Categories
Latest

Hey, Parents: Texting Your College-Aged Child May Benefit Their Mental Health

Being the parent of a college-aged student can be a difficult transition for the parent/child relationship. For many parents, this is the first time their child has been out of their home on a consistent basis. With each passing semester, these young adults grow more independent, many returning home less and less often. And, even […]

Categories
Latest

Qualities of Healthy Relationships

Since February includes Valentine’s Day, it seems like a good time to remind ourselves about the qualities of healthy and unhealthy relationships. However, did you also know that February is also host to a number of other relationship-oriented holidays? Yes, in addition to Valentine’s Day, this month also includes International Friendship Month, National Weddings Month, […]

Categories
Latest

Increasing Mental Safety: A Response to Threats Made to HBCU Campuses

In the past few days, more than a dozen historically Black colleges and universities have received bomb threats. The students, staff, and faculty on these campuses have experienced fear, frustration, and the need to bolster their physical, emotional, and mental defenses. This cycle, repeating threats from throughout history, has existed for far too long for […]

Categories
Latest

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Hello January with your cold, long days and less light than we are used to. Are you over yet?! Many people start the calendar year with a lot of hope for a fresh start, only to hit what feels like quicksand when it comes to motivation and activity. You may have heard the mental health […]

Categories
Latest

New Year, Old You?

This first month of the year can bring such hope for a fresh start. Maybe you are hoping for a new health routine, a reset on your financial goals, maybe it’s a new approach to self-care or relationships. Perhaps it is that long-awaited goal on the horizon but, you know it’s going to take some […]

Categories
Latest

Mental Health & the Extended College Holiday

The holidays can be an emotionally charged experience for many people. However, for college students and staff, there is an added layer of difference because we take such an extended break from our normal routine. While most people take a few days to a week from their day-to-day routine during the holidays, colleges often close […]

Categories
Latest

Managing Media Intake and Mental Health

While the news is always a somewhat tricky thing to navigate, there are currently some particularly difficult stories. With regard to ongoing concerns, the emergence of new COVID-19 variants is creating uncomfortable unknowns. And, more acutely, the Ghislaine Maxwell and Duggar trials along with the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan can serve as triggers for […]

Categories
PIP News

Intentionally Planning for Holiday Breaks from School

Last year, we offered an article about the strangeness that surrounded the holidays due to the pandemic. And, while we are certainly still working through this public health crisis to a degree, our trips back home from school during the holidays this year may look a little bit more “normal” than they did last year. […]

Categories
Latest

Why Do We Call It Practicing Gratitude?

With Thanksgiving on the way, it seemed an appropriate time to talk about gratitude. There are so many opportunities and social media campaigns around gratitude this time of year. But, practicing gratitude only in November won’t give you the results you need to think gratefully regularly. Gratitude must be “practiced” to become a habit. Why […]

Categories
Latest

What is Toxic Positivity and How Can We Avoid It?

Years ago, I had a friend who was facing a very difficult time. Her marriage was struggling, and she was also having some challenges at work. As we sat together, she would share a bit of what was bothering her, stop, apologize, say something like, “But other people have it so much worse than I […]