Cathren is a community collaborative artist who has been working with the Community Libraries of Providence and other non-profits since 2012, developing arts and literacy programs and creating public art installations. She has been an artist in residence at Hattie Ide Chaffee Home since 2023, implementing visual arts and health programs with seniors and dementia patients. Website: ArtHouseRI.com
Dear C and Dr. B: Back in the day, my friend Cynthia was a talented designer at a big ad agency where she won awards and was respected by her peers. Everything fell apart when she found out her husband was cheating with someone at the firm. She went through a painful breakup, full of […]
Dear C and Dr. B: Liam and I have been going out for about a year. We’re both people who have good jobs – as far as recreational habits, we are both very moderate social drinkers. Every once in a while, Liam would have a joint and we might share it after the car was parked […]
In 1996, California passed the Compassionate Use Act, legalizing the medical use of marijuana. Since then, 37 other states, including RI, have followed suit; only six states continue to fully criminalize it. Many medical doctors still insist that pot is a dangerous gateway drug with no real medical value, but there is growing evidence which […]
Dear C and Dr. B: My amazing veterinarian of 10 years committed suicide. He was the nicest guy and married with two small children. I just don’t get it. When I hear of a suicide, it usually seems obvious why the person did it – they were living with a situation that felt hopeless or […]
Dear C and Dr. B: I was at work when my phone beeped with a message that a purchase had been made from my Amazon account with my credit card. I had a panic attack because I didn’t make this buy! I started to call Amazon and was going to call the police too when […]
Dear C and Dr. B: I am 20 years old and I’ve read a lot of self-help books. You would think that I would know now how to act, how to be happy, and how to make better decisions, but instead it all just gets muddled in my head. A lot of these books contradict each […]
Spring is on its way! RI has been shivering under the icy breath of winter, but the days are growing longer and the earth is tilting on its axis. Soon, buds will be bursting into clouds of bright green and crocuses will be pushing their noses up through the snow. A great number of people […]
Dear C and Dr. B: I don’t get it, but I am trying to understand. Right now, I am totally pissed off, but maybe you can make some sense out of this. My husband won’t let me drive his car. And to make matters worse, now his son won’t let his wife drive his car. In fact, my stepson’s […]
Dear C and Dr. B: We raised our family in RI, but my late husband and I moved to Florida when we retired. Our children stayed in RI to raise their own families. As a result, we rarely saw our grandchildren. My son brought them once or twice a year when they were young, but […]
Dear C and Dr. B: My 16 year old daughter, Samantha, is the sweetest, nicest, most heartfelt person I know. She literally weeps for others worse off than her. Unfortunately, she also cuts herself and restricts food to the point of hospitalization. I am at my wit’s end: no medications or therapy have helped her […]