This writing portfolio includes the books I’ve authored, other platforms I write on, and academic journal publications.  You can also check out my portfolio on Contently.

I blog under the name ashleyleia, but otherwise write primarily under my full name, Ashley L. Peterson.

Books

Author of Psych Meds Made Simple.

Author/editor of Making Sense of Psychiatric Diagnosis.

Contributor to the upcoming book The Silent Scream, a project by Maria Alfieri.

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Articles/posts

Bella Grace (June 2019). Turning outward.

Canadian Nurse (2014). It can happen to anyone: Reaching out.

I am 1 in 4 (2018). Mental illness and the dreaded job interview.

Hubpages. Various. Author page.

• HealthProAdvice
  • The real story about “shock therapy” (2019)
• Owlcation
  • How to be a smart research consumer (2019)
• TurboFuture
  • Growing a blog as a passion project (2019)
• YouMeMindBody
  • I am not my medication: Discussing the stigma of taking meds (2019)

Libero Magazine

• Free from silence (2019)

Medium. Various. Author page.

• 1 Minute Reads
  • Life lessons from Saved By The Bell (2019)
  • My favourite time of day (2019)
  • Why new socks made my day (2019)

• A Few Words
  • Alone, but rarely lonely (2019)
  • I don’t do diets: Here’s why (2019)
  • Moving from episodic to chronic (2019)
  • Why I choose to be childless: Mental illness and babymaking (2019)

• Candour
  • The stories my body tells (2019)
  • What would post-celibate sex feel like? (2019)

• Demystifying
  • I feel depressed vs. I have depression (2019)
  • Teasing apart my self from my illness (2019)

• Feel, Heal, Share
  • My illness has made me a better nurse (2019)
  • The ideal mental health professional (2019)
  • The therapeutic value of community (2019)
  • Why I choose not to see a psychiatrist (2019)

• InkMend
  • Along, but not alone (2019)
  • Finding freedom by absolving myself from forgiveness (2019)
  • I don’t know how to goodbye (2019)

• Invisible Illness
  • Adventures in stigma in the ER (2019)
  • Applying harm reduction to self-harm (2019)
  • Cognitive deconstruction and the lead up to suicide (2019)
  • Dead if you do, dead if you don’t? Weighing the risks & benefits of medications (2019)
  • From weakness to warrior (20190
  • Funding mental health care: why community-based care matters (2018)
  • Getting help when it matters most (2019)
  • How can we fight stigma most effectively? (2019)
  • How do you respond to stigmatized language? (2018)
  • How picky should we be about suicide-related language? (2019)
  • Intersectionality and what it means for mental health (2019)
  • Is there something wrong with “behavioral health”? (2019)
  • Managing working (or not) with disability (2019)
  • Master of my domain?  A look at depression and masturbation (2018)
  • Mental illness and employment discrimination (2019)
  • NIMBYism and mental health housing (2019)
  • Public views on suicide (2019)
  • The right decision isn’t always easy (2019)
  • Why do we think vitamins can cure mental illness? (2019)
  • Why I told my patient I’ve been suicidal (2019)
  • Why psychosis scares people (2019)
  • Will suicide ever be 100% preventable? (2019)

• Live Your Life On Purpose
  • 8 Holistic strategies to help manage depression (2019)

• Mariposa Magazine
  • Each visit could be my last (2019)
  • I quit: Leaving a job due to workplace bullying (2019)
  • My third grade crush is in jail (2019)
  • Using adversity to find a new passion (2019)

• Messy Mind
  • All the pieces (2019)
  • Heart-mind-body brokenness (2019)
  • I don’t like what the camera sees (2019)
  • Maybe I’ll never get well (2019)

• Noteworthy – The Journal Blog
  • My Fortress of solitude (2019)

• P.S I Love You
  • A mental illness love story (2019)
  • I hate you means I love you (2019)

• The Ascent. 
  • Getting sh*t done in spite of depression (2018)
  • The surprise of building mastery (2019)

• The Haven
  • Depression chic (2019)
  • I feel like a 90-year-old woman (2019)
  • Is Twitter the new Tinder? (2019)
  • Movember is just around the corner (2019)
  • Put on your depression boxing gloves (2019)
  • Seinfeldisms, the depression version (2019)
  • The swimwear hall of infamy (2019)
  • Why everyone needs guinea pigs (2019)

• The Mile High Club 
  • I’ll need a seat for my emotional assistance warthog (2019)
  • My least favourite fellow passengers (2019)

• The Obscured
  • Depression is a thief (2019)

• The Startup
  • Do thoughts vibrate? (2019)
  • Reluctantly accepting myself as a brand (2019)

• The Writing Cooperative. 
  • Bringing it back to purpose (2019)
  • Choosing the right tone to write about chronic illness (2018)
  • Handling lacklustre receptions (2019)
  • I’m a brand new author… Now what? (2019)
  • Juggling writing and the effects of mental illness (2019)
  • Lessons learned from being an author/editor (2019)
  • Musings on writing a book (2019)
  • Pressing send: Overcoming the psychological barrier (2018)

• Warm Hearts
  • Animals can touch even the hardest to reach hearts (2019)
  • Hearts can speak without words (2019)

• Writers On The Run
  • African massage and other assorted adventures (2019)
  • I’d rather fall off the horse, thanks (2019)
  • Pooping my way through India (2019)

Mental Health Matters (2018). Evidence-based supplements for depression.

New Life Outlook (2018). My story: Ashley Peterson.

Old Cove Road (2018): Living in the present and Stigma.

Project Semicolon (2018). My name is Ashley, and this is my story.

Psychreg (2019). Blogging as a therapeutic tool for mental health.

Respect Yourself (2017). Using your voice for mental health.

Stigma Fighters (2017). Personal story.

The Mighty (2019). What it’s like to have lived through trauma but not have PTSD.

Time to Change (2018). Ron saw through my mental illness to the real me.

Uncomfortable Revolution (2019 ). A Venetian romantic getaway for me and my depression. Author page.

Visions: BC’s Mental Health and Addictions Journal (2014). On both sides of the desk: Working as a mental health nurse with a mental illness. 

Vocal Media: Author page.

• Filthy (2019). Various.
• Humans (2018). Various.
• Journal (2018-2019). Various. 
• Lifehack (2019). Various.
• Longevity (2018-2019). Various.
• Motivation (2019). Does the law of attraction actually exist?
• Petlife (2018-2019). Various.
• Proof (2019). Drinking & depressing.
• Psyche (2018-2019). Various.
  • Staff pick: Barriers to Mental Health Care for Mental Health Professionals
• Viva (2019). Spotlight on female reproductive health.
• Wander (2018-2019).  Various.

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Guest appearances on other blogs

Blog of the Wolf Boy (2019). Behind the author.

Housewife Hustle (2019). Featured blogger of the month.

Midsummer Daydreamer (2018). Stories of Mental Illness – Ashley’s Story.

Panoramic Counseling (2019). My therapy journal.

Secretladyspider Blog (2019). When body meets brain.

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Academic Journal Publications – A.L. Peterson

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing (2016). Finding identity and meaning as a nurse with a mental illness.

Issues in Mental Health Nursing (2013). Integrating mental health and addictions services to improve client outcomes.

Journal of Advanced Nursing (2015). A case for the use of autoethnography in nursing research.

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (2017). Experiencing stigma as a nurse with mental illness.

Nurse Author & Editor (2013). Getting published for the first time: Tips for new graduate students.