Community Outreach with Raise Up Against Addiction 5k

Community Outreach is apart of Stephanie Konter Counseling, LLC goals. So we've teamed up with Shatterproof to raise money for Raise Up Against Addiction, to help push their mission of celebrating recovery and discuss how stigma limits access to treatment. Here are some facts about substance use:

1. Substance Use charges the brain, which can make drug use compulsive

2. Positive communication and behavior skills are more effective than punishment

3. Long-term use also causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well, affecting functions that include:

• learning
• judgment
• decision-making
• stress
• memory
• behavior

4. Three things contribute to substance abuse: environment, biology and development. Having nothing to do with the persons morals, will-power, or being a bad person.

5. The statistics are alarming: 

• Over 20 million Americans over the age of 12 have an addiction (excluding tobacco).
• 100 people die every day from drug overdoses. This rate has tripled in the past 20 years.
• Over 5 million emergency room visits in 2011 were drug related.
• 2.6 million people with addictions have a dependence on both alcohol and illicit drugs.
• 9.4 million people in 2011 reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs.
• 6.8 million people with an addiction have a mental illness.
• Rates of illicit drug use is highest among those aged 18 to 25.
• Over 90% of those with an addiction began drinking, smoking or using illicit drugs before the age of 18.   (information found at addictioncenter.com)

For these reasons and many more Stephanie Konter Counseling will be promoting therapy, wellness, and contribute to the stigma against addiction on July 21st at Great Lawn Park, 101 North Yosemite St., Denver, CO 80230 at 8am, please come out to join us!

Donate to my fundraising page to Raise Up Against Addiction, our goal is $250, so lets make it happen everyone! 

Brand New YouTube Channel

I created a YouTube to work on being more honest and unfiltered with my community. Join the community that I'm starting on YouTube. I will share information about therapy, my experiences, and some fun videos to continue the growth of a community that I'd like to build of people who are body positive and invested in mental health, spiritual health and physical health

I want you all to have access to great resources and having a YouTube channel is a great way to get a lot of videos out there quickly directly for this community. Plus I want to target specific issues that the community is struggling with, so I encourage everyone to leave comments of the videos.

New Blog Series

In the upcoming weeks I plan to post interviews that I have with fellow therapist and professionals about who they are, where they want to go, and what they'd like to help people with. 

This an opportunity for both myself and the readers of the blog. For you, it lets you be aware of other professionals that are interested in helping, with changing their corner of the world, that believe in the therapeutic process to be healing. For myself, it helps me to expand my horizons, leave my comfort zone of my little corner and embrace the community.  

I hope this series is helpful and empowering, if you have an idea of what you'd like to see me do next with my blog, please feel free to leave comments below!

Where to look

When our emotions get the best of us, we often struggle to utilize our logic/reason to help us solve problems or create opportunities for ourselves. We may forget to utilize what we already know, and who we typically look to for advice or help.

With that said here are some ideas you may have not considered:

Your community; whether that is your yoga buddies, your co-workers, your online communities, the PTA, your running club, or your book club.

(Now you don't have to share your problems with these communities if that's not what you want to do, but what you can do is strike up a conversation about therapists or groups that they may be aware of. Your network is potentially endless when you start the conversation that will help you get your needs met.)

Your access to the internet opens up doors you don't even know exist, look at websites like Thumbtack, Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter, or Psychology Today to name a few.

Your old fashion newspaper; look up support groups, or therapists in the classifieds or even the "things to do section" of the paper

Shop for a therapist or a group counseling like you would a car, there are many options out there, and if the first one doesn't feel right, or isn't in your price range, find someone who is. Also remember that you're worth the time and cost to attend services, if you don't make an investment in yourself, how can you invest in other things in your life?