PNW Mental Health Collaborative Blog

Welcome
to Our Site

Welcome to the PNW Mental Health Collaborative.

We’re a community of clinicians, educators, and lifelong learners exploring the art and science of mental health.

This site is both a reflection of our work and a companion to it — a place where we share resources, teaching tools, and the conversations that shape modern behavioral healthcare.

You’ll find practical materials for social workers, students, and providers: guides, journals, videos, and reflections drawn from real experience in the field.

And, as always, a touch of humor. Because sometimes the best therapy begins with a laugh — and maybe a hamster.

AIMS program

UW AIMS Center Site Map UW AIMS Center Site Map The AIMS program, known more locally as IBH (Integrative Behavioral Health) is a triangular cooperative between a therapist, the primary care provider, and a psychiatric consultant. It is a program focused on advancing the implementation of the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) in behavioral health care settings. A program founded by Jurgen Unutzer. One of the goals is to remove mental health care from its siloed isolation and mak

Hormesis: Hard and Soft

Hard and Soft: The Science of Getting Tough to Stay Balanced Hollywood loves its heroes who can throw a punch one moment and cradle a crying child the next. The appeal runs deep: we admire people who are both tough and tender—disciplined yet emotionally attuned. Increasingly, science suggests that this balance between “hard” and “soft” isn’t just cinematic—it’s essential to human health. In the workplace and in wellness culture, the emphasis tends to lean soft. We are tol

Self Talk

The Way We Talk to Ourselves I once read a novel by C. S. Forester, The Sky and the Forest , which introduced me to the idea that a culture with no word for a concept has difficulty even conceiving of it. Said differently, our words shape our thoughts, and our thoughts shape the quality of our lives. Language is not just a tool for communication—it is the architecture of consciousness. Consider a statement that, at first glance, seems harmless. A mother might say to her child

Hi

We started PNW Mental Health Collaborative with the goal of providing access to top-quality resources, opinions, and answers to frequently asked questions when it comes to the topic of mental health in the Pacific NorthWest. These resources should not be taken as medical advice but are provided as educational tools and tools for mental health providers.