Prologue to Carpe Diem - Seize the Day, A Treatise to my Mental Health Experiences
Dr. David Koehn is a psychologist practicing in Fort Myers, FL. Dr. Koehn specializes in the treatment of mental health problems and helps people to cope with their mental illnesses. As a psychologist, Dr. Koehn evaluates and treats patients through a variety of methods, most typically being psychotherapy or talk therapy.... more
PROLOGUE
“Exposure Is Being Vulnerable”
Brene Brown in her video on Netflix “Call to Courage” talks about being vulnerable. I wrote this treatise on mental health experiences with the idea of opening myself up to the world with the hope that it may make a difference in people’s perceptions about mental health from multiple perspectives. I have personally devoted my life to helping others out of my love for my youngest brother who was born with Downs Syndrome.
I thank my wife, Rebecca for encouraging me to embark on this journey and for providing me feedback as I wrote about my mental health experiences. I thank my friend, John Cantlon, for his volunteering to edit my chapters. I would also express my appreciation for Rebecca’s and my friend, Kathy Engler, for her editing contributions.
I dedicate Carpe Diem to my deceased parents Tony and Blanche Koehn who both encouraged me to be the best I can be and my patients, clients and colleagues who have taught me so much. Rebecca and I are extremely proud of all our children and grandchildren. We both are deeply appreciative of our brothers and sisters, their family constellations and how 'zest for life' is their spirit.
The thirteen chapters in Carpe Diem are organized into three buckets. The first set reflects my formative years, the second segment deals with my professional life and the third collage reflects my semi-retirement. The common thread strung out through these chapters captures the essence of a call to action, a thirst for growth and learning, and a quest to transform. Pictured throughout the treatise is an embedded visualization that portrays an understanding of the past, but seeks a future state that gets executed in the present. The intent is to unveil, reveal, and just do it by making a contribution. To those that are curious to peel back the onion, happy reading!
