Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW, RSW @ Intersectional Equity Insights

Verywell Mind • 16 March 2024

What Is Inclusion?

Inclusion is the practice of including and accommodating people who often face discrimination and exclusion due to race, gender, ability, sexuality, or identity. In light of the current racial climate, many settings are becoming increasingly aware of their lack of diversity and representation. Such organizations have failed to represent people of all backgrounds, genders, etc. This has left the most oppressed folx feeling undervalued, ignored, erased, etc.


Inclusion refers to "the act or prac

Verywell Mind • 10 January 2024

How to Stop Crying

Despite the fact that most people have been crying regularly since birth, it can still feel extremely uncomfortable. While babies tend to cry easily, there is no shortage of social expectations causing this behavior to become less acceptable as people age. For this reason, you may find yourself working hard to avoid crying when you feel the urge to do so.

If you find yourself crying more than usual, you may feel embarrassed, which may even prompt more tears. While crying can be a healthy emotio

Prism • 13 September 2023

BIPOC LGBTQIA+ communities deserve care for eating disorders

Thanks to Project HEAL, an organization that addresses systemic health care and financial barriers to eating disorder treatment, Da’Shaun Harrison was finally diagnosed with an eating disorder last year. But they have long struggled with disordered eating. As a Black trans person, Harrison lives with the impacts of oppression.

“Growing up as someone who was socialized as a Black boy, who was always fat, doctors never even considered [an eating disorder],” said Harrison, a theorist and author of

Medicinal Media • 15 August 2023

Staging medicine as a neurologist and playwright — Medicinal Media

Ariel Landrum, MA, LMFT, a certified art therapist and the clinical director of Guidance Teletherapy, says, “Doctors are healthcare professionals that we rely on to keep us well. Performance art that humanizes doctors allows us to connect with them as individuals. When a doctor writes the narrative themselves, we can get a more accurate look at their struggles in their personal and professional lives. When we experience the narrative from a woman of color, we are immersed in the richness of the

Issuu • 11 July 2023

TEACH Magazine - July/August 2023

The next generation is often thought of as the trailblazers of the future, but what does that mean when the future of our planet looks uncertain in terms of the vast impacts of climate change?

Verywell Mind • 5 July 2023

How Awareness of Epigenetics and Generational Trauma Can Inform Therapy

The pandemic has become a source of collective trauma for many, leaving some wondering what the long-term impact may be even after it's over. The study of epigenetics may have the answer, as history shows that oppressed groups, for example, may pass down the impact of such trauma in their genes.

Epigenetics—in highly simplified terms—is the study of how genes may be affected by the experiences people have, which can then be passed down to future generations.

While it may be challenging to cons

Asparagus Magazine • 18 June 2023

Bodily Autonomy Is About More Than Abortion Access - Asparagus

For many, the phrase “bodily autonomy” brings abortion access to mind, especially since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade—the 1973 supreme court decision that legalized abortion throughout the US. This latest court decision means that American states can regulate abortion within their borders.

But the concept of bodily autonomy also applies to trans rights, disability justice, mental health, and even what a person can wear on their body. That’s a wide range of topics, so let’s unpack how thes

Asparagus Magazine • 11 May 2023

Ukrainian Youth "Will Not be the Same" - Asparagus

On February 24, 2022, a social worker who works with youth and resides in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, was drinking a cup of tea and making his way to catch a train to Kyiv. Suddenly, his city was hit with a Russian missile targeting a nearby airfield.

Since then, he has not left his home because of the threat of military violence, but continues to support youth via messaging service Telegram and the video-conference platform Zoom. He worries about how traumatizing this Russian invasion will be for t

Medtruth • 11 May 2023

5 Top Podcast Recommendations for Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Due to the hard work of author and activist Bebe Moore Campbell, the U.S. House of Representatives first recognized July as National Minority Mental Health Month in 2008. With the lived experience of supporting her daughter’s navigation of mental health services, Campbell witnessed the systemic gaps in mental health access and drew attention to the unique mental health needs of Black folks in the United States, and by extension Black, Indigenous and people of color, too. Especially during a glob

Verywell Mind • 23 January 2023

How to Navigate Your Own Privilege

Having privilege means that you possess an unearned advantage in society through some aspect of your identity, in comparison to folx who lack that attribute. These dynamics tend to reflect larger power differentials in society as folx who are members of a dominant group possess privilege over those whose identity marginalizes them by comparison.

While it can be uncomfortable to recognize that you have unearned advantages over other folx through no fault of theirs, working through your discomfor

Education for Today and Tomorrow | L'Education Aujourd'hui et Demain • 15 November 2022

Making Space for Justice: The Realities of “Universal” Human Rights

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 40 Years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Special Issue, 2022

Many students in our country may have realized from a young age that they are treated differently than their peers or other fellow Canadians. They know it’s not right, but don’t have the vocabulary or forum to express this. Then they come to school and learn about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a document stating that every person in Canada “is equal before and under the law”

Prism • 1 November 2022

Unions need to better integrate temporary workers into advocacy

While Sheila Crabbe supports workers’ efforts to unionize, she, like many who primarily work in “temporary” roles, found that unions don’t always provide the same benefits and protection that permanent workers in unions often have. As a Black woman working within the Minneapolis school system, the precariousness of this position was made clear when she was let go from her job amid a mental health crisis after five years of employment.

“There are great educators of color that continue to be feel

GHLF.org • 18 August 2022

How Trauma and Discrimination Among LGBTQ+ Adults May Impact Migraine

LGBTQ+ adults often face higher levels of trauma, which can have a negative impact on their health. Despite that unfortunate reality, this was the first study to assess the experiences of sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) folx with respect to migraine, as it relates to a history of trauma and discrimination.

Researchers initially highlighted gaps in the current knowledge around neurological health among LGBTQ+ adults, in a study published in JAMA Neurology last year, which prompted this subse

Verywell Mind • 16 August 2022

Surprisingly, Smartphone Use May Help Improve Memory

The odds are good that you and your loved ones each have your own smartphone. In fact, the Pew Research Center estimates that 97% of Americans own a cellphone, while 85% have a smartphone.

Given the prevalence of smartphones, we often hear warnings about reliance on them. Thankfully, a recently published study in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General found that using digital devices may support individuals to remember additional information.

Researchers analyzed the results of memory tes

Verywell Mind • 10 August 2022

Eating Fruit More Often Can Lead to Better Mental Health

Eating healthy food is often encouraged to promote mental health and well-being. Now, a study published in British Journal of Nutrition found that frequent consumption of fruit is associated with lower depression scores.

This study was conducted with 428 healthy adults across the United Kingdom, and survey responses demonstrate that regular consumption of fruit was linked to lower depression and better mental health outcomes.

Given how healthy eating can support mental health, these findings m

Verywell Mind • 9 August 2022

People Are Cooperating More Than They Have in Decades

Cooperation is often encouraged in relationships and is a well-known sign of a strong community. Now, a new study published in Psychological Bulletin has found that cooperation levels among strangers has been increasing in the US since the 1950s.

Researchers reviewed 511 American studies that took place between 1956 and 2017, including those that assessed for cooperation among strangers.


There are so many 21st-century challenges—from climate change to global inequality—that require a collect

Verywell Mind • 8 August 2022

Looking at Art Online Has a Similar Effect on Mental Health as Looking at Physical Art

Art has long been known to affect our psyche. Now, a new study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that even brief viewing of art online can improve moods through cognitive-emotional experiences.

When study participants were asked to explore online exhibitions of either a Monet painting or a display of Japanese culinary traditions, they reported improved mental health and reduced negative moods with just a couple minutes of engagement.

Researchers note that their results bode well for m

Verywell Mind • 2 August 2022

Does Travel Count as Therapy? Why Tourism is Great for Your Mental Health

We know the benefits of art therapy and music therapy, but a new study shows how travel therapy may be another type of intervention that can be added to the list.

A recently published journal article in Tourism Management found that the experience of going on a vacation can be beneficial for people who navigate dementia. Researchers note how tourism experiences may provide positive impacts as a dementia intervention.

Not only is travel therapy beneficial for those with dementia, but it can hel

Verywell Mind • 1 August 2022

A Father's Adult Attachment Style Could Affect Children's Anxiety Levels

Understanding the attachment style of children may help to address mental health issues, and understanding where these attachment styles come from is a key piece of that puzzle. In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Psychology earlier this year found that the adult attachment of fathers can influence the anxiety levels of their children into adolescence.

Based on questionnaire responses from 906 pairs of fathers and their adolescents from Chinese families, this study indica

Verywell Mind • 18 July 2022

Chronic Loneliness and Mental Health Distress Have a Cyclical Relationship

For many, the pandemic intensified loneliness concerns. A new research study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) has found a direct link between the impacts of loneliness and greater mental health distress.

Researchers conducted interviews with 59 adults with mental health concerns in the UK, and found that mental health distress can impact chronic loneliness, which refers to feeling lonely often or always.

These findings can better inform government programs to address loneliness and improve

EverydayHealth.com • 13 July 2022

HIV PrEP Treatment Failing to Reach Minorities

Before Ciarra Covin was diagnosed with HIV in 2008, medications called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) that prevent HIV infection didn’t exist.

As a college student in rural Georgia, Covin found out she had HIV after going to the school’s health clinic for birth control. Upon learning her positive status, her first thought was, “Will I be able to have children one day?”

Her doctor, who was white, offered little comfort. “I asked him if I could have kids, and his response, to this little Black

Verywell Mind • 10 July 2022

Trans College Students Are More Prone to Sleep Disorders, Study Finds

Marginalized groups often face health inequities due to oppression. A recent study published in Nature and Science of Sleep found that transgender college students experience greater sleep challenges than their cis peers.

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 221,549 college students across the US and Canada and found that trans participants were significantly more likely to develop both sleep and mood disorders.


Since trans individuals often face increased health challenges due to o

Verywell Mind • 15 June 2022

Heavy Consumption of Reality TV May Reinforce Gender Roles for Adolescents

Often, media literacy can help people to grasp how TV viewing patterns may reinforce certain narratives. A new study published in The Journal of Sex Research found that heavy consumption of reality TV was linked to greater endorsement of gendered sexual scripts among youth.

These research findings were based on two studies of adolescents, both of which found that high levels of reality TV viewing can bolster heteronormative behaviors, as mediated by gender expectations.

Sexual scripts based on

Verywell Mind • 10 June 2022

New Research Reveals a Key to Reducing Feelings of Regret

Everyone has feelings of regret, but changing how these feelings are approached may help people move forward. A new study published in Psychological Science found that participants had more regret with idealized forgone alternatives.

A forgone alternative refers to the second choice that people eventually reject when making a decision. People tend to overestimate its appeal when compared to the reality of the choice they selected.

Such insights on how humans process regret hold promise for eng