RFY Counselling

08/21/2026

4 types of power: What are power over; power with; power to and power within?

When I first started as a youth worker in 1991, I was working in a medium-term accommodation unit for young people who were homeless. I really struggled with being in a position of authority having…

08/08/2026

The Sentis Brain Animation Series takes you on a tour of the brain ...

08/03/2026

How to Recover from Moral Injury, Reclaim Identity

Bouncing Back from Self-Blame:

In life, there are winners and losers...
All of us identify as both at different times in our lives, both personally and professionally.

I have previously written about recovering from professional loss, yet most people have suffered personal loss as well.

Fortunately, both situations involve the opportunity to move from victim to victor with encouragement and support.

The key is knowing how to provide it.

Although physical loss such as an injury takes time to heal, emotional loss can take even longer. This is particularly true with moral injury, where wounds are more than skin deep.

Moral Injury Matters:

Within a law enforcement context, moral injury has been described as psychological distress experienced by officers who witness traumatic events "that involve perpetrating, failing to prevent or witnessing actions that violate deeply held moral beliefs and expectations."

While moral injury was initially examined within the context of veterans and soldiers, it has since been examined within areas such as social work, healthcare, and policing.

One of the most insidious aspects of moral injury its adverse impact on those who suffer from its symptoms without recognizing why they are having the negative and intrusive thoughts.

Experiencing a traumatic event is hard enough; moral injury adds a component of self-blame that negatively impact one’s sense of identity.

Thankfully, that is not always the case.

Moral Injury and Identity:

Untreated, moral injury can lead to loss of identity, but it doesn’t have to.

Thomas J. Hodges et al. (2026) found that although some moral injury leads to such loss, in other cases, trauma reaffirms identity, allowing people to maintain their identity, make sense of traumatic experience, and be resilient to disorders of traumatic stress.

In their study, Hodges et al. (ibid.) examined identity loss and identity maintenance within a population of service members.

Using data from a study of United States veterans, they found an indirect link between morally traumatic experiences and moral injury symptoms related to military identity.

They suggest that these results illustrate the fact that identity is related to symptoms of moral injury, yet they note that it is unclear whether or not potentially morally injurious incidents are linked with personal identity.

They also note that the results depend on how the concept of identity is defined.

Hodges et al. (supra) acknowledge that many military members who leave the service feel as if they have lost a part of themselves.

Some veterans miss friends and colleagues, but also the shared purpose of military life, causing them to feel unfit for living as a civilian.

Some veterans experience negative life consequences such as being unhoused, suicidal, and many become involved with the legal system.

Hodges et al. (supra) note that although identity struggles are common among those who have left the military, identity crises may be exacerbated for veterans who sustained a moral injury during their service, resulting in enduring psychological and spiritual damage suffered as a result of an experience that they perceived as morally wrong

Bounce Back Better:

Correctly recognizing both the cause and symptoms of moral injury in friends and loved ones, instead of simply noting someone appears "depressed" or distraught, is paramount to facilitating a road to recovery.

And because perceived loss of identity as a result of moral injury depends on how it is operationalized, talking through the different aspects of a profession that involved making difficult decisions resulting in traumatic consequences, from the operating table to the battlefield and beyond, can help view the results in context, coupled with assurances of having performed one’s duties with the utmost care and attention.

Sometimes, adverse consequences flow from professionals performing exceedingly well, with attention, aptitude, and expertise.

Reassurance of having acted with excellence can assist someone suffering with moral injury redefine the experience, viewing the circumstances in a much more positive light.

And in addition, particularly within professions where post-traumatic injury and self-blame is common, professional help is available.

This article was originally published in Psychology Today
Wendy L. Patrick, JD, MDiv, Ph.D.

06/20/2026

Listen on your favorite service: https://songwhip.com/jj-heller/lo...

06/20/2026

How Fatherhood Boosts Brain Health

Fatherhood can have a profound impact on men’s lives. Research shows that in addition to gaining a ‘dad bod,’ fathers experience a boost to cognitive and mental health, among other benefits.

Researcher Darby Saxbe, from the University of Southern California, has been researching how being a father affects their health, brains, and relationships.

In her new book, Dad Brain: The Science of Fatherhood and How it Shapes Men’s Live, the clinical psychologist explains that being a committed father directly benefits men in a variety of ways.

She tells The New York Times that while dedicated dads do lose more sleep, gain extra weight and enjoy less free time, they also have a richer life with greater meaning, purpose, and connection.

Statistics show that millennial dads are now spending more time with their children than previous fathers. Compared to their grandparents, millennial fathers’ childcare time has nearly quadrupled.

Some surveys reveal that dads enjoy childcare more than watching TV. Simply put, it makes them happier.

In one of the world’s longest studies of adult life, called The Harvard Study of Adult Development, researchers noted that at age 50, men’s satisfaction with their family and community proved to be a better predictor of health later in life than their midlife cholesterol scores.

Having kids helps strengthen and deepen our relationships not only with family but with the large community, including the parents of their classmates. Children inspire dads to exercise their social brains and to pursue healthier lifestyles.

Saxbe says that fatherhood contributes to better brain and mental health. Studies have shown that brains of parents look younger than their counterparts without kids. In one study, men with two children had an estimated brain age that was 0.6 years younger than their childless peers had, and for men with three children, it was 0.7 years younger. That’s similar to the brain benefit associated with exercising 2.5 hours a week.

Research also shows that fathers enjoy more cognitive benefits, possibly because they appear to enjoy parenting even more than mothers and find it more satisfying. However, there is a downside. New fathers are more likely to report depression and anxiety than men in the general population, says Saxbe. They also suffer less sleep and gain extra weight, developing the classic “dad bod.”

But Saxbe says the rewards of fatherhood are monumental in terms of not only longevity and brain health but also in cultivating strength, caring, a willingness to look out for the young and vulnerable and developing empathy for others along with a satisfying old age — all traits to treasure as we celebrate Father’s Day.

Lynn C. Allison

06/13/2026

6 Steps to Build Resilience

Resilience is critical to happiness and well-being. With constant bombardment of social media and negative and divisive news filtering into our lives, it’s important to develop strategies that protect our mental health.

Jessica Weiss, a motivational expert and author of “Happiness Works: The Science of Thriving at Work,” tells MSN that building resilience isn’t innate, it requires daily habits that train your brain to weather difficulty.

Here are some suggestions:

• Reframe stress as a challenge, not a threat. If you’re nervous about an upcoming presentation or meeting, pause and tell yourself, “I’m excited about this.” Research shows that shifting your physiological response can turn anxiety into excitement.

• Make one decision daily with confidence. It doesn’t have to be a huge decision, says Weiss. Instead of second guessing yourself, make a firm micro-decision quickly and confidently to show your brain you are capable of action. It could be something as simple as sending an email without checking it over a dozen times.

• Prioritize relationships. According to the American Psychological Association, connecting with empathetic and understanding people can remind you that you’re not alone in the midst of difficulties. Focus on finding trustworthy and compassionate individuals who validate your feelings, which will support the skill of resilience.

• Take care of your body. Self-care may be a popular buzzword, but it’s also a legitimate practice for mental health and building resilience. That’s because stress is just as much physical as emotional. Promoting positive lifestyle factors like proper nutrition, ample sleep, hydration, and regular exercise can strengthen your body to adapt to stress and reduce the toll of emotions like anxiety or depression.

• Create a “done” list instead of a to-do list. Focusing on the things left undone creates a perpetual sense of failure, says Weiss. Flipping the focus to honor your accomplishments helps shift the brain into a state of resilience and accomplishment.

• Help others. Whether you volunteer with a local homeless shelter or simply support a friend in their own time of need, you garner a sense of purpose, foster self-worth, connect with other people, and tangibly help others, all of which can empower you to grow in resilience.

Lynn C. Allison

06/12/2026

Vitamin C May Be Key to a Healthier Brain With Age

Researchers in Japan studied more than 2,000 adults over the age of 64, comparing vitamin C levels in their blood plasma to MRI scans of their brains.

They found that participants with lower vitamin C levels tended to have lower gray matter volume. They also had weaker connectivity within the brain's default mode network — a collection of regions involved in functions such as attention and autobiographical memory.

After accounting for factors that can influence brain health, including age, physical activity and education level, those links remained.

"This finding generates the exciting hypothesis that a diet rich in vitamin C might play a supportive role in maintaining brain health and mitigating age-related cognitive decline in older adults," said study coauthor Tomohiro Shintaku of the Graduate School of Medicine at Hirosaki University in Japan.

While the results suggest that maintaining adequate vitamin C levels could help support healthy brain aging, the study does not prove cause and effect.

The authors said larger, more diverse studies are needed to confirm their findings.

"What I found most fascinating about this research is that we were able to detect these subtle but significant associations between a single nutritional factor and large-scale brain networks by utilizing a robust, community-based cohort of over 2,000 older adults," Shintaku said. "It truly highlights the potential impact of our everyday dietary habits on our brain structures."

The study was published June 10 in the journal PLOS ONE.

HealthDay

05/29/2026

04/20/2026

Music Boosts Mood, Memory and Brain Health

The 19th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen once wrote, “Where words fail, music speaks.” Today, science is backing that idea — showing music doesn’t just move us emotionally, but may also benefit brain health.

Mental health experts say music can influence mood, reduce stress, and even sharpen memory and cognitive function.

“Listening to your favorite music actually activates the natural opioid system in your brain,” Dr. Gary Small, director of behavioral health breakthrough therapies at Hackensack Meridian Health, told Newsmax’s “National Report.”

“That’s the area that controls feelings of pleasure and relieves pain sensations,” Small explained.

Music also stimulates the brain’s limbic system, which plays a key role in emotional regulation. That’s why a familiar song can instantly transport you back in time.

“It’s very powerful,” said Small, who is also editor of Dr. Gary Small’s Mind Health Report. “Often they’re fond memories, and it brings you right back there and it boosts your mood.”

Even when the memories aren’t entirely positive, the connection between music and recall highlights how deeply songs are tied to the brain’s memory centers.

Beyond nostalgia, music may also help keep the mind sharp — especially for older adults.

“Scientists have found that older individuals who practice playing a musical instrument actually improve their memory and cognitive function,” Small said. “It may be that reading music while you're playing an instrument develops the brain’s multitasking abilities and problem-solving skills.”

For those who don’t play an instrument, simply listening can still offer benefits. And variety may be key.

“We know our brains like variety,” Small noted. “Even if you have a favorite genre, think about changing it up. That could pique your interest.”

Music may also be a powerful learning tool. Many people find it easier to remember song lyrics than everyday information — a concept educators have used to help students retain material.

“That’s a clever way to integrate what kids need to learn and link it to their favorite music,” Small said.

As for whether older adults should try to keep up with newer music trends, Small says it’s optional — but potentially beneficial.

“It doesn’t really matter because if that’s not your thing, don’t push yourself,” he said. “However, I think it’s a good idea to give it a try. There may be some aspects of that genre that you really enjoy, and it can bring the generations closer together.”

Tricia Cooney Bresnahan: NewsmaxHealth

03/29/2026

For more information about what your vagus nerve is, please visit https://cle.clinic/3W2Lhb3Your vagus nerve runs from your brain to your large intestine. It...