Setting Goals and Intentions

A confident woman with curly hair standing in front of a clear glass wall covered with colorful sticky notes.

Happy New Year! As we are starting our journey into 2024, we not only begin to reflect on our unproductive actions, but we also consider the actions we took that led to great results, which we want to continue.  A recent survey of 2,000 individuals conducted by OnePoll, an international marketing research agency, found that […]

Reducing stigma and mental health challenges

A group of people standing in a line with their arms around each other in a park.

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

A diverse group putting their hands together in a circle.

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!

A young boy holding sign that reads “Stronger Black Brown Together”.

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

Red heart in child kid and mother hands on old blue wooden table

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

Human head with thumbs up and thumbs down symbol on gray wall background

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

A middle aged woman comforting a sad woman.

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

Close-up of a man meditating.

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 […]