On Tuesday, Brookhaven Retreat unveiled its new website targeted at women suffering from mental health and substance abuse issues. The new website provides visitors easier access to information regarding mental health problems, addictive behavior, substance abuse and available treatment options. Over the years, Brookhaven Retreat’s clients, alumni and other professionals have requested a website that is motivational, informative and easy to use. The website now features a newly designed front page and drop down menu…

The end of Daylight Saving Time this Sunday coincided with the beginning of the truly cold days of fall and heralded the official descent into the darkness of winter. In many cases, it also disrupted our regular sleep patterns that can take several weeks to regulate. Now is the perfect time to assess and improve sleep habits. Problems sleeping are a symptom of many mood and anxiety disorders, and have also been found to aggravate…

On November 2-4, Brookhaven Retreat participated in its alumnae led Staying Well Fellowship Weekend. The reunion took place in the Smoky Mountains, where many alumnae participated in a weekend of celebration, friendship and health. This reunion was an important part of the aftercare process provided by Brookhaven Retreat. It allowed women to take time out for themselves, renew connections with fellow alumnae and provided a continued source of support for recovery. Friday night featured a…

A TedTalk posted this month shared a stunning discovery about body posture. Harvard business professor Amy Cuddy studied the effect of posture on brain chemistry, and found that body language not only communicates to those around us, but also to our own brains. She started with the knowledge that powerful and effective leaders have high testosterone but low levels of the stress hormone cortisol. She then designed a test in which participants changed their body…

Because we live in a culture of materialism in which accumulation is often equated with happiness, women sometimes find themselves attempting to create happiness or alleviate feelings of anxiety, depression or trauma through shopping. When buying things does not help, women may find themselves buying more in an attempt to hold onto the fleeting feelings of satisfaction it creates. Buy Nothing Day, observed on November 24, began in an effort to increase awareness of the…

We know that when we are happy, we feel better about all the little problems in our lives that we have to tackle. Conversely, when we are depressed, our problems appear enlarged and insurmountable. Of greater significance even than this, a scientific study has revealed that positive mood increases creativity and the ability to solve problems. Not only does being happy make our problems feel smaller, it actually improves our ability to deal with them…

The mental effects of motherhood are stigmatized and often ignored, even though Perinatal mood disorders are the most common complication associated with childbirth, with 15 to 20 percent of new mothers in the U.S. experiencing postpartum depression. The stigma associated with mental health poses a huge problem to new mothers and their families. Women struggle to come to terms with feelings that are dissociated from the cultural image of maternity; they feel that they cannot…

One in four college women reports surviving rape or attempted rape; it is the most common violent crime on college campuses. Brookhaven Retreat recognizes and treats the devastating effects that these violent acts have upon the mental health of women. Surviving trauma such as a sexual assault may lead to depression, anxiety, destroyed self-esteem, feelings of guilt or shame as well as thoughts of suicide. Women who are suffering from the aftereffects of sexual assault…