Sage Wellness, LLC

#toxicjob - Are you currently experiencing micro aggressions, harassment, or discrimination in your workplace? Have you recently been passed over for a promotion, labeled angry, aggressive, or difficult to work with by your colleagues, or experienced other negative repercussions at your 9 to 5? Join me this Thursday, July 18th for my monthly Safe Space. This is a unique opportunity were professional Black women come together to talk about their current work experiences and receive feedback from myself and other participants. Space is limited. Visit https://lnkd.in/gGa6GrRb to learn more. #safespace #unbreakmysoul

In honor of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, I have consolidated 3 therapy resource pages to one post. Combined, these resources have a been reposted over 6000 times and have 14,000 likes. 🤎Our mental health matters! Locate a culturally competent therapist to support your wellness. And, if you are a therapist, expand your ability to create transformative healing spaces for Black women with your copy of the bestselling A Handbook on Counseling African American Women. Preorder your paperback edition today!! Only $25!!! Amazon - https://lnkd.in/gEdHKCKK Bloomsbury USA - https://lnkd.in/gKXZZfTQ Counseling Black Women #bipocmentalhealthmonth #blackmindsmatter #counselingblackwomen #handbookoncounselingblackwomen #culturalcompetence #diversityintherapy

WARNING: CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS. ..... ... .. . . . . . . . My first specialty before starting Sage Wellness was pediatrics. Those who know me or have worked with me know that kids/Play Therapy are my first love and the first lightning bolt moment I had as a therapist. Being an all-virtual practice allows me to work with "inner children" rather than actual children. My inner child bawled throughout this entire movie. The fact that it broke the record for animated movies EVER hints that you have already seen it or are planning to see it. You should. There are SO many takeaways, but one I keep thinking about threads this movie with its predecessor. Joy, having been with Riley the longest, keeps learning an important lesson on making room for the other emotions that can serve Riley in different ways. In the first movie, her conflict was with Sadness; she learned that allowing Sadness to follow her instinct paved the way for empathy. It was from that time in Riley's life that she was able to welcome emotional complexity with how she experiences her life. The glass balls, which kept her daily moments, now held multiple colors instead of one. In this new movie, Joy learns a similar lesson but the stakes are so much higher...because...puberty. Anxiety, a new emotion on the scene is far from subtle, and she drives Riley to dismantle and shift all that felt foundational to her sense of self. Joy took anxiety to be a villain and the movie positioned them where the audience saw one as "good" and the other as "bad". This is the set up for Joy to relearn a lesson, but now with a different, unfamiliar emotion. Anxiety, we see, was well-meaning the entire time, and was making the same mistake as Joy: thinking that she alone was tasked with protecting Riley. Additionally, the harder it got for Joy and the gang to get back to headquarters in Riley's brain, the farther from hope Joy felt. She even said (I'm paraphrasing), "I guess this is what happens when you grow up. You need joy less and less." I'd already cried enough tears through the climactic part of the movie and then came the final gut punch. Riley, having gotten through a pretty hard panic attack, stood up in her hockey gear to go back out on the ice. Small globes of light drifted from Joy's form and Sadness (who is so wise, by the way) said knowingly, "Joy...Riley wants you." ..................... Your joy has not abandoned you. They are still IN you, though they may be harder to locate because other emotions are needing your attention. These emotions are meant to exist as a collaborative ensemble; respecting the multifaceted nature that makes you YOU. And things may feel like chaos inside right now. Just remember that your Joy has not abandoned you. #InsideOut2 #thoughtsfromatherapist

✨🌺ONE MORE WEEK✨🌺 There is one week left to register for my small group for parents with kids aged 0-5! Read each photo to learn more about the group and what we will be discussing each week! DM me if you have any questions.

Are you a BIPOC perinatal provider with your PMH-C looking for an opportunity to volunteer with The Alliance? If so, we invite you to join The Alliance Mentorship Program as one of our Mentors. To build upon the success of our mentorship program, we need compassionate, knowledgeable, and talented BIPOC experts in the field. Bilingual providers are encouraged to apply; however, applicants must speak English. As a mentor, we ask that you commit to the following: ✅ Meet with your mentorship group four times within the 8-week cohort ✅Facilitate 90-minute meetings ✅Review test content topics from the PSI PMH-C blueprint ✅Include talk time about career and professional development Please note mentors are not required to meet with mentees individually; however, if you have time, you can schedule this between group meetings. The next Alliance Mentorship Program starts on August 12, 2024, and we hope you will join us by imparting your knowledge and expertise to other BIPOC professionals working in the perinatal space. The Alliance Mentorship Program encourages bilingual providers to apply; however, both mentors and mentees have to be English-speaking at this time. If you want to become a mentor in our program, please complete the Mentor survey by July 5, 2024. Apply to be a mentor here https://bit.ly/45qOgNt or by clicking the link in our bio.

✨IM SO EXCITED!✨ This summer I’m offering a small group/book study/ support group for parents of young children (0-5 years). We will be using “Black Liturgies”by Cole Arthur Riley as a tool to become more comfortable talking with God (and each other) about what grieves us and what makes us excited about parenthood. This group will meet via Zoom on Wednesdays July 10-31st (time TBD). Visit the bit.ly/BLSummer24 to register. Hope to see you soon!

One of my favorite descriptions of therapy is that it is “both an art and a science”. This speaks to a blending of two worlds; the physical and metaphysical. Working with the mind/psyche but also that which touches the soul. Concrete and abstract facets of humanity concurrently. All therapists have their own unique blends of ideologies, niches and interests. We also have places where we feel totally out of our depth. For example, I couldn’t explain Polyvagal Theory without looking in a textbook. (So don’t ask lol) Interestingly enough, much of what makes a therapist “good” can’t be taught through a curriculum. Only through experiencing people. “Study” comes in the tedious, at times relentless, desire to hone presence. This work never leaves the introductory level because human beings are complex contradictions. And the moment you think you are the expert in anyone, the human across from you challenges that knowledge. Reminding you that it isn’t about having a grasp on another person, to will them into a better version of themselves, but to “abide with” & “come alongside” as a passenger on their journey. Witnessing them evolve and being in awe of any intentional moment you get to contribute. That is what makes this work Art. There’s flow, rhythm, and contrasting elements that fall in and out of sync. Therapy isn’t advice. Therapy isn’t teaching. Therapy isn’t discipleship. It’s a combination of known and unknown. Intentionality, effort, and timing. I have regular moments of not being sure how to proceed. It feels like the jerk in your body when your gait is off going up a flight of stairs. It’s arresting for a split second. I appreciate when this happens, because it means that I have stumbled into a sacred moment. Out of the Science part and back into the Art part of therapy. I connect with my body and find my client’s gaze again. We are finding each other in the dance of this unique therapeutic relationship. I relax my shoulders and breathe. We sync. Human to human. This is sacred work. This is an honor. #thoughtdump #therapists

What a beautiful day 🌺 Shout out to the fam at @BirthinColor for putting on an incredible event. I’m grateful to have been asked to join in on — not one — but two panels today to share my knowledge on maternal mental health. I am floored & filled by gathering with you all! Thank you for trailblazing and being a lighthouse for this solo provider to navigate her way. #birthincolor #blackmaternalhealthweek #BMHW24

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