Community-based mental health and recovery service calls Pullman home
May 31—A new resource for mental health and peer recovery is now available in the heart of Pullman.
The Whitman Recovery Community Center is inviting all to celebrate its grand opening 1-4 p.m. today at the new location, 226 E. Main St. in Pullman. The public can get a glimpse of the space while enjoying ice cream, coffee, live music, games and raffle prizes.
Director Megan Guido said the grassroots effort began last year when a group of Pullman residents wanted to address the need for more behavioral health services in town.
A vision for expanding these amenities became a reality when the Latah Recovery Center, a Moscow-based nonprofit with more than 10 years of success, agreed to extend support across state lines. Guido said the initiative materialized when the Washington Healthcare Authority granted $186,000 to establish a location in Whitman County.
The Whitman County Recovery Community Center opened in February at a temporary location within the Real Life Church. Day Leader, program manager, said it's been a "large group effort" to revamp its permanent spot in downtown Pullman.
Guido, also a member of the Pullman City Council, said more mental health resources have long been advocated for by the community.
She mentioned Whitman County Public Health Department's 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment identified mental and behavioral health as a top priority.
That same study showed 20% of people in Whitman County reported an increased use of substances and 55% of residents reported feeling more isolated over a 12-month period.
Guido said while Pullman has psychological support through Palouse River Counseling and other individual providers, the consistent message she's received is there aren't enough options in the area.
Leader said the center offers a new kind of service that is focused on fostering a peer community rather than clinical approaches that are often thought of.
What makes a peer recovery community center different, she said, is people who have lived experience with addiction and mental health issues offering help to others.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
23 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Tani Oluwaseyi scores twice in the second half and Minnesota claims its first-ever win in Seattle
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] SEATTLE (AP) — Tani Oluwaseyi scored two goals in the second half and Minnesota claimed its first-ever win in Seattle with a 3-2 victory over the Sounders on Sunday. Minnesota (8-3-6) beat the Sounders (7-5-5) for just the second time in 16 meetings — and won in Seattle for the first time in nine tries. The Sounders also knocked out Minnesota in the 2020 Western Conference championship. Seattle (7-5-5) dropped its first game at Lumen Field this season, moving to 5-1-2. FC Cincinnati is the only MLS team yet to lose at home. Minnesota and Seattle combined for four goals in seven minutes, marking the ninth time in MLS history that two teams had four goals in eight-or-fewer minutes in a half. Oluwaseyi opened the scoring in the 51st minute when he was left alone at the penalty spot for a redirection of Robin Lod's back pass. Oluwaseyi scored again in the 58th on a rebound attempt for a 3-1 lead. Lod scored on a penalty kick in the 54th for a two-goal advantage. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and Nicolás Romero scored for Seattle. PROTEST The Seattle players wore T-shirts before a match that read 'Club World Cup Ca$h Grab' to demand a share of the prize money for participating in the upcoming international tournament. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How social media can 'trigger' eating disorders in young people
Social media can push vulnerable young people towards developing eating disorders by glorifying thinness and promoting fake, dangerous advice about diet and nutrition, experts warn. Young women and girls are much more likely to suffer from illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, though rates among men have been increasing. Research has shown the percentage of people worldwide who have had some kind of eating disorder during their lives rose from 3.5 percent in 2000 to 7.8 percent in 2018, a timeframe that captures the rise of social media. For the professionals trying to help teenagers recover from these disorders, misinformation from influencers on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram is a huge problem. "We no longer treat an eating disorder without also addressing social media use," French dietitian and nutritionist Carole Copti told AFP. "It has become a trigger, definitely an accelerator and an obstacle to recovery," she added. The causes of eating disorders are complex, with psychological, genetic, environmental and social factors all having the potential to make someone more susceptible. Social media "is not the cause but the straw that may break the camel's back," said Nathalie Godart, a psychiatrist for children and adolescents at the Student Health Foundation of France. By promoting thinness, strictly controlled diets and relentless exercise, social media weakens already vulnerable people and "amplifies the threat" to their health, she told AFP. - 'Vicious cycle' - Just one recent example is the #skinnytok trend, a hashtag on TikTok full of dangerous and guilt-inducing advice encouraging people to drastically reduce how much food they eat. For Charlyne Buigues, a French nurse specialising in eating disorders, social media serves as a gateway to these problems, which are "normalised" online. She condemned videos showing young girls with anorexia exposing their malnourished bodies -- or others with bulimia demonstrating their "purges". "Taking laxatives or vomiting are presented as a perfectly legitimate way to lose weight, when actually they increase the risk of cardiac arrest," Buigues said. Eating disorders can damage the heart, cause infertility and other health problems, and have been linked to suicidal behaviour. Anorexia has the highest rate of death of any psychiatric disease, research has found. Eating disorders are also the second leading cause of premature death among 15- to 24-year-olds in France, according to the country's health insurance agency. Social media creates a "vicious cycle," Copti said. "People suffering from eating disorders often have low self-esteem. But by exposing their thinness from having anorexia on social media, they gain followers, views, likes... and this will perpetuate their problems and prolong their denial," she added. This can especially be the case when the content earns money. Buigues spoke of a young woman who regularly records herself throwing up live on TikTok and who had "explained that she was paid by the platform and uses that money to buy groceries". - 'Completely indoctrinated' - Social media also makes recovering from eating disorders "more difficult, more complicated and take longer", Copti said. This is partly because young people tend to believe the misleading or fake diet advice that proliferates online. Copti said consultations with her patients can feel like she is facing a trial. "I have to constantly justify myself and fight to make them understand that no, it is not possible to have a healthy diet eating only 1,000 calories -- that is half what they need -- or that no, it is not normal to skip meals," she said. "The patients are completely indoctrinated -- and my 45-minute weekly consultation is no match for spending hours every day on TikTok," she added. Godart warned about the rise of people posing as "pseudo-coaches", sharing incorrect, "absurd" and potentially illegal nutrition advice. "These influencers carry far more weight than institutions. We're constantly struggling to get simple messages across about nutrition," she said, pointing out that there are lifelines available for those in need. Buigues takes it upon herself to regularly report problematic content on Instagram, but said it "serves no purpose". "The content remains online and the accounts are rarely suspended -- it's very tiring," she said. The nurse has even advised her patients to delete their social media accounts, particularly TikTok. "It may seem radical but until young people are better informed, the app is too dangerous," she said. cra-dl/djt
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
People Who Heard These 9 Phrases Growing up Were Likely Raised by Self-Centered Parents
People Who Heard These 9 Phrases Growing up Were Likely Raised by Self-Centered Parents originally appeared on Parade. Growing up, "Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt me" was a common phrase to get over bullying and help brush off mean things kids were saying. However, words you hear from can stay with you for a lifetime."When we're young, our brains are still developing, and we are easily impressionable, so we naturally trust the adults around us to help shape our sense of self," explains , the author of Silver Linings: From Surviving to Thriving After 9/11 and the founder of Silver Linings Mental Health in Colorado. "That is why the way we are spoken to can have a big impact on our self-esteem, how we handle stress and how we connect with others."If your parents were self-centered, you may have heard phrases that were hurtful, dismissive or manipulative on repeat. And those remarks can continue to play in our heads today. Need a mute button? Silverman shares that finding one involves healing, which requires awareness of how your childhood affects you now, as an adult."[Awareness] gives us the power to heal and grow beyond them," she wants to raise awareness, so she defines what it means when a parent is self-centered. She also shares nine common you probably heard if you had a self-centered parent and how to heal from Since words like "toxic" and "narcissist" are thrown around and sometimes misused on social media, Silverman says it's important to define the true meaning of self-centered parenting. "Self-centered parents are more concerned about their own feelings and needs than about their child's emotional world," she explains. "They might lack emotional awareness, insight or have their own unresolved childhood pain that prevents them from seeing the inner world of their child."It sounds awful—and it can be. However, what's tricky is that sometimes self-centered parents don't even mean to cause harm to a child."It is usually not intentional or malicious, but their behavior can still impact their kids, leaving them feeling unseen, unheard or emotionally dismissed," she Silverman says self-centered parents often resort to this tactic when a child attempts to establish a valid boundary. For instance, it's perfectly reasonable for a teen to ask a parent not to berate them for bringing home a B+."Rather than honoring the child's experience, the parent frames it as entitlement, placing blame on the child instead of reflecting on their own reaction," she explains. This remark's also-toxic cousins include "Stop being such a baby" and "Toughen up." Silverman says phrases that chastise a child for being weak "shut down emotional expression" and can make a child feel like there's something wrong with them for having natural or sensitive reactions."It's dismissive and can prevent healthy emotional development," she explains. Self-centered parents use this phrase to minimize a child's feelings, especially sadness or anger."It puts the parents' discomfort above the child's emotional needs and teaches kids to doubt their own feelings," Silverman Um, yikes? "'Weird' [is used] to shame children for being different, whether emotionally expressive, creative or neurodivergent," Silverman reports. "It typically stems from the parents' concern with appearances or social norms rather than the child's individuality."Related: This one may seem ironic in retrospect as you unpack the long-term effects of a childhood with a self-centered parent. Nevertheless, they still say it."This phrase is frequently directed at children who are learning to set boundaries or speak up for themselves," Silverman says. "Instead of being celebrated, these healthy behaviors are framed as disloyal or hurtful. This can impact the child's assertiveness and sense of setting necessary boundaries."For instance, a child may request that their parent refrain from barking out advice from the sidelines during their soccer game (when the parent is not even coaching). The child isn't acting "selfish" or ungrateful—their feelings are valid (and probably shared with others on the team and sidelines). Silverman says this phrase is a "catch-all" when parents want to silence kids who are questioning, disagreeing or advocating for themselves."It shuts down communication and demands obedience rather than mutual understanding," she says. This one is a close relative of "Just relax," a phrase with a 0% success rate."This can minimize a child's emotions and cause them to second-guess their own perceptions," Silverman says. "It often reflects a parent's discomfort with accountability more than the child's actual behavior." Kids may also hear their self-centered parents describe them this way to teachers, friends or other family members."It suggests a character flaw rather than considering deeper causes like burnout, lack of support or neurodivergence," Silverman warns. "Kids don't thrive on criticism. They need structure, encouragement and understanding." Just reading the phrase may trigger you and bring back unhappy memories if you had a self-centered caregiver."This phrase teaches children to suppress emotions rather than process them," Silverman says. "Over time, this can create anxiety and confusion around emotional expression and trust."Related: Self-centered parents can take up a ton of oxygen and real estate in your head. An objective third party, like a trained therapist, can help you work through the long-term effects of your childhood in a judgment-free setting. You can also develop tools and skills to break generational cycles."Therapy can be a healing space to unravel childhood experiences and how they may still be impacting your adult life," Silverman says. "If you're thinking about starting a family or want to heal your inner child, working with a therapist can offer insight, healing and strategies for change." Silverman says several books and insightful articles can help you feel validated. Some of her favorites are Dr. Susan Forward's Toxic Parents and Dr. Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score."These books can help you identify what you've been through and guide you toward healing," she says. "It can also offer insight and help you understand your experience further." Silverman shares that healing won't happen overnight. Patience and persistence are needed, but it's possible to move forward—and be even stronger than you were before."Keep building emotional awareness and break the cycle," Silverman says. "You can alter the narrative. Developing emotional intelligence, seeking out supportive relationships and committing to self-reflection can help you grow into the person and possibly the parent you want to be."Up Next:Samantha Silverman, LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), author of Silver Linings: From Surviving to Thriving After 9/11 and founder of Silver Linings Mental Health in Colorado People Who Heard These 9 Phrases Growing up Were Likely Raised by Self-Centered Parents first appeared on Parade on Jun 1, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
