We asked a variety of health care providers here at MCGHealth Medical Center — a nurse, two doctors and a hospital chaplain — “What does emotional wellness mean to you?”

Psychiatrist Peter Buckley, who is also interim dean of the School of Medicine, and pediatrician Robert Pendergrast, who works closely with teenage patients, commented on their peers’ responses.

“I’m delighted to see that emotional wellness means different things to each of these people,” says Dr. Buckley. “It represents that people connect in different ways — very important to those of us who care for others.”

“There are interesting common themes and differences,” agrees Dr. Pendergrast. “Emotional wellness acknowledges there are both difficult and easy times, but it keeps moving forward — it keeps a positive attitude in the face of challenges, which has been brought out in all of these responses.”

 [read more]