Darling Mental Health will be holding its first continuing educational unit on working with Arab populations tomorrow, 11/9, at 1:30 PM EST. All proceeds are going to two charities: Medicins Sans Frontieres & Healing Our Homeland. Currently, registration fees have totaled $870 and we would like to make an even $1,000 donation ($500 to each charity). To do that we are looking for 3 more clinicians, educators, or advocates to register for Compassion for Arabs and attend tomorrow’s online training. For more on the 3-hourNBCC and AASECT approved CE course please go to: darlingmentalhealth.com/trainings/compassion-for-arabs/
As October draws to a close, we have to address changes that continue to happen and evolving situations of suffering and moral exhaustion. Preparations for Darling Mental Health’s first educational unit on Arab cultural awareness continues, and it is glaringly obvious that anything we do must first and foremost focus on supporting the Arab peoples who are suffering. Therefore, all proceeds from the 3-hour “Compassion for Arabs” training, to be held on November 9th at 1:30 PM EST, will be donated to the Medicins Sans Frontieres and Healing Our Homeland. MSF is an organization that is supporting several dozen medical operations around the world including medical aide to Southern Lebanon and Gaza; HOH is a women led grassroots organization that offers 5 programs of support and Darling Mental Health will be financially donating to the Gaza Relief Fund.
Additionally, live participation will be optional for any persons; completion of a page essay to receive a CE certificate is expected for those who only observe.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify what influences the European powers have in our modern understanding of the Middle East and North African region
2. Learn what primary cultural differences exist between Arab and White American values that impact therapy and assumptions we often make (individualism v. collectivism)
3. Identify what stressors and concerns queer Arabs have in their lives in the US and abroad
4. Learn what propaganda influences insight on the geo-political struggles of Arabs in the MENA region
5. Identify languages that project a de-colonized lens to help Arab clients be able to find safety and solace in therapy with a White-presenting, US based therapist
Any Arab-identified person who wishes to attend for free is invited to email directly. Additionally, receipts of recent donations to similar organizations are recognized as a “price for attendance” to this training.
This training model will occur again with a focus on Indigenous populations in the Americas in 2025. Any presenter who would like to collaborate/lead on that topic is invited to reach out.
Thank you for your time, and may we focus on protecting and helping as many children as possible.
[Trigger Warning: this post discusses the history of colonization, politics, and genocide]
Today is identified as “Columbus Day” in the United States, for which a de-colonized effort, lens, and activism has reclaimed it in the name of the Indigenous People impacted by colonization. What are the discussion points here and why is it important for us to be knowledgeable about this? (Because the United States is perpetuating suffering and we as citizens of this global super-power are rarely informed about what our tax-dollars are doing that harms non-White peoples around the globe.)
First, Columbus didn’t discover anything. The land was filled with a nation of peoples who through tribal organization were governing themselves and had lived alongside each other with varying degrees of peace and warfare for hundreds of years before European contact. VividMaps has a page to illustrate this and the resulting impact on native populations in our modern day that emphasizes how genocidal European Colonization was to North America’s native peoples and tribes. One map of theirs beautifully shows the diversity in heritage and is shown here:
However, the narrative most people in the US and Canada received in development emphasized a universal benefit of colonization, converting “nomadic” and “savage” people into prosperous “settlements” that “civilized” the people. We ignore the initial impact and judgments that invaders like Columbus had about the people who received him, we ignore the biological warfare that occurred in wiping out upwards of 90% of the indigenous population through smallpox and other deadly diseases for which they had no defense, and we have SLOWLY recognized the lasting impact residential schools had in the 20th century as White Christian “saviors” systemically worked to kill tribal languages, traditions, networks, and identities through oppressive laws that were racially biased and used religious prejudice as justification.
Indigenous people now continue to fight for recognition, and the preservation of their cultures and heritages, which includes land acknowledgements of what has been occupied and taken through Colonization. Governments and official bodies are beginning to practice land acknowledgments and discussions about the sovereignty and dignity that native peoples deserve as a people with their own rights and culture that should be respected and integrated, not dominated and assimilated to Euro-centric values exclusively.
The effective consequence to the United States is simple in that our population has disconnected from the land in an authentic way, we have prioritized capitalism and urban development over sustainability, and we have collectively lost sight of how much our views and hierarchies are based in prioritizing White Christians over other groups. Languages of propaganda are still being used to instill a belief that the United States is the country of democracy and freedom despite many reports and statistics that indicate we are failing to provide these values to others. Historically, the value of ensuring equitable access to resources to all peoples, bodily autonomy to all genders, and protection to the diversity our human family has been ignored and it is sadly continuing in our current political hellscape.
Simultaneously, the United States is funding another form of colonization with the military intimidation and oppression of Arab and Muslim peoples through its blanket support of Israels appalling “stewardship” of the lands where Palestinians are forced to live, and a current ground invasion to once again destabilize and upset the peoples of Lebanon who are relieving the traumas of military invasions that began before 1948, in the 6-day war of ’67, and a continued pattern of failed invasions that many in the US are unaware. Peace will not be established through lopsided warfare and the aggressors need to be clearly identified, not allowed to hide behind propaganda of victimhood that absolves one of responsibility, evaluation, or international law. A review of any casualty report for any conflict in the region will clearly identify which side succeeds in killing the other by a factor of 10:1, typically.
We must all work to educate ourselves and find opportunities to speak out against religious persecution and disregard for the value and diversity of non-White peoples: their languages, traditions, faiths, and ways of life.
Peace for all does not endorse or ignore the murder of children, and that is what happens when schools and hospitals are bombed, or a third of a country’s population is identified as a viable target for its political ideology. England had to come to the table of negotiation for peace instead of continuing hostilities with the IRA, the same needs to happen with Israel’s neighbors, and the US should be holding them accountable instead of continuing to arm the weapons.
Free Tibet! Free Palestine! Protect Lebanon! Fight Colonial Oppression! Preserve and Protect Jewish Peoples, Culture, and Heritage without Zionism!
Though there are several things to report from the WPATH conference, I feel that the most helpful thing I can do is share links to free and open access research articles being discussed in our circles.
One researcher who has been involved in publishing several articles on transgender sexual satisfaction, embodiment, and pleasure was kind enough to publicly release a link to a list of articles she is a part of: paper sexuality – Google Drive for which I highly recommend all sex therapists to review.
Additionally, the following articles were cited in presentations I attended throughout the conference and for which I highly recommend other therapists and medical providers review if they haven’t already come across them:
While in attendance to the WPATH conference I would like to boost their upcoming Global Education Institute series that will be happening February 18-20 in Spain:
Engagement with the WPATH community will help you connect with leaders in transgender healthcare, provide space for informative education, and allow you to interact and ask questions related to your field of engagement and interest. All medical providers who are required to maintain their professions through CME’s should consider engagement with WPATH’s GEI to help them connect and better understand how their disciplines and clinical skills can be sharpened by having a more attuned lens and awareness of the needs of the transgender and gender diverse community.
As the Equinox strikes on Sunday, I encourage all to reflect on the celestial event that marks a balance between our daytime and nighttime hours as we in the Northern hemisphere shift properly into autumn. Temperatures are now cooling down, deciduous trees are beginning their celebration, and the harvest season goes into full swing.
Harvest times are a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the summer season’s accomplishments, the opportunities to celebrate and continue cultivation, and prepare for the quiet and often cold times that are coming. As September ends, I encourage everyone to mindfully engage in nature and take advantage of what each person has local to them.
For my own reflection and cultivation, I will be traveling to Lisbon to attend the World Professional Association of Transgender Healthcare (WPATH) conference “A Gender Diverse World in Global Unity” for which I hope to gather more knowledge, resources, and insights to better serve the trans & gender diverse community. Any colleagues who are similarly attending are encouraged to reach out and coordinate a meet!
Additionally, the 2025 Curriculum is currently being developed. Speakers and educators who wish to be part of our curriculum are encouraged to reach out. All proposals that relate to sex therapy, gender-affirming care, or advocacy for minority groups are considered.
Email proposals/interest to collaborate to Jeremy@DarlingMentalHealth.com
As September begins, the US celebrates a national holiday that honors the Labor Movement. Labor Day is a day to reflect and appreciate the social and union advocacy that resulted in legislation which has provided protections to laborers & the working class. No society can function healthily without a healthy labor force that has agency, voice, and the right to live, work, and pursue happiness!
Labor Day also marks the “unofficial” end of Summer and in Worcester it is the pre-cursor to Pride. Our Pride festival at the Commons will be in the afternoon on Saturday the 7th with evening block parties at Femme Bar, MB Lounge, and Electric Haze. For more scheduling information, including daily events for this upcoming week, please go to:
Darling Mental Health will have a table at Pride and we look forward to seeing you this year with opportunities to connect in-person, network, collaborate, and answer any questions you may have about sex therapy, gender-affirming mental health counseling, and other services offered.
Meanwhile, Darling Mental Health is holding a Pride Sale on all online trainings, reducing the rate price from $30 to $20 per CE credit hour, $60 for each 3 hour course. The sale ends Sunday Sept. 8th at 12 PM.
Let’s go out and meet in the community, making better connections, and building a safer world for our queer youth!!
Darling Mental Health is proud to announce that in addition to being an AASECT approved CE provider we are now also approved by NBCC to make it easier for all participants to be able to make effective use of their trainings and CE experiences as it relates to maintaining licensure and requirements by their licensing boards.
Darling Mental Health, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7600. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Darling Mental Health, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
We are committed to providing high quality continuing education for therapists, educators, and advocates of sexual health and gender-affirming care in the Worcester, MA region and beyond. Please feel free to reach out with any questions as it relates to attending future trainings and ensuring the ability to receive AASECT and/or NBCC credit for your participation.
Darling Mental Health is proud to announce our first public event and social meet and greet for local area professionals of sexual health – LAPOSH!
A meet-up and networking opportunity for local area professionals of sexual health includes an open invite to all: counselors, educators, prescribers, physical therapists, speech therapists, students, and others interested in the field of sexual health!
Sunday 8/11, 4-6PM at Wormtown Brewery in Worcester Sliders & appetizers will be served – cash bar
Whether you are an established professional, newly networking in the field, unsure of your career path, or needing to understand the local resources available; we hope to bring together a diverse body of professionals to create more insightful connections and networks.
Presentations of local resources and services to Worcester will be made including providers of gender-affirming care, STI testing and treatment, and other advocacy efforts in the community. Darling Mental Health’s curriculum of continuing education opportunities will be reviewed, topics related to gender identity and sexual dysfunction treatment: ethics, medical and non-medical interventions, mental health therapy techniques, diversity and representation, and pleasure enhancement skills.
Meet the presenter for our upcoming Sex and Couples Therapy training and hear about what you can expect if you choose to register for our 3 hour workshop scheduled for Saturday August 24th
Ask questions about becoming a certified sex therapist, educator, or counselor and provide feedback of what kind of networks, resources, trainings, and/or events you would like to see to help our local and state communities of sexual health providers get better connected!
We hope to see you there!
** FREE to attend, light snacks will be served, cash bar **
As Today is the Fourth of July and the United States celebrates its independence from the British Empire I find myself reflecting on many things that are difficult to articulate, synthesize, and process. For different reasons there are many people in the US who are proud to be an American, for many there is pure shame; the rest of us are somewhere in-between not sure whether either emotion is fair to a people who have lost insight on how our systems operate.
What I do recognize and want to speak to is the sheer hypocrisy of our independence from British domination while the American colonies were themselves dominating the African/Black population they had enslaved and forced migration from their homes and lands. Not to mention the most silent genocide in humanity’s history against the Indigenous tribes that continued well into the 20th century with systemic practices of warfare (biological and technologically lopsided) and forced sterilization which is barely recognized in our history books. The history of the United States is covered in blood, and we were falsely told that ALL of the blood shed was justified and/or a divine right to be a nation of personal and religious freedom to self-determination.
Now we face a nation that is struggling to define what limits to power should exist for our leaders, what structures of governance actually help cultivate healthy and progressive movement to the future, and what transparencies and truth can actually be heard and trusted in a world of privatized news media and far-winged conspiracy theories. It’s exhausting and hard for so many of my clients, and I suspect every therapist is feeling it too.
How do we find hope in all of this? How do we as cultivators of good mental health find an authentic way to continue on and build structures of support that help and protect the weak and vulnerable without sacrificing our own resources to maintain self?
I’m not entirely sure. But I hope there is a future filled with more grace for our queer youth and less fear for their diversity and existence. I will continue to work towards that education goal and hope that the networks of resources continue to grow and build so that safe supports can be easily accessed.
For each person reading this I hope you are able to find time in the coming days and months to enjoy your lives, your families, your friends, and your options to express yourselves and find moments of celebration that are authentic to you and find ways to foster hope and courage for the future.
I hope today marks a day of positive shift as the season continues to flourish in the Summer heat; may we all find time to care for ourselves and ready ourselves for the future.
