Monthly Mental Wellness Series: Learn Practical Skills and Techniques to Support Your Mental Health in Pasco County
By: Karen Schwartz Triana LMHC Month 1: The Foundations of Chill Your starter pack for keeping it together (most days). Welcome to Month 1 of Coping Skill of the Week: Now with Fewer Meltdowns! This month is for you if you’ve ever had the feeling that your emotions were hosting a party and neglected to invite your […]
Into the Shadows of Limbo: A Clinical Exploration of Magik (Illyana Rasputina)
By Andrew J. Hewitt , APRN-BC Abstract Illyana Rasputina—known as Magik—is a profoundly complex X-Men character whose arc is marked by trauma, dissociation, identity fragmentation, and resilience. This analysis applies DSM-5–informed constructs to unpack symptoms and adaptive patterns shaped by her early abduction, extended trauma in Limbo, and the emergence of her demonic persona, Darkchilde. Citing […]
How Red Light Therapy Can Benefit Pasco County, Florida — A Community Guide
By: Haley McRaven, BSN Introduction Red light therapy — also called photobiomodulation (PBM) or low-level light/laser therapy (LLLT) — is a noninvasive treatment that delivers red and near-infrared light (roughly 600–950 nm) to tissue with the goal of altering cellular metabolism, reducing inflammation, and supporting tissue repair (Hernández-Bule et al., 2024). Once niche and largely […]
Breaking Through Dimensions: A PMHNP-BC’s Clinical Exploration of America Chavez Through DSM-5
Author: Andrew J. Hewitt, APRN-BC Abstract America Chavez, also known as Miss America, is a queer Latina superhero whose identity is shaped by trauma, resilience, intersectional identity, and heroism. This paper examines her psychological profile through the DSM-5 framework, highlighting grief processing, identity development, and anxiety regulation. Her narrative offers valuable lessons for clinicians employing Superhero Therapy and […]
A Mind Across Worlds: How Seeing Your Parallel Self Might Affect Mental Health
By Andrew Hewitt, PMHNP-BC Abstract The multiverse hypothesis—that multiple universes exist simultaneously, each hosting versions of ourselves—raises profound psychological questions. This paper examines how encountering a variant self from another universe might influence identity, anxiety, cognitive rigidity, and therapeutic growth. Drawing from recent literature and integrating DSM‑5 concepts, the narrative explores cognitive-resilience implications, narrative identity, […]
Unmasking Ironheart: A PMHNP-BC’s Clinical Exploration of Riri Williams
Author: Andrew J Hewitt, APRN-BC Abstract Marvel’s Riri Williams—known as Ironheart—is a teenage engineering prodigy whose journey is marked by trauma, responsibility, and ethical complexity. This clinical paper applies a mental health framework grounded in DSM-5 constructs to examine her motivations, emotional regulation, and resilience. Drawing on recent portrayals in the MCU and comic canon, it offers […]
Feeling Numb? You’re Not Broken—You’re Overloaded. Let’s Talk here in Pasco County.
By Karen Schwartz Triana LMHC and Yvette Triana LMH Have you ever caught yourself staring at the wall, feeling nothing at all? Not depressed. Not upset. Not even nervous. Simply numb? It can seem as though you’re trapped on hold while life is moving all around you. If this sounds familiar, I want you to know […]
Living Among Superheroes: A PMHNP‑BC’s Perspective on Mental Health in a Superpowered World
By: Andrew J. Hewitt, PMHNP‑BC Abstract This article examines how living in a universe populated by superheroes would affect individual and collective mental health. Considering the emotional burdens, identity conflicts, and cultural messaging associated with hero narratives, we analyze potential impacts using DSM‑5 criteria and psychological frameworks. Clinical implications and coping strategies are discussed to […]
Political dividedness is wearing us down. Here’s how Pasco County can care for our mental health—together.
By: Haley Bland, LCSW Politics is supposed to help neighbors solve problems. Lately, it often feels like the opposite—strained families, tense workplaces, sleepless nights, doomscrolling spirals. If that’s you, you’re not alone: national survey data show politics is a top stressor for Americans (65% listed it in APA’s most recent Stress in America topline report). […]
Unmasking Peacemaker: A PMHNP‑BC’s Clinical Exploration of Chris Smith Through the DSM‑5 Lens
By: Andrew Hewitt, PMHNP-BC Abstract Christopher “Chris” Smith, known as Peacemaker within the DC Extended Universe, is a vigilante antihero whose inner world is shaped by childhood trauma, rigid moral codes, and escalating violence in service of “peace.” This paper examines his psychopathology using DSM‑5 criteria, focusing on personality structure, trauma-related features, and adaptive/maladaptive defense mechanisms. Recent […]