatic frontman has been to very, very dark places and lived to tell about it. McPherson was incredibly open in this interview about his father’s suicide, and later, the suicide of his only brother. The former front […]
If a young musician asked me whose career to emulate, I’d have no hesitation in answering David Gray. Gray has managed to achieve both commercial and critical success while maintaining an artistic vision. He’s had multiple albums and then none at all for years while he regroups to find his muse. He’s been very poor […]
I hosted a public celebration at Pioneer Courthouse Square to mark the end of a hugely successful fundraising campaign for the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. The Phil and Penny Knight Foundation challenged Oregonians to raise $500 million dollars to fight cancer. Make that goal in two years, Knight said, and his foundation would match the […]
Among the greatest frustrations in caring for a person with mental illness is Anosognosia, or lack of awareness. Dr. Xavier Amador talks with me about how to get the help your loved one needs. Amador is the director of the LEAP Institute, an internationally renowned leader in his field, with numerous books, authoritative research, worldwide […]
I have always admired the redemptive story of Dave Dahl, a former convict who turned his life around by making the killer recipe called “Blues Bread,” that revolutionized the bread industry. Dahl became the face of Dave’s Killer Bread, and helped turn a family baking industry into a multi-million dollar brand. Dave’s Killer Bread is […]
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Trillium Family Services, Oregon’s largest provider of mental and behavioral health care named its Mental Health heroes. I’m humbled and grateful for the opportunity to stand for people struggling with brain disorders. Please learn more about Trillium Family Services’ trauma-informed approach to care. It is revolutionary, hopeful and […]
I chose to write about mental illness in All the Things We Never Knew for one reason–to give people hope. It was excruciating to watch my former husband descend into mental illness and not know where to turn or who to ask for help. The unexpected gift of writing on this topic is that people […]
