“The Direct Impact On Mental Health Caused By Physical Illness and Personal Losses”

Join us with our guest,Cheryl Jones, M.S., M.F.T.,   as we discuss anxiety, depression, and grief.  Chronic physical illness, also defined as a medical condition that lasts for a year or more, has been experienced by many individuals diagnosed with a C. difficile infection. Patients can become depleted in patience and tolerance from an illness, resulting in a disruption of normal day to day activities due to limited mobility and/or loss of in dependency or from the loss of a loved one. The individual may experience feelings of frustration, anger and even grief. A sense of hopelessness may follow. Like other chronic medical conditions, individuals diagnosed with C. diff.,are also at risk for developing clinical depression and anxiety. Listen in as Cheryl provides information educating  those who are struggling through physical limitations and personal losses.

 Our Guest:  Cheryl Jones  is a grief counselor and a cancer educator who hosts Good Grief radio on the VoiceAmerica network. During her education as a Marriage and Family Therapist, her first wife was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which was at the time a uniformly terminal illness with a six month to one-year prognosis. In the eight + years that followed, Cheryl engaged daily in the work of preparing for her death. They worked closely with Stephen and Ondrea Levine (Who Dies and Grieving Into Life and Death), learning to live with uncertainty. After her wife’s death in 1995, Cheryl immersed herself in her own multifaceted grief, surprised by frequent moments of joy.

Cheryl is a consultant and group leader at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (Oakland, CA), where she developed, manages and teaches in their Cancer, Illness and End of Life Continuing Education program. She also presents workshops integrating the arts, most particularly music, into explorations of grief.