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Observances of Note

A Celebration of Juneteenth

Historically, Juneteenth has been a significant and long-celebrated holiday in the African-American community. However, only recently has it come into the wider consciousness, awareness bolstered by President Joe Biden signing a bill in 2021 officially making Juneteenth a federal holiday. And, while more people are now aware of Juneteenth as a term or holiday, many still do […]

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Observances of Note

National Women’s Health Week 2025

Welcome to National Women’s Health Week (NWHW) 2025! Did you know that starting in 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) designated the first Women’s National Health Week, encouraging women to prioritize their health? Followed by the National Women’s Check-up Day three years later, HHS has been designing evidence-based guides and public […]

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Observances of Note

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Year after year, parts of our culture improve in awareness, advocacy, and accessibility for mental health knowledge and services. In that same breath, we also acknowledge that great strides are still needed. Concerns related to insurance, availability of providers, and a lack of health equity mean we have much work to do. Despite these challenges, […]

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Observances of Note

Women’s History Month: Celebrating Women in Mental Health

As is common in history classrooms, sometimes we don’t always learn a complete representation of all the pioneers who contributed to a particular subject or science. This trend holds true in mental health where names like Freud, Pavlov, Bandura, and Maslow lead the way in many of our psychology and education classes. While these men […]

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Mental Health + Well-Being Observances of Note

World Mental Health Day

Beginning in 1992, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated October 10th as “World Mental Health Day.” As with many prevention efforts, a unique theme or focus is chosen each year. Past themes have ranged from broader measures such as inclusion and equality to more focused topics such as young people and mental health, mental health […]

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Observances of Note

September is Self-Care Awareness Month

I don’t know who determined that self-care awareness month would be September, but it was a great call. September is when we go back to school. September is when we are in transition between summer and school schedules. September is when we face whether we are adjusting well to the change in busyness, focus, and […]

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Mental Health + Well-Being Observances of Note

Suicide Prevention Week – Increasing Our Compassion + Understanding

The beginning of September marks Suicide Prevention Week, giving us a focused opportunity to learn and think compassionately about suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide), suicide attempts, and those we have lost. In the spirit of compassion, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some numbers and then, move in for a close-up view of  […]