Mental Health

During Hurricane Ian a North Fort Myers riverfront dwelling that was home to adults with developmental disabilities for more than 25 years was destroyed and five adults were displaced and forced into temporary rental housing.

In the weeks after Hurricane Ian a year ago, Florida deployed the first-ever State Emergency Response Mental Health Task Force. It was comprised of mental health professionals including therapists, counselors, and massage therapists who worked directly with residents and first responders who were still in the midst of recovery. Now, almost exactly one year post-Ian, the Task Force has been deployed a second time to help people in the panhandle who were impacted by Hurricane Idalia.

The thought of enduring another storm post Hurricane Ian is stirring up a lot of emotions for Floridians. SalusCare shares ways to cope and stay focused on mental health in a positive way.

"Oh, no — please, not again" — is a sentiment it’s fair to think that many residents of Southwest Florida have been thinking and feeling as Hurricane Idalia made its way north through the Gulf of Mexico and toward the Florida peninsula. While not on the exact same track as Hurricane Ian last September, and doesn't appear to be on a path that will severely impact Southwest Florida, Idalia is coming from the same general direction and revives memories of Hurricane Ian in September of 2022.

Jack Hellmer hopes to distribute UBYou to college campuses statewide and beyond.

Mental health organizations that serve the Fort Myers Beach community are ready to lend a hand to residents. They hosted a Resiliency Roundup this week.

A high school teacher in Fort Myers is motivating and uplifting his students using the power of positive thinking. Visit Cypress Lake High School and the classroom of teacher, football coach, and self-published children’s book author, T.J. Nelson.

A conversation with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Psychiatrist Dr. Ray DePaulo, M.D., ahead of his recent talk through the FGCU Provost Lecture Series and the Naples Discussion Group titled, “Depression: The Invisible Pandemic.”

A long-standing battle over which insurer will pay for some $1 million hurricane damage leaves thousands of Lee residents in peril

In the days and weeks after a disaster like Hurricane Ian, it’s often up to local nonprofits and mental health professionals who are volunteering their time to step in and provide support for people who have been impacted. Now, for the first time ever, Florida’s State Emergency Response Team — or SERT — is supporting a program to assemble a group of mental health professionals including therapists, counselors, and massage therapists to work directly with residents and first responders who are still in the midst of recovery work.