How the International Disability Rights Movement failed, and what you can do about it.

If you struggle with ADHD and are considering college, read this article from a Certified Strategic Life Coach about how to prepare for uni

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. While in the past it was a disorder th

There are many people within our society who are genuinely ignorant about how patriarchy is at the core of the oppression of gender, race, and class. While many Americans believe oppression ended with women’s suffrage in 1919, and civil rights movements in 1954, closer examination evidences the patriarchy’s system of power, which established concepts of the ‘opposite sex’ and ‘others’, still oppresses many minorities in contemporary society. In honor of Women's Equality Day,

A reading list for ADHD. Put together by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. This is a great resource for anyone who doesn't have access t

My first memory of gender was when my older sister got pregnant and my family threw her a gender reveal party. It was a party before the...

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! My name is Carissa Weber and you can find more about my blog here . For the last 10 years, I have worked as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and a clinical substance abuse counselor (CSAC). I have always been drawn to mental health, especially ways to help us feel better. While I was in college, I studied nursing and how the brain works. This absolutely fascinated me. Ever since, I have been interested as to why our brain works, an

December and January are all about goals and resolutions, but I honestly don’t believe in all that. I don’t understand why people wait all year to set a goal they won’t even work towards. They’re only setting it because they were peer pressured into it. This probably all started in the Industrial Revolution. Some pencil-pusher boss probably pressured some carpet-walker manager into telling him what he was going to accomplish for a year. That being said, I LOVE goals. I rememb

A reading list for Autism. Put together by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

We’ve had quite a bit going on in the past couple of years to make us more fearful of catching infectious diseases. I think COVID has...

In honor of Black History Month (i.e., February), I decided it would be a great time to write about a recently released show that was grotesque in the ways that truly keep me up at night. Normally, the scary stuff that gets under my skin, is what I know actually happened, could actually, or is currently happening. The show I’m referring to is an Amazon Prime series called Them. If you haven’t watched it, I strongly recommend you set aside some time to binge-watch (assuming ho

If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) , available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to anyone. All calls are confidential. Suicide is a scary topic for many people. One most people refuse to touch. I will admit, it’s scary for me, too. You never know how words on a blog post, or written down, or sent in a text will be taken by the party reading. You never know who you will upset, or

International Women's day is on March 8th.. As a cis-gender woman, I would like to extend this to all oppressed genders. While I do see the importance of individualized awareness days, this one I am comfortable sharing with anyone who has been oppressed by their assigned gender, gender identity, gender expression, or gender fluidity. I do believe women should be equal to men, but I don’t believe there are only two options for genders , and that equality should be extended to

We have officially used up half the year. It’s check in time. You probably read the post in January about New Year’s Resolutions and how it affects mental health. So, now it’s the time to get real with yourself. Where are you at, and where do you want to be? This isn’t to bash yourself. Don’t use this self-assessment to berate yourself for things you didn’t accomplish. Plans rarely go the way they’re supposed to. You’re probably in a different place than you planned, but th

Self-care day is July 24th. Now, I’m not here to talk about the self-care you’ve been fed by marketing ploys of beauty companies.

One of the most difficult disorders for people to understand (and break that cycle of hurt) is Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline P

Who are we? Villain Esteem is a mental health service dedicated to creating a world that promotes resilience and empowerment of individuals by helping establish a more inviting, relatable informational platform that increases accessibility for all people. Informed by science, inspired by the anguish of humanity, and motivated by empathy to break the stigma of mental health. What are we aiming for? Our aim is to make mental health actually cool. Not Forever-21 cool, more alon

Zoos are sad places. After visiting a large zoo in San Antonio, Tx I vowed never to go back. I would never support treating animals so...

Why care? Read more about why Family Health History is even a National Awareness Day, Why it lands on Thanksgiving.

Anxiety is an invisible monster most people don’t understand. Some people don’t even believe in it. I view it like Bigfoot or Slenderman.