The Effects of Racism and Trauma on Black and Brown Students’ Mental Health
This blog is an outlet for individuals to discuss and to provide possible solutions for mental health issues in our community. The topic of Black and Brown students’ race- based traumatic events continues to erode the consciousness and mental health of our students. As a former school administrator in a school district of predominately Black […]
Our Mental Health Matters Too!
Mental health issues are prevalent in Black and Brown Americans, however, the historical dehumanization, oppression, trauma, and violence against Black and Brown people continue to fuel the ongoing mental health crisis. Black and Brown communities are more inclined to say that mental illness is associated with shame, embarrassment, and a sign of “weakness.”
The Science Behind Mental Health
Mental health is full of misconceptions, the most common of which is that mental illness is rare when, in fact, about 1 in 2 people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC. Another is that living with a mental illness in a […]
Putting the “Men” in MENtal Health
What do actors Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Love, Princes William and Harry, musician Logic, Olympian Michael Phelps, and comedian Wayne Brady have in common? They are champions of increasing awareness of mental health issues and decreasing mental health stigma specific to men. Each has […]
Fighting Shame to Increase Vulnerability
Last September, we discussed the work of researcher, social worker, and storyteller Dr. Brené Brown. That post summarized concepts from Dr. Brown’s TED talk titled The Power of Vulnerability, which can be found here. In that TED talk, Dr. Brown also touches on the subject of shame — or the belief that we’re not enough […]
#Bethe1To Connect
Anyone can help prevent suicide — you don’t have to be a mental health professional. There are countless examples of silent heroes who recognize emotional suffering in people, respond compassionately to someone in distress, and then take action to promote healing and offer hope. Listen to just one inspiring example. When an empathetic stranger confronted […]
Preparing for Another Season of 13 Reasons Why
The recent release of13 Reasons Why season 2 is prompting an essential dialogue in our communities related to bullying, depression, sexual assault and harassment, self-harm, suicide, and substance use. Because many of13RW’s central characters are teens, much of this conversation is taking place in middle and high schools, where many administrators are concerned about the […]
Challenging Our Negative Self-Talk
In this post, we want to share an empowering strategy taught in WISE’s Honest, Open, Proud program. For more information about HOP, click here. It is called the 5 step strategy for challenging our hurtful self-talk. Hurtful self-talk is a form of internalized stigma or shame, which occurs when we come to believe the negative, […]
How to Talk to Someone in Need of Help
One of the biggest concerns that many who wish to help others face is the difficulty of bringing up and discussing various challenges. Mentioning private or sensitive subject matter may make you—or your family member, friend, or peer—feel awkward, shameful, uncomfortable, or vulnerable. Too often, fear of experiencing these feelings stops us from communicating and, […]
Mindfulness and Mental Health
At WISE, we talk a lot about the importance of self-care, or the providing of care by you and for you, and its importance in improving your compassion resilience, or CR, and maintaining your overall well-being. Click here to read WISE’s previous post about self-care. One common form of self-care that is practiced cross-culturally is […]
