politics and perspective

“Disability is a cause and consequence of poverty”

This whole article is great, and concludes with concrete policy suggestions that would help disabled people living in poverty. Step 1: explicitly address disability as part of anti-poverty policy agendas.

(via Saturday Morning Cartoons: Baopu #15) by Yao Xiao

Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience (via derikisu)

Keep this one in your back pocket for the next time someone acts like an ass and then tells you they’ve been through a lot of stuff. Respectful and yet still firmly keeping respect for yourself.

(via pavvum)

#COOL MOTIVE STILL MURDER [via morewonders]

BREAKING: Freddie Gray’s death was a homicide, criminal charges being filed 

Maryland state attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced Friday morning that Freddie Gray’s death at the hands of Baltimore police was a homicide, and that criminal charges will be filed.

“Mr. Gray’s death was a homicide,” Mosby said at a press conference adding, there is “probable cause to file criminal charges.”

It starts small.

Before scheduling your first appointment here are some questions to ask your therapist:

How often do you treat [diagnosis]?

What approach do you use in therapy?

Do you use any techniques from CBT/DBT/ACT?

What do you think is the goal of therapy?

What’s expected of me?

After your first visit, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Did I feel heard by my therapist?

Did I feel the therapist respected me?

Was the therapist condescending?

Did the therapist seem like a real person, or did they seem like they were playing a role?

Did they respect any research I did prior to my visit?

Did they respect diagnoses made by previous therapists?

Was the therapist active or passive during the session? Which do I prefer?

Does it seem like the therapist will be open to hearing about all of my feelings, including frustrations I may have relating to them?

Did the therapist have a positive outlook on my treatment?

Did I feel better or worse after the session?

Did I feel comfortable with the therapist?

Did my therapist make me feel validated?

Did it seem like a safe place to express my thoughts and feelings?

Did I have to educate my therapist on experiences I felt they should have already been educated on (e.g. LGBT issues)?

Things to remember:

A good therapist will welcome your questions.

A good therapist will answer your questions using plain, understandable language.

Touch Isolation: How Homophobia Has Robbed All Men Of Touch

“In America in particular, if a young man attempts gentle platonic contact with another young man, he faces a very real risk of homophobic backlash either by that person or by those who witness the contact. This is, in part, because we frame all contact by men as being intentionally sexual until proven otherwise. Couple this with the homophobia that runs rampant in our culture, and you get a recipe for increased touch isolation that damages the lives of the vast majority of men. And if you think men have always been hands-off with each other, have a look at an amazing collection of historic photos compiled by Brett and Kate McKay for an article they titled: Bosom Buddies: A Photo History of Male Affection. It’s a remarkable look at male camaraderie as expressed though physical touch in photos dating back to the earliest days of photography.”