For a long time therapy wasn't accepted in the Black community. Times have changed.
We know how challenging it can be to raise a teenager who's having a difficult time. Helping your child go to -- and stick with -- therapy is one of the best things that you can do for them.
Our goal is to help your child feel better. We want to empower your child to identify barriers to receiving therapy and equip them with the skills to overcome them.
Therapy hasn’t always been widely accepted in the Black community, but times are changing. Your child’s therapy sessions are delivered by a trained clinician with a unique understanding of the factors that allow Black adolescents to benefit from therapy. The content on this website is here to answer common questions and concerns that parents have about therapy and to provide you with tools to help your child stick with it.
Many parents wonder if therapy is really necessary. Isn’t my child just being a teenager? Could the teacher be blowing things out of proportion?
Sometimes when a child “acts up,” it reflects a deeper issue. When kids feel sad or depressed, they might say things like, “I am mad at xyz,” or “Leave me alone, I don’t want to be bothered.”
Moreover, every child has things that therapy can help with: going to therapy doesn’t mean that they’re crazy. Most people benefit from a little support while working through issues, and therapists are there to provide support and help problem-solve. Over the next few weeks a trained clinician will work with your teenager to process what’s going on in their life and how it affects their mood.
Academic success and emotional well-being are linked. Sometimes when a child is struggling on an emotional level, it affects other areas of their lives. For children, it sometimes shows up as problems at school. By working together, some of your teenager’s emotional tension might be relieved, which has been shown to positively influence performance in school.
Many adolescents are skeptical about whether therapy can help them. They may think that going to therapy is only for people who are “crazy.” They may not trust mental health professionals or be worried about what other kids think. Similarly, many parents are skeptical about whether their child needs therapy or worry that friends or other family members might question whether it’s really necessary.
The number one thing you can do to support your child in therapy is to help them stick with it. Encourage them to give it a fair shot to see if it works for them. We bet it will.
We want the best for your child. We’ll work together on ways to handle emotions and solve problems. Our goal is to work together to support your child and achieve positive outcomes in their life
We find that mental health services can be helpful for a time, and as the struggle eases up, then a person can come in less frequently. And no matter what we discuss, you’ll always play the biggest part in determining what works best for you for your child. The choice to continue participating or not will always be yours.
For a long time therapy wasn't accepted in the Black community. Times have changed.
