“Looking at pictures of my family and friends, and even my dog, reminds me that we never have to be alone.”

How the Past Helps Me:

Everyone’s journey to self-discovery is different. For me, looking at family pictures before, during, and after sessions reminds me that we are never alone and we can take blessings and experiences from our past and use them as a prescription of wellness for the future.

My rocker was probably made by those Indiana farm people who were so practical that they even built and worked in what we might call “wellness centers.” Those Swiss Germans brought over the concept of the “Sanitorium,” a place that prescribed the “medicine” of rest, healthy eating and plenty of sunshine. Such practical “sanity” is truly a gift.

I remember seeing this commonsense approach in my mom. Ginny Alston was director of the Family Program at Cumberland Heights Treatment Program in Nashville in the 1960’s. People still tell me little sayings that she passed along, such as “If a loved one called you “a chair,” would you believe you were a chair?”

Credentials:

• Ph.D. Developmental Psychology from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University 

• M.A. Early Childhood Education from George Peabody College

• B.A. Rhodes College in Memphis, TN

• Tennessee Psychology License PE 0000001002

Read about Dr. Alston’s work in the Google Book: The Legacy of Vietnam Veterans and their Families, pp.394-404