Ervin didn’t like reading. So every week, his Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor, Karl would come to his school, sit with him, and help him with the words. That’s what a Big Brother does. He shows up. Every time. Six years later, Karl still shows up for Ervin. “He’s helped me get through the hard times, and he’s always been there for me when I need him,” Ervin says. “He’s one of my best friends. He’s like a real brother to me.” Karl and Ervin have been matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Village since Ervin was in second grade. He’ll finish junior high this spring. Then it’s off to [...]

Cuddling isn’t usually part of a counseling session, except when Dr. Spencer Reid is in the room. Dr. Spencer Reid is a four-legged mental health professional. The golden retriever assists Village Therapist and Clinical Supervisor Shauna Erickson-Abou Zahr with her Moorhead, Minnesota-area clients, most of whom are children, adolescents, and young adults. Shauna and Dr. Spencer Reid (named for the “Criminal Minds” character) became a family 6 years ago when he was a puppy. Shauna knew she wanted to implement animal-assisted therapy, and Dr. Spencer Reid was just the dog for that. She had grown [...]

Sept. 22, 2015, marked the beginning of Holly Heiser's recovery journey. "I can't believe my life has gone the direction it has. I have been given a huge gift, I got my life back!" she says. In 2018, Holly shared her story in an article for It's Her Brand magazine. An updated version of that story is below: No one would have guessed Holly Heiser was a closet alcoholic. The Moorhead mom kept her house neat and clean. Her son always looked cute and took part in lots of organized activities. But it was all part of the lie, a way to cover up her drinking. By this point, Holly had told so many lies [...]

Sometimes in life, we hear just the right piece of advice at just the right moment. In honor of Mental Health Month, celebrated every May, therapists, counselors, and mental health practitioners from The Village Family Service Center shared their favorite mental health tips, mantras, and bits of wisdom that clients have said helped them to change their thinking and move forward. Hopefully these ideas can help you find a different way to think about a situation or to cope better during a difficult time. Remember, with The Village, you don't have to go it alone. Mental Health Tips & Tricks Be [...]

Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but it doesn’t have to be a disabling one. The term stress refers to our emotional and physical reaction to events that we find challenging. These events can be negative, such as the loss of a job, or positive, such as buying a home. Stress also can be short-term or chronic; chronic stress can take a serious toll on our well-being, leading to heart disease, depression, and other health concerns. The more knowledgeable we are about how stress affects us and why, the better equipped we are to manage it. Stress management is the practice of learning and [...]

September is Recovery Month, a time to celebrate recovery and raise awareness that addiction is a treatable disease. John's story demonstrates that recovering from addiction is possible! John was struggling mightily. He had started drinking every day. He was at risk of losing his family, his business, his sense of self. His physical and emotional well-being were all going downhill. His wife, Aaste, told him he needed to go to treatment. She gave him a list, and suggested he call First Step Recovery. Walking through the doors of First Step was scary, John says, but not as scary as where his [...]

During Recovery Month, observed nationally every September, we remember the lives lost to the disease of addiction and celebrate with those who found the treatment they needed to get well. Here is one of those stories, as told by an alumnus of First Step Recovery of The Village: It was May 2015, and I was scared. My health was suffering with several short hospital stays for pancreatitis (too much alcohol for too long) and ketoacidosis (high blood sugars for too long). My career was in stress and legal problems had been the reason for several job offers being pulled. In short, I knew I was in [...]

What is the most valuable aspect of your organization? Often people respond with their building, technology, the service they provide, or the proprietary secrets that set them apart. Some may even say the people. All these things are good – and in many respects are keys to success – but they are not the most valuable aspects of the organization. The most valuable aspect of your organization is culture. The culture of an organization is the foundation of how its leadership sees people. It is the basis from which decisions are made, and it is the key component to maintaining a successful [...]

Nikki was a prisoner in her own bedroom. Her entire life she’d been abused. As a girl, she tucked herself into closets to hide from her mother’s cruel words. She couldn’t escape the sexual abuse she later faced by two people she should have been able to trust. Her 30-year marriage was filled with emotional and verbal abuse to the point she wouldn’t leave her room. Her children needed to check on her instead of the other way around. Then she found the help of The Village's IOP. Nikki came to the Intensive Outpatient Program and eventually found hope and healing. It took weeks for her to speak [...]

The world is changing and becoming more virtual every day, and life's stresses are unlike those we've ever known. That means it's more important than ever to stay connected with your therapist. For some people, it may be the first time they've felt the need to access mental health counseling or addiction treatment. For others, they may want to stay in contact with a therapist they've been seeing for a long time, but telehealth might be a better option than in-person counseling. Many Village services are now being provided online as well as in-person. Online appointments, or telehealth, have [...]