Therapy For Black Girls

Therapy For Black Girls

Therapy is an effective tool for healing trauma, depression and other issues. Unfortunately, stigma and cultural norms surrounding help-seeking can make it challenging for Black women to seek out needed services.

Dr Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist and the creator of the award-winning podcast Therapy for Black Girls, created this website with resources and an audio podcast with the purpose of making mental health education more accessible for Black women and girls.

Black women often suffer stress as a result of racism and sexism, known as “racial trauma.” This can lead to burnout, anxiety and depression in these resilient individuals.

It is an urgent topic to address, particularly given the rise of racism in 2020. Researchers and practitioners who specialize in this area know that racial trauma is compounded by many factors, including Black women’s unique challenges as they strive to become independent individuals.

Therapists face the difficult challenge of managing their own biases and prejudices in order to provide their clients with the best care. Studies show that Black women can cope with racism and sexism by drawing strength from family, friends, spirituality and stories of African American ancestors (Shorter-Gooden K.; Journal of Black Psychology 30(3), 2004).

Dr. Linda Winful, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, states that when people cannot access the support they need, it can be particularly devastating. According to her study coauthored by Lewis, Black women who experienced gendered racial microaggressions were significantly more likely to disengage from their lives and activities in response than those who remained engaged; furthermore, these individuals experienced depression as a result of their disengagement (Psychology of Women Quarterly; Vol. 43, No. 3, 2019).