To put it simply, YES! There can be sexist stickers and they are designed for our children to want them and so we will buy them.

While I was in a dollar store recently, looking for project supplies and what not, I came across a sticker that made me stop dead in my tracks and want to run through the aisles screaming. The sticker had a picture of Cinderella on it with the words “Prince Worthy” written on it.  

Read More »

Yesterday marked the end of National Suicide Prevention Week (September 8-September 14). I am choosing to write about it now because I couldn’t bring myself to do it during the week. Despite all the suicide prevention and awareness campaigns and the talk of decreasing the stigma by talking about suicide I still really can’t talk about my attempt at 16 years old.

Read More »

I remember when my former counsellor first brought up “sandplay therapy”. I thought it sounded ridiculous to be honest but I was willing to give it a chance. Early in 2013 the materials  were built, collected and ready to go and I had my first experience with sandplay therapy. Yes, I played with sand in therapy. And I had fun!

Read More »

For many, being diagnosed with a mental health issue or experiencing emotional difficulty is seen as being a deficit. Thinking of my own life I know I have felt that about myself and about other people with mental health issues. More importantly though I have seen how wrong that thinking is.

Read More »

A relaxation plan is a technique from Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). I address this post to not only your children but also you to, the parent. We can all benefit from a relaxation plan! The plan is what it sounds like, a plan to relax you or your child when experiencing overwhelming emotions which could lead to negative coping (ie: cutting or substance use). The goal behind creating a relaxation plan is as a first line of defense against and in dealing with overwhelming emotions.

Read More »

A distraction plan is a technique from Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). I address this post to not only your children but also you to, the parent. We can all benefit from a distraction plan! The plan is what it sounds like, a plan to distract you or your child from overwhelming emotions which could lead to negative coping (ie: cutting or substance use). The goal behind creating a distraction plan is as a first line of defense against and in dealing with overwhelming emotions.

Read More »

The past two summers I have worked for an arts and culture organization the offers a diverse range of day camps. I am currently the Director of Literary Camps and I see the benefits of creative writing everyday.

Read More »

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is not a label I shy away from most of the time. While I always identify as myself, first and foremost, I do not have a problem owning this diagnosis. The trick is, I do not see myself as sick, therefore the label of Borderline is just another descriptor I could use the same way I identify as a woman, for example. As my identity has developed I have discovered there are pros and cons of being Borderline.

Read More »

I have anger issues. I have tried for many years to find a way to focus my anger and not give into the chaos which can cause physical and emotional damage. I knew from research that Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) was extremely beneficial for individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder but my quest into finding the therapy was coming up with nothing (unless I wanted to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars). What was I going to do?

Read More »

Believe it or not there is more to mental health than meets the eye. For many individuals with mental health issues their identity, politics and treatment choices go beyond the current mainstream medical model. When I say medical model I mean things like psychology, psychiatry, medication, diagnosis and illness. In fact, there are at least 3 alternate mental health communities that offer hope, critique and action against stigma and discrimination. They are the Psychiatric Survivor Community, the Mad Community, and the Anti-psychiatry  community. 

Read More »

I have been in therapy for little over a year and have recently decided that now is the time to end it. My reasons to end therapy are because I feel like I am prepared to handle things on my own and because I am not doing well with the path it is taking. We are going to have a final session to wrap things up and she told me that I am always welcomed back.

Read More »

In all honesty, I have not really experienced an outright stigmatizing comment due to my mental health status since I was a teenager. I have a feeling that may more be due to my behaviour change and emotional management than to people’s views of mental health changing (I get “but you look normal” a lot, which is seriously NOT a compliment). A few days ago that changed when I received the first ever stigmatizing comment on my blog, Pride in Madness.

Read More »

I have been engaging in self harm for about 11 years and have been deterring self harm for going on 6 years. It is through successful deterrence and a lot of hard work in figuring out the emotional and physical components of the behaviour that I have more often than not been successful at deterring self harm. 

Read More »

I take great pride in being a person with a mental health issue. When I was a teen and experiencing deep depression I always maintained that I had the right to be sick or the right to be me. Many people did not agree with me on either account. I didn’t fit the mold that my fellow peers had created for me and because of that I now know that I experienced mental health discrimination.

Read More »

My most recent visit to Group got me talking a little about how I feel shame about my self harm. In contrast to my co-facilitator/friend, who doesn’t hide her scars, I desperately want to keep mine hidden. I am afraid someone will ask where the scars came from, or worse, a child asks. I, myself, hate seeing what I’ve done to my body. 

Read More »