Quietly Anxious
Many of my clients are ‘superwomen’, or at least they appear that way. They are Black, professional women who are often look put together even when they’re wearing sweats. But their insides tell a different story. Inside they’re churning with anxiety. Their mind is constantly racing, planning, and thinking; it’s never still or quiet. Their […]
Out of the Mouths of Babes
by Lexx Brown-James In many communities of color there is a belief that “children should be seen and not heard.” I recently met with a 7 year old girl who turned this idea around with me. When I asked her about those who loved her she replied “Grandpa.” She proceeded to tell me how sick […]
Lexx’s Hairstory
At the age of 2 my mother gave me a relaxer. I did not have hair up until she game me the relaxer, I have no idea how it worked, but it did. Then growing up, in a predominantly, culture of power communicty I wore braids. My mother and I would drive one Saturday to […]
Yesterday I Cried
In my 14 years of doing counseling, yesterday I did something that I have never done. I cried in a therapy session. A client Vanessa* was finally able to adopt a child. After years of struggling with infertility and then waiting for more years to adopt a child, she was finally going to be a […]
Tonya’s Hairstory
Like many little Black girls my age I had pressed and then relaxed hair as a child. My mom always used a hot comb that sat on the stove top and I would sit in our orange kitchen chair dreading the whole process. When I became of age, about 10 years old for my house, […]