Month: February 2012

The Importance of Mental Heath: My Opinion

Mental Health (MH)… 
Health, with out it you either have bad health or no health… oh which then you would not be able to read this. You see the body is composed of well it self. Your arm is as important to you as the chemicals in your brain that allow triggers of neurons to allow it to move. Mental health, well… to me its amazing! To many, it is a stigma.
 But first off… what is a Stigma? 
Stig·ma (www.dictionary.com)
 
1. a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation.
2. Medicine/Medical.
 a. A mental or physical mark that is characteristic of a defect or disease: the stigmata of leprosy.
 b. A place or point on the skin that bleeds during certain mental states, as in hysteria.
You see…  It all starts with what you have been taught from a young age of what Mental health is. To many, even educated people Mental Health referrers in their mind to the word Crazy, “eso es para los locos” (it is not always the case).  Mental Health is actually a positive term… Health, meaning you have health, you are healthy. Illness, well… it has that stigma also. Illness relates to fear, being scared of the unknown and again that word, having something that isn’t normal. But what people fail to see is that most of the time people can be helped.  
Which brings me to this. You brain is part of your body, of which with out you have no moving body.  Now, Is having a cold a stigma? Not really… your parent or spouse makes you chicken soup, you drink some remedy and you are back to feeling better. YET, when someone gets SAD, because there is a difference between sad (symptom/emotion) and depressed (list of symptoms), automatically they are labeled depressed by almost everyone and when they seek help, its bad. Is seeking help for your cold bad? I don’t think so, so why should obtaining MH Services be?
Something that I never get tired of education is this scenario:  I get a cases where the patient is hesitant of getting help, but once I’ve educated them and answered all their questions, they are able to work it through and not be afraid or scared. Why? because they were educated.
What to do?! 
 So why not, next time you hear someone trashing Mental Health services, you educated them instead of making fun of the services, or placing fear instead of hope. How about that for helping break the stigma? 
Why is this important? 
Because There are a lot of people who can be helped through Mental Health Services. There are people about to harm them sleves when they could have been receiving help instead.
 “I always tell parents/patients, there isn’t a line out there for parents to take their child to therapy. WHY? Because people are not ready to work through their issues, because other’s express fear, but I’m thankful you brought your kid in, because not only will he learn, but you will also learn how to work better as a person.”

And I thank you in advance for your help. 

Kindly, 

Jes Sofia

The State of Latino Health Twitter Chat

Upcoming Conference Calls and Events

The State of Latino Health Twitter Chat

On February 21, 2012 Mayra Alvarez, Director of Public Health Policy at HHS, will be available on Twitter at @HHSgov to answer questions about how the Affordable Care Act helps the Latino community get a fair shot at better care and lower costs. You can participate by following @HHSgov, asking questions, and using the hashtag #LatinoHealth The Twitter chat will be accepting and responding to questions in English and Spanish.

When: Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
Twitter Handle: @HHSgov
Hashtag: #LatinoHealth    and add #latism                                 

With You

In Ice Heart Valentine Abstract Backgrounds

More than what you already bring
I trust you completely.
I see you and no matter rain or shine I want to be by your side.

No matter the hardship,
I still remain in love
with
you.

Your being is more than I believed
I
could
have.

My reality is real, and I am glad that you are part of it.
For if I not known you, I would never know
what love  with you was made out of.

Where I could go, where I can be, where I am.
It takes away from the reality aspect, yet its real
and creates its own
lavish life, when I’m with you.

My reality is being happy with you. 

-Jes Sofia

Latinos in Social Media (LATISM) Announces National Partnership with Social Media Week

LATISM logo
Washington, DC –February 13, 2012 –Latinos in Social Media (LATISM), the largest organization of Latinos in the Social Media arena, today announced a national partnership with Social Media Week, the global network of internationally hosted conferences and online through social media. As part of the partnership, LATISM has organized a spectacular series of events showcasing the best of Latino Social Media in the areas of Economic Development, Health, Education and Civic Engagement, including representatives from Twitter, Google, NCLR and the Carnegie Corporation.

“We’re extremely proud to partner with the global phenomenon that is Social Media Week, particularly as their platform and vision are so aligned with our own,” said Ana Roca-Castro, LATISM’s Founder and Chair. “As the largest organization of Latinos in the Social Media arena, our chapters help us bring the phenomenal engagement we have online to the grassroots level. By participating in an event of this scale, we can amplify our impact as we continue driving the conversations and searching for solutions to the most important issues affecting our Latino community.”

The events will include panels with some of the most prominent Latino thought-leaders in their respective fields. In addition, the events will include full online coverage and scheduled virtual events via LATISM’s social media properties.

LATISM’s Social Media Week events will take place in Washington DC, Miami FL, New York NY and San Francisco, CA on February 14th and 16th. Events in San Francisco and New York City have been organized in partnership with Google.

The schedule of events is as follows:

LATISM South Florida Chapter at SMW:
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM ET 
TOPIC: Economic Development: Building A New Vision To Power The Economy 
LOCATION: Adrienne Arsht Center – 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132
MODERATOR: Ernesto Sosa (President, SOWEB/LATISM SFL Chapter Director)
PANELISTS:

  • Giovanni Rodriguez (CMO at Deloitte Postdigital Enterprise, Board of Directors Member at LATISM)
  • Pilar Portela (Media Relations Specialist, Business Wire/LatinoWire)
  • Jorge Fernandez (Real Estate Agent, ONE Sotheby’s International Realty)
  • Carlos Pedraja (Sr. Industry Manager, LATAM, Google)
  • Brenda Leguisamo (Founder & CEO, SocialBizMembers.com)

RSVP: http://socialmediaweek.org/event/?event_id=1924
 
LATISM Washington, DC chapter at SMW:
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 2012 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM ET
TOPIC: Health Communication, Digital Media & the Latino Community 
LOCATION: National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Offices – Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036-4845
MODERATOR: Jennifer Lubrani, Web Marketing and Communications Officer/Program Manager at FHI 360; LATISM DC Chapter Director
PANELISTS:

  • David Castillo (New Media Manager, National Council of La Raza)
  • Kimberly Inez McGuire (Policy Analyst, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health)
  • Javier Von Westphalen (Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Strategy, HMA Associates, Inc. and LATISM DC Co-Director)
  • Lizette Olmos (Olmos Strategy Group, Former Communications Director of League of United Latin Americans Citizens)

RSVP: http://socialmediaweek.org/event/?event_id=2211

LATISM New York City Chapter at SMW [In Partnership with Google]:
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
TOPIC: The Power of Social Media in Education 
LOCATION: Google NYC Office (Chelsea Market) – 75 9th Avenue (Between 15th and 26th Streets), 2nd Floor New York , 10011
MODERATOR: Ray Cruz, LATISM NYC Chapter Director and blogger at AngryLatino.com
PANELISTS:

  • Jeannette Kaplun (Chief Content Officer/Founder & TV host “Viva la familia!”, Todobebe.com)
  • Angélica Pérez-Litwin (PhD, Publisher & CEO, NewLatina.net)
  • Andrés Henríquez (Program Officer, National Program of Carnegie Corporation of New York)
  • Mariela Dabbah (Speaker, author, media personality, Latinosincollege.com)

RSVP: http://socialmediaweek.org/event/?event_id=2111

LATISM Bay Area Chapter at SMW [In Partnership with Google]:
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TOPIC: Social Media for Good: Civic Engagement and Change 
LOCATION: Google SF Office – 345 Spear Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
MODERATOR: Marcela Gutierrez, Founder / Director at Azul, LATISM Bay Area Chapter Director
PANELISTS:

  • Laura Gomez (Manager, Localization/Internationalization at Twitter)
  • More speakers (TBA)

RSVP: http://smwlatismbayarea.eventbrite.com

TO PARTICIPATE VIA TWITTER: Follow hashtags #LATISM #SMW
ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK
Social Media Week is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversation around emerging trends in social and mobile media. Delivered primarily through a network of internationally hosted conferences and online through social media, Social Media Week literally connects hundreds of thousands of people every year through learning experiences that aim to advance our understanding of social media’s role in society. To learn more about social media week, visit http://socialmediaweek.org/

ABOUT LATISM
Latinos in Social Media (LATISM) is a 501(c) 4 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, civic and economic status of the Latino community. With a network of over 140,000 members, LATISM is the largest organization for Latinos engaged in social media, including bloggers and professionals from every arena. LATISM also helps to raise awareness among corporate brands, NGOs and government entities about using social media to reach Latinos through research, event sponsorships, and leadership training. A pioneering social media organization, LATISM has been hailed as the most influential online movement in the new multicultural Web. Visit http://LATISM.org/beta

Success: How do we really know we are accomplished?

What does the Success mean to you?

According to the dictionary it means: favorable outcome. 
 We go through life wanting a favorable outcome most of the time. We would not be human if we did not want more, get more…But at what point do you know and say “I have reached that ‘favorable Outcome?'” Is this possible?… Something we favor. (YES). What is it that you favor the most? A lasting relationship, money, love, friends, great relationship with your family? No matter what you choose how will you obtain that favorable outcome? and again, how will you know you are done?
These are a few questions I recently asked myself, and of course I got a load of diverse answers. 
How do we really know we are accomplished?   
Personally, I think our success is based on our hopes and expectations. Here is what someone else I read said: Maslow (I took it to Psychology 101)
File:Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.svg 
 A lot of of the people in this world, currently in this time of age, are working through the lower levels. Others I’ve seen have accomplished various levels at different times of their lives. Some have even started through their creativity down. They have been able to accomplish their safety, some sexual needs, even their love and belonging.  Currently, I am working on my Self-Actualization section. But in reality, this is an everyday triangle I think. “Maslow’s theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly desire (or focus motivation upon) the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow also coined the term Metamotivation to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment (1).” I will agree with this point to some point…(yeah i know…) Only because I have noticed that a lot of people are working through the first stage everyday… and even when they might have love, safety and are creative, they have not be able to establish their basics needs. Makes one think of what success right? 

So the next time you re-think of your success… remember there are different stages. One man had a brilliant idea of how one is to accomplish them and in what order… but Find it out for yourself… after all, its your life. Make you whom you want to become. If you want to use this triangle as a guide, go for it! At least you will know how to go about it, or choose how what level you want to establish first. 

This is defiantly not something I can tell you. It is something you have to find for yourself. I’d do you a disservice If I told you you where successful because of A,B, C and D. 

1. Goble, F. The Third Force: The Psychology of Abraham Maslow. Richmond, Ca: Maurice Bassett Publishing, 1970. Pg. 62. 
Smile (if you want) 

Secretary Duncan to Host Twitter Town Hall on Hispanic Education Excellence

 
Secretary Duncan to Host Twitter Town Hall on Hispanic Education Excellence
______________________________________________________________
 
Following President Obama’s State of the Union—in which critical topics like college affordability, dropout rates, teachers, and job training were addressed—U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will engage with the Hispanic community through a Twitter town hall at 3 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Feb. 8. The conversation will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
 
José Rico, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, will join Duncan for the virtual town hall. As head of the WHI, Rico helps carry out President Obama’s efforts to improve the academic achievement of Hispanic students.
 
Duncan and Rico will discuss how Hispanic success in education is important to the country and respond to questions submitted on Twitter. The town hall will be moderated by Elianne Ramos and Cheryl Aguilar from LATISM, a nonprofit social media outlet aimed at advancing the social, economic and educational status of the Latino community.
 
The event will be streamed live online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/education-department. Twitter users can ask questions in advance and during the forum using the hashtags #HispanicED and #LATISM. Community leaders and ED staff will help flag questions through retweets on Twitter.
 
Who :

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
José Rico, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics
What :
Twitter town hall discussion focusing on Hispanic education
When :
3-4 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012
Where:
http://www.ustr

White House Conference Call on Housing and the Latino Community

 
______________________________________________________________
 
White House Conference Call on Housing and the Latino Community
______________________________________________________________
 
Please join us this Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 11:30 a.m. EST for a conference call with two leaders from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: John Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and Mercedes Márquez, Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. We will discuss President Obama’s State of the Union and his recent housing announcement, with a focus on how both will affect Latino families and communities.
 
We ask that you share this invitation with your networks and affiliates.
 
What: White House Call with John Trasviña and Mercedes Márquez
When: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012
Start Time: 11:30 a.m. EST                                                                         
Dial In: (800) 288-8974
Call Title: White House Update Call
 
Note: This call is off the record and not intended for press purposes.
 

Asking For Help is not a weakness, It is a Strength.

https://bloggersofhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/help-300x223.jpg

I come across a lot of situations where people/families are embarrassed to ask for help.

Unfortunately, no everyone is able to ask for help. Most people assume that asking to see a Psychotherapist means that they are weak…when I’ve found the opposite. The people who obtain help and services are very strong. They are saying, hey I need another perspective, another head in the mix to help us so we don’t have to be stuck anymore. So we can grow, get passed the hurt, the pain, the ongoing suffering and make life what is meant to be for us, better.

Some wait until its too late and their loved ones are either are hurt or gone.

I have to say, I am proud of the families I have worked with through out my years in this profession. Most have been able to work though their issues, been able to accept that they are strong, tenacious, loving people who needed to get out of their daily routines that may have been causing them their ongoing distress. Not everyone is ready for services…and we understand that. Some have been able to be empowered and gain hope that their tomorrow will be better. Who learned to listen and be able to communicate with their families with out having to ignore them or cause themselves pain by restricting themselves or others by seeing them. Some have been able to recognize that their ways where not healthy, and others that their ways were fine and just needed a little tune up. A lot of people have been able to stand up to those bullies with out getting hurt. Others came hurt and left empowered.

I’m especially proud of the mother’s who learned that they are worthy. That they too can do and be the mother they want to be and have their children listen to them and they listen to their child. That being able to be the head of the household meant they learned to be strong and ask for help. I commend them all and I respect them.

So the next time you think that maybe a therapist person, not involved in your “messy life” would help, I will agree with you. Sometimes it takes someone to be able to see the whole picture, who isn’t there to judge you, but to empower you, to be honest with you and help you gain insight of your situation, provide you with tools to help you see what options you do have to get out of where you thought you could not get out of. To remind you that you are human and a strong person for asking for help.

I wish you well.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/topics/therapy
http://www.therapist.com/
http://www.1-800-therapist.com/
www.therapists.psychologytoday.com

Smile (if you want)

Jes Sofia