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Blog Submissions

We'd love to receive submissions from members of the Asian community as a way of accurately reflecting different experiences across the Asian diaspora. Our blog section is all about uplifting Asian voices and enhancing representation in this area. Chances are - there's someone just like you who needed to see themselves reflected. 

Guidelines for Submissions 

Writing about trauma or deeply personal experiences can be powerful - both for the writer and the reader.

It can foster connection, advocacy, and healing, but it also requires care and intention.These guidelines are here to help you share with honesty and care, supporting your own wellbeing while creating a respectful, grounded experience for those engaging with your words.

Write 

We welcome original blog posts that share personal experiences, reflections, or insights, educate or inform our community in a respectful and inclusive way, uplift neurodivergent, disabled, queer, BIPOC, or otherwise marginalised voice and align with our values of empathy, inclusion, and community care

 

Your piece can be thoughtful, vulnerable, witty, poetic, or straight-talking but we just ask that it feels true to you.


Your piece should be: 

  • 500 - 1200 words (but please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to write something longer!) 

  • Original piece of writing, that isn't published anywhere else without disclosure

  • Consider consent if your story involves other people (e.g. children, clients, or friends), make sure you have their explicit permission to share identifying details or anonymise them appropriately

  • Relevant to living at the intersection of being Asian and Autistic/ADHD, or even questioning. What jumps out at you? 
     

We may suggest light edits for clarity, tone, or accessibility. We'll always check in before publishing any major changes.If you'd like to include an image, please only submit photos you have permission to use, with proper credit.


Feel free to check out our reflection writing piece down below. 

Authorship

Submissions are welcome to be anonymous, written under a pseudonym or your real name. We understand disclosing neurodivergence requires treading with care. What we do value is as much information that you feel comfortable with about your particular intersections as information like this helps readers feel connected. (E.g. country and/or culture of origin, socioeconomic status, religion etc)

 

Authors who are happy to disclose their real names are welcome to invite connection to their own social media platforms and/or websites to allow readers to stay connected to their experiences. 

Content 

To protect our contributors and readers, we do not accept submissions that:
 

  • Include hate speech, discrimination, or dehumanising language

  • Contain defamatory or false claims about individuals or organisations

  • Promote pseudoscience, medical misinformation, or ableist ideas

  • Are not relevant to the topic at hand

  • Have been copied from elsewhere (plagiarism or copyright infringement)

  • Include graphic descriptions of violence or abuse without a clear content warning
     

We reserve the right to decline submissions that don’t align with our values or community standards.

Submission

Submit with: 

  • A clear title 

  • Your writing 

  • 1-2 photographs to help illustrate your ideas 

  • An About Me section (include a photo of yourself if comfortable) 



By submitting, you:

  • Confirm that you are the original author of the content

  • Grant us permission to publish and share your writing on our platform and associated channels (with full credit to you, of course!)

  • Understand that submission does not guarantee publication

    Email us at smenon@onwardsandupwardspsychology.com.au to submit or email through your enquiry! 

Contact us

Writing Reflections

Before writing, pause and ask:

 

  • Am I writing from a grounded, reflective place, not in the middle of crisis?

  • Do I feel safe enough to revisit this experience, even briefly?

  • Have I had support or space to process this before putting it into words?

 

If the answer is no, consider waiting, verbally processing with a safe person or journaling privately first.

Getting Started Writing
Use the PACE model to support you with getting started writing your story! 
 

Plan your focus.

Assess your readiness.

Create time and emotional boundaries.

Evaluate how you feel throughout.

 

Structure your post so that it includes:

 

  • Moments of reflection alongside moments of pain

  • “In the moment” scenes balanced with reflection and insight

  • An ending that feels like a landing place, even if the journey itself isn’t finished



Consider the Reader


What’s grounding for you may be intense for someone else. Make space for choice by:

 

  • Adding a content note if your piece touches on trauma (e.g. “mentions of abuse, mental illness, grief”)

  • Avoiding sensational language or unnecessary details

  • Offering glimmers of hope, insight, or humour where appropriate
     

Writing with Boundaries
 

You can write with vulnerability without reliving trauma in graphic detail. Focus on:

  • What you’ve learned, how you’ve grown, or what helped you through the difficult times.

  • Naming experiences without retelling them blow-by-blow

  • What your story might offer someone else, not just trauma-dumping
     

Remember: You don’t owe your whole story to make it meaningful!

Reflective Questions to Guide my Writing 

​

  • Why am I sharing this story now? What feels important about it in this moment?

 

  • What do I hope readers will take from this?

 

  • What part of this experience feels safe and purposeful to share, and what might I want to keep private?

 

  • Am I including anything graphic or highly detailed? Is that necessary for the story I want to tell?

 

  • What helped me cope, heal, or survive this experience? Is that visible in the piece?

 

  • Have I included my voice of reflection; not just what happened, but what I’ve learned, how I’ve grown, or what I now understand?

 

  • Am I being kind to myself in the way I write about my past or present self?

 

  • If someone I care about read this, would I feel proud of how I told my story?

 

  • Have I checked in with myself physically and emotionally while writing? Do I need a break, support, or grounding?

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