Mental Health Awareness

You are not alone

For those who follow me on twitter you know mental health is something that I am deeply passionate about. That is why I call myself the stigma fighter. At the moment, our current mental health system is corrupted. Corruption essentially is the reason why mental health is seen as a negative. Corruption leads to inequality and therefore mental health treatment has not been truly implemented to fulfill its purpose.

Let me explain! Maslows hierarchy of needs is something I truly adopted. The reason why is, I believe that it is our roadmap or I should a manual to a healthy human life. Another thing as well in the field of psychology we need to acknowledge is that every individual is unique and we shouldn’t generalize what is going to work or not work. Counseling is art because there are so many approaches to choose from. If anyone is curious my approach is eclectic because it recognizes that people are unique. My traditional go-to approach which has been the most effective is person-centered. The Person-centered approach was based on Carl Rogers. Humanistic theory was what Rogers was known for. Humanistic theory involves looking at the whole situation and not really focusing on the dysfunction but providing concepts to help that person meet their full potential aka self-actualization in Maslows pyramid.

What makes this field corrupted is the fact that we work with the health insurance companies and big pharma. The all mighty dollar has corrupted the minds of mental health professionals and therefore the client pays the price. There are many stigmas in the world and we all have that one thing we are passionate about. Mental health is a stigma and I am determined to make a dent in.

Counseling is about not only being compassionate and empathetic, but it’s about learning. You are learning about the struggles someone experiences and the client learns from you. For me, I love learning about multicultural struggles. Now you probably think I’m crazy for saying that but allow me to explain. Books can be helpful but to be honest when it comes to cultural issues and counseling, books shouldn’t be the focus. I always believe in learning from the individual because it provides that education and humbles you. Also it acknowledges that people are unique. Lastly, so much garbage propaganda is constantly spewed and they like to twist identity politics by teaching white people in particular to have this savior complex and it needs to stop. Stop watching television and speak to others.

Now I’m not saying we shouldn’t read books but we have to acknowledge people learn and intake information differently. A kinesthetic learner learns by experience and modeling. Auditory learners involves listening and hearing. Logic learners ask questions. Visual learners typically will read books. For me I have a mixture of all qualities. I want to make a note that I have seen people shame people for not reading theory. Newsflash, if you are so determined to have people learn theory, meet them on their level. Don’t dictate that someone has to learn something by reading a book. Shaming people steers people away. You can’t tout and say that we need to build a revolution and shame others who are curious. That is not how that works.

Twitter sucks for this reason and to be honest what makes it toxic is the fact we are simply writing our thoughts and no one knows tone or even knows the motivation. In turn, creates misunderstandings. To some degree that’s why I like spaces because you can hear tone and be able to see what the intent is. For me, when it gets to the point where I see the person is clearly selectively reading or listening, I don’t engage. It’s pointless because it will not get anywhere. It’s honestly not worth your mental energy.

Engaging with people like this destroys mental health because it creates so much doubt within. With COVID occurring it makes it hard to utilize ways to manage stress. A suggestion what I would do is write out a self-care plan and update it every 6 months. It provides that out of the box opportunity for anyone. It is healthy to challenge yourself it never feels good to allow yourself to feel comfortable in your own shit. I personally have learned more about myself during this shitstorm we call COVID then anything else.

Which brings up my point I stated earlier. Lack of healthcare and garbage moral codes are the reason why it is challenging for anyone to really experience the benefits of getting assistance. As a mental health worker the requirements are extremely tedious. Some aspects of it I agree need to be at focused like documentation. Working 8 hours a day and the time you need to see your clients and document does become overwhelming. I am not saying this isn’t impossible but it does make it harder for the mental health worker. The mental health worker experiences burn out and often leaves the field. Because of burn out it’s often taken out on the client. When that happens the client may give up on getting assistance.

As counselors we are bound by ethical codes that reinforce that we are to be open minded and non-judgmental. This whole field has been all talk about making a dent in the stigma of mental health but it still continues to get worse. Why because even in mental health MSM is performative about this topic. This is one of the many reasons that MSM is garbage. There are not enough people who are genuinely committed to helping others. I am referring to those who have patience, understanding, and compassion. This is what should be occurring in the mental health field, performative helpers need to just stick to social media and participate in photo ops.

Suicide rates keep getting higher and it pains me every time I see anyone who feels this low. I want you all to know you are not alone. We are all sharing this together maybe on different levels but we are sharing it. Tell someone they matter and model compassion. Instill hope! During this time it is imperative that we are all there for each other. If anyone needs to talk please feel free to reach out to me. I will drop everything to make sure you are ok and remind you that you are loved! Stay strong and we will get through this together. ❤️