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,

We all start out in mint condition, and some of us may have manufacturing defects, but childhood trauma is a game changer.

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

This list is recommended by a Licensed Therapist, and is designed to be an every growing and changing suggestion. If you have books that hav

How do people really know when they need counseling?

Psst... did you have strengths you want to build but have literally no clue where to start?

Be Ok being alone Have you ever met someone that reeked of desperation? Ever wonder what they did to get like that? Well, it’s pretty simple, really. They had an idea in their head about how things should go. They wanted a friend, or even something more. They had a plan of what they were going to do to get what they wanted. Whoever came within spitting distance would work if they’re willing to go along with the plan. Usually when in the middle of a vicious cycle like this, t

What Does Narcissism actually mean Narcissism. It’s a word that gets thrown around. “I have an ex that is a narcissist.” You hear it all...

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

This reading list is recommended by a Licensed counselor and is designed to be an ever-growing and changing suggestion. If you have books...

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

A Reading List regarding Change created by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Katie Morton answers a lot of questions around seeing a counselor in her book Are U Ok?

Okay, so real talk. I love The Big Bang Theory . It's one of the only sitcoms I can watch on repeat and never get sick of. I think it's because I can see myself in the characters so much. I've always just felt like a big nerd at heart during any point of my life. Naturally, this leads me to connect to most of the characters. I have a love for most things that aren’t “mainstream” and that tend to have a cult following. Sign me up for all comic books, Joss Wheadon, sci-fi, horr

Depression can be a bitch. She can convince you to stay in bed and do nothing, and tell you lies like “You’re worthless, why even try?”

Bloom is a children’s book about a seedling learning to accept the changes of life over time.

I recently wrote a blog post on my decision to take antidepressants. What I didn’t put in that post was some of the negative outcomes.

Can we please take a second to talk about how Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day are NOT synonymous?