Whitney White 

The S. 1830 - Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015 is currently with the Senate Committee on Finance. Introduced in July of 2015, the bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to cover marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare and authorize marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.

A few weeks ago I shared a funny video to my personal Facebook page. It was a comedy skit, staged to look real, but was set up by actors. It included a woman being body shamed and then standing up for herself in an extremely loud and humorous way. ‘Funny justice’ is how I thought of it at the time.

A while back I was visiting with a friend who is a social worker. Her education and work are a bit different than mine. They’re two professions that a college professor I had once called ‘sisters’. We’re from the same family and sometimes we squabble, but we’re essentially focused on the same overall goal, which is helping people.

Dallas isn’t my hometown, but it is my nearest large city. If you’ve ever lived in a smaller town you know that your nearest city is your extra home. It’s where you go to shop, eat, dream, be entertained, meet new people, or just blend in for a little while. When I was younger I lived there with my parents for several years and have always thought of it as my big-city home.