The Behind You pilot program, funded by a Texas nonprofit and implemented by the clinical students at the University of Maine, will cover up to 200 hours of free counseling in its first year.
mental health
Maine is still sending psych patients to controversial South Carolina hospital despite complaints
Justin Butterfield, 35, was committed to a state psychiatric hospital after killing his brother during a mental health crisis. His family is worried about him after he was transferred to a private hospital in South Carolina that has been likened to a prison.
Veterans lobbied for psychedelic therapy, but it may not be enough to save MDMA drug application
Military veterans have spent years lobbying for the use of psychedelic drugs to treat PTSD, but a sharply critical review of the club drug MDMA has put the therapy’s approval in doubt.
Last year, Maine made assaulting an emergency medical worker a felony. The problem of patient violence remains
Prior to the new law, health care workers filed 167 intentional injury lost time claims in the first 7 months of 2023; 114 were filed in the first 4 months after the law took effect.
Maine parents ramp up fight to get cellphones out of schools
A coalition of 9 Maine groups is advocating for less technology access for children because they’re worried about how constant technology use might impact mental health.
A bench and a grandmother’s ear: Zimbabwe’s novel mental health therapy spreads overseas
In Zimbabwe, talk therapy involving park benches and a network of grandmothers has become a saving grace for people with mental health issues
Freeport-area parents aim to curb cellphones in schools
The group, RSU5 Alliance for Thoughtful Technology, was spearheaded in recent weeks by Annie Ware with the help of several other parents. The goal, Ware said, is to address smartphone and social media use among kids prior to high school.
At Waterville conference, suicide attempt survivor Kevin Hines urges people to care for others
Kevin Hines, who spoke Saturday at the Rotary District 7790 Conference in Waterville, survived a suicide attempt off of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000 and now is a motivational speaker, author and filmmaker spreading awareness about suicide prevention.
Advocacy group says underutilized mental health statute could have prevented Lewiston shooting
Members of the National Shattering Silence Coalition, including former state legislator John Nutting, have urged the commission investigating the shooting to promote expanding use of Maine’s progressive treatment program.
Sweetser can’t sustain its mental health services to 18 Maine school districts
Sweetser said it lost $1.5 million last year because of billing rules. Their decision to scale back comes as the mental health of young people continues to struggle in the wake of the pandemic.