In honor of Pride Month, I wanted to call attention to the LGBTQ+ experience and how it relates to mental health concerns and treatment. As a counselor who works with people in the LGBTQ+ community, and as someone who is part of this community myself, I have yet to meet another from this community who has not experienced adversity along the way. What do we, as a community, know about these experiences?
This month is Men's Mental Health Awareness Month and PTSD Awareness Month, and I'm grateful because it allows me to bring attention to how PTSD and trauma affect men's mental health. A large number of men suffer from the impacts of trauma, and there are many ways that men may be hiding their suffering.
April is here, and that means Spring has arrived! I hope this message finds you and your family happy and well. Every April, we come together to recognize Child Abuse Awareness Month. Put your pinwheels out and wear your blue! Child Abuse is not an easy topic to think about or discuss, but it is a vital conversation to have in the community as it is such a prevalent issue.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has been well researched for over 30 years, and its impact on our children and teens is becoming more and more evident. As a mental health professional serving children and families, I have sat across from many anxious parents seeking support for their child who recently experienced a potentially traumatic event. Abuse or neglect, violence, a loved one dying by suicide, and growing up in a home with substance abuse, mental health issues, or parental separation, otherwise known as ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), come to mind.