I believe that the part of the class that I most likely learned the most and or made me feel

the most
comfortable would be from week 12 when we learned about gender and mental health. Mental health is
very important to me so I was eager to use that week to take in as much knowledge as possible. Coming
from a family where mental illness is very common, especially in women, I have always been intrigued
by learning about mental health and how it affects women in particular. This is one of the main reasons I
am so interested in psychology and why I chose it as my major.

Growing up, mental health was somewhat of a taboo subject to speak about in my family. Even though
almost everyone struggled with some form of mental illness, we never really spoke about it or
acknowledged it. My mother changed that for me, however, and was always very vocal in checking on
me and how I was doing throughout my life and would always offer support when I needed it. My
mother did not get to speak about mental health issues that freely with her mother, so she wanted to be
able to offer what she wanted and needed to me so that I could have someone that would listen to me
and could relate to how I was feeling.

As far as sexuality and mental health and how they are connected, I was never really exposed to much
of that growing up. I am much more open to the idea of genders and sexualities and how they are fluid
and fluctuating than other members of my family. I find it incredibly important to have conversations
with those that may not “understand” it or even not accept it, because just because you do not agree
with something that does not mean that you can discredit them or dismiss them as a person with their
own thoughts and experiences. I have always been an advocate for people to receive the help they need
and to have access to help regardless of identity, preference, lifestyle, etc. I believe that it is so
important, especially for transgender children, to listen to them and what they have to say so that they
feel validated and heard.