Watershed Voice columnist and limited licensed psychotherapist Charles Thomas provides a guide to mental health services in Southwest Michigan.
Charles Thomas
The third chapter of Charles Thomas‘ 2017 murder mystery novel “Headcase.” Readers be advised this chapter features graphic content.
The second chapter of Charles Thomas‘ 2017 murder mystery novel “Headcase.”
The year is 2007, Jack is psychiatrically stable and living in his own apartment, finally starting to put his life back together five years after his first psychotic break. Jack was forced to drop out of college after struggling with his mental illness. He became angry, hateful, and bitter. But 2007 seems like it might be the year that Jack turns the corner into recovery. However, when Jack finds a dead body and becomes the prime suspect in a murder, it isn’t just his recovery that’s put at risk. It’s his life.
WSV’s Charles Thomas suggests three steps to take when learning how to lose with grace.
WSV’s Charles Thomas writes, “The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu was one of the great spiritual giants of our time, so when I learned that he had once visited our fair city of Three Rivers, I was shocked.”
Big World, Small Town columnist Charles Thomas ranks what he believes are his five best columns of 2021.
WSV’s Charles Thomas writes, “The honest truth is that many of us feel sad around Christmas time. If that’s where you are this year, please know that you are not alone.”
WSV’s Charles Thomas writes about importance of beauty, as well as the risk and reward of sharing one’s creative efforts with the world. “Why do they take the risk? Why put yourself in a position to have something you worked on for hundreds of hours become the subject of ridicule? Why risk openness and honesty when we live in a culture that has a strong tendency to mock almost everything? I’m sure there is no single answer to those questions, but I think an important reason that we take those risks is because deep down, all of us want to be a part of something beautiful. In fact, I think that a drive to merge with the beautiful is essential to who we are as human beings.”
It’s often said it takes a village to raise a child but the same can be said about an independent, nonprofit news organization. Over the next two weeks we’ll introduce or in some cases re-introduce the people who make Watershed Voice what it is today.
WSV’s Charles Thomas writes about legacy, immortality, and the importance of perspective during a long life lived.
WSV’s Charles Thomas argues a person doesn’t have to attend an Ivy League school to better their lives or the lives of their children in this week’s “Big World, Small Town.”
WSV’s Charles Thomas writes, “Denial is considered an unhealthy defense mechanism while suppression is considered healthy. Sure, you could sit around all day and ponder the inevitability of death, but thanks to suppression, most of us are able to put that nasty little detail out of our minds and do the dishes, mow the lawn or write the column. But the denial of death, on the other hand, can lead to people making risky decisions or living what Plato called ‘an unexamined life.’ When it comes to defense mechanisms, it’s important to make the healthy choice.”
WSV’s Charles Thomas tells the story of Spencer Silver and Art Fry, who together invented Post-It Notes in the 1970s, as an example of the “amazing things (that) can happen when people collaborate.”
WSV’s Charles Thomas writes, “I know a lot of people my age often talk about how contemporary music isn’t as good as it was when they were younger, but that hasn’t been my impression. There’s still a lot of great music being made in 2021. What has struck me, though, as I compare the music of my youth to the music of today is the general lack of musicianship in today’s popular music. I’ve sampled dozens of popular songs in the last few weeks and I’ve been struck by the total and complete lack of songs featuring a guitar solo, or any instrumental solo for that matter.”
Watershed Voice set out to find how this pandemic is affecting young people in southwest Michigan, speaking to local mental health experts and teens alike. Throughout the past year, the coronavirus pandemic has drastically altered lives across the world; people have lost their jobs, lost loved ones, and had to put their lives on hold. That feeling of going on pause has especially affected young people, who feel removed from some of the most formative years of their lives. It’s no wonder these feelings of isolation and helplessness have taken a toll on child and adolescent mental health.
WSV columnist and licensed psychotherapist Charles Thomas writes, “Sometimes, in the midst of a crisis, a tiny dose of compassion, and a little help keeping things in perspective can be very powerful medicine.”
WSV Columnist Charles Thomas writes, “While it’s great to aim high, such lofty goals have a major downside. When our resolution is to lose 50 pounds, it’s hard to get very excited when we’ve lost five pounds. That’s just a drop in the bucket, a mere 10 percent of the goal! But when we start smaller and make our initial goal to lose five pounds, we can celebrate an actual victory as we plan how to take the next step.”