I snapped this picture at the top of a snowy mountain in January 2023 to capture a moment of gratitude, peace, love and compassion for my decades-long experience with suicidal thoughts and my healing journey that includes incredible family and friends, professionals, and soul-fulfilling work.

I grew up in an all-White neighborhood and remember being cautioned about driving through (let alone stopping in) neighborhoods that were quite literally on the other side of the train tracks.  My parents never explicitly stated that black and brown-bodied folks lived in those other neighborhoods, although that was the reason they warned us not to go there.  I remember a visceral fear flooding my body when we had sporting events at schools in those neighborhoods.  I remember feeling confused by this visceral fear because nothing bad ever actually happened to me or my teammates.  It was an unjustified and intangible fear.  Today, I know that I was experiencing the social conditioning of White Supremacy Culture and Racism- better than, othering, fear, either/or thinking, dehumanizing. 

We are living through a time of great exposure of pain and suffering as a result of a 400+ year history of a society built on an un-even playing field for its members. While this uneven playing field exists for gender, religion, sexual orientation, ability, class, education level, nationality, primary language, etc., I am going to center my reflection on the uneven playing field for Race- Racism- and mental health, which has been stigmatized.

The increase in suicide rates over the past decade have prompted widespread awareness surrounding mental health problems, resulting in an increased need to address mental health crises that plague our society. My hope is that future generations will be less affected by this epidemic as we further our intent as a society to seek help and improve mental health awareness.

How do we address an enemy that is hard to identify, call out, and stop…the answer lies in understanding our unconscious bias.

Hugging is a simple yet profound communication form that lets the other person know that they matter to someone else. The Hug quickly helps to boost confidence, decrease stress and relieve emotional turmoil.

These observances acknowledge moments in history when systems of oppression were challenged to change. They highlight both significant trauma in our country's fabric and the resilience that grew out of it. Trauma contributes to mental health challenges, including mental illness and suicidal ideation.

This post is my story about how undiagnosed ADHD convinced me- a productive, vibrant and succeeding woman- that I was merely a successful impostor. AND it’s the story of how I personally found freedom, self-love and authenticity by understanding my brain.

Over the last 4.5 years, I’ve been open to try pretty much anything and everything that promotes trauma recovery, healing and mental health. My friends and family know I’ve got a slight obsession with neuroscience, research, neuropsychology and cellular biology.

How can we, a field of predominantly White Americans address racism in our profession and in our work with clients?

Someday, I'd like to see a mainstream magazine that reflects the diversity of Americans and mental health. Maybe it's out there and I simply haven't found it yet.

Trauma occurs when there is a loss of a sense of safety. That loss can be the result of direct exposure to or witnessing natural disasters, violence and other life-threatening events.

Statistics about physical and sexual violence are more readily available than psychological violence and emotional abuse in part because it is easier to see injuries from physical and sexual violence.

More adults had thoughts of suicide in 2016 than live in New York City, London, or double the population of Los Angeles. That's a lot of people. Yet, outside the counseling office, not one friend or family member shared with me that they had thoughts of suicide.