What is The Mental Breakdown?

ByDr. Berney

What is The Mental Breakdown?

Well, what does one write for their first blog?  I guess I should pass along some information about the site that you have found.  So, what is The Mental Breakdown?

I will start out by telling you a little about me.  My name is Dr. Berney Wilkinson (you can call me Dr. B) and I am a clinical psychologist.  I began working in the mental health field in 1997, when I came to be employed at a hospital in-patient facility.  At the time, I was completing my undergraduate degree and helping with research in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of South Florida.  Between my hospital work and my research experience, I developed a deep interest in working with children and adolescents with mental health issues.

In 1999, I began my graduate training in the School Psychology program at the University of South Florida.  School psychology was my field of choice because my initial goal was to work primarily with children and adolescents, and where do they all go… school.  While in graduate school, I had the unique opportunity to combine my medical experience (from my research in psychiatry) with the training I received in school.  Together, these paths converge in a wide array of interests, including pediatric psychology, neuropsychology, and parent training.  Upon completion of my graduate studies, I returned to my roots as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the University of South Florida.

While working as an Assistant Professor, I helped with medical student education and the training of psychiatry and pediatric residents.  In addition, I began working in forensics and completed a postgraduate program in school neuropsychology.  My primary role, however, was as a clinician in the Silver Child Development Center.  I completed post-graduate training with a clinical psychologist and was subsequently licensed in the State of Florida as a clinical psychologist.

In June 2008, I resigned from my position at USF and entered a private psychology practice in central Florida.  In my private practice I work with patients and clients of all ages.  I conduct psychological, psychosocial, psychoeducational, psychosexual, forensic, and neuropsychological evaluations.  I work with individuals struggling with a wide array of mental health conditions.  In fact, my broad expertise has afforded me the opportunity to present lectures at state and national conferences.  In addition, I now teach graduate level counseling courses at Webster University’s regional campuses across Florida.

Despite my history of work in hospitals, at universities, and in private practice, I have felt as though there is so much more that needs to be done.  While I enjoy working individually with my patients, I have always wanted to reach people on a broad scale.  It is from this frustration that I developed my vision of The Mental Breakdown.

So, here we are, back to the initial question, “What is The Mental Breakdown?”  Though the name is a clever title suggested to me by a colleague, my vision and concept of The Mental Breakdown is so much more.  This site will begin as a simple blog to talk about mental health issues.  I will “Breakdown” mental health information so that it is meaningful to the people who need it the most.  I have always been frustrated with the medical and psychological field and their relative inability to communicate in a language that most people can understand.  Sure psychologists and physicians can talk with one another in a jargon that they understand, but when it comes to communicating with those of you who have not had the same training, they so often fall short.  Further, The Mental Breakdown will bring mental health concepts and issues to you when you need them.  I will be posting blogs regularly to discuss a wide array of topics, from specific mental health conditions to treatment modalities.  We can even discuss public policy issues, medications, and school related issues. As the site grows, so will the information provided.  I will keep an archive of my posts and your questions so that others can benefit from your inquiry.  Over time, the site will shift from strictly blog format, to a fully functional website that has all the information that you will need to answer your mental health questions.

To ensure that this site is a safe place for interested individuals to post questions, seek answers, and consult with me and others who have experience with mental health concerns, the site requires that you join and I will have to approve your post.  While this safeguard is not meant to serve as a censor, it is designed to ensure that everyone feels comfortable posting their questions without the risk of confrontation, arguments, and conflict.  Therefore, I encourage you to join my blog and ask questions.  I will respond to questions regularly and will give you the most up to date information that I have available, without the smoke and mirrors, and in a language that you can use.  I also encourage each of you to respond to questions and posts on the site.  Although I will provide my impressions and ideas, each of you have experiences and suggestions that may be just as valid and useful for others.  So please, share your own experiences, you never know how they may help others.

There is one last issue to present, which you will likely read throughout my blog.  While I am a licensed psychologist, I have to inform you that the information that I provide is not to be considered a form of treatment.  The information on The Mental Breakdown or any other web site should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare. You should always consult your health professional before acting on any information seen on this site.

So there it is.  This is The Mental Breakdown and I hope that I can make it live up to my expectations.  To do so, I hope that what I have to say gives you the information that you are looking for.  I hope that you will take part in this venture and together, we can help bring awareness of mental health issues to those who are most in need.

Thanks for reading and I will be writing again soon.

Dr. B