I became a social worker for lots of reasons. Specifically, I wanted to be able to provide therapy for Black teens. Why? Because when I was a teen, Black figures I weren't related to meant a lot! They gave me guidance, support, hope, and a vision for the kind of successful, happy, healthy, and whole Black person -- Black woman...[ read more ]
Black Therapists Matter: What I learned about therapy from attending an HBCU Growing up, therapy was not in the lineup of options when considering to seek emotional or mental support. Typically, there was the support from the church, possible community leader, or a trusted friend. However, the most frequently used strategy was keeping things “in house.” Since then, I’ve gained...[ read more ]
New Year's Resolutions can take a toll on your mental health, increasing anxiety and depression. Counseling can help you set meaningful SMART goals instead. New Year's Resolutions Hello New Year! It seems that you can barely set foot into a new year before the topic of new year's resolutions comes up. I'm sure I'm not the first to ask: "What...[ read more ]
Anger counseling can help you tame your anger issues. Anger is a healthy emotion, it's how we respond to anger that becomes unhealthy. Life is full of moments that promote anger and let’s face it -- that could be anything. Sometimes anger can look like screaming and yelling or plotting against someone and sometimes it can look like substance abuse....[ read more ]
The build-up of stress and emotions can lead to holiday anger. Don't let it get the best of you with these tips. For many of us, spending time with family can be a grab bag of emotions. While you may feel love and familiarity, there's also decades-long dynamics between you and your family members that may not be the most...[ read more ]
It's hard to separate chronic illness and depression. If you are suffering from a chronic illness, you are not alone. To clarify, almost half of the population in the United States is currently battling some form of chronic physical illness. In fact, chronic illness is the number one driver of healthcare costs in America. For example, some of the most prevalent...[ read more ]
When you start to feel your anxiety build, it's hard to not get swept away. Instead, try these breathing techniques to calm anxiety. Being able to calm yourself with breathing techniques can really help ease your mind and emotions. Many people don’t realize that they have the internal capacity to breathe through the feelings of stress and anxiety.Emotions are valid...[ read more ]
Your mind-body connection is the basis for feeling whole. Therapists look for patterns. We look for patterns across situations and relationships. Further, we explore what impacts clients and how they respond. Above all, people who have complex mental health issues often have a disconnection between their mind and body. Mind-body Disconnection Some common signs that someone has a mind-body disconnect:...[ read more ]
We all know the old adage that “laughter is the best medicine” and, honestly, who doesn’t want to laugh like a child being tickled? We have all heard it at one point, or several points, in our lives. You may have questioned the accuracy of this statement in the past. Maybe it’s an answer you didn’t take time to seek out. Perhaps you...[ read more ]
Our society worships the overachiever and considers workaholic stress as honorable. You are supposed to burn the candle at both ends and deny yourself any pleasure. However, you could experience burnout. Therefore, it is important to balance your work with a sense of play and freedom. The Dangers of Workaholic Stress You may think that a workaholic would be every...[ read more ]