Race & Identity

A mental health professional’s ultimate mission is to help his or her clients live their very best lives—which takes patience, understanding, and support. What I mean to say is therapy is a safe place: you don’t have to worry about being judged or ridiculed—your only worry should be getting down…

Religion and spirituality have played major roles in the lives of Black men and women since the days of slavery and before. The connection with God has been significant in helping individuals and families cope with loss, mistreatment, and the hardships of life. It would stand to reason because of…

Stigmas surrounding mental health exist in all groups and societies, but are particularly prevalent in the African-American community—making the concept of therapy or counseling a foreign one, at best. Some individuals simply don’t understand the practice, while others frown down upon it… leaving those in the community who struggle with…

Let’s face it, counseling is often a difficult choice to make. Deciding to allow someone in on those thoughts and feelings that perhaps you haven’t shared with family and friends often leaves one feeling anxious. Although counseling has become more acceptable across the board, when you look at who is…

We all understand stress to be harmful, but to what degree? Many of us suffer from the exhaustion that comes with stress, as well as its negative effect on our mood, but it doesn’t end there. Stress can also lead to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and mental illnesses like depression…

Overcoming the Effects of Bias Discrimination, as a byproduct of both implicit and overt bias, produces a myriad of unfavorable and difficult results. Race-related stress can cause intense emotional reactions such as: anxiety, frustration, paranoia, resentment, self-doubt, depression and anger. When searching for ways to cope, people often find themselves…

What Exactly is Unconscious Prejudice? Unconscious prejudice, also known as implicit bias, is an automatic, natural bias that is hidden from our cognizant thoughts. Because it resides outside of our awareness, this type of bias remains easy to deny. In primitive days, our ancestors relied on implicit bias for survival….

Under Attack More than most years, it feels like Blackness has been especially under attack this year. The collective feeling of trauma feels palpable in my office, on my campus, and throughout my social networks. It feels like every time there is another major verdict to be delivered, a new…

On average, White Americans are two times more likely to go to counseling than their African American counterparts. This disparity isn’t only because African Americans believe mental health services are expensive or costly, either. There is a stigma associated with going to therapy in the black community. People view you…