Telka Arend-Ritter LMSW

Telka Arend-Ritter LMSWTelka Arend-Ritter LMSWTelka Arend-Ritter LMSW

Need Skills? Improve mental health & relationships

  • About
  • Services
    • Services
    • FAQ
  • Mental Help Tools
    • #1 Basic Tools
    • #2 Telka's Stress Tools
    • #3 Anxiety Tools
    • #4 Depression & Grief
    • #5 Anger Tools
    • #6 Relationship Tools
    • #7 Self- Esteem tools
    • #8 Difficult People
  • Mental Help Videos
    • #1 Stress Videos
    • #3 Anxiety Videos
    • #3-a OCD Videos
    • #4 Depression,grief video
    • #5 Anger Videos
    • #6 Relationship Videos
    • #7 Parenting Stuff
  • Resources & Trainings
    • Local Resources
    • Telka's Talks
  • More
    • About
    • Services
      • Services
      • FAQ
    • Mental Help Tools
      • #1 Basic Tools
      • #2 Telka's Stress Tools
      • #3 Anxiety Tools
      • #4 Depression & Grief
      • #5 Anger Tools
      • #6 Relationship Tools
      • #7 Self- Esteem tools
      • #8 Difficult People
    • Mental Help Videos
      • #1 Stress Videos
      • #3 Anxiety Videos
      • #3-a OCD Videos
      • #4 Depression,grief video
      • #5 Anger Videos
      • #6 Relationship Videos
      • #7 Parenting Stuff
    • Resources & Trainings
      • Local Resources
      • Telka's Talks

Need Skills? Improve mental health & relationships

Telka Arend-Ritter LMSW

Telka Arend-Ritter LMSWTelka Arend-Ritter LMSWTelka Arend-Ritter LMSW
  • About
  • Services
    • Services
    • FAQ
  • Mental Help Tools
    • #1 Basic Tools
    • #2 Telka's Stress Tools
    • #3 Anxiety Tools
    • #4 Depression & Grief
    • #5 Anger Tools
    • #6 Relationship Tools
    • #7 Self- Esteem tools
    • #8 Difficult People
  • Mental Help Videos
    • #1 Stress Videos
    • #3 Anxiety Videos
    • #3-a OCD Videos
    • #4 Depression,grief video
    • #5 Anger Videos
    • #6 Relationship Videos
    • #7 Parenting Stuff
  • Resources & Trainings
    • Local Resources
    • Telka's Talks
from The Wellness Institute of Michigan
Let the healing begin!

Telka's tools- depression & Grief

 Have you watched the depression videos on this website?

Stress tools help with depression, as do relationship tools and self-esteem tools. 

Need help assisting young people with their emotions? 

Do you know about the mental health and suicide helpline? 988

Watch depression and grief videos before using tools

Tool #1 Use The Map to EMotional health

The Map to Emotional Health, describes the mental health steps of working through painful emotions:

1. Acknowledge the emotion in both mind and body

2. Learn coping strategies to tolerate negative emotions 

3. Let Go. Release the need to hold on to negative thoughts and bad habits.

Learn to use the Map to Emotional Health

Tool #2 Your 4 Choices

Telka's 4 Choices Tool helps differentiate your "Fight, Flight, Freeze" responses from your wiser, more logical, problem-solving mind. Don't make fear-based decisions. Align your actions with your values using the map and the worksheets to improve mental health.

Telka's 4 Choices TOol

Tool #3 Normal sad emotions verses brain diseases

Depression the emotion- or depression the brain disease?

Everyone feels grief, sadness and other depressed emotions as a healthy brain response. 

From 2022 to present day, 20-30% of people in the United States have suffered from the brain disease 

also named "depression", which NOT a normal emotion.

Download PDF

Tool #4 Testing Testing Testing

Use the testing below to gather information about your mental health and physical wellness. Print your results to share and discuss with your health care providers. These materials are not intended to diagnose or treat depression.  For more support and understanding about mental illness check out NAMI

#1 Adverse Childhood Experience ACE Score (pdf)Download
#2 Criteria for Depression-PHQ 9 (pdf)Download
#3 Criteria for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder -PMDD DSM-5 (pdf)Download
#4 Prolonged Grief Disorder Criteria (pdf)Download
#5 Criteria for-Bipolar Test MDQ (pdf)Download
#6 Criteria for Substance Use Disorder- DSM-5 (pdf)Download

Tools #5 through #8: coping with Depression

 For the best grief video, check out Nora McInerny on Ted.com  

Watch the depression videos on this site for greater understanding of depression. 

Use tools below to understand and cope. National Alliance of Mental Illness: NAMI Lansing offers Zoom Support

Tool #5 Coping Strategies for Moods 4 pages (pdf)Download
Tool #6 Self-Talk Ladder for Moods 3 pages (pdf)Download
Tool #7 Strategies to Minimize Pain and Maximize Joy (pdf)Download
Tool #8 Are you Languishing? 2021 Adam Grant Article in NYT (pdf)Download

Understanding Death by suicide

Understanding Death by Suicide

Suicide prevention is valuable training and provides good medical information. But just like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, prevention awareness alone will not save every life. The information below is intended to remind us that the human brain is a complicated organ. Medical science has yet to find a means to preventing every death by suicide.

Download PDF

Frequently Asked Questions about mental health emotions

Please email Telka directly at Therapy@TelkaArend-Ritter.com with your question.

Let’s start with a clarification, are you asking about an emotion or a brain disease? Depression is a normal human emotion used to label a sad feeling. Unfortunately, the word depression is also used to describe brain diseases ranging from mild to severe mood disorders. These brain diseases are commonly referred to as mental illness and impact approximately 25% of the adults in the U.S.  Severe mental illness represents less than 6% of the adults in the U.S.  Testing will solve the mystery of normal verses illness. Use the Tool #4 Testing, Testing, Testing" on this page to identify mood disorders' symptoms, severity and duration.  Discuss your test results with your healthcare provider.  

Bottom line: Differences between normal emotions and symptoms of mental illness:

1. Emotions come and go while symptoms of mood disorders/brain disease remain consistently troublesome for a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks and may also include additional physical symptoms.  Using a mood tracker may help with this distinction.

2. Uncomfortable emotions improve with distractions and vacations, while mood disorders, like broken bones and infections, continue to cause discomfort even after a winning lottery ticket.

3. Mental illness, like other brain diseases, may disrupt sleep, energy levels, pain sensitivity, inflammation, digestion, appetite, motivation, concentration, memory, focus and mood. 

4. Depressed and anxious emotions may respond well to healthy lifestyle, good coping skills and social support. Brain diseases may also respond well to healthy lifestyle, good coping skills and social support, however, just like any damaged organ, the brain needs time to repair and heal. Recovery from brain disease is not as swift as recovery from the normal fight, flight or freeze, stress responses. 

5. For additional clarification, check out the depression and anxiety videos as well as the stress materials on this site and speak directly with your health care provider.


Check out the “Creating Best Results” pdf on this site.  In addition to those 20 tips, I also suggest that you take responsibility for your emotions.  Use the map, it’s your journey and your choice of destination.  You are welcome to use all the tools, videos and resources on this site with the therapist of your choice. 


Grief and loss resources in Lansing area

Beginning Experience Loss of a spouse through separation, divorce or death

Ele's Place 

Grief Share

Hospice of Lansing

Compassionate Friends

Sparrow Bereavement


Disclaimer

Crisis help lines

Get the right help. right NOW

MATERIALS  ON THIS SITE ARE NOT INTENDED TO SUBSTITUTE OR REPLACE MEDICAL CARE . This site is not intended to diagnose or treat emergencies, medical conditions or psychiatric concerns. Consult your own health care professional with your concerns.  Telka does not offer emergency services or crisis intervention.  Telka is not a physician, does not prescribe medication.  Suicide Prevention Hot line  


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