Skip to content

Queer Mental Health Professionals Supporting LGBTQ* Health & Wellness

Queer Mental Health Professionals Supporting LGBTQ* Health & Wellness

Contact
Home
Join the Network
Meet our Team
Neat Reads
Resources
- Under our Umbrella
  - Allison Goes to the Movies!
Services Offered

Our Therapists

Christopher Shillington, MA, CCC, RP
Dr. Greg Mendelson, Psy.D., C.Psych.
Leslie Kirsh, MEd, RP
Carly Boyce, MSW, RSW
Jay Walker, MA, RP (Qualifying)
Tracey Jastinder Mann, MSW, RSW
Kathryn Bargis MSc, RP
Saadia Khan, B.A. Candidate
Dr. Allison Reeves, PhD. C.Psych

Daily Archives: October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween!
“I don’t believe in limiting my costume choices to sex or gender.” Christopher Shillington This a great little […]

31 Oct, 2016 in Uncategorized by Christopher Shillington

Allison Goes to the Movies
“I saw this on Saturday. A beautiful, sad and poignant film. Highly recommend.” – Allison Reeves This is […]

31 Oct, 2016 in Uncategorized by Christopher Shillington

Umbrella Mental Health Network

1 day ago

art via @micahbazant & @fwdtogether ——- Today on #TDoR we remember and celebrate the resilience of our trans siblings, and we defend our trans family. ❤️ ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Umbrella Mental Health Network shared a post.

4 days ago

Image description (9 pictures, alternating text and stick-figure comic):

Picture 1:

The Unspoken Complexity of "Self-Care" by Deanna Zandt

Self-care is thrown around a lot as a magic bullet to solve all of your problems. If you'd only take a second to treat yourself, you'd e fine!

But what does self-care really mean?

First, I think there's a difference between self-care and self-soothing. Self-soothing might look something like this, for example:

Picture 2:

Self-Soothing

Activities that provide distraction and/or comfort in difficult times

TV Bingeing, Bubble Bath, Fancy Beverages, Singing Loudly, Massage, Fresh Flowers, Time off from Home responsibilities & childcare, cuddling, exercise [each item accompanied with a drawing to demonstrate]

Picture 3:

Such delightful things!

But they may not actually get at stabilizing you, or creating opportunities for you to move forward.

That's where self-care can come in:

Picture 4:

Self-Care

Activities that help you find meaning, that support your growth & groundedness

Going to therapy, napping, eating well for your body, meditating, taking ownership of your finances, getting medical care, exercise, saying YES and NO when you really mean it, yoga, setting & keeping boundaries [each item accompanied with a drawing]

Picture 5:

Ah yes, now we're getting somewhere. (That "finances" one may or may not be borne out of my own traumatic experiences with money, btw.)

Still, it takes a LOT to be able to even do self-care, since the systems and cultural norms in which we currently live can feel impossible to navigate on our own.

That's why it's important to have workarounds:

Picture 6:

Community Care

Workarounds for systems that don't inherently support care (ie, capitalism!)

Childcare education collectives, dignified, supportive healthcare orgs, worker-owned coops, intimate relationships outside of tradition, romantic couplehood norms, credit unions, freecycle & buy nothing groups, co-housing, skill sharing & mutual aid [drawings accompanying each item]

Picture 7:

Taking one step further back, it's also important to recognize that workarounds and harm-reduction are also only one part of the solution. We also need to fundamentally overhaul (or tear down and rebuild entirely) the systems in which we live, so that we can be further enabled to work on the other kinds of care that we need.

Picture 8:

Structural Care

Systems that support community care, self-care AND self-soothing

Comprehensive universal healthcare, environmental protection, child-&eldercare for all, living wage, efficient public transportation, identity freedom, paid family leave, ahem: CAPITALISM [drawings accompanying each item, the word "capitalism" is on fire]

Picture 9:

No single person can do all the kinds of care that are needed all the time; we each can play a role in supporting each other in different ways, though. Now, go forth and care for each other-- and yourself.

Self-soothing, self-care, community care, structural care ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Umbrella Mental Health Network

6 days ago

"For those who have experienced trauma, anxiety comes from an automatic physiological response to what has actually, already happened. The brain and body have already lived through “worst case scenario” situations, know what it feels like and are hell-bent on never going back there again. The fight/flight/ freeze response goes into overdrive. It’s like living with a fire alarm that goes off at random intervals 24 hours a day. It is extremely difficult for the rational brain to be convinced “that won’t happen,” because it already knows that it has happened, and it was horrific.

Those living with generalized anxiety often live in fear of the future. Those with complex trauma fear the future because of the past." ... See MoreSee Less

We Can't Keep Treating Anxiety From Complex Trauma the Same Way We Treat Generalized Anxiety

themighty.com

"Many effective strategies that treat anxiety and depression don't work for trauma survivors."

View on Facebook

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Umbrella Mental Health Network shared a post.

1 week ago

Reminder that we are looking for Psychologists, Psychotherapists, and Social Workers to join our team! QTBIPOC preferred!

***Applications close this Friday, November 15th*** ... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Umbrella Mental Health Network shared a post.

1 week ago

View on Facebook

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Contact Us

If you are a human and are seeing this field, please leave it blank.

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone

How Can we Help?

Our Therapists

Christopher Shillington, MA, CCC, RP
Dr. Greg Mendelson, Psy.D., C.Psych.
Leslie Kirsh, MEd, RP
Carly Boyce, MSW, RSW
Jay Walker, MA, RP (Qualifying)
Tracey Jastinder Mann, MSW, RSW
Kathryn Bargis MSc, RP
Saadia Khan, B.A. Candidate
Dr. Allison Reeves, PhD. C.Psych

· © 2016 Headshots by Jason Mortlock Umbrella Mental Health Network · Designed by boyFriday ·

Recent Posts

The Gratitude Difference
Paradiso Insurance Brings Halloween to the Connecticut Childrens Medical Center
Well today was that dreaded holiday of...
There Is No Love Without Forgiveness
Fixing Higher Education: Part I
Louisburg Lighthouse
Wondersome StoryTime
Great Bras dOr Front Range Lighthouse
What to Take in High School for Archaeology?
Maquesas Islands History and Culture
Moving with College Students
Its 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon and Im just getting up. Knowing the...
Abraham chose to believe that God would keep His covenant
Growing up as a girl...
Im six months into my twelve month blog...
Happy Mothers Day!
In Chicago one of our favorite pastimes is complaining about the...
An astounding charity for consideration...