If you caught the episode of my podcast then you probably heard me mention that I’ve been going to therapy weekly for the past two months. I literally went from monthly tune-ups and check-ins to weekly sessions, and it was the best thing I could’ve done for myself.
Towards the middle of last year the firm I work for informed us that they would be covering our behavioral health visits at 100% and I shouted joyously. Regular therapy is something isn’t always in everyone’s budget, so it was nice to know that they were that concerned with our well-being to cover those preventative appointments (because that’s what therapy is in my opinion) fully. I still wasn’t comfortable enough to have in-person sessions, and if I’m being honest being able to see my therapist virtually made switching to weekly sessions a whole lot easier. No commute time, and I could do them mid-day now. In fact, my standing appointment of 1PM on Tuesdays is the perfect break in my week.
Now I might not have mentioned this on the blog, but I tell everyone who I speak to about therapy that I have a Black woman as my therapist and that was one of my only non-negotiables when it came to choosing a provider. My core group of healthcare providers are Black or POC, so it made sense to continue that trend. I’m well aware that Black people are not a monolith, but there are shared experiences and certain things can just go unsaid or don’t need to be explained with a Black female therapist. She can give me a look, a grunt or even a “chile” and I just know what she means. And vice versa! I don’t have to spend time explaining microaggressions in the workplace to her, talking about why I’ve been wanting to ‘call in Black’ more often than not this past year, and there’s just a comfort there that’s nice.
I’ve gone through a few therapists over the years, but I definitely prefer they be Black and female. It’s just what works best for me and has truly changed the therapy game for me. I’ve been able to open up more, cry ugly tears and really just feel like she understands. I know that a big chunk of my audience are Black women, and I highly recommend y’all look into therapy if you haven’t already. You have a PCP or GP, gyno, dentist, dermatologist, why not add a therapist to the mix. Like I said, therapy is preventative care and we, especially Black women in America need it. If you’re not comfortable going to in-person sessions try services like Teladoc and Talkspace. Take care of yourself, sis.