We lost a colleague, friend, mentor, goofball, and connector when Adam McLean left this earth last month. It has been over a month since I officially put my head in the sand. Sadness rang out from conference room to conference room ~ texts were firing nationwide. All Kinds of Therapy, as an organization, lost one of its top-secret advisory members. Truthfully, his knowledge and brainpower were hidden on the blog (4.30.2015 & 5.7.2015 ) from almost day one for all to see because he was the context and history for me as I grew the platform. As Adam worked on his MA and PsyD, he gave me mini-lessons and answered questions about treatment providers. I loved learning from him.
Adam and I met for the first time in Washington, DC - maybe in 2007 or 2008. While writing this, I went to his LinkedIn account to verify the date. He did not list the work that he did before 2017. I laughed out loud, and all I wanted to do was text him and say, "Umm, according to LinkedIn, you didn't work anywhere before Elm Tree!?! What year was it when you came to the office in DC? I drove you back to your hotel to continue the discussion/debate about Harry (Potter)."
That long-winded text never got sent. My sadness enveloped me again.
My top-secret friend, who was everyone's friend, is no longer connected to his cell phone, which leaves me with a pit in my stomach. My phone has contacts with his name on them because Adam connected us initially. And then I pause from my sadness to realize that his son, Jack, who just celebrated his first birthday, is without a father. Adam loved Jack so fully and completely.
About 294 of you have given to the fund for Jack, and this ask is for you to take a moment to also write to Jack. We, the people who work with trauma, anxiety, depression, recovery, all the diseases, and the co-occurring diagnoses, know the long process of grief and loss. It is now time to reach out to Adam's son and post pictures or mini-stories about his dad for him to have that living, breathing website to look at and have read to him as he begins the long process of grief. We must support Jack and his mother, brother, stepfather, and family through all the complicated feelings that will come slowly and quickly in the coming months, years, and decades. Please write once, or even twice, for Jack because Adam would always contact us more than once to check in.