Getting help and receiving therapy is a concept that the black community has taken its time to get accustomed to. We’ve sort of developed a love-hate relationship with therapy and acknowledging the need for mental health. In Nigeria, for example, discussing mental issues is a very tedious process, considering that everything that cannot be seen physical is attributed to ‘spiritual’ unknown possession. A lot of people have over time been restricted to dealing with issues by themselves leading to self-inflicted pain, or wearing an armor that shields their mental struggles often leading to debilitating effects.
So, when I stumbled upon the website Therapy For Black Girls, I was overjoyed and devoured the content with great enthusiasm – sharing it with you with every bone of excitement in me.
Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. The Founder of the platform, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford realized often that the stigma surrounding mental health issues and therapy prevent Black women from taking the step of seeing a therapist. She, therefore, developed the space to present mental health topics in a way that feels more accessible and relevant.
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a licensed Psychologist in the state of Georgia. Her specialties include working with Black women in both individual and couples counseling. Her primary areas of interest include break up and divorce recovery, depression, work-life balance, relationship skills, and self-esteem improvement. She also has a wealth of knowledge in working with undergraduate and graduate students in areas, as the content on Therapy For Black Girls shows, including procrastination, stress management, dissertation/thesis support, and career development.
The Therapy For Black Girls website is a treasure land of guides, maps and expert work in handling issues and working your way through traumatic experiences or life changing scenarios. There’s a fantastic Therapist Directory which is a listing of mental health professionals across the U.S who have been identified as clinicians who do great clinical work with Black women. Awesome, isn’t it?
There are also other interesting tips and flow that Black girls can use for day-to-day living. For example, The Black Girl’s Guide to Freshman Year & Black Women and the Complicated Relationship with Psychiatric Medications are great topics that have been covered by Dr. Joy.
