Coming Next Month: ASC’s licensed psychotherapist, Sharon Duchesneau, will be leading another Deaf Women’s Support Group in Washington D.C. The group is sponsored by DAWN: Deaf Abused Women’s Network. If you are a woman currently in an abusive relationship (including emotional, physical, financial, or sexual abuse) or have experienced an abusive relationship in the past…if your partner is threatening to …
Read MoreFor Every Step Forward: So far this month, we’ve seen Deaf artist Matt Daigle’s wonderfully designed breastfeeding logo win a national contest (that’s the logo in blue and white). We’ve learned of new research touting the mental health benefits of breastfeeding for children. But then, for all the progress and enlightenment we’ve supposedly achieved in our so-called advanced society of …
Read MoreGuilt Defined: Guilt is usually described as “the sense of right or wrong”. As an emotion, it suggests conscience – that little angel sitting on your shoulder – and remorse. On the one hand, we feel guilty when we do something we think we shouldn’t have done; on the other hand, we feel guilty when we don’t do something we …
Read MoreBegone, Bad Memories: How would you like to erase some of your memories, perhaps zapping away the more painful moments in your life, never to be tortured by them again? In the news earlier this fall, State University New York Downstate Medical Center researchers reported discovering a molecular mechanism responsible for sustaining long-term memories in the brain. According to the …
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The Capitalization Question: Not long ago, a reader asked us why we use the capitalized version of Deaf in our blog and website. This question brought us back to our thoughts last year, when we were in the middle of writing the text for the ASC website and debating the D/d issue. Opting to capitalize Deaf was not something we …
Read MoreAn Open Letter from Alternative Solutions Center (ASC) Hiding Behind the Mask of Professionalism October 12, 2006 Dear Colleagues in the Mental Health Field: Like many people in the Deaf community, the Gallaudet University protest weighs heavily in our hearts today, as we are sure it does in yours, whether or not you have taken a public stand. As Deaf-centered …
Read MoreEquality and Justice I know, up on top you are seeing great sights, But down at the bottom we, too, should have rights. — Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories But even kings can’t rule the sky. — Bartholomew and the Oobleck
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Depression and Deaf People: We recently had several requests to do a post specifically on depression and Deaf people. Depression is something that many of us may experience at one point or another during our lives. It’s important to know that being Deaf itself is not a cause of depression. Being Deaf people in a hearing-centered society, however, can put …
Read MoreAnother Vlog from ASC: Sharon Duchesneau shares her perspective on the potential negative implications of the ASL sign for “therapy” or “counseling”. ASC would like to know your thoughts on an alternative sign, borrowed from other countries. To cite: Duchesneau, S. (2006, September 29). Rethinking the Sign for Therapy. ASC on the Couch. Retrieved September 29, 2006, from http://www.ascdeaf.com/blog/?p=232
Read MoreWhat Exactly is Mental Health?: Mental health equals emotional well-being. It means feeling good about yourself, the people around you, your job or school, having healthy relationships, enjoying life, and being able to deal with its many challenges. Lots of things affect mental health: biology, psychology, education, politics, social structure, and religion, to name a few. In a chapter of …
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