preventative mental healthcare Archives - NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties

Practicing Self-Care After a Traumatic Injury

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC June 1, 2019August 13, 2020 aging, Anxiety, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, gratitude, happiness, Healthy Practices, help, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, nursing, psychology, recovery, self-care, sleep, well-being, wellness, whole health

Recently, I was walking my daughter’s adorable dog Raleigh when I saw two other cute dogs with their owner approaching on the path. All three dogs barked excitedly and jumped joyfully. Raleigh accidentally bumped my legs and I fell down hard on the pavement. Instantly, I knew I was seriously injured. The man with the two dogs quickly called 911, paramedics came, and later that night I had surgery to repair my crushed right femur. After a couple days in the hospital, I went to a rehab/nursing center for three weeks until I could safely handle myself at home. Self-careRead More

Getting more Connected in the New Year

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC January 1, 2019December 29, 2018 aging, Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, geriatric, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, help, isolation, journaling, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, recovery, seniors, sleep, social, Students, support group, teachers, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health

Welcome to 2019! The New Year is a time most of us set intentions. We put closure on the past and look forward to the future with a renewed hope and anticipation. Right? Maybe that’s my own idealistic view. For many, optimism for the coming year doesn’t look any brighter than what’s come and gone. Mental Health and its effects can weigh us down, forging ahead in what feels like concrete boots. But it doesn’t have too… Those challenges can be compounded by those resolutions we set and don’t keep. You know the ones…to lose weight, to exercise more, or to makeRead More

Finding Wellness After Illness

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC December 30, 2017December 30, 2017 community, counseling, education, health, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, presentation, recovery, stigma, well-being, wellness

At 50 years old, Joe experienced what he considers his first manic episode. He was fired from his job—a career he spent 33 years building. After getting the news, he drove straight to the hospital. “I walked in through the employee’s entrance, all stressed out,” Joe explained. “The people working there were like, ‘Hello? How are you?’ And somehow or another the word ‘suicide’ came out. The next thing I knew, I was laying down, strapped in.” It was during this first admittance of many that Joe was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “I ran away from my diagnosis,” Joe explained.Read More

Making Mental Health Care Accessible in Denver

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC October 18, 2017 NAMI Blog

As an educator training new mental health providers, it is my goal to prepare professionals who can address the growing demands for mental health care. As a licensed professional counselor and nationally certified counselor, I believe that it is our profession’s responsibility to also help break down barriers to care – whether they are stigmas, access to services or overall awareness of managing one’s own mental health. In Colorado, mass casualty events in recent years have reinforced the importance of building skills and resources within our communities to help cope with and prevent these tragic events. In an in-depth report,Read More