Reducing stigma and mental health challenges
Thank you for pausing to read this blog. As to paraphrase the announcements on airplanes, you have choices when it comes to reading material and I appreciate that you are reading what I have written. Please do not be disappointed with any recommendations or solutions, as I can only share what has worked in my experience. […]
A Call to Action: The Intersection of Race and Mental Health Symposium
This blog is a reflection and to provide highlights of, “A Call-to-Action Symposium: The Intersection of Race and Mental Health” which took place on April 19, 2022, at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and virtually. The symposium was the culmination of four virtual quarterly coalition meetings offered by WISE in 2021 on the topic. Those […]
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.”
#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 […]
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 […]
Suicide: The Ripple Effect as a Prime Example of Stigma Resistance
In previous posts, we discussed stigma change processes and the use of TLC4 as a planning model for framing stigma change efforts. In both of those posts, we explored the effectiveness of contact-based strategies for decreasing stigma and offering realistic hope to those facing similar challenges. The success of contact-based strategies exemplifies that stories are […]
The Benefit of Emotions in the Workplace
As a young adult whose professional experiences have been limited, it never occurred to me to think about the extent that my own emotions are present in the workplace and how they do or don’t affect my work. This goes to show just how much our emotions are permitted in these areas — a.k.a. […]
The TLC4 Model
In December, we discussed several stigma change processes, including protest, education, and contact. Of these, contact with those with lived mental health experience is the most effective. Hearing about the mental health challenges and the recovery efforts of others is the best way to decrease stigma and offer realistic hope to those facing similar challenges. […]
