From the Desk of Dr. Melanie

A layoff is often described in business terms. A restructuring. A reduction in force. A realignment. A cost-saving measure. A difficult but necessary decision. But for the person receiving the news, it can feel like life has been interrupted. Not just work. Life. Your calendar changes. Your routine changes. Your sense of security changes. Sometimes even your sense of identity changes. The plans you were quietly building around that paycheck, that title, that team, or that fut

As the anniversary of my son's death approaches, I think about another version of myself — the woman who, in the rawness of those first weeks, was expected to return to work after loss and simply carry on. My family and I had just moved to a new city. I was months into a new role at a new company — still learning colleagues’ names, still finding my footing. And then I lost my 15-year-old son. My world stopped. My inbox did not. The expectation communicated to me was that I wo