Independence Blog

Managing Your Mental Health During the Holidays   For some, the holiday season can bring on or worsen stress, anxiety and depression. Many factors can result in an increase of mental health crises during this time. Some people experience increased financial burden due to travel, gift/hosting costs. Others may feel overwhelmed with additional calendar events […]

From our friends at the National Center for PTSD PTSD and Sleep: Rest Easier with Treatment “The nightmares were the hardest part because they were recurring. I didn’t sleep well – I’d sleep an hour and a half, two hours at a time…it was kicking my butt. I was working at the time and I […]

Note: this was a letter sent to one of our Outpatient Services Counselors, Martin Phillips.  Martin also happens to be our lead therapist for our new, Outpatient Problem Gambling Program! Call 763.479. 4881 for more info on that specific program and the Rule 82 assessments we can conduct for it.) ——————————— Hey Marty, I would […]

Vinland has an entire mental health wing that allows us to help others with their PTSD. You don’t have to have a TBI to come to Vinland – many of our clients come to us with PTSD, severe & persistent mental illness, learning disabilities, and other cognitive impairments. Start by providing a safe space for […]

    We now conduct Rule 82 Assessments at our Outpatient location! This is the gambling use disorder assessment that defines your specific treatment needs. The state of Minnesota offers to fund problem gambling treatment! Individuals & families in MN can access these services at no charge based on need. We can help you with […]

We just received a few of these comments from recent graduates of our programs, so we thought we’d share: Carla Hello, I just came home after completing 45 days of treatment for bad Alcoholism and I can now say, I am free and new of any thoughts about using or anything negative. Counselors and case […]

How PTSD Affects The Brain Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Related Content: What Do Blast Injuries Do to Your Brain? Blast Injury: What We’ve Learned from Autopsies 7 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a PTSD Therapist If you’re experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it’s important to understand how the different parts of your […]

One of our clinicians, Edwin Swaray, shared this internally today, & we thought it worthy of sharing with you! https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47817650

From our friends at DHS: As March Madness began, so did Problem Gambling Awareness Month Calls to National Problem Gambling Helpline spike an average of 30 percent this time of year An estimated $10 billion in bets were placed on the NCAA basketball championship games during March Madness, some of it by problem gamblers. To […]

Resources for clients and alumni! Vinland wanted to share some resources we found particularly exciting and potentially useful for our clients and alumni: 1.) Metro Bus offers a program is designed for people who would like to learn how to use the metro bus system. They offer a Mobility Training Center and Travel Guide who […]

Vinland National Center became part of the solution yesterday at the Minnesotan Capitol, supporting the Minnesota Second Chance Coalition along with many of our peers and colleagues. So many of our clients and alumni are not given a real Second Chance due to a past felony conviction often not enabling them to drive, get a […]

David A. Grant, TBI Survivor January 7, 2019 It’s time to put a label on one of my biggest fears as a brain injury survivor: Backsliding. In the eight years since my traumatic brain injury, my recovery has continued unabated. It has not been a true linear recovery as there have been both ups and […]

How many drug users who OD’d have brain damage? The latest figures available from the Public Health Agency of Canada say over 9,000 people fatally overdosed across the country between January 2016 and June 2018. British Columbia’s coroners service recorded nearly a third of those deaths. But there are no comprehensive statistics for people who […]

This is an oldie, but a goodie, from our friends over at Addiction.com Brain Injury Treatment And Substance Abuse by Addiction.com Staff on May 20, 2011 in Addiction Research, Risk Factors 0   The ripple effects of accidents can spread further than most people realize. Traumatic brain injury (TBI), for example, frequently coincides with substance abuse. Sometimes we focus on the obvious […]

Our friends at The Retreat had these tips to share, and we liked them enough to borrow!   Here are twelve-time proven practices, techniques and tactics to celebrate the holiday season sanely, safely and in sobriety. Line up a few extra recovery meetings. Even if you don’t feel you need them, the person sitting across […]