Meet Dustin Sclafani, aka EZ BlueZ
#LetsFaceIt Dustin Sclafani knows what it’s like to be on the outside. “My whole life has been a little off center,” says the singer known as EZ BlueZ in the band Shame Penguin. “No one was telling my stories, with how I look and living in a suburban community and trying to pretend we were […]
Meet Jazz Borst
#LetsFaceIt Jazz Borst wants people to know it’s okay not to feel okay. “I know for sure it’s difficult for a lot of folks to talk about how they’re feeling,” says the Mending Art program specialist at Mental Health Connecticut. “Sometimes it’s a self-stigma we put on ourselves. When we do let those conversations happen, […]
Meet Laura Delano
#LetsFaceIt Some people internalize the stigma that comes from sharing a mental health diagnosis with feelings of self-shame. Laura Delano did precisely that…until she didn’t. It’s a story she hopes will help others with lived experience to perhaps take a different approach when they get a diagnosis. Delano was about 13 when she began exhibiting […]
Meet Megan Baker
#LetsFaceIt The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on many people’s mental health as society has struggled with isolation, a sense of uncertainty about the future, and anxiety about the illness in general. And that’s just to name a few of the many ways in which the virus has likely changed us forever. Megan Baker, an […]
Meet Ym, fka Chad Browne-Springer
#LetsFaceIt “There’s space to relearn and unlearn the things we were taught as kids, or things we picked up and thought were true only to learn they weren’t.” It’s a belief that gives Ym (fka chad browne-springer), who is transitioning, hope in an era of “don’t say gay” bans and increased restricted health access for […]
Meet Amy Wernicki
#LetsFaceIt The Me Too Movement may be helping to raise awareness about sexual assault and harassment in the workplace, but Amy Wernicki of Southington wants employers to realize that harassment of women in the workplace requires a broader look beyond unwanted sexual advances. Wernicki began her career in information technology at a time when women […]
Meet Rich Hollant
#LetsFaceIt As the founder of the branding communications company CO:LAB, executive director of the nonprofit Free Center, commissioner of cultural affairs for the City of Hartford and a fine art photographer, Rich Hollant knows all about the importance of messaging and sharing your truth. He was eager to talk about stigma. “Throughout my life I […]
Meet Chion Wolf
#LetsFaceIt Chion Wolf is used to talking to and about people. For years, she produced and hosted The Mouth-Off, a live storytelling event at the Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, and a live advice show at Sea Tea Improv‘s underground comedy theater, called Asking for a Friend with Chion Wolf. Now, as host […]
Potential SCOTUS Ruling Overturning Roe v. Wade Will Impact the Mental Health of Individuals Seeking Care and Health Care Workers
According to the National Library of Medicine, “Lack of choice is associated with higher levels of emotional stress, physical strain, and negative health impacts.” Our mission at Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) is centered on creating environments that support long-term health and wellness. A healthy environment is not possible without choice. This includes access to care […]
Meet Nikki Adams
#LetsFaceIt People know yoga can help them stretch and strengthen. What they may not realize is that it can also help them heal—emotionally, spiritually, psychically. Nikki Adams is a certified trauma-informed yoga teacher who specializes in working with survivors of sexual assault. While she also teaches traditional yoga, Adams knows firsthand how yoga can help […]
