| info@therainbowcounseling.com

Ariel Sheeger

My WordPress Blog

by Leave a Comment

BIPOC Mental Health Month

July was National BIPOC Mental Health Month. While the month has passed, what should remain is a commitment to ensure you receive the mental health care that will help you face the challenges common to Black and Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC).

BIPOC individuals experience a wide range of unique issues that can tax their hearts and minds. From discrimination to inequity and daily microaggressions, the BIPOC community has sustained generational trauma throughout the centuries.

Barriers to Mental Health Therapy for BIPOC Community Members

For people of all ethnicities, there has traditionally been a stigma attached to mental health and therapy, but this is particularly true for those in the BIPOC community. For varying reasons, mental illness is considered a taboo in a majority of BIPOC communities. Issues such as depression, sadness and anxiety are seen as weaknesses and flaws.

Sadly, while many BIPOC are at risk of developing a serious mental health crisis, they are far less likely to seek help and treatment because of the stigma involved.

Another barrier to mental healthcare is a lack of access to resources. Some in the BIPOC community find it difficult to obtain medical insurance that would cover the cost of therapy. Others may deal with transportation issues. And some communities are simply unaware of the resources that are available to them, and so they won’t utilize them.

And finally, many in the BIPOC community have difficulty finding a therapist who shares their culture and heritage. This can make it hard for them to feel comfortable enough to open up and share their experiences and pain.

Making Mental Health a Priority 365

More is being done on the part of clinicians and mental health professionals to make treatment more readily available and culturally sensitive to those in the BIPOC community. Please make the commitment to reach out to those who want to help so you can better your life and that of your family throughout the entire year.

SOURCES:

https://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/mental-health-resources/bipoc-mental-health-month

The Massive Challenges Faced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Who Live with Mental Health Disorders

https://www.fraser.org/resources/blog/bipoc-face-significant-challenges-in-receiving-mental-healthcare

by Leave a Comment

How to Manage Working from Home with Your Partner

More and more people are opting to work from home. While this has its advantages, it definitely has its challenges as well. Particularly when your partner also works from home.

The following are some tips to help you and your partner share a successful and harmonious dwelling while both working remotely:

Give Each Other Space

You might be tempted to spend every moment together now that you are both home all day. While some couples may be able to pull this off, it’s generally not a good idea to be on top of each other during your work day. For instance, if you partner is at the dining room table on their laptop, it might be a good idea for you to retreat to a spare bedroom with yours. It’s easier for most people to focus and get important work done when they have space and privacy.

Respect Each Other’s Timetable

Remote work often means you can set your own schedule. You may want to get up early and get right to work, while your partner may get more accomplished in the evening hours. As long as you both contribute to household and family chores, be sure to give each other permission to work at the times that suit you best.

Have Open and Clear Communication

There’s a very good chance that neither of you are mind readers. It’s for this reason that you’ve got to be clear about your needs. For instance, if you have an important Zoom call in the afternoon, be sure to let your partner know that you will need quiet and not to be interrupted between such-and-such hours. You might want to consider getting a dry erase board so you both can share any important information from day-to-day.

It won’t necessarily be easy, and it may take some getting used to… but with some consideration for each other’s needs, working from home together may turn out to be a very enjoyable experience!

SOURCES:

https://www.gq.com/story/we-can-work-from-home

https://remote.co/couples-who-both-work-from-home/

https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-avoid-killing-your-partner-when-you-both-work-from-home-6fb3506f996

by Leave a Comment

Dating Tips for Neurodivergent Individuals

Many neurodivergent clients I work with have shared with me that the idea of dating to them is terrifying. They feel nervous about holding their own in a conversation with someone they’ve just met as most find small talk absolutely distasteful. They don’t know how to pick up romantic cues from the other person, and, well, sexual relations pose entirely different challenges!

Dating is hard for everyone, but neurodivergent people have their own specific challenges. And much of these stem from a childhood where they were bullied for being different. Neurodivergent people know the pain of rejection and often don’t want to put themselves “out there” for fear of being rejected all over again.

Here are some tips to help you feel more comfortable in your own skin as well as in different social situations that come with dating.

Identify Your Sensory Triggers

Only you can really know yourself and understand what exhausts and overwhelms you. What level of stimulation can you handle and enjoy? What may cause a meltdown?

The more you know about your triggers the more you can steer your dating experiences so they can be as successful as possible. For example, if noise exhausts and overwhelms you, then you may say something to a prospective date like, “I can’t really do concerts, but how about we take a picnic to the park during the afternoon?”

If you don’t know yourself, how can you share the important aspects of you with someone else?

Take the Time to Process Your Feelings

Most neurodivergent people are extremely sensitive, not only to environmental stimuli but also to emotions. Neurodivergents experience feelings and emotions in their own unique way. And it can often be incredibly hard to put feelings into words. For this reason, it’s important that you give yourself the space and time to process your emotions. Just be sure to tell the person you are dating that your silence only means you are trying to communicate more clearly.

Get Dating Advice

There is no shame in having a dating coach in your corner who understands you and your unique challenges. I am a therapist who specializes in helping neurodivergent people live and love to the fullest. I offer my clients a safe space to process their feelings and help them navigate those areas in life that can be a bit tricky.

If you’d like to get more information on what it would be like to work with me, I invite you to give my office a call or drop me an email, whatever you’re more comfortable with.

SOURCES:

Dating for Neurodiverse Adults: How to Approach Dating on the Autism Spectrum

Dating for Neurodiverse Adults: How to Show Your Partner You Care About Them

Neurodivergent Dating

by Leave a Comment

Mental Health Benefits of Gender-Affirming Care

Gender-affirming care focuses on an individual’s physical, mental and social health needs. This care is absolutely lifesaving for transgender, gender diverse, and nonbinary people.

In order to fully understand what gender-affirming care is, we must first understand what it means to have a “gender identity crisis.” Gender crises happen when someone’s internal sense of gender is different from their sex or when they do not fit into the traditional expectations of gender identity or expression.

Historically, transgender, gender diverse and non-binary individuals typically experienced considerable health disparities due to discrimination and systemic biases, as well as less access to healthcare. But recently there has been a real push for gender-affirming healthcare, and in fact, research has strongly suggested that inhibiting individuals from receiving this form of healthcare can have immense negative health outcomes.

Benefits of Gender-Affirming Care

The following are just a few of the ways gender-affirming care can benefit transgender, gender diverse and non-binary individuals:

Improved Body Image and Self-Esteem

Gender-affirming care includes hormone therapy and surgery. These medical treatments help an individual’s physical attributes align more with their self-identified gender. This results in more self-esteem and a healthier body image.

Improved Mental Health

Gender-affirming care has the power to significantly improve a person’s mental health. This, in turn, results in a lower suicide rate, lower rates of depression and anxiety, as well as lower incidents of self-harm.

These benefits are now being reported in large-scale studies, such as the one in 2021 that illustrated a significant link between access to hormone therapy and lower rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts among transgender youth un the US.

Virality

Improved access to gender-affirming care has a strong ripple effect throughout the trans community. When one individual has a positive experience with a particular treatment or provider, more individuals in the community are apt to seek the same care and receive the same benefits.

Gender-affirming care also means getting help from an ally in the mental health community. If you would like to seek treatment options, please get in touch with me.

SOURCES:

https://www.wired.com/story/gender-affirming-care-improves-mental-health-and-may-save-lives/

https://www.healthline.com/health/transgender/gender-affirming-healthcare-importance#benefits

Gender-affirming care improves mental health for transgender youth

Make an Appointment

Contact Me Request Appointment

Follow Me

Contact Information

"If you are reaching out for the first time, please use contact form, text, or email for a faster reply. I look forward to connecting with you!"

info@therainbowcounseling.com