Psychotherapy
Therapy is a space where little internal miracles can happen if both client and therapist are open to it. A space for growth and transformation - even liberation if we choose to take it that far.
Why Therapy?
Stereotypical views of black people, racism, lack of knowledge of cultural differences on the part of mental health and wellbeing professionals and daily micro-aggressions, among other factors, affect black women’s mental health and wellbeing in profound ways. Feeling pressured to tone down the black part of our Self, constantly mitigating the unwarranted fear of the black we are met with, being unheard and not seen are some of the issues black women face daily.
To make matters worse, these patterns are often recreated in therapy when we seek professional help. Our concerns relating to race are often minimized and pathologized, making race, a significant factor in the daily lives of black women, a taboo subject in a space that is supposed to support us. Black women often leave counseling, feeling that their deeper issues have not been addressed.
Psychotherapy, also referred to as counseling, can help you process difficult feelings and navigate through life’s challenging situations. It is a process that invites you to discover who you really are, a reflective and sacred space where you can come to understand yourself and explore who you want to become. For black women, in particular, it is imperative to do this work of self-discovery because we live in a world that defines us in very harsh terms.
When you know who you are, you become aware of your strengths and weaknesses, your values and your passion. This self-awareness informs how you live your life and engage in your relationships. Psychotherapy also helps you to develop the courage to live according to your truth. When your therapist hears you, you hear yourself in a way that you likely have not experienced outside of therapy.
As your therapist, I can help you find a quiet, internal space that you can gain your strength from and revisit whenever you need to, both in and outside of therapy. We can work together to mourn the losses in your life so that you can go on living; to help you recover, or discover your sense of aliveness and freedom.
How I Work
Many factors – personal and professional experiences, training and spiritual seeking – have combined to create what has become my practice. My lived experience is as important as my training in the way that I approach my work with clients. I am interested in the intersection of African spirituality and mental health, and my practice reflects this focus. In addition, I work from a woman-centered, pan-African perspective.
The ability to look at the whole person is what informs my work. Integrating mind, body, and spirit and combining age-old wisdom with modern psychotherapeutic knowledge and techniques to give you a holistic self-actualizing experience is central to my approach. What further makes my offering unique is my special focus on putting these tools at the service of black women who want to honor their authentic identities while healing. I am also a great believer in self-healing and, in that sense, see myself as a mere facilitator of my clients’ healing. Part of my job is to help you learn to tap into your own natural self-healing abilities. Every individual is unique, and for this reason, I respond to the individual, allowing each client to guide me in the way I work with them.
An important aspect of how I work is to attend to the spiritual dimension of our human experience, to help clients garner the transformative power of this internal resource. In this regard, I draw mainly on African spiritual wisdom. I work mainly in English, but can also offer sessions in Portuguese and French.
Practical Info
Individual Therapy
Online sessions
The change, healing, and growth in therapy happen one session at a time over a period of time, with regularity. Most of the therapy I do is long-term and open ended but, in some cases, pre-agreed upon short -term therapy is appropriate and can be arranged.
Price: 1200 DKK (€ 160) per session
A note for clients in Denmark: It is not possible to use a doctor's referral or insurance policy with me. All sessions and packages are payed out of pocket.
FAQS
Why go to therapy, can't I just talk to a friend?
Unlike friends, therapists are trained to listen on many different levels and to hold space for everything that you bring. That skill facilitates healing and growth in you. In addition, your therapist does not have a stake in what you choose to do with your life, as they are an outsider to it.
Do I need to have a black therapist just because I'm black?
No, you don't need to, but if you want to you can. The most common reason that people want a therapist who shares some important aspect of their identity - be it race, gender, faith, sexual orientation, or other - is that they want to be understood rather than spend inordinate amounts of time explaining basic aspects of their experience to a therapist who might know nothing about it. They want therapy to be a space that is free of the prejudice they face outside of therapy.
How long do I need to stay in therapy?
There is no set time. It depends on many factors, such as what you come to therapy for, what you want to get out of it, how much you engage, and whether or not you and your therapist are a good match. But a good therapist will review with you regularly to check if you're getting what you need out of it, whether adjustments need to be made or whether it's time for termination.
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