Post-Election Support

My colleague, Isa Bischoff Jones, reached out to me a day after we had received the news of the USA elections result and shared with me some of her concerns and the distress she was seeing with many of her clients — an experience I was also having with mine. We decided to host a “Facebook Live” event where we would take questions, comments, and experiences and address as many as we could from the perspective of validation, self-care and mental health principles/resources. Comments were and will continue to be heavily moderated as to make this a safe space for those who wanted to participate. The goal was to focus on healing for those who have been hurt by the results. It was not meant to be a political discussion nor to invalidate the positions and feelings of those who are celebrating the election results. But we did address the mental health concerns we have seen arise due to inappropriate speech from our now president-elect that has had negative consequences for racial and religious minorities, women, assault victims, LGBTQ+ population, those with disabilities, and more.  We offered strategies for self-care, self-protection, bridging conversations with loved ones who hold opposing positions, processing emotions/experiences, parenting tips and more. You can follow the link below if you’re interested in watching. 

https://www.facebook.com/natasha.h.parker.5/videos/10208228941177435/

Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT, CST can be reached at natashaparker.org. She authors the Mormon Therapist Blog, hosts the Mormon Mental Health and Mormon Sex Info Podcasts, writes a regular column for Sunstone Magazine and is the current president of the Mormon Mental Health Association. She has over 20 years of experience working with primarily an LDS/Mormon clientele.