Jenee Darden

Tanya J. Peterson’s novel Leave of Absence takes readers into the broken, genuine hearts of two patients in a behavioral health center. Oliver is suicidal and deeply depressed after the loss of his wife and baby. Penelope is a young woman recently diagnosed with schizophrenia and doesn’t feel she deserves her fiancé’s love. Both are mourning the loss of their happy, balanced lives. But a thread of hope runs through each page as Oliver and Penelope help each other get through their hard times. 

We end our series on the 2nd Annual WRAP Around the World with a look at WRAP’s future in Ghana. WRAP stands for Wellness Recovery Action Plan. There are 22 million people in the African country. But mental health services are dire. Only 3 psychiatric hospitals and roughly 12-14 therapists are available to those in need. Inhumane treatment of people with mental illness continues to be a serious issue.

In her continuing coverage of the WRAP Around the World Conference, host Jenee Darden takes a look at mental health and sex. Two topics that may seem unrelated, but actually coincide with each other. After all, the brain is the biggest and most powerful sex organ. Audrey Garfield is a WRAP facilitator in Vermont and President of the Copeland Center Board. The Copeland Center is the lead organization for WRAP trainings and programs.

Can’t seem to throw things away? Are you or someone you know living in an extremely cluttered environment? People who love WRAP, Wellness Recovery Action Plan, say you can use it for anything to better your life. That includes hoarding or severe collecting.

In the next installment of our series about WRAP and the 2nd Annual WRAP Around the World Conference, we discuss severe cluttering, collecting and hoarding.

Mental Health and Wellness Radio looks into what it’s like living with generalized anxiety disorder. In this energetic discussion, we get personal accounts of living with anxiety from host Jenee Darden and guest Jay Scott Smith, a reporter with TheGrio.com.

Mental Health and Wellness Radio host Jenee Darden heard a lot of good things about Zumba from her friends. She decided to check it out to see how the Latin-inspired dance workout is good for the body and mind. She visits Just Dance Ballroom in Oakland and gets her Zumba on with instructor and professional dancer Eduardo Vargas. Listen here or below.  

*Photo is of Eduardo Vargas.