For People Leaving Jail and Prison in California, Programs to Support Their Reentry Are a Lifeline
People in the reentry program can receive housing, job training and substance use treatment.
Laurie's Latest Articles
How Allen Ginsberg’s Poems About Madness Helped Change Psychiatry: An Interview with Biographer Dr. Stevan Weine
Dr. Stevan Weine talks about his recent book on how poet Allen Ginsberg's writings helped change psychiatry for the better.
Colorado Librarian Fired for Resisting Censorship Wins $250,000 Settlement
Librarian Brooky Parks was vindicated for standing up for what she believed in: The right to read.
Breaking Away From Hate
Trauma, abuse, and mental health problems can make people more vulnerable to violent extremism. Here’s how a movement founded in part by former white supremacists is helping extricate Americans from violent hate groups.
Peer Court Keeps Youth Accountable, Removes Shame and Stigma
Marin County's Peer Solutions program works to keep young people out of the criminal justice system, encouraging responsibility and transformation.
‘I Can’t Have a Child In This Climate’
The Supreme Court's ruling on abortion greenlights the criminalization of pregnancy.
Combating veteran suicides with peers, therapy, housing – and a little horse sense
Since 1974, Swords to Plowshares has helped veterans with PTSD or other problems find jobs, benefits and a place to live.
‘Corporal Punishment is Violence’: Black Communities Vow to Ban School Paddling
Corporal punishment is disproportionately inflicted on Black children and is higher in areas with histories of lynching
Librarians’ Mental Health Threatened By Book Bans, Abuse And Harassment
Some librarians used to make jokes about Fahrenheit 451 as they pushed back on threats of censorship. But now it hits too close to home.
New Federal Bill Would Boost Funding for 988 Mental Health Crisis Line
New federal legislation would boost funding for the new 988 emergency line that is slated to go into effect in July. “If we had a 988 line to call on June 2, 2019, it might have saved Mile’s life,” said Taun Hall, the mother of Miles Hall, who was killed by police during a mental health crisis.
Congressional hearing challenges use of physical punishment, restraints in schools
Child advocates told members of a Congressional subcommittee that federal legislation is needed to protect students from “brutal” forms of harsh or physical punishment including paddling, seclusion and restraint.
LA schools trade cops for counselors
A new course teaches med students how climate change affects the psyche. And Black students get L.A. school board to reduce school cops and fund mental health support.
Message to employers: Try a little tenderness
A California courtroom took testimony from 39 inmates about jail mental health. A US Air Force general posts on Twitter about his need for mental health support. Listening sessions on reparations for African Americans harmed by past and continuing injustices will start in California.
Introducing: The MindSite News Review of Books
Now on tap: reviews of The Distance Cure, Morningside Heights, Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness and an interview with the author of The Empire of Depression.
If Big Bird does it, I will be OK
Elmo helps kids get ready to be vaccinated. New research finds links between chemo brain and COVID brain fog. California schools chief rolls out a film to shore up mental health for students and school staff.
San Jose to require gun insurance
A school district in Illinois has rolled out an array of support for “the big elephant in the room” – student mental health. San Jose passed the first ordinance in the nation requiring gun owners to buy insurance, which will help fund mental health services.
The toll of a devastating tornado
A new book explores how urban design can boost mental health. A guaranteed-income program helps families in Sacramento. Plus, how residents of a small town in Kentucky are weathering the traumatic scars of a tornado that leveled much of their town.
Is potent meth fueling homelessness?
A giant Brazilian retailer is helping employees experiencing domestic violence escape from their abusers. A debate between two journalists over the role of a potent form of methamphetamine in fueling psychosis and homelessness.
The Therapy Chicken is in!
A new guaranteed-income program helps struggling families in New York City. Washington DC youth getting immediate emotional support through texting. And therapy chickens!
The challenges of supportive housing
California's supportive housing efforts face headwinds. Fifteen states take aim at hormone therapy for transgender kids.
Speaking out for children, a little help from friends
A MindSite News essayist speaks out for kids. Getting by in England with a little help from friends. And a former cheerleader tries to prevent suicides.
The benefits of skiing – and supportive housing
Skiing across miles of snowy Swedish terrain while your compatriots cheer you on helps prevent anxiety. A new mental health startup is virtually connecting Latinos in Iowa with therapists in Latin America. And a Denver-based supportive housing program is saving taxpayers money.
