David Susman

Psychotherapy Works!

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Chances are good either you or someone you know has participated in psychotherapy. In psychotherapy, you and a trained mental health professional work together to help you reduce distress, feel better and work toward achieving your personal goals. But how well does psychotherapy work? I still run into folks who question whether psychotherapy is really effective or not. They question how “talk therapy” can help bring about any positive benefits, and many people still have only the classic image of …

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7 Myths About Physical Restraints in Psychiatric Facilities

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We’ve probably all seen television shows or movies such as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (starring Jack Nicholson), where an individual with a mental illness is placed in a straitjacket in a psychiatric hospital due to being aggressive or out of control. These images are often disturbing and hard to forget. Further, they perpetuate the myth that this is how people with mental illness are treated in psychiatric facilities when they become violent or unpredictable. Having worked in a …

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How to Identify Your Personal Strengths

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Much has been written about the importance of finding and developing personal strengths as a vital part of the overall process of recovery when dealing with mental health or substance use issues. This is in contrast to an illness-based approach which has typically focused first on cataloging symptoms and problems associated with a person’s illness. By understanding and increasing your personal strengths, you can build a reservoir of positive attitudes, behaviors and activities which can increase your self-confidence and self-esteem. …

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How to Help People That Have Challenging Behaviors

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I’ve often been asked to address how to help a person with a mental illness or a substance misuse issue who is very symptomatic and who may be displaying unusual, disruptive or challenging behaviors. This is an important topic to address because the situation can be very uncomfortable and the person’s behavior may be unpredictable and could become potentially harmful to themselves or others. Let’s take a look at this issue and begin to understand some basic strategies to manage …

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Mental Health Awareness Q & A

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I was asked to be interviewed by Melanie Luxenberg, a mental health advocate and writer, who blogs for the International Bipolar Foundation. In recognition of Mental Health Week in Canada and Mental Health Awareness Month in the US, Melanie asked me to respond to several questions about mental health, stigma and support for people with a mental health condition. With Melanie’s permission, I’m reprinting her interview with me below, or you can link to the original blog post on the …

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11 Effective Ways to Recruit New Members for Your Cause

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Are you involved with a great club, group, charity or organization you really feel passionate about? Would you like to recruit additional new members or supporters? This may sound easy on the surface, but it can be quite a challenge. The past decade has seen steady and significant decreases in various types of group membership, from churches to civic clubs to professional organizations. One possible reason is a generational change in how people choose to connect, with younger people preferring …

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It’s Time to Raise Awareness about Mental Health

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a great time to get involved in promoting greater understanding of mental health issues and helping those who are dealing with a mental illness. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, encourages individuals and organizations to take the “stigmafree pledge.” It has three parts: Learn about mental health—educate myself and others See the person not the illness—strive to listen, understand, tell my own story Take action—spread the word, raise awareness, make a difference …

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10 Easy Ways to Root for the “Mental Health Team”

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As I was watching our state championship high school basketball game, I couldn’t help but notice how enthusiastic and organized the supporters for each team were. I’ve seen this happen time and time again over the years in all different types of sports venues. So I thought, “Why can’t we show this same level of enthusiasm in our support for people with mental health concerns (or any number of other personal challenges in life)? ” Then it dawned on me. We can. …

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