Black women are often expected to be strong for everyone around them, so reaching out for help can be tough. They don’t want to appear as weak or vulnerable. But this narrative or the label of “the strong black woman” can be damaging to mental health and prevent WOC from getting help.
Closing out Minority Mental Health Month, we spoke with Kristin Winchester, a licensed therapist, speaker, and founder of Her Therapy Space. Her Therapy Space is a mental health private practice in Washington D.C. for millenial women of color.
In this episode, Kristin shares her story about dealing with major depressive disorder and how she was able to pull herself out of that situation and take care of herself and her finances.
She also discusses the barriers that prevent black women from seeking professional help and shares how to combat them.
Plus, she breaks down five (5) common myths about therapy and reveals the truth. Learn more about how therapy can help you and what you should do if you’re new to therapy or restarting therapy.
Lastly, find out how to remove that feeling of guilt when you’re taking a rest — something that is much-needed in today’s hustle culture.
What You Will Learn From This Episode
- The 4 mental health barriers for women of color
- What is real self-care and how to reframe your mind to find/realize your true strength
- Looking at the pandemic in a different light and have compassion with yourself
- Debunking the 5 common myths about therapy
- What to do or prepare on your first/next visit to your therapist
- Why rest is so important to our wellness
“Taking care of myself a bit better started to help with me actually doing the real mental work to start pulling myself out of that depression.” – Kristin Winchester
“Being strong entails reaching out for help. Asking for help, knowing when you need to rest and things like that doesn’t make you weak at all. Actually it shows your strength. It shows that you ultimately care about your wellbeing.” – Kristin Winchester
“Rest is a part of productivity or being productive.” – Kristin Winchester
Subscribe to Apple Podcast or Libsyn!
Love the podcast? Leave a review on iTunes!
Timestamps
3:28 – When Kristin got diagnosed with major depressive disorder
6:07 – How she pivoted, changed her situation and took care of herself and her finances
8:10 – What is real self-care and what the beauty of therapy is
12:02 – The 4 barriers that women of color face when getting mental health care and how Her Therapy Space is leading the way to address them
16:03 – How the narrative/label about “the strong black woman” affects black women’s mental health and how Kristin is helping them realize their true strength by having self-care
19:38 – Looking at the pandemic as a blessing in disguise and why it’s important to seek out help if needed and have compassion with yourself
25:21 – Answering 5 common myths about therapy that prevent people from seeking help
33:05 – Kristin’s advice for people who are new to therapy or are restarting therapy – what to do and how to prepare yourself
37:23 – How to deal with harmful coping mechanisms and have healthy ones
40:33 – One hack for healthy ice cream cravings
42:58 – How to deal with guilt of “feeling lazy”, “irresponsible” or “worthless” when you are resting
Resources
Connect with Kristin
Connect with Melanie
- mentalhealthandwealth.com
- melanielockert.com
- Contact: mentalhealthandwealthshow@gmail.com
