Mandy Miller Counseling, Outreach, Development

08/13/2026

Feeling HOT HOT HOT?

Much of the country is reeling under a heat wave, which poses risks not just to people's physical health, but also mental health. We look at those risks and who is most likely to be affected.

08/09/2026

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07/27/2026

Observe vs ABSORB

07/23/2026

A recent study by the Katz-Amsterdam Foundation found that 70.7% of people from Aspen to Parachute are personally affected by substance use, which is 51% higher than the national average. And 34.1% of residents are also found to be “lonely,” 17.6% higher than the national average. To transform philanthropic giving within second-home communities like Crested Butte and Aspen, Weekley offers a potential mindset shift: Why not give away a percentage equal to the time spent in that part-time home? Part-time residents in Pitkin and neighboring counties now spend an average of four months a year in their mountain homes, according to the 2021 Mountain Migration Report from the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. That’s a third of their time. Does their giving match that? If not, it’s a missed opportunity to create enduring change in a place they love and take care of the neighbors that call that place home throughout the year.

David Weekley, a Texan and part-time resident of Crested Butte, was a multimillionaire by age 30 after founding his homebuilding company David Weekley Homes in 1976. But when he almost lost everything in his mid-30s, he said one...

07/16/2026

Wilkinson Public Library ❤️

07/06/2026

Quote from an inspiring teen client: “Who says I can’t bloom in the dark too?”

06/05/2026

San Miguel County Department of Health and Environment Telluride Regional Medical Center Tri-County Health Network🩵

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

Highly recommended! Scholarships available. Tri-County Health Network ❤️

Join us for Gather & Grieve, from June 26-28, 2026, a retreat hosted at High Camp Hut by local therapists Lindsay Wright and Rae Centanni-Shaffner, with support from Tri-County Health Network.

Located at the base of Sheep Mountain off of Lizard Head Pass, High Camp offers a lovely backdrop to gather together, connect over good food, nature, and shared experiences, and to move through the grief that has touched our lives.

This retreat is meant for any adult who identifies as living with grief in some way.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE. To inquire about a reduced or free registration, or to simply learn more, email Lauren at [email protected].

05/24/2026

I’d rather not think of it as a collapse, but rather an opportunity for discussion and understanding. Let’s keep talking…

The title made me defensive at first. I don't need someone telling me I'm collapsing as a parent. But I picked it up because I kept seeing the same thing in my own home and in my friends' kids, more anxiety, less resilience, and a strange kind of entitlement mixed with fragility.

Sax is a family physician and psychologist, and he's not writing clickbait. He's spent decades in practice, and his argument is simple: we've stopped parenting like adults and started treating our kids like mini-adults who can reason, self-regulate, and make good decisions. And they can't. Because they're children.

What stuck with me:
1. Kids need authority, not friendship. Sax says we've confused being "nice" with being a good parent. Your kid doesn't need you to be their best friend. They need you to set limits, say no, and mean it. When you don't, they actually feel less safe, not more.

2. The smartphone is rewiring childhood. This isn't a "phones are bad" rant. He shows real data: since smartphones became universal (around 2012-2015), rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness in kids have skyrocketed. Not a coincidence. He's not anti-tech, but he's very pro-delay.

3. Resilience comes from failure, not from being protected. We've gotten so scared of our kids being uncomfortable that we step in constantly. Homework forgotten? We email the teacher. Friend drama? We text the other mom. Sax's point: let them struggle. That's how they grow.

4. Respect is not optional. He makes a distinction between respecting a child as a person (yes) and treating them as an equal decision-maker (no). Kids who don't learn to respect adults, teachers, grandparents, coaches, also don't learn self-respect. They just learn that no one is in charge.
5. The "self-esteem" movement backfired. We told every kid they were special and amazing regardless of effort. Now we have teenagers who crumble at the slightest criticism because they never learned to handle being bad at something first. Praise effort, not existence.

This book made me uncomfortable. That's why I'm glad I read it. I've already changed how I handle bedtime arguments, screen time, and especially how I respond when my kid says "you're so mean." I just say "yep" and move on now. Feels weird. Works better.

If you've felt like something is off with this generation of kids but can't put your finger on it, read this. You won't agree with everything. But you'll think differently tomorrow morning when your kid asks for the third cookie.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/4ujOoJN