NMHIC Blog

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Mar 31, 2021

With repeated tragedies in the headlines, a lot of people are feeling fear, anxiety, and grief. Many of us, I suspect, could use some help handling those difficult emotions and thoughts in the wake of continued gun violence in our state and across the country. Mindfulness cannot undo the damage done by senseless actions of violence, but it is one tool to help us cope.

Mar 11, 2021

Feeling comfortable in one’s space can act as a grounding mechanism to reduce such stress. The relationship between spatial comfortability and stress is an important concept which is involved in every one of our lives, whether we know it or not. Investigating the various ways in which we can create a comfortable space, whether it be physically or mentally, is key in understanding the effects that architectural and organizational decisions within various communities, facilities, or environments have on mental stress.

Feb 24, 2021

When I really listened, the theme that I heard was that people built their resiliency over time and with infinite patience and compassion from those they trusted most and (perhaps more importantly) for themselves. They asked themselves what they truly needed in the moment of and were able to create space between the quick thoughts. Hence, they were able to refocus to the present moment, seek reassurance from themselves and those they trusted that they were okay, and then solve the situation or challenge.

Dec 14, 2020

The upcoming holiday season will be unspeakably difficult, amidst a pandemic many will miss the time surrounded by family and friends, we are also mindful of loved ones lost. Our thoughts turn to the 8th anniversary of the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School, including Avielle Rose Richman, 19 of her classmates and 6 educators. Urvi Sanghvi, founding member of the Avielle Foundation, wrote a blog piece on the legacy of grief and trauma in the aftermath of survival and recovery following a challenging experience. Urvi reminds us that compassion and kindness are more important than ever and the importance of looking after ourselves and others as we move forward.

Nov 4, 2020

Coming into this school year, I was unsure what to expect. My past two years at the University of Washington were fun, exciting, academically challenging, and, well, in-person. This year, though, posed new challenges as we transitioned to a completely virtual campus. There wasn’t a “How to do Online School” handbook or an experience that I could relate with to make anything easier. We were all thrown into it. But with practice I was able to organize my life around COVID-19 guidelines while also having a somewhat authentic college experience, as much as one could at least.

Aug 6, 2020

NMHIC has created an Inside Out Viewing Guide to help the community start conversations with youth between 5 – 14 years old (adults welcome as well!) about emotions and responding to trying circumstances.

Jul 23, 2020

While virtually every person has been affected by the pandemic, students have suffered an exceptionally great deal of uncertainty, anxiety, boredom, loneliness, and instability. Personally, the effects of remote learning, social isolation, and the general uncertainty surrounding my education, social, and professional life have caused my mental health to deteriorate.

Jun 11, 2020

Recently, many virtual reality (VR) offerings have begun to pivot to offer their solutions in 2D. In layman’s terms this means you can now view the experience from a browser as well as in a VR environment. Some content developers have already launched browser-based options and others have put this in their development roadmap. This pivot covers several issues for mental health patients as well as the general population consumers of wellness or mental health tech.

May 28, 2020

The integration of technology into most workplaces has been occurring at a slow but steady pace. Until COVID-19 hit, that is. The reliance on technology is a critical component of the transition to working from home, right at the epicenter of telework, and technology also comes with pros and cons. Thankfully, many tech platforms come equipped with several bells and whistles, both for amusement (read: creative and funny Zoom backgrounds) and to enhance functioning and performance.

May 14, 2020

When comparing the gender, racial, and ethnic diversity of the US population broadly, over half the population is female, and 18% of the population is LatinX. Yet, at major companies like Dell and Microsoft, the gender make-up skews to males by a large margin, and there are less than 10% of LatinX employees.

Apr 30, 2020

It’s too early to say exactly what effect this period will have on people’s short- and long-term mental health, but given that almost a fifth of American adults have likely experienced a diagnosable anxiety-related disorder in the past year, it’s likely that there will be a long and challenging road ahead of us.

Apr 16, 2020

The vulnerable groups are not just the elderly population or those with pre-existing conditions or the homeless or under-housed. They are folks from all walks of life who are struggling to cope financially, mentally, or physically with the crisis. There are too many stories and scenarios I have read and heard about to enumerate in this blog post. This pandemic is having a tremendous impact on people from every stratum.

Apr 9, 2020

Digital tools and platforms became the front face of this classroom. These tools facilitated instruction, communication, and evaluation of learning. This is not the way we typically test technology solutions and their implementation. The urgency and timeline required focus to allow technology to be the tool that gets education done; rather than filling its former role as a modern facilitator of learning to the usual (in-person) classroom experience.

Mar 19, 2020

Many therapists and agencies have started to offer teletherapy for people they are providing mental health services to. These tips apply to video therapy – where therapist and client participate in the session using a video platform.

Mar 16, 2020

Your job, family and daily routine are most likely being impacted by the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The CDC has provided important guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus and protect your physical health.

Jan 22, 2020

Accessing affordable care is a challenge in mental health and other healthcare sectors as well, but technology companies have begun to break down barriers to treatment through innovative solutions and of those innovations (VR) is one of the most exciting

Oct 14, 2019

Download the full schedule for the upcoming VR & Behavioral Healthcare Symposium coming to Anschutz October 7 & 8.

Jun 11, 2019

In this episode we have Justin Kruger, the founder of Project Helping, a volunteer network founded not only with the intention of bettering communities but benefiting the mental wellness of its volunteers.

Jun 4, 2019

In this episode, Matt and Rick interview Representative Leslie Herod at the Capitol Building in downtown Denver.

Jun 5, 2019

Children who have experienced trauma can develop emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and relationship difficulties that can adversely impact their ability to learn and impede general success in school. Teachers and other school staff may experience secondary trauma when working with these students because managing and responding to their behavior can be confusing and exhausting.