Attitudes in Reverse – 2021 Highlights
Read our 2021 Highlights below or view the pdf here.
A Conversation with West Windsor Police Chief Robert Garofalo
AIR: You and the police force have been involved with AIR for several years. Please share your thoughts on this partnership. Chief Garofalo: We are honored to work with Trish and Kurt. They have provided help for so many over the years and no matter when we call, they come running. We have had some…
AIR Therapy Dogs Celebrate Halloween and the Fall
Some of our AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds Therapy Dogs showing their Halloween spirit and fall fun.
Remembering Emmy During National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month
Emily “Emmy” Murillo was about 4 years old when she started having trouble regulating her moods. She was diagnosed with ADHD and various drugs were tried, but they made her worse. Emmy spent years in therapy and trying to find the right medications. When she was 9, Emmy had her first manic episode. “She was…
Sean is Remembered for His Kindness and Humor
“At the age of 15, I ended up in my first psychiatric hospital,” said Geri Genovese. “I strugggled with severe depression and I started to use alcohol to self-medicate. I attemped suicide several times during my adolscence and young adulthood. My whole growing up was in and out of 11 hospitals.” “Everybody who knew me…
Coby St. Phard – A Light to Others
“My story really kind of starts with my daughter, Kyler,” said Rachelle St. Phard. “From the time she was young she probably had anxiety and depression way before we ever realized it.” Rachelle recalled how her daughter was a “frequent flyer,” going to the nurse. “She was often at the nurse’s office with stomachaches and…
Pride Month Series: Justin Dolcimascolo Shares “Silver Lining” Perspective
Based on the interviews AIR conducted recently with individuals in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and questioning (LGBTQ) community, it seems to be a trend for individuals who struggle with their gender or sexual identity to start coming to terms with it during college where they find a more accepting culture. However, the…
Pride Month Series: AIR Features Role Model Jessica Verpeut
The Trevor Project shares these disturbingstatistics about suicide risk among youth, especially those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) community: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24. LGB youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth. LGB youth…
Pride Month Series: AIR Recognizes Challenges and Successes from the LGBTQ Community
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals are more than twice as likely to have mental health disorders in their lifetime and 2.5 times more likely to experience depression and anxiety and use substances, compared to heterosexual individuals. The APA also reported that among LGBTQ youth,…
Rosetta Treece and Hopewell Valley School Therapy Program
This is a special series highlighting a new partnership with the Hopwell Valley Regional School District and the AIR Dog’s School Therapy Dog program with the goal of teaching and certifying HVRSD staff dogs to become certified AIR Therapy Dogs. AIR offers a full comprehensive program that not only teaches and certifies each individual handler/dog,…