Meet Your Therapist

My specialty which I feel has chosen me is PTSD. PTSD is a diagnosis often associated with war veterans.  This is just a small portion of the population that it does impact.  Oftentimes people are suffering something traumatic and don't even realize it, because trauma within the BIPOC community has been normalized and or minimized.  I’m sure you've heard at one time or another in your life the phrases  “just get over it” and or “you’ll be all right”.  This has been a well-known response we've heard from members of our families, at our jobs or it could've been something that we've told ourselves.  These responses have been provided to help get us through deaths, violence, abuse including- physical, medical, and sexual, societal microaggressions.  PTSD symptoms can look like: thoughts that continually pop up out of nowhere, nightmares, flashbacks,  avoiding a particular place, person, or thing, blaming yourself or someone else, becoming pessimistic or waiting for the other shoe to drop, never getting your hopes up.  It can also include sleepless nights, not being able to focus, and or being on edge. 
PTSD doesn't always show up immediately; it can show up hours or days, months, years, later.  

I equate PTSD to holding your breath and not even knowing it.  I know PTSD personally growing up in a low-income area. I know it even better now as a black woman in America.  Watching the continuous death of black men and women in America being executed can be explained by nonetheless traumatic.  I have black men in my life that I cherish and want them to prosper and succeed.