Victoria Olson, Author at Victoria Olson

National Disability Awareness Month Brings New Awareness About Mental Health

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Did you know that March is officially National Disability Awareness Month? And 2022 marks the 28th year that the United States has recognized this national holiday as a way to bring understanding, encouragement, and opportunities to people living with disabilities.

In the United States, it is believed that over 60 million adults, or one in four adults, live with a disability. Disabilities may include a limited ability to walk or climb stairs, see, hear, and focus with ease. These disabilities often make everyday tasks difficult.

Bringing Awareness to Better Mental Health

One way we can all mark the occasion this year is to educate ourselves on the mental and emotional impact of living with a disability. Adults with disabilities report experiencing depression and mental distress almost 5x more often than adults without disabilities. Frequent mental stress is often linked with poor health habits that can lead to chronic disease and other poor health outcomes.

Getting Help

When someone lives with a disability, it is easy to focus so tightly on the physical challenges that mental and emotional needs can be neglected. If you or a loved one live with a disability, it’s important to check-in and sees how you are feeling mentally and emotionally.

Should you find that you are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed, please find a licensed therapist who can help you navigate these uncomfortable feelings and offer coping strategies for moving forward.

Therapists can also help in other areas as well. For instance, the right therapist can help you understand the mind-body connection and help you speak with friends and families about how you’re feeling. He or she can also help you navigate any relationship issues you may be having that are related to a disability.

If you’d like to explore treatment options, please reach out to me.

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Filed Under: disabilities

Neurodivergence’s Impact on Mental Health

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

When we speak about human behavior or ways of being in the world, we have traditionally described someone as having normal behavior or abnormal behavior. Recently, mental health experts have begun to look at things in a broader, more inclusive scope.

What Does Neurodivergent Mean?

Neurodivergent is a term used to describe someone who either behaves in a specific way or processes information in a specific way that differs from cultural norms. It is an important shift in the mental health community because it allows clinicians to discuss diagnoses, such as autism, in a way that doesn’t portray the diagnoses as an illness or problem to be dealt with. In addition to autism, there are other diagnoses that may be considered a form of neurodivergence such as ADHD, any learning disability, dyslexia, and Tourette’s syndrome.

Benefits of Neurodiversity

Much of the world has embraced cultural diversity. We have been taught that diversity is our greatest strength. Well, people are finally starting to realize that this concept goes beyond just cultural diversity and should extend to the diversity of thought and being as well. Neurodiversity can actually be beneficial to society because different ways of thinking and looking at the world bring different perspectives and insights to the table.

Temple Grandin is a perfect example. Temple is autistic and it is her very unique perspective and way of thinking that allowed her to revolutionize the practices for the humane handling of livestock.

Instead of stigmatizing children who have been diagnosed with a “mental handicap,” we must encourage them to embrace their differences and share their unique insights and perspectives with the world.

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Filed Under: mental health, neurodivergence

The Importance of Community for Your Mental Health

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Our mental health significantly impacts our quality of life, so it makes sense that we would want to do all we can to improve it. This may include things like eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting enough quality sleep each night.

But there is something else that greatly influences our mental health and that is a community and a sense of belonging. Human beings are wired for connection. When we feel connected to others, we feel loved and supported. Friends can often help alleviate the stress in our life because our friends are there for us to lean on.

If you have been feeling alone and isolated, here are some ways you can find your own community and begin to connect with others:

Go with What Interests You

What activities and hobbies do you have? You may want to join a book club or take a painting lesson. If you’re athletic or used to playing a sport in school, maybe you could join a local team. You’ll no doubt find it easier to connect with others who enjoy doing the same things you do.

Volunteer

Being of service to others is highly rewarding, and volunteering is also a great way to connect with others who share similar values. What causes do you feel passionate about? What charities do you support? Check out their website or give them a call to see what volunteering opportunities they may have available.

Connect with Something Bigger Than Yourself

Do you have a particular religion or spiritual practice you connect with? Maybe it’s time to get back to your church or try taking that meditation class you’ve been thinking about. Is there a political cause that speaks to your heart? Helping others reach a meaningful goal can be a great way to find purpose in your own life.

Humans are not meant to be alone. We need to socialize. If you have been feeling down, now’s the time to go out and make some new connections.

And if you’ve been dealing with depression and anxiety for some time and could use someone to talk to, please give me a call.

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Filed Under: Depression

Affirmative Therapy for the LGBTQIA+ Community

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

People within the LGBTQIA+ community share many things in common outside of sexuality and identity. Many seek therapy for things like self-esteem concerns, anxiety, relationship issues, and more. Regardless of the reason, someone from the community might seek counseling, it is important that their therapist will be accepting and supportive.

What is LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy?

LGBTQIA + Affirmative Therapy was developed to address the unique emotional and mental health needs of members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This therapy describes the acknowledgment and acceptance of an individual’s identity and sexual orientation. Therapists who offer affirmative therapy provide their LGBTQIA + clients a safe space to develop a healthy sense of self and strengthen their voice.

Tenets Of LGBTQ + Affirmative Therapy

LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy can help someone challenged with mental health issues navigate their life and choices in a more thoughtful and meaningful way. Here are some of the main tenets of LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy:

Safe Spaces

The most important aspect of effective therapy is creating a safe space for the client to explore their emotions and heal any trauma. In LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy, individuals are welcomed without any judgment or preconceived notions.

Finding a True Ally

Once a safe space and genuine trust have been established, an alliance can be fostered where the LGBTQIA+ individual feels they are supported and celebrated.

What is the Best Way to Find an LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapist?

If you would like to work with a trained LGBTQ + Affirmative therapist, there are several steps you can take to find one:

Ask a friend or acquaintance for a referral
As for a referral from a well-known LGBTQ + organization
Do a Google search specifically using the term LGBTQ + Affirmative Therapy

Make a list of two to three therapists who seem qualified to help you with your unique issues, then feel free to call them to get a sense of their personality. A good therapist will be happy to speak with you to make sure your questions are answered and you feel comfortable moving forward.

If you are experiencing a mental health issue and would like to work with an LGBTQ + Affirmative therapist, please reach out to me. I offer telehealth sessions and am happy to discuss how I may be able to help.

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Filed Under: lgbtqia+

Let’s Celebrate National School Counseling Week!

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

National School Counseling Week is February 7th through February 11th. The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness of the unique contribution school counselors brings to children in this country. This recognition has become even more important as children continue to face the stress and challenges brought on by the Covid 19 pandemic.

Stats at a Glance

It has been reported that one in six children in this country between the ages of 6 and 17 experience a mental health disorder each year. Yet despite the demand for treatment, about half of youths with a mental health issue will not receive needed treatment.

Undiagnosed and untreated mental health illnesses negatively impact a child’s ability to learn, grow and develop. Since youths spend a majority of their time in schools, counselors are in the perfect position to help. School-based mental health services remove the barriers to treatment and give students the help they need.

As children continue to struggle with the disruption to their regular rhythms of childhood, caused by lockdowns and mandates, school counselors are there to help them get the relief they need to thrive and succeed.

How Can We All Celebrate School Counselors?

School counselors act as the first line of defense in identifying and addressing the mental and emotional needs of children in the school setting. This year, let’s give these local heroes the attention and gratitude they deserve.

There are a few different ways you can take part in this year’s National School Counseling Week:

You can participate in the weeklong photo challenge.

By heading to the campaign’s website, you can also have access to numerous download templates, like samples for press releases and certificates of appreciation. The website also has a selection of posters, door hangers, and stickers to help your kids/students promote school counseling.

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Filed Under: therapy

Student Mental Health Post-Pandemic

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

At no other time in history have schools had to face so many challenges. The COVID-9 pandemic required teachers, students, and faculty to quickly pivot and move classes to an online environment during times of great uncertainty.

Despite the work involved to keep education going, students of all ages have still been significantly impacted by the stress of lockdowns. Many students are dealing with mental health challenges as a result.

A recent study looked at 195 students at a large public university in the United States to understand the effects the pandemic has had on their mental health. The researchers found that 71% of the participants were experiencing increased stress and anxiety as well as depressive thoughts.

While many schools have opened back up, many students are still experiencing symptoms of trauma and mental health issues.

What Can Teachers and Faculty Do?

It’s important that teachers and faculty become educated themselves on the indicators of a mental health crisis in their students. What is the best way to recognize those students who may be having issues and need extra support?

All educational institutions should put in place universal screenings to identify those students in need. These screenings may involve brief questionnaires to gauge student emotional concerns.

Schools should also be sure to have enough school-based mental health professionals on staff to provide direct support for at-risk individuals.

What Can Students Do?

Students should recognize their feelings and be open to sharing them with others. Reach out to teachers and staff and get the help you need.

And if you are a student who would like to talk with someone about the stress and anxiety you are feeling, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

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Filed Under: Anxiety, COVID, depress, students

Dealing with Family Trauma Around the Holidays

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

The holidays are often a complex time for many people. On the one hand, there is a sense of joy in the air, while on the other hand, sorrow and grief because of either a loss or dysfunctional family dynamic.

The following are some ways you can deal with family trauma around the holidays.

Have an Escape Plan

It’s important to not isolate over the holidays. Being around loved ones who support and care for you can be a comfort. Having said that, you’ll also want to have a plan that will allow you to get away from crowds and holiday festivities when you feel yourself become triggered or emotional. This may mean you drive separately to an event so you can leave when YOU want and need. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries and stick to them.

Feel Your Feelings

The holidays mean everyone is supposed to ‘put on a good face’ and act merry and jolly, right? No. It’s important to really feel your feelings, not ignore them or pretend they don’t exist. We can only heal from trauma by facing the full extent of our darkness. If you had plans to spend time with loved ones but suddenly feel angry, overwhelmed, anxious or depressed, do not deny these feelings and try to put on a good face so others have a good time. It’s better to gracefully bow out of the plans and be 100% genuine with your feelings.

Make Self-Care a Priority

When we relive our trauma and deal with big emotions, it’s easy to let self-care slip and eat poorly, drink too much and get far too little sleep. Dealing with trauma takes energy and mental clarity, and that will require you to treat your heart, mind, AND body with gentleness and care.

You may also want to speak with someone during this time. A therapist can help you navigate your feelings and offer coping strategies. If you’d like to explore treatment options, please feel free to call or email me.

SOURCES:

Filed Under: trauma

Holiday Stress Prevention Tips

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

The holidays are right around the corner! And that means many of us will begin losing our minds, patience, and good cheer. Well, can you blame us? The holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year. Between shopping, decorating, and keeping your drunk aunt away from your recently widowed neighbor, it’s enough to pull your hair out!

If you tend to get a little stressed over the holidays, here are some tips to help you stay cool, calm, and collected.

Embrace Flaws

Nothing and no one is perfect. No matter how hard you try to have “the perfect holidays,” it’s simply not going to happen. Accept imperfections, embrace reality, and just focus on connecting with loved ones.

Be Kind

Most of the people you will come in contact with will be stressed out of their minds as well. And some people feel very sad and depressed around the holidays because of loss and other trauma. Since you can’t know what’s in other people’s hearts and minds, and you can’t control other people’s actions, focus on controlling your own and show kindness. You’ll be surprised how you can completely touch another’s heart and change their attitude with just a smile or thoughtful act.

Practice Self-Care

Often, when we feel stressed, our good habits go right out the window! Why eat healthy when you can shove holiday cake, cookies and pie into your mouth? But unhealthy foods, too much alcohol and not enough sleep will only exacerbate the situation. So be sure to treat yourself well and take care of your health during this time.

Speak with Someone

If you are having a hard time dealing with stress, it’s a good idea to talk with someone. This could be a friend, family member, clergy, or therapist. Often, just having someone else hear us and validate our feelings can help relieve stress.

If you’d like to speak to someone, please get in touch with me. I’d love to help you de-stress so you and your loved ones can enjoy the holiday season.

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Filed Under: stress

Treatment for Social Anxiety

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

For a year now, most of us have been unhappy with living a life in quarantine, wondering when the world would finally get back to normal. With vaccines rolling out and most towns and cities reaching herd immunity, society is beginning to open back up.

Now if you are like some Americans, part of you is happy for life to return to normal, and another part of you is experiencing what some psychologists call “re-entry anxiety.” According to a report from the American Psychological Association (APA), nearly 50% of Americans have expressed that they feel some anxiety regarding resuming in-person interactions post-pandemic.

This is a Normal Reaction to a Very Stressful Situation

Mental health experts have suggested there are two groups of people that will most likely experience re-entry anxiety. One of those groups is people who have a lingering fear that they will either catch or help to spread the disease or the new strains of COVID that seem to be cropping up.

The second group are people who feel their social skills have withered while quarantined and may find being around a lot of people and holding their end of the conversation to be very awkward, exhausting and challenging.

It’s important to mention that while you may be feeling anxious about re-entry into society, avoiding social situations will only make your anxiety worse. In fact, experts agree the longer you avoid the thing that makes you anxious, the harder it will be to face it.

What may help is to set small goals for yourself. For instance, you may want to set up small get-togethers with one or two others to start. Don’t feel the need to jump in the deep end right away, slowly acclimatize yourself to start.

Getting Help for Your Anxiety

We’ve all got to remember that we’ve faced a big trauma this past year and we must be gentle with ourselves. Life will feel normal once again. Until then, do the best you can do and ask for help when you need it.

Speaking with a trained therapist can be highly effective for people dealing with stress and anxiety. A therapist can help you navigate your emotions and offer tools to move through the anxiety.

If you’d like to explore treatment options, please get in touch with me. I’d be more than happy to discuss how I may be able to help.

RESOURCES:

Filed Under: Anxiety

What is Neurodiversity?

June 30, 2022 by Victoria Olson Leave a Comment

Neurodiversity is a concept given life back in the 1990s by an Australian sociologist named Judy Singer. The term is used to represent the different ways people think, behave, communicate, and more.

Neurodiversity is often associated with challenges an individual may face. For instance, people with neurodiverse traits may be diagnosed with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHA) dyslexia, or autism. But the concept turns the traditional diagnoses on their heads. Instead of thinking something is “wrong” with the person, the new science is suggesting that within the human genome, there is a diversity we’ve yet to fully grasp. Conditions aren’t necessarily faults in the brain but rather a unique expression.

Neurodiversity and Mental Health

Extensive data points to the fact that there are greater rates of depression and anxiety co-occurring in individuals with diagnoses of autism, ADHD, and dyspraxia. Autism alone has been linked to higher rates of anxiety, eating disorders, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more. Much of this may stem from the fact that individuals with autism have typically been found to have low levels of dopamine, a “feel good” neurotransmitter greatly responsible for elevated moods.

But what about those individuals whose levels of dopamine are in the normal range? And for that matter, what about depression and anxiety in people who have not been diagnosed with any other cognitive condition?

For years, psychologists, psychiatrists, and neurologists have tried to understand the profound links between body, brain, and life experiences. And what we have learned is that narrow diagnostic categorization doesn’t allow us to recognize all of the diverse ways cognitive conditions express themselves in the human race.

Neurodiversity helps solve this. It embraces the complexity of the interconnectedness of the brain, body and life to help us get better patient outcomes. As clinicians, we need to move away from crude labeling and diagnoses and begin to focus on personalized interventions and treatment plans to better serve our clients.

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

National Disability Awareness Month Brings New Awareness About Mental Health

Bringing Awareness to Better Mental Health

Getting Help

Go with What Interests You

Volunteer

Connect with Something Bigger Than Yourself

What is LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy?

Tenets Of LGBTQ + Affirmative Therapy

What is the Best Way to Find an LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapist?

Stats at a Glance

How Can We All Celebrate School Counselors?

What Can Teachers and Faculty Do?

What Can Students Do?

Have an Escape Plan

Feel Your Feelings

Make Self-Care a Priority

Embrace Flaws

Be Kind

Practice Self-Care

Speak with Someone

This is a Normal Reaction to a Very Stressful Situation

Getting Help for Your Anxiety

Neurodiversity and Mental Health

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