Author Archives for Ashley Vactor
May is Mental Health Month but what about the other 334 days of the year? For most of us in this line of work every month is mental health month and we are all too intimately familiar with the anguish and despair we hear from those who are struggling. For many who reach out to… View Article
Published on - May 31, 2016 6:37 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
A few years ago, I read a pair blog posts, from professional screenwriters, about how you don’t often see depression in films or on TV. The (somewhat understandable) general concession from each writer was that it’s tough to get a general audience to follow a character whose state renders him/her more “passive” than “active” –… View Article
Published on - May 23, 2016 7:01 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
Nothing. That’s what I’ve been called. That’s what I’ve been amounted to. That’s what I felt like. That’s never what I thought I’d be. I was born and raised in Harlem. My father gone before I was born, my older brother gone by the time I was 6, and my mother a devout Christian. I… View Article
Published on - May 23, 2016 4:45 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
A new film, ‘A Voice at the Table‘, addresses the need for the inclusion of attempt survivors in suicide prevention efforts. Until recently, their voices have gone unheard. “The Center for Disease Control tells us that approximately 38,000 people in the United States die by suicide. With those 38,000 that die by suicide, 25 attempt…. View Article
Published on - May 22, 2016 7:10 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
Working in the field of child welfare, whether it is preventive, foster care, or child protection is a choice and it is not for everyone. There are probably some days, sometimes where we might think it is not even for us. The choice to go out into the field, into people’s homes (sometimes invited, sometimes… View Article
Published on - May 10, 2016 7:47 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
Sarah Vander Schaaff is a writer, blogger and a mother of two from New Jersey, who has struggled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder for as long as she can remember. Her courageous column in the Washington Post (“Obsessive –compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life”, January 4th) received international attention for its honesty and openness. This is the… View Article
Published on - May 6, 2016 6:02 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is supporting National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) efforts to increase access to behavioral health services and supports for children, youth, and young adults who experience mental or substance use disorders and their families. The Awareness Day… View Article
Published on - May 4, 2016 4:37 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
We have begun our Mental Health Month coverage with two different pieces of content, united by one vital common thread. The first is a blog by a young mother of two from New Jersey, Sarah Vander Schaaff. I first became aware of Sarah after reading her courageous column in the Washington Post about her struggles… View Article
Published on - May 3, 2016 9:13 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
Sarah Vander Schaaff is a writer, blogger and a mother of two from New Jersey, who has struggled with Obsessive-compulsive disorder for as long as she can remember. Her courageous column in the Washington Post (“Obsessive –compulsive disorder nearly ruined her life”, January 4th) received international attention for its honesty and openness. This is the… View Article
Published on - April 22, 2016 5:42 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor
* Originally on POLITICO by Dan Goldberg | Mar. 31, 2016 Mayor Bill de Blasio will today sign an executive order establishing the Mental Health Council, which will coordinate efforts to confront mental health challenges across several agencies. The council will be led by Deputy Mayor Richard Buery and First Lady Chirlane McCray, whose ThriveNYC… View Article
Published on - March 31, 2016 4:40 pm
Published by - Ashley Vactor