In our last blog post, I opened up about my experience with self-stigma and the concept of “normal” – for years, I felt like I could not be “normal” or participate in society in the same ways that others did.
The Self-Care Complex
Morning routines, healthy eating, and the perfect meditation app – that’s what most of us think about now when we think about self-care. It often feels like there’s pressure from industries to have the perfect self-care routine down flat. Most
Why Mental Health Awareness Month?
Each May our community recognizes mental health awareness month, a tradition that has existed since 1949 in an effort to shed light on the “normalcy” of mental illness. (1) Is it working? Hard to say. Granted we’ve moved away
It’s time to end the stigma
By Aubrey Boggs, CMWN Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator People use unfriendly language about mental health to express negative feelings about someone quite often. People have called me “crazy”, a “nut job”, “unstable”, and many other cruel words because I have a
Limitations aren’t always a bad thing…
By Jennifer Hill, Program Coordinator As I move forward in my career, I reflect on this message shared by Helen Keller. Growing up with a “severe learning disability” in a traumatic home, I heard “You can’t…” constantly. This message shaped
Stereotyping Individuals With Mental Health Conditions
What Does Someone With A Mental Health Condition Look Like? By: Amy Brant, CMWN Intern Often times, people in our society attach a judgment to an individual based on the way they look, what they wear, the people they hang
It’s Time to Change: Learning from the UK
By Aubrey Boggs, CMWN Intern This week Professor Paul Burstow spoke to different groups in Colorado about addressing the gaps in mental health treatment and shared ways in which the UK has sought to enhance their own healthcare system to
Colorado Wants to Jail You for Being Sick
By Kate Fitch, CMWN Volunteer Colorado Senate Bill 16-169 has officially been passed by both houses and sent to Governor Hickenlooper for signing, which is as appalling as it is disheartening. This bill, otherwise known as “Emergency 72-hour Mental Health
Why the Media is Holding us Back!
by Amanda Kearney-Smith The media is everywhere – online, t.v., magazine articles, newspaper, social media, etc. So you really can’t ignore it! Unfortunately the media often gets it wrong when it comes to mental health. And even more unfortunate is
U.N.I.T.E to End Stigma Week Five: Embrace Treatment
By Amanda Kearney-Smith This is week five of our blog campaign on stigma. So far we’ve reviewed the U, N, I, & T of U.N.I.T.E. this week we elaborate on the final letter “E” which stands for “embrace”. U.N.I.T.E =