Black and Bold Therapy

April Sexual Assault Awareness month

Did you know nearly every minute someone in the US is sexually assaulted and every 9 minutes that someone is a child? Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience unwanted sexual assault in their lifetime. Over 90% of college campus sexual assaults go unreported and overall 60% of sexual assaults are never reported to the police. 70% of the time the survivor knows their attacker. To change these statistics awareness must be spread. Survivors must feel supported and more importantly believed. We must continue to speak out against this abuse in order to make a change.

Ways to Show Support:

Wear Teal: A teal ribbon is the symbol of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Educational Campaigns: Engage in blogs, webinars, and social media campaigns to spread awareness.

Attend events: Participate in events like Denim Day or Take back the Night Protests

Support Survivors: Listen, support, and believe survivors in the community

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

https://www.togetherforgirls.org/en/blog/if-a-survivor-of-sexual-violence-comes-to-you-what-should-you-do

This month we are happy to celebrate Women’s History Month! Women’s History Month was not established until 1987, but people celebrated it globally for years beforehand. This month acknowledges the women who paved the way for us today by fighting for equity, breaking barriers, and showing that women are just as important in society as men. You can celebrate by attending local events, supporting women owned businesses, or simply researching historical women to learn about their contributions!

Today is the last day of Black History Month and the end of our series.
There has always been a fight for equality and justice for minorities. As time goes on, more and more research is being done to identify just how deep social injustice runs. Individuals like Dr. Eberhardt will hopefully one day provide Black and POC with a sense of peace and fairness in the world.

The Black and POC community would not be where they are today if it weren’t for someone taking the first step toward change. If it weren’t for Dr. Sumner, minorities would not have access to the proper care they need. Acknowledging inequality will always make people uncomfortable but is what is needed to make a difference.

Even though we have made great steps for Black and BIPOC representation in various fields, we must always continue to advocate for those in these minority communities. Dr. Canady is a great example of advocating for his community. He was a successful psychologist, and used his platform to be sure even more followed in his footsteps. This is a huge way to be sure minorities are not erased from places they belong.

Black LGBTQIA+ individuals are the least likely to receive mental health counseling out of any other demographic, even though they have high mental care needs. This can be due to reasons such as financial constraints, fear of poor treatment, and lack of access. Dr. E Kitch made sure those who were often overlooked received care that they needed. This type of advocacy must continue in order for everyone to be heard and receive proper care.

With there being such a shortage of Black and BIPOC representation in the mental health community today, can you imagine how it was back in the early 1900s? Today we have Dr Mamie Phipps Clark. She was the first black woman to earn her doctorate degree in psychology. Without her dedication, who knows where we would be today.

Happy Black History Month!

Did you know about the underrepresentation of black providers in the mental health community?
Approximately 4% of mental health professionals are Black, even though the black population in the US is about 13-14%. Of that 4% - most of the providers are female, which leads to a lack of representation for black men. This shortage of representation leads to a lack of care for individuals who may need a provider that is culturally aware and can relate. There is a growing awareness about mental health in the black community, leading to a need for more providers.

What is DBT therapy?

When first entering therapy it can be very overwhelming to hear the many different approaches that can be used, let alone know what will work for you. Today, we will be learning about DBT. This stands for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

What does that approach look like? DBT helps clients build skills-based and coping-focused tools in order to get through various situations in life.

Traditionally, DBT can be used to manage emotions, reduce self-harm, manage Borderline Personality Disorder, build distress tolerance, and improve relationships.

How Black and Bold Therapy uses DBT:

-Manage Eating Disorders

-Improve interpersonal relationships with assertive communication and setting boundaries

-Managing Bipolar Disorders

-Working with neurodivergent clients in ways that honor their needs, instead of forcing them to conform to neurotypical strategies.

Will this approach work for you? DBT is an evidence-based approach and works well for certain individuals. We have seen great success at Black and Bold Therapy with our applications listed above!

If you are unsure, feel free to schedule a consultation below!

https://book.carepatron.com/Black-Bold-and-Learning-Therapy/Jasmine?p=LAkRB0MaQ7GKTe51PdMzag&s=HSVm6ALX&i=3giJLuN8

We have completed the first full week of the New Year 🎉. As we continue to move forward, it is important that we give ourselves grace while attempting to complete any new goals we have set. It can be difficult to work towards new goals when hiccups occur, leading to us giving up on our resolutions all together. Remember- if you run into a low moment, you can always pick yourself back up again. You can read more about sticking with New Year’s Resolutions on my blog linked below!

https://www.blackboldlearning.com/black-bold-learning-blog/why-new-years-resolutions-fail-therapy-colorado-springs