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Neil Binette,
MA, LMFT (NH, VT, VA)
AAMFT Approved Supervisor
Clinical Director
SEEDS is pleased to welcome Neil Binette to the team as the program’s Clinical Director. Neil brings a wealth of education and experience to the team, and will be instrumental in launching our first field sessions in the spring of 2020.
When I was growing up, my Church had two revivals each year; one in spring and one in winter. During the week of the revival, my sister, brother, and I were dragged to Church each night. I can’t speak for my sister, but I can guarantee you that my brother and I did everything we could to amuse ourselves while we waited through the boring service. We dreaded “Revival Week,” and hated the way it intruded on our personal lives.
Years later I was having a discussion with another pastor about youth work and revivals. I told him my exact thoughts about the subject. He patiently listened to me, and then challenged me to look up the term in a dictionary. I went home, grabbed the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language off my desk and looked up the word. The first definition gave me fuel for my next discussion. It told me revival meant a person was restored to use after a period of obscurity.
As I walked down the prison hallway I dreaded the coming encounter. I was headed to the Restrictive Housing Unit: the Unit reserved for those men whose behavior issues required them to have close supervision. These inmates constantly assaulted each other and staff.
I’d gotten the a call telling me that Mr. Jones (not his real name) was banging his head violently against the door and screaming out unrecognizable statements about not being forgiven. They asked for my help.
I sat in my dorm room at my faith-based university and listened to everyone talk about going home for Easter. In my mind I mocked them. “I’m going home to my perfect little family where we are going to do all those perfect things that perfect little families do, like hunt Easter eggs, have a family meal without any fighting or name calling and go to church together.” Their talk made me sick to my stomach.
How can you recognize mental illness in yourself or someone you care about?
There are certain signs that can reveal a need for help. I will mention a few of them here, and then share some active steps to take.
Have you ever wondered how as parents you can go from being super mom or dad to the worst parent in the world? Is your child’s destructive behavior really all your fault?
If you have ever asked yourself questions along those lines you are not alone!
I love a great pun. The harder the pun makes me groan, the more I love it! I’ve even started writing them down. As I go back and read them I often begin thinking how the pun relates to a Biblical principle. Let me share one with you.
Read moreNo Condemnation: Hope That’s Bigger Than Our Failures
As a therapist who has worked in many diverse clinical settings, and a committed Christian, I feel the need to address one dynamic in particular: the issue of stigma to mental health is a barrier for many people, particularly those in Christian circles. Being armed with the right information is one way to break down barriers to treatment and healing.
Read moreMisconceptions Around Mental Health: Why Christians Can Embrace It In Good Conscience
If we were to ask a large group of people, “Where would you go to find God?” many of them might describe a majestic mountain top, a babbling brook in a meadow, or perhaps a warm sunny beach. The location would differ from person to person, but it would often be a place of peace and beauty.
Why is this? Why is it that when we think of God we often think of peaceful and beautiful places?
It’s official! Seeds Wilderness Therapy has registered in the state of Colorado, received our IRS EIN, conducted our first board meeting, scheduled a wilderness encounter for this summer and opened a bank account with $38! Wait, why only $38 you may ask? Let me tell you the story… A few years ago a friend pulled me … Read more Seeds Is Open!
