Why is it important to focus on Black Mental Health?
It is important to focus on black mental health because I believe there is still a stigma within our culture as it relates to mental health. I also believe that there is a sense of distrust among people of color and health providers. If I do not trust someone and believe others will alienate me, why would I get help? As we continue to address these and other issues through conversation and modelling, I believe we will get more and more people of color to get the help that could greatly benefit them.
But it starts with the mental health providers. The mental health providers need to continue to pay attention to our individual biases and how we affect the clients in relation to our biases. The words and actions that we choose, even with the best intentions, can be quite detrimental to our clients if we are not aware of their experiences and our biases. Focusing on black mental health allows us yet another platform to have discussions and address the biases and how they potentially affect our clients.
What inspired you to work as a Counselor in SUD and pursue this field?
My mother inspired me to work in the counseling field. My life experiences inspired me to work in the SUD field. My mentors: Dr. J Otis Smith, Dr. Thomas Parham, and Dr. Kent Butler encouraged and supported me. My mentor and previous supervisor, Dr. Ja’Nitta Marbury provided me with my first opportunity as well as training and mentorship. My mentors helped me to realize that even though everyone has commonalities, we also have uniqueness which cannot be ignored. Now that I am in the field, my clients inspire me. To know I play a small role to assist them in living a healthier life and helping them to take their lives back is rewarding!
What do I like about working for Zepf?
My clients and my co-workers. My clients are truly amazing people! My client’s resiliency is amazing! To watch them achieve their goals is beautiful! I appreciate that they allowed me to enter their life and assist them with their goals. To know that I am a part of a life changing process known as recovery for my clients is wonderful! I love my clients!
My co-workers are awesome! To know that I can speak with my co-workers to process, vent, and even just laugh makes those moments that are more challenging easier to address. To know that my co-workers care for the clients as much as I do is reassuring. And the case managers…wow!!! You are awesome! You reach the clients in places other providers can not go. And the words of encouragement to help them get back in control of their lives is amazing. I have had a lot of clients speak quite highly of their case managers and some crediting their return to recovery to their case manager! It is amazing what the whole team (EVERYONE who works at Zepf) does for the clients!
Plus, where else can I walk down the OTP hallway and give a sea turtle a high five?!?! I LOVE the murals!