Happiness, at the core, is a state of mind, a choice, and the debate ensues regarding money and its effect. I fall into the camp of belief that money is only associated to happiness based on the degree of comfort in one’s surroundings that it can create, not that it inherently causes happiness in and of itself (picture curling up in front of a fire with stacks of $20s).

But what about serious depression? I mean, if Chevy Chase, who has lots and lots of money, has trouble finding the correct anti-depressant for 6 years, what does that say about money’s role and strength regarding happiness?

In the end, it is the quality of our relationships that influences happiness, which so perfectly brings us circling back to episode 1, and so it goes.

Be prepared for MFT3 to refer to this series often regarding the multitude of topics that were so beautifully illustrated by PBS. I hope you were as moved by it as I was.

The thing that this episode, “Facing Our Fears” so poignantly expresses is that we all do have all of these feelings, but what to do when they become unmanageable? And what does unmanageable look like, really?

As a therapist I am proud of PBS for being so thorough and explicit, going to the tough place and shedding light into some commonly dark corners. I will be using these episodes as resources for current and future clients as a launching pad for conversations about grief, trauma, depression, fear, how families of the afflicted can be affected and more.

I cannot wait to see tonight’s last episode. I hope you tune in as well. If you missed episode 2, click here to view the entire 2-hour show.

The subject was “Family, Friends and Lovers” and the focus was on the impact and importance of the relationships we have, our absolute need for them to be supportive and nurturing, and when things go awry, where and how to get help.

Even though the specific modality of Marriage and Family Therapy itself was not mentioned, the last part “Lovers”, where we follow the couple Monica and Phil through couples counseling, could not have been more appropriate regarding the actual experience that I have gone through so many dozens of times with couples myself. It was incredibly hopeful to me, as a therapist, that so many hundreds of thousands of people who may have outdated or misinformed ideas of what therapy is or looks/feels like were able to be witnesses to an actual, real, accurate experience.

Tune in tonight for part 2, click the link above if you missed part 1, and check back here tomorrow for more feedback, observation and learning.

Unfortunately in our society there is still so much negative association and stigma associated with the need or desire to seek mental health services. Women are far more likely to seek assistance, men oftentimes suffer in silence.

We would like to offer some ideas and links to make the search for services a bit less scary and confusing. First, try visiting Mental Health America’s site (http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/mentalhealthmonth) as it has great non-threatening information and a link on the left side to type in your own zip code and find a therapist in your area.

If you prefer to speak to a person versus searching online, in CT we have a service called Infoline and it can be reached by calling 2-1-1 from any phone. You will speak to a real live person who can direct you to what you need. Ask as many questions as necessary to feel comfortable with the information you receive, after all this is a service to assist you.

The therapists of MFT3 are all graduates of Fairfield University’s Master’s program and the University has recently launched a blog addressing some ideas in this field (edited by our own Kristen Orakwue). You can visit it at  http://blog.fairfield.edu/mft/?p=39

Mental health is the best gift you can give yourself. Most of us spend time and money learning how to read, write, drive, accomplish the tasks associated with our professions; but we rarely take time out to invest in learning about our inner health, nurturing the self by building strong tools and skills to navigate the increasingly confusing landscape of our world.

At MFT3, we support everyone’s efforts in designing a plan for stronger and safer selves; be it building self-esteem, balancing work and private time, dealing with addiction or depression, learning how to reconnect as a couple, or skills to create safe and strong children – we are here to help.

Actually, at MFT3 every month is mental health month!