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Awareness

Celebrating Black History Month 2023

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black history month

By Ashley Barnes   About Black History Month. Black History Month celebrates and honors Black communities’ contributions to American culture. February is National Black History Month. This year’s theme, “Black Resistance,” focuses on “Black Americans’ efforts to advocate for dignified, self-determined lives within our democratic society, while bringing attention to their achievements” (Postell, 2023). However, we also want to emphasize the importance of celebrating and honoring Black communities daily, not just during the month of February.  Celebrating Black Mental Health Professionals. The following individuals are merely some Black mental health professionals who’ve made profoundly positive impacts on the mental health field: Bebe Moore Campbell – an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate who “worked tirelessly to shed light on the mental health needs of the Black community and other underrepresented communities. She founded NAMI-Inglewood in a predominantly Black neighborhood to create a space that was safe for Black …

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National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month 2023

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black history month

By Ashley Barnes   Why National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month? February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, created to spread awareness about the prevalence of teen dating violence, to educate people about healthy relationships, and to provide support for teens who have survived dating violence.  About teen dating violence. Teen dating violence is considered to be an adverse childhood experience, a potentially traumatic experience that occurs in childhood and adolescence (0-17). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), teen dating violence can occur in person, online, or through technology (2022). Intimate partner violence can include the following types of harmful behavior: physical violence (when a person tries to hurt their partner through use of hitting, punching, use of physical force, etc.), sexual violence (forcing or attempting to force a partner to engage in an unwanted sexual act without consent, also including sharing explicit pictures of …

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Supporting Transgender Youth Mental Health

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black history month

By Ashley Barnes, M.S.   Transgender identity. Transgender individuals are those whose sex assigned at birth does not completely align with their current gender identity; it is important to note that the identities of transgender and nonbinary are not always mutually exclusive (Price-Feeney et al., 2020). People who identify outside of the gender binary and who may or may not also identify as transgender are non-binary individuals. Non-binary gender identity can include identifying as neither male nor female, both male and female or as different genders at different times. (Richards et al., 2016). Risk Factors. While the LGBTQ+ community is often lumped together as one large unifying group, it incorporates sub-communities and identities with vastly different experiences; one such sub-community with its own unique experience is the trans-community. Though the larger LGBTQ+ community experiences stigmatization and discrimination on social and political levels, research has identified solemn truths about some of …

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How to Ask for Help with Mental Health

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How to ask for help with mental health

Do you know how to ask for help with mental health? Are you aware that many resources and tools are available? There is good news in the field of mental health. The number of people seeking treatment for mental health disorders is rising. The American Psychological Association notes that a recent practitioner survey found psychologists see an increase in calls for help. Results of the survey show that since the pandemic, the following have increased: 12% increase in depressive disorders 10% increase in anxiety disorders 9% increase in substance use disorders 12% increase in trauma and stress disorders While the increase is great and more people are getting the help they need, 46% of Americans with mental illness are still not receiving treatment. Reasons People Do Not Ask for Help There are many barriers to treatment, and they differ for each person. A barrier is something or someone preventing a person from …

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January Mental Wellness Month (Let’s Celebrate!)

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January mental wellness month (Let's Celebrate!)

It’s that time of year when everyone is thinking about New Year’s resolutions. The most common is to lose weight, quit smoking, exercise more, get organized, and learn a new skill or hobby. Other common resolutions focus on family, travel, and having more fun. But what about resolutions for mental health conditions? To kick off the year, celebrate January Mental Wellness Month for better mental health and well-being for all of 2023. Focusing on Mental Wellness This Year All resolutions are worthy and can be accomplished. So, why do up to 80% fail within the first few months of the year? One reason may be that no one resolved to focus on mental wellness, which is needed to accomplish any goal. To make lasting changes, you need to prepare for them mentally. Plus, when you abandon your goals, it can be mentally exhausting. Too often, guilt and negative self-talk about not …

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