Honoring Transgender Day of Visibility

Transgender Day of Visibility with Transgender Pride flag and Relationship Solutions Center logo and tagline

History of Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV)

Transgender Day of Visibility was originally founded by transgender activist, Rachel Crandall, in 2009. Her goal was increase awareness of trans people and their contributions to society. Rachel won the support of President Joe Biden in 2021 when he officially proclaimed March 31st to be Transgender Day of Visibility.

In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility , consider these options:

  • Do not to out your friends.  It is their choice and remember safety can be a significant issue.
  • Attend a local or virtual event.  Tag yourself on social media using #TDOV, #TransResistance, or #MoreThanVisibility
  • Learn about Trans History.  Did you know Jack Williams, a.k.a. Frances Clalin Clayton, bent gender norms to fight in the Civil War?  How about Stella and Fanny, a.k.a. Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park, who were arrested in 1870 by London police and charged with “conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence.
Stella (left) and Fanny, a.k.a. Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park. Arrested in 1870 London for “conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offence.”
Stella (left) and Fanny
Jack Williams, a.k.a. Frances Clalin Clayton, who bent gender norms to serve in the civil war.
Jack Williams, a.k.a. Frances Clalin Clayton
  • Support LGBTQ+ and/or trans-led organizations that provide education, advocacy, and events for the trans community.  We are fortunate to have the Kenneth Young Center right here in Schaumburg.
  • Know the differences between sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, sexual and emotional attraction, and sexual activities.
  • Get comfortable asking folks what pronouns they use.
  • Recognize the same-ness of trans folks and other identities.  Our humanity ties us together.  We all deal with issues of race, mental health, disabilities, economics, and more.
  • Learn trans terminology.  One of my favorite resources is itspronouncedmetrosexual.
  • Call someone out when they say something that is transphobic.
  • Give a shout out to your favorite transperson (if they are out)!

As a country, we are making strides toward inclusion, appreciation and valuing of the trans community and you can help.

Share your social media posts in the comments below.  I would love to join us together and destigmatize the transgender community.

Mental Health Monday focuses on positivity

So often we focus on the negative. It’s easy to do. The negative causes hurt and pain. To counteract the negative, we have to train ourselves to focus on the positive.

Young boy wearing a black shirt pointing to a cup that says "See the good."

We can start taking care of our mental health by answering these questions:

  1. What do people say you are really good at?
  2. What’s working in your life?
  3. What do you think you’re good at?
  4. What do you enjoy doing?
  5. What’s important to you?
  6. What are you looking forward to in the next two to three weeks?
  7. What are you proud of?

Hopefully, these are easy questions for you to answer. If they aren’t, it could simply mean you are stuck and could benefit from brainstorming with someone else.

It could also mean your mental health is suffering.

Whether you are feeling depressed, or suffer from low self-esteem, therapy can help. By working with a psychologist, we can help identify what is blocking you from being able to answer these questions, think about your values and goals, and decide how that could translate into living an authentic life that leads to an improvement in your mood.

If you have trouble answering these questions, contact us to schedule a time to talk. At Relationship Solutions Center, P.C. our goal is…

Relationship Solutions Center logo psychologist's hand reaching out to and holding your hand

Transforming Relationships From the Inside Out

Thursday Thoughts on Mental Illness

Gives an update on RSC’s #NEDAWalk.

Hi everyone!

There’s still plenty of time of donate to such a great cause! I am participating in a #NEDAWalk on April 23rd.

Eating Disorders effect girls, boys, women, and men of all races. This is video shares the varied experiences of folks who suffer from disordered eating. Please watch and learn more about eating disorders.

Did you know that…

Those are horrifying numbers and we can make a difference. Thank you for your support.

Mental Health Monday

Shares body-affirming art by Jessi @JessiJeannn

I just love her body affirming art and messages! Do you have a favorite message or art to share?

Self-esteem Saturday is dedicated to Women’s History Month!

Hi everyone.  For this week’s Self-esteem Saturday, I thought it made sense to talk about Women’s History Month.  This is a month that highlights women and their contributions to family, politics, literature, all the forms of art, science, math, psychology, technology, and so much more.

Before we had Women’s History Month, the recognition of women was limited to International Women’s Day (March 8th) and in the U.S., Women’s History Week in Santa Rosa, California.  As the movement spread across the country, there was a call for national recognition.  In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. This continued until March 1987 when Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.  Since 1995, each president has issued this annual proclamation. 

The majority of the text in this blog comes from (https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month).  There are too many amazing resources to share here, but I encourage you to check out their events, videos, social media cards, find activities for children, to name a few.

This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias!

Imagine a gender equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together we can forge women's equality.

Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.
We can break the bias in our communities.
We can break the bias in our workplaces.
We can break the bias in our schools, colleges and universities.
Together, we can all break the bias - on International Women's Day (IWD) and beyond.
Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough, action is needed to level the playing field.
Are you in? Will you actively call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping each time you see it?
Will you help break the bias?

Cross your arms to show your solidarity!

Strike the IWD 2022 pose and share your #BreakTheBias image, video, resources, presentation or articles on social media using #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias to encourage further people to commit to helping forge an inclusive world.

                        Credit to https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme

Thursday Thoughts on Mental Illness

Shares the first Awareness event RSC will participate in

Hopefully, you read my blog post from February 17th (https://rscil.com/thursday-thoughts-on-mental-illness/), where I announced practice goals for RSC. This year, I will be participating in more national and international events for 2022.

The NEDA Walk is the first event I have committed to.

Did you know that 30 million Americans struggle with an eating disorder at some point in their lives? And, despite their prevalence, eating disorders receive significantly less funding than other major mental illnesses, and support options are often inaccessible!

As a result, too many people are left feeling helpless, hopeless, and frightened.

This is why I’m participating in the NEDA Walk on April 23rd to benefit the National Eating Disorders Association.

As the leading U.S. nonprofit supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders, NEDA serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures, and access to quality care. Learn more about NEDA’s mission and work at https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

Thank you so much for your support!