Friday, December 19, 2008

Welcoming Jane Karl, APN

The practices at Wellshire are proud to announce our newest addition, Jane Karl, APN. Jane is a board certified advanced practice nurse in adult psychiatry. A graduate of the NYU nursing masters program, Jane has 35 years experience in a variety of mental health settings to include the US Army Nurse Corps, psychiatric ER’s, inpatient psychiatry, consult-liaison, forensic psychiatry, community mental health, addiction treatment, and telepsychiatry. She has taught at Yale University Graduate School of Nursing, the University of Miami School of Medicine, and currently in Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Accelerated Nursing program as adjunct faculty. She is a member of the Colorado Society of Clinical Specialists in Psychiatric Nursing. Jane has had a passion for learning about cultural diversity and more recently has been a member of the US medical team traveling to rural Bolivia as a psychiatric consultant.

Jane is currently accepting new patients. She provides a strengths focused, outcome oriented approach to medication management. To make an appointment with Jane today please visit our website at www.wbscolorado.org

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Holiday Depression

For many of us the holidays are a joyous time filled with social gatherings and celebrations with family and friends. For others, the holidays can be a time represented by loneliness, stress over money, self-reflection, and anxiety surrounding the future. It is estimated that over one million people feel the affects of holiday depression each year.

Although causes for holiday depression are often linked directly to the holidays, many individuals may also be experiencing complex psychosocial issues that can extend beyond the holiday season. This post-holiday let down that occurs after January 1st is often the result of disappointments compounded with increases in stress and fatigue.

As stressful as the holidays can be, there are ways to get through them. During this stressful time, it is important for people to focus on taking care of themselves as well as to set manageable expectations:

  • Make time for adequate rest to have greater energy.
  • Exercise to relieve tension and increase self-esteem.
  • Keep alcohol consumption moderate during seasonal celebrations to minimize alcohol’s depressive effects.
  • Surround themselves with supportive people.
If the stresses of the holidays become overwhelming, it can be helpful to seek help from a trained mental health care professional. The practices at Wellshire are accepting new patients. For more information, visit our website at http://www.wbscolorado.org/


The entire staff at Wellshire wishes you a strong and enjoyable holiday season.