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Celebrate Pride Month in New England!

As the First of June 2024 hits and we begin to celebrate Pride month, let’s take some moments to reflect on the beauty of the season and the blessing of fair weather in New England:

Related Posts: June Advocacy & Pride Testing

This time of year is always abuzz with many different celebrations and large social events and is a busy time for conferences giving opportunities to connect, educate, and further hone one’s skills in advocacy for those who need our support. Anti-trans legislation is on the rise and combating that fear with education is the primary mission of Darling Mental Health. Working to develop a network of therapists, resources, and educational opportunities is our goal in furthering the health and wellness of all peoples in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Focusing on local efforts and engagements to community can be helpful ways to find joy and hope in the world. Darling Mental Health is dedicated to participating in and bolstering the initiatives of local/regional groups and is glad to be presenting at the New England Association For Family And Systemic Therapy’s “Cultivating Clinical Competency in Gender Affirming Care: Combating Anti-Trans Systems” Conference on the 7th of June: Hormones, Gender Diverse Teens, and Their Families

If you are a clinician, educator, advocate, or simply curious about therapist language and lensing please feel free to attend!

Pride Worcester activities and events can be found online at PrideWorcester.org with their currently planned schedule starting with “Barbie” on the Worcester Common June 20th 6PM and ending with the Festival on September 7.

Boston’s Pride for the People, a volunteer run organization will be having their pride on June 8th.

Regionally there will be corporate supported Pride Parades in Boston, Providence, and Portland on June 15th.

Boston Pride‘s website has a map of the locally connected/networked Pride’s throughout the State.

Please feel free to comment any events you are looking forward to or any advocacy efforts that you would like to highlight!!!

Happy Pride Month!

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May Day!

Happy May Day and Beltane Blessings to all as today not only marks the beginning of a new month but is also the midpoint between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and there are many exciting things happening!

Worcester Pride is having its Launch Party tomorrow, Thursday May 2nd, from 6-8PM at Electric Haze; this will be a great opportunity for any vender or volunteer who wants to engage with the Worcester Pride committee and ensure their place in the festival or to help out with the logistics and function of the celebration that Worcester has every September!

The 2nd Annual Mental Health Awareness Community Conversation is happening Thursday May 9th, 5 PM at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. The focus of this community event is targeted to burn-out, self-care, and resource management/awareness for first responders with participation and support from over a dozen Worcester based practices and resources!

Additionally, Darling Mental Health will be providing two of its four gender-affirming care therapy trainings on Saturdays 5/11 and 5/18 where we will be focusing on Queer Theory and fundamental understanding about providing gender-affirming therapy as well as Gender Inclusive Language and Communication that explores what is needed in providing comprehensive evaluations and letters of support when clients need to address steps to begin medical transitioning. Please go to the Trainings page for more information!

Mother’s Day will be on Sunday the 12th and Memorial Day is Monday the 27th this year, don’t forget!

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April Updates

As we all enjoy the wonderful diversity of Spring weather patterns in New England I would like to remind the community of several things.

Seasonal activities are starting up and Outloud Sports Worcester (WooPride Kickball) will be starting its season soon with an open scrimmage this Sunday 4/14 at the outdoor baseball field in Great Brook Valley.

The Volleyball Village People will begin their open season of games April 24th.

Darling Mental Health’s training schedule has been updated with some changes in the months of August and October. Please check the full listing of course offerings in the Curriculum. All are welcome to attend and discounts do exist, please inquire if you wish to attend something but need assistance!

The sold-out Safe Homes Gala is this upcoming Friday (4/12) and if you would like to support the fundraising efforts please check out their online silent auction:

Welcome — Open Sky Community Services: 2024 Safe Homes Gala (readysetauction.com)

Safe Homes (safehomesma.org) is a non-profit drop-in center for LGBTQIA+ youth age 13-23 providing a safe space to seek out support, ask questions, acquire gender-affirming resources, and navigate queer adolescence with access to peer support. This program has been wonderful for many in the community, and I hope that it among the other programs in Worcester is a regular resource that all LGBTQIA+ youth are aware of and can engage with when needed!

Finally, Today is Eid-Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan and the ritual fasting for practicing Muslims; they return to habits of eating during the day and will be celebrating in a feast this evening. Blessings to all!

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Trans Day of Visability

Trans Day of Visibility is quickly approaching, presenting a crucial opportunity to honor and empower the transgender community; usually held on April 31st, this year Easter falls on the same day so many localities will celebrate it at another time. Founded in 2010 by transgender advocate Rachel Crandall, this day aims to shift the media narrative, which disproportionately focused on violent stories involving transgender individuals, failing to capture the breadth of their experiences and contributions. Crandall’s initiative sought to celebrate the lives of transgender individuals and empower them to live authentically while still acknowledging the pervasive discrimination and persecution they face. As Trans Day of Visibility approaches, checking for local events and celebrations is essential. Supporting and attending these activities can be a powerful way to show solidarity, especially in the current climate. Many in the transgender and gender-diverse community, colleagues and friends, are facing increased hardships due to regressive and suppressive measures affecting their right to exist, express themselves, or seek appropriate healthcare. Our support and visibility during these times are more critical than ever, offering a beacon of hope and unity in the face of adversity. – Edited from an original writing by Dr. Wissam Deeb

In Worcester, the observation of Trans Day of Visibility will be held on Saturday April 6th 3PM-6PM. The event is being organized on Facebook by Jai Santora.

Please check out the event page if you are local: https://fb.me/e/1Tz7Ywfi9

April 6th, 3 PM at Gambrino’s Cask & Barrel: 266 Park Ave, Worcester

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Leap Day Update

Happy Leap Day to All!

Darling Mental Health is happy to announce the 2024 curriculum has been scheduled with 10 trainings spaced out from April to October. Additional trainings may be created based on feedback and interest. The curriculum and course descriptions can be found on the training page for review. Courses 1-5 are designed to provide any therapist/provider a comprehensive ethical lens and system of evaluation/treatment to support transgender persons through different stages of transitioning including writing support letters. Courses 6-10 expand on different factors affecting sex therapy including race, religion, colonization, and binary/monogamy default lensing.

  1. Ethics of Sex Therapy – April 27th
  2. Queer Theory and Gender Therapy – May 11th
  3. Gender Inclusive Language and Communication – May 18th
  4. Family Interventions for Gender Diverse Minors – July 6th
  5. Transgender Affirming Healthcare – July 13th
  6. Couples and Sex Therapy – July 20th
  7. Religion and Sexuality – August 17th**
  8. Cultural Differences Affecting Sex Therapy – August 31st**
  9. Compassion for Arabs – September 14th**
  10. Non-Monogamy and the Kink World – October 12th**

**full course descriptions coming soon

To register/pay for any training please use the shop page.

All courses can be purchased at a 50% reduced price through the month of March!!!

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Worcester LGBTQ+ Icebreaker 2/28

Alice Romeo, a local Real Estate agent who is passionate about helping the LGBTQ+ Community better connect, is organizing an event designed to help new members to the community learn about their social options in Worcester, MA.

This event is designed to inform any in the queer community about the activities and organizations that do exist and will be held on Wednesday 2/28 at 6 PM.

Register at: tinyurl.com/bdcmjb2m
Contact Alice: AliceSarahRomeo@gmail.com (508)579-0393

The First Annual Worcester, MA LGBTQ+ Community Welcome/Icebreaker Event Flyer:

Worcester-LGBTQ-Icebreaker-Flyer-Rev-3Download
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2024 Announcement

Happy New Year to Everyone!

Darling Mental Health, LLC is proud to announce approval as an AASECT approved Continuing Education provider; able to provide trainings nationally recognized by licensing boards for therapists and associated professions.

Training topics and content are being developed with a focus on inclusivity for the LGBTQIA+ community, programs and resources in the area, frameworks and philosophies on sex therapy, and practical application in clinical practice and advocacy. For more information, please consult the trainings page.

Collaboration with the community is key to Darling Mental Health’s mission! Any individual interested in co-presenting on a topic is encouraged to reach out and inquire about open space for collaborators/co-presenters.

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Winter Solstice

This day marks the “darkest” day of the year for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere. As a relative culmination of current events, international news, politics, and other elements it is fair to say that this season is feeling darker than many previous ones I have experienced; and I imagine that is true for many of you as well.

Moving forward each day will have a bit more sunlight and I find that focusing on that increase in sunlight can be a great way to combat low feelings, cultivating hope for the future.

In order to meet this celestial event that marks the official start of astronomical Winter, I am taking time for myself to reflect, educate, and re-evaluate elements of how my speech and presentation can be more affirming for the world we are living in as well as more authentic to my own Humanistic lens that I wish to project. 

For those who do not already have projects planned for the end of the Calendar year I recommend scheduling time for self-care, resisting any judgment related to slowing down, and finding space and activities that are comforting. Fellowship with friends and family can be a real boon at this time, and remembering that the relationship you have with yourself is the most important to cultivate in a way that feels holistic, not just hedonistic.

May the winter be kind to each and everyone as we continue to face uncertainty in a world full of propaganda and fearful distractions. 

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Love your Labels

I want to specifically highlight the Threads Fashion Program at Love your Labels that provides a limited space program to HS age people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ population to explore fashion and foster community where diverse expression of self is celebrated and cultivated as a means to healthily navigate life as a queer person at this time. The program operates on Wednesdays at 6 PM and will be starting up in a fortnight on October 18th, if you or someone you know is a High School age person who would benefit from connecting with other members of the LGBTQIA+ community and may enjoy building their confidence and sense of self/identity through fashion please engage with the Threads program.

Additionally, a new page has been added to the site under the Resource Directory tab for which one can find Activity Focused and Queer Friendly spaces to explore in Worcester – Queer Coded Spaces.

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Autumnal Equinox

This weekend marks the equinox, the solar end of Summer and the beginning of the Fall season in the Northern Hemisphere. Daylight and night swap and the amount of sunlight continues to decrease each day as we march towards the Winter Solstice. This is a good time for rituals, self-care, and mindful awareness of Seasonal Affective Disorder patterns that may or may not affect you and those around you.

Due to the increased lack of sunlight, people tend to get more depressive and find themselves having lower motivation to engage in social activities or healthy behaviors overall. It is important to find positive focuses during the Fall season, make plans, and engage in mindful behaviors that work to support your health or practice moderation in any shifts in your patterns. Regular utilization of opportunities to be outside in the sunlight, use of sun lamp, limited use of tanning salons are self-care activities to consider in managing one’s seasonal depression. Additionally, any project that helps organize, set intentions, prepare for winter, or otherwise engage you in a “harvesting” mindset can be helpful in aligning yourself with the environment around you.

Enjoy your spices and flavors this season, focus on celebrations with those you enjoy, and find positive focuses to celebrate who you are.

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