The more I work on PTSD recovery, the more I recognize the mask I wear. As I start to unmask, I realize that I haven’t had the privilege to live an unmasked life. And the more I learn about myself, the more I realize that I really haven’t had an unmasked life since the age of 2. Most importantly, I’m realizing how important it is to speak up.

Growing to Wear my Mask

I’m still working on accepting being different. I find myself feeling shame for being born the way I am. I accepted myself for my sexuality, gender identity, ethnicity, etc. but not for being autistic. It has everything to do with how I grew up.

By my childhood, I had the choice to either adapt or to be hurt for being autistic. So I wore my mask. And I wore my mask really good. I realized at an early age that my behaviors and way of life were deemed unacceptable in society. In certain foster homes, I was considered a demon child because of my sensory needs. I was made fun of or shamed for self stimming (fidgeting, pen cap chewing, etc.) all of which were silent.

Growing up this way made me feel as though my sensory needs weren’t necessarily important. In relationships (family, past lovers, etc.), there were indications of disbelief in my different needs and behavioral patterns. Which induces shame in being autistic under the PTSD mask I wear. This impacts my ability to express my needs and why I have such needs in areas of my life. I don’t want to be treated differently, just understood without judgement. So what other way can I avoid such disparity than to mask myself?

Unmasking in Recovery

As I heal from PTSD, I find myself having a really hard time navigating the socially perceived unfavorable characteristics of autism. Which include self stimming, bluntly saying things, needing to say certain things when something is off or wrong, and/or needing to do something in accommodation to attendance importance when I’m overwhelmed.

I struggle navigating these socially perceived unfavorable characteristic everywhere. But, I’ve been having a harder time with it at work. Which leaves me to acknowledge and voice my needs as it’s important.

In all, I’m basically trying to navigate the cognitive dissonance people have around autism that are created by the lack of understanding and education.

– Dez 🙂

Many of us really don’t think about whether or not we are in a domestic violent situation. Recently, I learned that I experienced domestic violence and I had to admit it to myself. Admitting it was the hardest part of my journey. I wanted to deny it. But I quickly understood that I was romanticizing my connections out of survival. I kept telling myself, “it could be way worse”, “they’re not like this deep down”, and “they didn’t mean it”. But indeed, they were aware of how they were hurting me. Understanding domestic violence has led me to question the reality I perceived.

What is Domestic Violence?

Typically when I hear domestic violence, I think of physical and sexual abuse. But domestic violence includes emotional, psychological, technological, and economical abuse. I learned about it here.

• Physical abuse: hitting, slapping, shoving, grabbing, pinching, pushing, etc.
• Sexual abuse: forcing/coercing sexual interactions of any sort
• Emotional abuse: undermining someone’s self-worth
• Psychological abuse: fear by intimidation, threats to harm (either self, partner, children, etc.), forcing isolation, gaslighting, etc.
• Technological abuse: behavior that’s intended to harm, threaten, control, stalk, harass, exploit or monitor another person via technology
• Economical/financial abuse: using money, financial situation, or tactics in a form of manipulation for money or to control

My Past Relationship/Situationship

To say the least, I didn’t understand masculine people were valid in their experiences of domestic violence. I experienced being hit in my prior relationships but never experienced something like I did in my most recent past situationship.

In my most recent situationship, I was experiencing the most damaging emotional and psychological abuse. I questioned my entire existence a lot and rather have left this plane of existence than to experience another moment of manipulation. That includes the manipulation that came with trying to leave. I was convinced that I was going crazy. This person made me feel psychotic!

To a degree, technological abuse was there. Economical/financial abuse was there too. I was also guilted and gaslit by the person because I wasn’t sexually attracted to them anymore. It made me feel less. They found it odd that I needed to feel connected to a person emotionally to have that sexual attraction. Their response to my lack of sexual desire was to accuse me of talking to other people, and far much more. They didn’t want to put in any work.

Unfortunately, I don’t feel safe enough to elaborate more. But one day, I’ll be able to talk more. I just wanted to make people aware that masculine people experience domestic violence too.

Losing Myself & Growing

Honestly speaking, this experience broke me. I lost myself trying to prove my love and positive intentions. It was all because I saw so much potential in this person. I saw how hurt this person was and made excuses for them in how they treated me. This person wasn’t willing to grow as I grew no matter what. Because of my growth, this person felt threatened by my presence and independence. As I kept going, they just grew pessimistic. And just more agitated with how I was soaring outside of their stagnant mindset.

The Complex Lesson

There are many lessons I’ve learned through this experience. I mainly learned about the complexity of love and domestic violence. But most importantly, I learned that it doesn’t matter what other people say to you. Their actions and ability to grow is what matters. Even if they say they love you. Those words mean nothing if they can’t see you and love you like they want to be loved by another person.

I learned that people will say anything to manipulate you into taking your energy. Whether that be with guilt or honey. This person’s tactics were guilt. They only wanted me around because I was benefiting them. They made me feel guilty because I started to love myself. In other words, they kept telling me that I didn’t love them, despite all that I’ve given emotionally, because I was trying to fill my cup after the damages. They started to gaslight me even more because I set boundaries. They tried to control everything; even how my apartment looked, how I communicated, etc. In all, I learned that people will feel threatened or offended by your boundaries if they’re out of alignment with you.

Closing Words on Domestic Violence: Validity

No matter your age, love is proven to be complicated and complex. Your age doesn’t define when you experience emotional or psychological pain. No matter the age, you can experience domestic violence on any scale. No matter your gender identity and sexuality, you can experience domestic violence. Domestic violence isn’t easy to go through either. Always think about your safety in relationships.

Gabe H.

YAH (Youth Action Hub) is paying young people to lead change in Connecticut! Check out the flyer to learn more about this job opportunity!

Click HERE to apply!

I want to ride my bike across the country. And I will be riding my bike across the country. I plan on doing it after I graduate. My goal is to do it within a year; or after I fully recover from bottom surgery! Bottom surgery is literally around the corner for me! Read all about the bottom surgery I’m getting here.

Staying Motivated

I’ve heard people ask me: “How will you do that?” They even say: “You need to prepare” or “People spend years training”. I sometimes get a laugh because people don’t think I’m being serious about it. It’s almost as if a kid said it. Although this may be enough to discourage some people, this is something my soul is really urging towards. I’m so passionate about doing it, that people’s reactions motivates me to problem solve and think abstractly.

Everything I need is right in front of me.

In my world, riding my bike everywhere is literally enough training. My asthma is well controlled. My allergies are well controlled now that I’m paying attention to my body. I can’t forget that I rode my bike over 16.5 miles from Bradley Airport to the South End of Hartford because my co-worker came in a few hours late: at 2/3 AM, and the last bus already left at midnight. In the moment, I was anxious that I wouldn’t be able to go to my morning appointment if my co-worker didn’t show up. But somehow, I knew everything was going to be okay.

That experience alone was extremely nice and calming. The scenery was just beautiful along the way. Something that people would’ve found extremely upsetting, I found to be a great experience to further push me in the direction I want to go in. Riding my bike from Bradley Airport was a confirmation that I am able to do something I want to do without ‘proper’ training.

Why I’m Riding My Bike Across the Country

At first, it was an impulsive thought that came from my unconscious desires. My old social studies teacher, Jonathan Williams, sparked my interest after he talked about how he ran across the country. This has been in my thoughts since my freshman year of high school. Now I’m a senior in college.

People asked me why I wanted to do this and the only think I could come up with was to prove myself to everyone. However, that reasoning never aligned nor felt accurate to say. It was just something I said in the moment of silence. Thinking about it now, I’m really doing this for myself. I need to exemplify to myself that it doesn’t matter what other people think. I honestly need to do this for my mental health and spiritual self. Whether it be valid or not.

The Proposed Outcome of Riding my Bike Across the Country

Throughout this process, I hope to have a better understanding of who I am. I also hope to develop a better connection to the land spirits and my ancestors. After-all, my ancestors were the ones who occupied this land first and the ones who were enslaved to build this country. So why not feel their energies and their emotions to understand my feelings in the process. My time in nature will only grant me the healing that I need; and maybe give them a little of the healing they need.

I just may even bring a notebook and pen to write in about my encounters/experiences.

– Dez 🙂

April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day and it’s Autism Awareness Month! World Autism Awareness Day and Autism Awareness month draws attention to the need for growing innovative programs that are designed to support those with autism. I feel like there’s a need for supporting people more than just supporting programs. Reason being, in order to make autistic people feel seen, heard and understood, we must start with people. And as a fellow autistic person, I want to share my experiences and give insight on how people can be more supportive.

The Need for Support

My biggest struggle as an autistic high functioning/masking adult is that people don’t see me as an autistic individual. And that’s a problem! It does get frustrating for me. Mainly because my actions are typically taken in another way and/or I get discredited for being autistic. Which invalidates how I feel at times, and even my needs. So being cognizant over labeling someone as high functioning is important!

I do want to clarify that being autistic doesn’t mean that we are incapable. There were times where I was treated and talked to like I was a child because I made people aware that I was autistic. I was extremely aware that people who do that typically don’t fully understand autism and aren’t comfortable. However, a good portion of this treatment came from licensed clinicians, people with a PsyD, and/or PhD in psychology who don’t fully understand how to navigate autism.

Part of My Experience as an Autistic Person

These are just a few things I’ve heard either my entire life or from people in general. We should spend time to #StopJudging, #StopTheStigma, and #BeMoreAware.

Hearing some of these things makes me feel misunderstood and frustrated. However, hearing things about not looking autistic makes me question someone’s entire thought process. Especially the comment about my ability to pass my college courses. Like, where are people getting their information from? And it’s all about stigmas!

To explain the “different variations” under the Mr. Know-It-All quote, people typically complain when I correct their harmful stigmas. I can say that I strongly dislike having to educate people on their ignorance and inaccurate perceptions. Mainly because I do it so often that people either ignore me or that I hear people complain about how I’m too uptight, I always correct them or I get called a Mr. Know-It-All. If you don’t want to be corrected, be more aware of your harmful language and/or the harmful stigmas that you are perpetuating. Fix how you are talking.

This is How you can Support Autistic People

This biggest “rule” of support here is to believe a person when they say they are autistic even if they are a high functioning/masking adult. Here are additional ways you can support autistic individuals:

• #StopTheStigma; stop saying things that are exemplified in the image above. You might see something as a compliment but it only perpetuates the continuation of harmful stigmas.
• Don’t treat or talk to an autistic individual like a child. Ask if we need help with something that shows that we are struggling. And if the help is declined, don’t take it personal!
• Understand that we experience emotions and are capable of empathy!
• Don’t take our actions in a personal way. Trust me, we are not being rude or are doing things that make you feel some type of way, annoyed, etc. on purpose.
• Please be patient with autistic individuals! Your patience means a lot!
• Be direct with autistic individuals. I definitely have a hard time taking a hint and taking things as jokes.
• Get to know the person as a human! Don’t rely solely on online information! Don’t discredit that someone is autistic because they are high functioning/masking.
• Ask how you may be able to help in certain situations when you are unsure! It’s nice when people try to understand how to navigate a situation.
• Autistic people are not your walking encyclopedia! Don’t treat them as such! If they enjoy discussing a topic, by any means, ask the question.

Reminder: Every autistic person isn’t the same! And, every autistic person experiences themselves differently. So please get to know someone first!

– Dez 🙂

Many people talk about self-harm and ways to prevent yourself from self-harming. But, many people don’t talk about the self-harm alternatives.

Self-Harm Awareness Month

March is Self-Harm Awareness Month. Self-harm is an overall hard topic for me to touch upon because I used to self-harm by cutting and punching myself. And people around me currently self-harm by multiple methods. I’m not going to lie, it does trigger my nervous system when I’m around it. But this isn’t why I’m writing.

I asked myself and out loud “what is classified as self-harm other than the obvious?” Reading the list surprised me. I’m going to include the entire list:

• Cutting/Biting/Poisoning/Hitting yourself
• Over-Eating or Under-Eating (purposefully)
• Exercising Excessively
• Picking/Scratching/Burning your skin (purposefully)
• Inserting Objects that are Harmful to your Body
• Hitting Objects that may cause an Injury
• Misusing/Abusing Alcohol, Prescriptions & Drugs
• Pulling your hair
• Having Unsafe Sex (w/ a stranger, someone who is unsafe, putting yourself in danger)
• Getting into fights where you know you will get hurt.

I, of course, added a few context words to the list because it matters. The last time I self-harmed by cutting was around 2016. I honestly don’t remember the last time I self-harmed by hitting myself. However, based off this list, the last time I self-harmed was December 20th, 2022 (hitting objects that may cause an injury). It wasn’t purposefully done to hurt myself, however, due to a need to exert my anger.

Self-Harm Alternatives: Ideas

I don’t have all the answers to alternatively prevent all the methods of self-harm. However, I do have ideas that can help someone who self-harms by: cutting, poisoning/pill taking, and hitting objects that may cause an injury.

Cutting Alternatives

I was trying to find the self-harm recovery pen online, however, it sells out extremely fast! Essentially, the pen is filled with a strong mint essential oil to cause a mimic burning sensation. The point of the pen doesn’t harm the skin at all, but it does feel like scratches. It’s typically sold on Etsy. Although this pen isn’t currently selling, there is an alternative to those who cut to draw blood. It’s a Self-Harm Recovery Blood Roller. If you are looking for the mimic burning sensation, use a thin ice pack or just ice and place it on the skin.

One last alternative to cutting is tattooing yourself or getting a tattoo. Many people around me use my tattoo gun as an alternative to self-harming! This tattoo gun is similar to what I have but a cheaper alternative. This one is very similar to mine. It’s important to sterilize your skin before and after the tattoo. Take care of it. Let me know if you would like some tips in the comment section! I’ll definitely do a blog post for it!

Poisoning/Pill Taking Alternatives

I can say that this one is one of my favorite alternatives! Mainly because it’s cost effective, comes in any color, and is Vegan/Vegetarian friendly! This is the Vegan option, Vegetarian option, Gelatin option.

Hitting Objects Alternatives

This is something I recently invested in! Instead of punching things that may cause an injury, I got a double end speed bag. It helps me work out in a fun way, manage my anger/emotions and impulses. It was actually the cheapest and higher quality punching bag kit I saw. It’s great for small spaces.

Another good option for smaller spaces would be a freestanding reflex bag. If you are looking for something more heavy to put all your force into, I suggest buying a stand kickboxing/punching bag.

What self-harm alternatives will you use?

Drop some self-harm alternative ideas in the comments! Or share ways you prevent yourself from self-harming!

– Dez 🙂

Last week was spring break for me and it definitely didn’t feel like break. Mainly because I was experiencing a burnout on top of depression. My burnout definitely sparked before finals week. Soon after, my depression followed as there was no room for me to self-care.

Trigger Warning: Contents of heavy history and sensitive topics such as racism are mentioned.

My Burnout & Depression is From Teaching the “Teacher”

I’m tired of teaching people without being compensated for it. Especially at a college level. My burnout is from a sociology course that is being ran by a closed minded White Cisgender Heterosexual male. This professor has acted in micro-aggression to myself and fellow peers. It definitely has contributed to the declination of my mental health.

The first two discussion boards, the professor shared his opinion with me about my views. The first time, I let it slide until he compared the holocaust to racism. Indicating that racism doesn’t exist and we (marginalized groups) learned helplessness. To “prove” his stance, he said that he was an “expert” in African American, Native Indigenous, and immigrant history/studies. Right there, I understood what language I had to speak in order to effectively humiliate him for his bigotry in a professional manner. This made me understand that a degree, title, and position truly means nothing besides validity.

This professor makes me work 10x’s harder. The student-professor hierarchy allows him to take advantage to corner students. All I can say is that I fought back harder than he could ever imagine with facts and actual history to the point he was humiliated enough to personally email me. He couldn’t take accountability to give an actual apology in his email. However, used psychology to go around saying a formal apology.

Stepping in the Right Direction

The sociology professor has triggered my past educational trauma. And it took its toll on me along side outside factors. Recently, I was challenged to do something for myself by the TPCT team. I’m trying to take it one step at a time. Especially, allow myself the care I need. I’m definitely due for a self-care bath.

Self-caring has allowed me to creating a little planting project for myself after getting a home garden starter. Planting and growing herbs allows me to ground and slow down. It gives and provides me with a quiet head space. So far, I’m trying to grow lavender, eucalyptus and white sage in the home garden pods. The lavender seeds are sprouting. I may give growing updates here and there! I’m also growing lettuce; which is looking amazing!

Now, I have something that will allow me to regulate more effectively as I continue taking this required sociology course. The hope is to minimize the amount of burnout I experience from this course. While also connecting me with my feelings.

Dez 🙂

It’s Women’s Herstory Month!! But what does that mean? How do we celebrate or recognize women’s history month?

What Women’s Herstory Month Means

Women’s (Her)story Month is all about encouraging and commemorating the actions, rights, practices, importance, and celebration of the vital role women have played in the betterment of society and history! It’s all about celebrating those who identify as women too! Like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera! You can also celebrate women from all over the globe! Like Mahsa Amini, Queen/King Nzinga Mbande, Masako Hojo, Rani Abbakka, Frida Kahlo, Selena Quintanilla, etc.

Don’t forget to celebrate the Native Indigenous women!

How to Honor this Month

Here are a few ideas on how you can honor Women’s Herstory Month:

• Read about women’s rights
• Listen to podcasts that support women
• Watch documentaries about women leadership
• Watch TED talks by women leaders
• Learn about historical women
• Read about women led activism
• Read books by women

You can also take action!

• Support women-owned businesses
• Fight for women’s rights and freedom
• Be the change!
• Stand up for women (in public too)

These are just some of many ways you can celebrate, recognize and honor women! How will you celebrate Women’s Herstory Month?

Dear Anonymous,

Growing up, I had periods where I had a hard time accepting my adoption and thought about my birth mother. I thought about how excited I would be to “finally” have a mom. How happy I would feel to “finally” have someone who understood me. And someone who would hug me with more love — I expected myself to have all the reactions an adopted child is expected to feel when meeting their birth parent(s) for the first time.

Some Background Info: Adoption Experience

I had a rough upbringing in the foster system. And even a rough life as an adopted child. There were many things that my adoptive mother did that has caused me trauma. All of which made me feel resentment towards myself, preventing me from accepting my adoption because I wished to be somewhere else. I wanted to be with my dad; but he wasn’t alive. So I tried finding my birth mother.

I got in contact with my birth mother in 2017. I experienced all that I have expected of myself. My birth mother even went to one of my basketball games.

We Didn’t Talk For 3+ Years

Through time, I experienced anger and sadness through a sunken self-worth caused by people who told me that they were right. I sat and reasoned with myself for over 3 years by my own intuition to understand that the words of others meant nothing if I intuitively felt.

This year I put together a family collage of pictures for my ancestral alter. My adoptive mother and birth parents/family were included. The following week, I went on a man-hunt to see if my birth mother was still alive. I searched online, databases, voting information, social media, etc. I called more than 15 numbers that I found online. And went to a few addresses. I slightly gave up; then reflected.

A few days after reflection: My birth mother reached out to me. I expected myself to cry, to be excited, happy, fulfilled, etc. And not a thing came out, besides asking myself why I wasn’t reacting how I expected.

Why I’m Writing ‘Accepting my Adoption’

All this time I was looking to replace the mother I already had. I turned to realize that I accepted my adoptive mother to be my mom. In a way, I surrendered to the universe. I accepted that everyone was flawed in their responses and actions. And what mattered most, was how someone bettered themselves through their mistakes. All this time I resented my adoptive mother for all the things she has done to me without accepting how she bettered herself.

Now that we’re here, I accept my reaction and lack of excitement. I accept my adoptive mother as my mom. I no longer resent my mom nor myself for the decisions that has led me to being adopted. Lastly, I accept my intuition because it has led me here.

Through this all, I learned to understand that a relationship must be built.

Yours Truly,

Damian

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Connecticut is holding FREE upcoming CT events and opportunities for those ages 18-29! Take a look at the following flyers for more information!

February 25th, 2025

Spots are Limited!

Register your spot here!

Location: 997 Farmington Ave, West Hartford, CT, 06107

ALL materials are covered by NAMI!

April 28-30th

It’s okay if you’re unable to go to the event/opportunity in February. Check this out!

Registration Required!

Contact Val: vlepoutre@namict.org

Who: NAMI invites young adults with leadership qualities and readiness to step into the peer world!

What: There will be workshops, bonfires, fun activities, etc. and brainstorming sessions to “reimagine” the future of NAMI CT and it’s Next Gen programs!

Location: 253 Bushy Hill Rd, Deep River, CT, 06417

All meals and lodging are covered!

Visit NAMI for more CT events, opportunities, and information!

PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST (35 hrs/week)

The TurningPointCT Peer Support Specialist uses their lived experience with mental health and/or substance use in conjunction with their training in peer support to serve as an advocate, advisor, trainer and supporter for other young people in CT. The role includes: help the state expand and improve the availability of trained peer support for young people in behavioral health programs; provide direct peer support to young people on a limited basis; and contribute regularly to the TurningPointCT online platforms as a way of reaching young adults in the state.

Peer Support Specialist Responsibilities:

1. Provide training, coaching, and peer advocacy to DMHAS Young Adult Services (YAS) program staff
2. Provide peer support and advocacy to YAS program clients
3. Outreach to clients of the Department of Children and Families and Court Support Services Department
4. Provide an annual peer support training (e.g., Recovery Coach Academy, Recovery University) for YAS clients and other young adults ready and interested in becoming peer support specialists
5. Provide limited peer support to CT youth and young adults through weekly drop-in hours on TurningPointCT.org social platforms or in person and occasional peer support group sessions as needed
6. Serve on identified state and young adult advisory boards (e.g., DMHAS Recovery Affairs, YLP and CT STAY STRONG). Provide input, share resources, coordinate and cross-pollinate across initiatives, and identify content areas for the TurningPointCT platform and social media
7. Provide input into state, DMHAS and Positive Directions efforts to develop policies and systems to strengthen peer support, including involvement with legislative workgroups related to peer support
8. Participate in weekly team meetings to share statewide young adult initiatives with the project staff
9. Create weekly blog posts for TurningPointCT.org and develop other content (podcasts, videos) on a regular basis

Requirements:

1. Identify as a peer to youth/young adults with lived experience with mental illness and/or substance misuse
2. Trained as Recovery Support Specialist or Recovery Coach
3. Strong personal interest in advocacy
4. Excellent oral and written communication skills
5. Excellent interpersonal skills

Apply: Submit cover letter and resume to Margaret Watt at mwatt@positivedirections.org. No calls, please.

DOWNLOAD A PDF COPY OF THE PEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST JOB DESCRIPTION HERE!

Each February, young adults and people across the nation raise awareness about the issue of teen dating violence. National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month focuses on educating young people on how to stop dating abuse before it starts.

What is Teen Dating Violence?

Teen dating violence includes physical, psychological, or sexual abuse. This also includes harassment or stalking of anyone ages 12-18 in context of present or past romantic or consensual relationship.

• Physical Abuse: biting, hitting, scratching, pushing, hair pulling, etc.
• Emotional/Psychological Abuse: name calling, bullying, intentionally embarrassing, shaming, monitoring, etc.
• Sexual Abuse: forcing a teen partner into a sexual act against will or without consent
• Stalking: following or harassing a teen partner in a way that causes them fear of safety and/or well-being

Teen dating violence can be done in person, via social media, phone communication, electronically.

Why Teen Dating Violence Awareness is Important

We want to prevent teen dating violence. Dating violence is more common than you think:

• 1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
• 1 in 3 teens (1.5 Million) admits to being in an unhealthy relationship
• Transgender teens report the highest rates of physical dating violence (88.9%), psychological dating abuse (58.8%), cyber dating abuse (56.3%), and sexual abuse (61.1%).
• LGBTQ youth statistics: cyber dating abuse (37%), physical dating violence (43%), psychological dating abuse (59%), sexual abuse (23%)
• Heterosexual youth statistics: cyber dating abuse (26%), physical dating violence (29%), psychological dating abuse (46%), sexual abuse (12%)

Transgender, LGBTQ, and heterosexual youth/teens of color (e.g. Native Indigenous, African, Asian, Latin, Hispanic) experience a higher percentage of dating violence than their white identifying peers.

Preventing Teen Dating Violence

We know how hard it is to get out of a violent relationship, especially talk about it. It’s highly encouraged to talk with your trusted friends or a trusted adult. Your experience is taken seriously and there is always someone who can try and help!

For adults reading this; it is extremely important that you open your lines of communication. Meet teens where they’re at. Share your own experiences of when you were a teen. Model compassion and kindness. Always encourage teens to think about how they want to be treated or their “non-negotiables”. Doing so will only create a safe environment and teen motivation to step in the right direction.

Click here for resources!

Growing up, I was always self conscious about my body image. Primarily because family members would comment on my body. I either looked like a “fat cow” or was labeled “anorexic” even though I was in the middle of the chart. Regardless of my weight, I was over sexualized and received uncomfortable comments about my body. It has caused quite the issue that has contributed to a body image turmoil.

Food to Hide vs. Losing to Be Seen

At some point, food became my only comfort. I tried eating to hide even though I knew it wouldn’t make me feel any better. I ate to no longer be called anorexic or be made fun of for being a healthy weight. So, I ended up gaining 77lbs in one and a half years; ending up at 220lbs by the beginning of my freshman year of college. And yet, my efforts weren’t enough for certain family members. My body image was then taunted with disgust.

That has led to a point in my life where I unhealthily lost weight. I lost about 60lbs in 6 months due to depression, an unhealthy eating habit, and taking weight loss supplements. I felt shame in my weight loss journey while also feeling better about my body image.

Personal Realization

It took me a while to lose weight in a healthy manner. I told myself that I had to do it for myself and in a healthy way. It has led me to research how to healthily lose weight. This resulted in me trying intermittent fasting; tailored to my active times while incorporating balanced meals. Outside of my body changes, I noticed that my brain functioned a lot better when I was fasting. I was able to do homework during the day instead of only at night. My overall mood, energy and sleep was better.

In those moments, I began to understand what I put into my body matters, not my weight. I’m only healthy by engaging in healthy things. My body is beautiful regardless how it looks because my soul is beautiful.

Navigating My Body Image Today

Although I had that breakthrough, I still struggle with my body image. In response, I try to engage in healthy activity at least 5 times a week. First, I started with a goal of stretching everyday. Then, I set a goal of doing at least 20 sit ups a day. Which is where I’m at in my journey. Setting a smaller goal actually motivates me to do more. This is what I have been doing (depending on my mood):

• Jumping Jacks for 1 or 2 songs 
• 15 to 20 Push-Ups
• Air Punches for Half a Song
• SpongeBob Dance
• Arm Curls
• Glute Raises

There are days where I do all of the workouts on the list! There are days where I would do just one workout. I can say that all of this has been making me want to start jogging. My next goal is to start jogging at least once a week! When I do, I may give you all an update!

– Dez 🙂

I haven’t talked much about my transgender journey here. Mostly because it’s personal and complex. As a disclosure, I’m not here to talk solely about my journey but also about grieving something sacred; my uterus.

The Uterus is Sacred: Grieving

Culturally, I have identified the sacredness of my uterus. It’s a portal that held so much of my power. With it, I felt whole and divine. I was balanced of both feminine and masculine energies. My psychic abilities were at its peak as I was tapping into that sacred energy.

Without my uterus, I felt lost and out of touch with the feminine energy. And it kind of made me angry. But mainly angry with society.

Grief that Turned to Anger

Throughout my grieving process, I wanted to answer: Why did I need to get rid of something sacred to qualify for bottom surgery when I have been aware of my gender identity since I was 4 years old?

My grief turn into anger upon answering that question. The anger sparked from the expectation that people must conform to the binary system in order to receive what may alleviate their gender dysphoria. The binary system started with colonization and the whitewashed governing body that strips people of their culture, self-expression, and self-autonomy. This forces non-binary individuals to conform to the binary system for medical procedures. Which only causes more distress.

Systemic Irrational Fears

People with money don’t have to go through any of the barriers that the gender expansive community has to. No one questions, interrogates, expect publicity, requires more than one medical document, and/or makes up a wait time for someone with money who wants a surgery done. There are no rules or barriers for them. So why do those of the gender expansive community need to go through all of these barriers? Why do we need to prove ourselves when society has prevented self-expression from happening?

What people fail to process is how self-expression within the childhood would actually help individuals find/be themselves. It’s actually why many cis-het people are so unhappy; they don’t know who they are so they try to conform to something which only makes them feel guilty. And due to how the United States was build, people fear the lack of control over another’s gender identity through forcing binary social conformity. In other words, closed/single minded individuals seek to control gender identity and gender expression within others because they’re uncomfortable with people being free of a construct they, themselves, are prisoner to.

What I’ve Learned & Done

In some way, I learned many things from my grief and anger:

• I shouldn’t give my power away.
• Not having a uterus doesn’t make me any less.
• I am still me without my uterus.
• It’s okay to grieve and be angry.
• It’s okay to cry.

In all of this, I have tattooed a ram skull with Lilith’s sigil on its forehead on my lower stomach area. This is how the tattoo looks on paper.

These are their meanings:

• A skull with horns symbolize the major change and death of a cycle of life.
• The ram skull represents overcoming obstacles; my grief and anger. It also symbolizes the sacrifice I made in order to qualify for the surgery to feel aligned to myself.
• I placed Lilith’s sigil on the forehead because she is a symbol of femininity, freedom, rebellion, strength, courage and beauty.

Remember that it’s okay to grieve something that society doesn’t think you should grieve.

– Dez 🙂

WEBINAR TITLE: NEGOTIATING IDENTITIES | Recovering the Self; A holistic approach to supporting recovery, during the transition to adulthood. Click on the image below to the interactive version of the flyer! Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for recovery support specialists and social workers!

For those working in the recovery psychology field!

EARN CEUs: 6 NASW-CT and 6 RSS

This is a free community webinar hosted by Advocacy Unlimited, Inc. Attend virtually, via Zoom. No recording will be available.

WHEN: Monday, February 13, 2023 9:30am-4pm

REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Click here to register!

Click the image to view and/or download interactive flyer!

What Attendees Said About this Webinar for CEUs

Click here to register! Or download/view flyer!

Celebrating Yule was my companion’s idea; which is who I celebrated with! Yule is a celebration of the winter solstice (the longest night of the years) and the return of the sun. Before celebrating Yule, I honestly sat and thought about cultural relevancy. I asked myself: How does the celebration of the winter solstice and return of the sun tie into my African and Native Indigenous background? There was a natural understanding that my Celtic, Nordic and Viking ancestors celebrated the winter solstice and the return of the sun. I didn’t want to make my other ancestors feel left out of this celebration! I came to understand that the traditions of Christmas came from other cultures.

What I Did to Prepare/Celebrate Components of Yule

Leading up to the winter solstice, I sought to find congruences in cultural celebration to make my ancestors feel welcome, not excluded. I then decorated the place with lights, garlands, ornaments, and plants. I also welcomed a new plant child; Gaia.

There were other things that were included and will be included in the continuation of the celebration:

• Pine cones, pine, and sticks to make protection talismans. Respectfully hand picked and provided by nature.
• Yellow, White, Black, & Burgundy Candles
  • Yellow – Represents the Sun (Lit the day of Winter Solstice) for joy and/or clearing mental blockages.
  • White – Lit on the 24th at sun down to bring harmony, truth and new beginnings. It tells fortune and future.
  • Black – Lit on the 31st of December to banish any negative energy remaining.
  • Burgundy – Intuitively lit to bring strength, determination, courage and willpower.

What Else Did I Do?

The night of the Winter Solstice, my companion and I went to a cleansing meditation in Unionville, CT. Meditating and having my energy field cleansed felt amazing. This experience made me understand why meditation is really important. Further into the celebration, my companion and I planned what flavor the Yule log was going to be (gingerbread). That is something that we are going to do soon! I can’t forget about the fairy house! I would show my fairy house but I like to respect their wishes/privacy. Just think mushroom and cabin in the woods!

– Dez 🙂

Click here to take a self-assessment of your choice (depression, postpartum depression, anxiety, psychosis, bipolar, eating disorder, PTSD, ADHD, addiction & more).

Visit our Q&A page to learn more!

‘Tis the season for depression, suicide and relapse. Some people call it the holiday blues. But, this is a time where many people struggle the most whether that be with self-harm, alcohol, drugs outside of weed, or other addictive coping patterns.

Friendly Reminder: If you are reading this, please be kind to people! Do yourself a favor and be aware of yourself, take accountability, and responsibility for the way you treat/talk to people. No one deserves to receive the back end of unprocessed, conscious, subconscious, unconscious, etc. thoughts and emotions. We don’t know what another person is going through; even if we are near them!

The Cold Days

December is a hard month for my family. Personally, the colder days are hard and so is the winter season. To say the least, it’s a time where I experienced loss of innocence, valued time/family members, and overall the sense of control. It came to the point of me being desensitized to my own pain at a young age. So I have a harder time with it during the colder days.

I used to cope to avoid. Since 2020, I have become aware that coping to avoid wasn’t helping. It honestly led me to self-harm relapses and near suicide attempts. Since then, I tried using silence to view my thoughts and have used coping to bring out those trapped feelings. I can’t forget about self-care. Self-caring has honestly helped me get out of a rut with myself when coping hasn’t helped. Which is why I am sharing my understanding of coping and some self-caring tips!

Coping in General

Some people actually find silence and time alone to be scary, weird, unhealthy, and/or not helpful. Despite opinions, I found it to be most helpful for me! I love the silence and that time to sit with my thoughts. Believe it or not, this is actually a coping mechanism. I also use other coping mechanisms, but to bring out my emotions of a thought when I’m having a hard time understanding them.

Many people use coping to only occupy the mind in managing difficult emotions. Coping mechanisms are not supposed to be only mind occupying but also strategies used to face/manage difficult emotions. Many times I hear people say that their coping mechanisms aren’t working and not taking their pain, thoughts, etc. away. As sucky as it sounds, coping isn’t going to take it all away, but looking within may help you understand where these feelings are coming from.

Self-Care Tips

When coping didn’t help, I turned to self-care. We all need a little self-care. For myself, I set goals each day to make sure I am self-caring! We do more self-caring than we think and tend to forget about the little things!

• Drink Water
• Eat at least once
• Brush teeth
• Wash or splash water on face
• Shower

But sometimes we need to show ourselves that we are special! Onto thought provoking self-caring tips!

• Think of a scent that soothes you or like to smell that you have access to. If it’s an herb, essential oil, candle, etc. grab it.
  • With herbs/essential oils: fill up a pot of water and add the herbs/essential oils in it. Allow the pot of water to boil. The air will fill with the aroma.
  • If it’s a candle, light it or sniff it.
  • If it’s a perfume, spray it!
• Listen to instrumental/meditation music and let your mind explore!
  • Reminder: Meditation isn’t about silencing the mind! It’s all about exploring your thoughts!
• Think about one thing of access that you haven’t done in a while.
  • Could it be going outside?
  • Painting? Coloring? Drawing?
  • Singing? Playing Music?
• Or do at least one thing for yourself!

Coping and self-caring isn’t all that easy when we think of it as this grand thing with expected outcomes. That’s why it is important to acknowledge the little things!

Be kind to yourself and others!

If you haven’t seen my last post and would like to read it, click here! I share changes, a poem and talk about society!

– Dez 🙂

Last week, we got a second dog, little Miss Maizey!

When I saw a post from our breeder that she was looking for a home, I immediately asked my boyfriend if we could get her. It was the second time our breeder tried to get a home for her (I remembered seeing the post for her a couple months back).

Thankfully, it didn’t take much convincing and my boyfriend said we could take a look at her. I think it helped that she was older than our dog, Rip. We got Rip as a puppy and he’s fully trained. My boyfriend messaged the breeder that night. She was eager to have us meet with Maizey to see if we would be a good fit.

Long story short, we ended up getting her! She is a little snuggle bug. Her and Rip are absolute besties. They have so much fun running around and playing together. She’s a little peanut compared to Rip who’s a whopping 80lbs.

Maizey is on the Left; Rip is on the Right!

We are so happy to have her as the newest member of our family!

We probably won’t be getting another animal anytime soon because we’re up to 5 animals now LOL, three cats and two dogs. We’re so blessed to have 5 awesome animals to love.

-Kailey

Hello all! I have chosen a new title for this blog series! From “Navigating Autism” to “The Game We Call Life”. I’m still going to talk about my experiences with autism! I’m also going to talk about my experiences being BIPOC, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, with mental health and just my overall life experience(s). Or as Ally says, lived wisdom!

My Flash Poem

Reading those words reminds me of how much I want my poetry to be dissected by an English class. Besides that fact, this poem highlights a generalized statement of personal experiences. I feel like many people reminisce days they never had. But this poem isn’t just about the reminiscing, it’s also about going after it; eventually.

For Future English Classes

Inspiration to write this poem was truck by feeling like I missed certain things in life because I wasn’t living for myself. I was controlled from a young age by what I can or cannot do because I was assigned female at birth. Reminiscing the days I have not experienced link to gender identity and BIPOC history. It was common that people of the BIPOC community (traditionally) didn’t assign a gender to their child at birth. However, a child was able to announce their gender identity by the age of 5 or 6 and live as their truest self. The land spirits, elders, and/or shaman would then give these children a name. In some cases, a child would name themselves. I’m quoting my ancestors on this.

Personally, at the age of 4, I became aware of my gender identity through my self-perception of being a boy. I was aware of my attraction to feminine people at the age of 4 too! I was actually really verbally expressive about my attraction to feminine people and my self-perception. Unfortunately, it was swept under the rug to be hidden from the world. I felt stuck in society’s “evolution” of norms.

I reminisce the day that I was able to be myself without expectations of gender identity from birth.

Maybe This Can Act as Words of Life Encouragement 🙂 !

As much as I can reminisce on the days I never had, I know I can’t live those experiences in this physical reality. However, I can call back what I wasn’t able to experience by healing my wounds. Play life the way you want to; as yourself.

– Dez 🙂

The History of Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. We’ve ALL heard the story about why we celebrate Thanksgiving. We heard that it marked the day where the colonizers and Native people shared their first harvest feast in 1621. And I’m here to tell you that this wasn’t the first thanksgiving nor it happened the fairytale way. In fact, there were hundreds to thousands of thanksgivings and many of them (in Turtle Island; now the U.S.A) were related to the massacres, genocides, and murders of Native Indigenous people.

• Read about the partial timeline/records of thanksgiving.
• Read the Wampanoag side of the ‘first’ Thanksgiving story.
• Read the true story behind the continuation of celebrating Thanksgiving.
• Read where Thanksgiving came from and the dark history behind it.

The Irony of it All

Here’s the irony, the colonizers fled their country for freedom. Freedom of what? To free themselves from control of religion, law, government, debt, etc.

Here’s a little history recap: The pilgrims of the 1621 Thanksgiving didn’t arrive until December 1620. These colonizers were helped by Native people (per usual), with open arms, despite what happened prior to their arrival. Prior to their arrival, the Europeans made their way over in 1616. The European diseases and cruel activities killed up to 90% of the Wampanoag population. On the European’s way out, they ripped Natives from their tribes and families to become slaves. Although Natives were welcoming, the pilgrims still had to take.

Quick Summary: The colonizers came here for freedom to take freedom; which is what the government was build off of.

Putting it All Together: What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a day of grief of what happened and what continues to happen to Natives. I continually ask myself, why celebrate a holiday that celebrates the downfall of my own people? In a simple answer, we weren’t given the truth in history class. We only read about the colonizer’s perspective to cover up what actually happened to Native people. This narrative paints colonizers to be the good and Native people as bad. There were many other demeaning words that described my people; my family.

Many uneducated/ignorant people ask that for any fact that exposes the true colors of America.

Answer: The colonizers/government tried their best to burn and erase every single piece of Native history and culture in more than hundreds of ways. Watch how the government did it and are still doing it today!

Things to Try

Learn the history behind holidays. Dig deeper. Ask yourself if you are hearing the truth. Be open to listening/learning from/about people who are systemically being oppressed. Be the change, not the problem. If you don’t see the problem, ask yourself how you would feel if the same happened to your race/culture. Treat people with kindness and dignity!

Those who are being oppressed, erased, targeted, etc. are at greater risk of suicide. We are humans! We exist and have feelings! Native Indigenous Lives Matter!

If you are struggling with mental health and would like to seek help, click here for our resources page.

– Dez

TurningPointCT.org is Proud to be Partners with the CT STAY STRONG Program!

Check out this CT STAY STRONG Brochure to find out more!

What is CT STAY STRONG?

The CT STAY STRONG program utilizes the wraparound approach for working with young adults (ages 16-25) in the greater New Britain and East Hartford area who are in need of behavioral health related support services. Funding for this initiative is made possible by the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, via a grant from SAMHSA.

What is CT STAY STRONG like for Young Adults? Hear the reasons why your peers love this program!

CT Stay Strong uses “wraparound” care!

Wraparound is a planning process used to build constructive relationships and support networks among young adults & their families.

How will CT STAY STRONG help YOU ? Hear more from your peers who have received treatment from the CT STAY STRONG Care Team!

How do I sign up?

Accepting referrals for young adults ages 16-25 residing in the greater New Britain & East Hartford areas! Referrals are accepted from yourself, schools, courts, higher education, adult education, and community based organizations!

Contact the provider within your community for a referral form or to complete a telephone screening!

Open/Download a PDF copy of the CT STAY STRONG Brochure by Clicking Here!

In light of Transgender Awareness Week, I wanted to share a poem I wrote about my transgender experience! It’s definitely a piece that would be in my future poetry book!

What is Transgender Awareness Week for?

Transgender Awareness Week starts on November 13th and ends on the 19th. This is a week dedicated to help raise visibility of transgender folx and the issues faced by individuals of the community.

My Personal Trans Experiences

I have faced many adversities being transgender; especially in the ‘awkward’ transitioning period. I experienced sexual/verbal harassment, aggression, discrimination, verbal abuse, etc. For obvious reasons, experiencing all of that was hard. I would never wish this amount of emotional pain onto anyone; not even people who appear to be horrible. I can say, feeling like the world was against me was the absolute hardest moments of my journey/life. It led me to turn against myself.

My experiences has led me to write the poem, “The Power of Labels“. I wrote this poem to shine light on a struggle members of the gender expansive community face. The hardship(s) of not being addressed by our underlying identity but rather by the gender binary social construct of appearance.

My Poem

Labels are powerful. Please be kind to people! And please respect transgender individuals. Say their chosen name(s) and correct pronouns. Those are really important to us!

– Dez 🙂

Depression & Anxiety

I have made friends with my diagnoses, anxiety and depression, about 5 years ago. For me, depression was an easy one to accept. I had researched countless hours about what depression was, the varying symptoms and how to cope with it – all before telling anyone I was struggling. I went as far as taking online quizzes labeled “Do I Have Depression?”. Not to my surprise, each came back saying “highly likely” or “see a provider”.

Anxiety was another easy one to accept. For me, it actually felt like a relief. Looking back at my childhood, I thought I was just being difficult or worried too much. Oftentimes, I felt I was just too sensitive. But, in reality, many times I was feeling anxious and overstimulated. During high school, I would stay home by myself when my family was at work and extracurricular activities. Unlike other kids who could walk around the house freely and relax in the silence, I would be frozen. My anxiety told me at any second someone would break into the house. I would sit and go through different scenarios in my head and how I could get out of the house if something happened. I kept 2 phones with me at all times and stayed in the living room until someone came home. And I just thought I was being crazy and needed to calm down, but I couldn’t. So, when I was given the label of generalized anxiety disorder, I felt like what was happening in my head had been rationalized.

My Journey of Accepting my Diagnoses

Recently, I have developed more prominent signs of OCD. For me, it’s been in the form of contamination OCD or what I like to call “germ OCD”. When I come home from being out in public, I immediately have to wash my hands. Not once, but multiple times until they feel clean. I also need to change my clothes immediately in fear of sitting on something and getting it “dirty” from being outside of my house. I have also been obsessive about numbers, specifically the volume of music playing in my car or on the TV. They all have to be odd. If not, I will continuously think about it until it is fixed. After talking through these symptoms over many weeks with my therapist and healthcare provider, we decided what I am experiencing is most likely OCD. I felt so discouraged when this label was first brought up. I felt as though all the hard work I’ve been doing in therapy was wasted. Honestly, I felt like it was one more thing to add to the list of “what’s wrong with me”.

Over the past few weeks I have come to realize it’s not just “one more thing that’s wrong with me”. For me, talk about diagnoses and a new diagnosis is a way to explain why I am thinking the way I am. I also try to remind myself that just because I am experiencing these symptoms now, does not necessarily mean I will always experience them. But, if I do, it is okay and I will continue to learn ways to cope.

– Maria

How many of you received a text message from a state representative? Over the past few weeks, I have received over 5 text messages about who to vote for. I have also received over 5 pieces of mail for who to vote for with ‘red flag’ language. There probably were a few phone calls that I didn’t pick up. This makes voting a bit nerve racking due to the many choices!

To Say the Least

I’m someone who is extremely uninterested in politics. I surely don’t follow politics. But there’s an importance to keep/put people like us in office! That includes those who care more about those who are struggling with mental health, addiction, gender identity, sexuality, to stay alive, etc. rather than trying to control people’s rights as human beings.

Voting Should be Influenced by YOU

Many of us allow other people to influence our choices with their use of words without doing basic research. To the people who see past particular choices of language, AKA the ‘red flags’, thank you! We’ve all been in a position where we haven’t picked up on the ‘red flag’ language because of surrounding influences. For you, question political “arguments”, especially when they don’t make sense!

This is a friendly reminder that we must research who to vote for despite our family’s, friend’s, and even our own political affiliation! Ask yourself:

• What do I struggle with that this person will address?
• What are my values that this person has?
• Will people and/or the people I love be in heightened danger due to their mental health, sex at birth, gender identity and/or sexuality if this person gets elected?
• How does this person talk about/to others who are different from them?
• What matters more? The people or the economy?

There are many people who regret voting for someone of their political affiliation as it has put their loved ones in danger!

Your Voice Matters!

– Dez 🙂

All my life, I knew I was different. It showed with the way I thought, did things, and just knew certain information as common knowledge. People treated me like an encyclopedia, however, they never understood my behavioral patterns. Almost 14 years later, I now understand that I am autistic with autistic problems!

Where it All Started

I was informally and misdiagnosed diagnosed with ADHD; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A caregiver gave me that diagnosis without any formal testing for ADHD. All it took was for them to ask a family doctor of 20+ years for an ADHD prescription. I didn’t really resonate with that diagnosis and was very conscious about it at a very young age. Growing older, I stopped taking the ADHD medication because I didn’t think I had ADHD. At the age of 22, I understand why there was a misdiagnosis of ADHD when my behaviors fell under Autism. Many people do not know the difference! AND are not aware that there are more diagnoses than ADHD.

What’s the Difference?

This is How I Knew I Didn’t Have ADHD…

People with ADHD often have a hard time paying attention for an extended amount of time and may get distracted easily. Which wasn’t my issue. I had a limited scope of interest that didn’t show to be just one thing as it correlated with my academic performance in a positive way. It was the mask that greatly hid that I was autistic. My personal struggles with language also served as a mask that explained the negative impact of my reading scores. I only spoke Spanish but understood English when I came back from Puerto Rico in 2008. From my perspective, I was able to read the material and understand it. I just didn’t know how to write it down in English.

As a complex factor, another result of my impacted academic performance was how uninterested I was in reading certain things. I absolutely had no interest in reading anything besides ghost stories, Shakespeare plays, and/or poetry. When it came down to independent reading, I never read! SORRY MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS, but I was acting. I wasn’t the best actor and broke character a lot. It interpreted as ADHD because I would have rather looked outside than read something I didn’t have an interest in. That gave off that I was easily distracted.

This concludes the reason why I appeared to have ADHD and not Autism. But it doesn’t conclude this blog series!

– Dez 🙂

Hello! My name is Dez Chapman. My pronouns are he/they and I am the new Project Assistant here! You may have seen a post about my story. There, I talk a little about my struggles. You can also read about our peers’ unique stories here! They have helped me feel like I’m not alone.

A Little About Me

I’m a transgender masculine person who is part of the BIPOC, neurodivergent and spiritual communities. Throughout my journey I have learned how to manage my gender dysphoria, PTSD, and sensory difficulties of Autism. My experiences make me extremely passionate about ending the stigmas and stereotypes surrounding mental health and culture. All of which motivates me to contribute to this evolving world!

I would like to consider myself as a unique and old soul; my temperament and use of language really shows it. Learning about the world and the universe is something I greatly enjoy doing as a hobby. For ways of coping, I play the guitar, piano and drums. I also create art and poetry! Only a fraction of my poetry is on Wattpad. In addition, I love music. You can always find me listening to music of different languages and genres! Music suggestions are welcome!

What Makes Me Unique

I’m a psychic medium! I realized that I had this gift when I was a child. My experiences of being a psychic medium helps me understand the world and people. Most importantly, it helped me understand that personal connection matters! That’s why I like spending time listening to myself and/or in nature; preferably surrounded by trees near a stream of water! I sometimes find myself helping injured animals when I come across them out in nature.

To read more about me, visit the About Us page!

I’m excited to be part of TuriningPointCT.org! I aspire to make people feel like they are not alone in their unique journeys!

Contact: dchapman@positivedirections.org