Black Therapist
in Montclair, NJ & St Petersburg, FL
In Search Of A Black Therapist Who Can Relate To You As A Black Woman?
You’ve been carrying a lot — showing up at work, at home, in relationships — holding it all together even when you’re running on fumes. I see it every day in my work as a Black therapist: women who’ve mastered the art of survival but are ready for something more than just getting through.
You may feel constantly “on,” always bracing for the next thing. You’re exhausted but can’t seem to slow down. When you’ve reached out for help in the past, maybe you were met with misunderstanding, judgment, or even bias. So you learned to do it all yourself — the strong one, the dependable one — while your needs kept sliding down the list.
Let’s Build Bridges, Not Barriers
If you’re looking for support that actually sees you — your story, your strength, and the quiet exhaustion behind it — you’re in the right place. Therapy with me is about affirmation, restoration, and alignment — the kind that honors your lived experience as a Black woman. You don’t have to shrink or overexplain here. You just get to breathe.
As a therapist specializing in mental health support for Black women experiencing perfectionism and burnout, I want to create a space where you can begin to let go of the need to constantly prove your worth. Let’s work together to affirm your challenges, harness your strengths, and incorporate self-care in the process of healing.
Questions about Therapy with Me?
Diagnosis? Strong Black Woman Syndrome
The National Institutes of Health defines the Strong Black Woman schema as “the statute of unrelenting strength, resilience, and self-sufficiency, serving as a shield of protection and cultural adaptation to control manifestations of racial and gender oppression.” [1] In other words, there is a cultural expectation for Black women to push through pain and take on disproportionate responsibility without complaint.
It’s no wonder then that so many Black women feel a deep need to people-please and remain stoic out of a desire to protect themselves. Many of us experience this pressure in a variety of areas, but it can be particularly potent in the workplace. For instance, we often feel like our mistakes are magnified, our achievements are unworthy, and that there is little representation or opportunity to voice our truth. Navigating white spaces can feel like a minefield at times, and many of us feel like we have to take extra precautions to code-switch and not come off as “angry.”
As a Black therapist, I aim to take into consideration how the very real presence of systemic oppression factors into the lives of my clients while also individualizing the counseling process to their unique needs. I relate to the experience of living in survival mode, but I know that the right support can help nurture vulnerability and positive change.
Therapy Helps You To Reclaim Space In Your Life
My practice specializes in counseling for BIPOC Millennial and Gen X women who are in search of a therapist who truly hears them. While my clients come to therapy wanting to address a range of issues, I often work with women who:
- Struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
- Feel emotionally exhausted or burnt out from doing “the most”
- Are disconnected from their body, peace, or relationships
- Carrying pressure to hold it all together for everyone else
- Wanting to heal wounds rooted in family, culture, and generational trauma
As a therapist for BIPOC women, I see how the need to prove yourself or keep it together often comes from love — love for your people, for your family, for survival. But healing doesn’t mean you stop being strong; it means you redefine what strength looks like.
My Approach
My approach blends clinical skill with cultural understanding, but I’m still going to keep it real. As a Black therapist, I use tools like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Brainspotting to help you recognize where anxiety, perfectionism, or trauma show up in the body and mind. But just as importantly, we’ll look at how cultural messages — like “you can’t rest” or “you have to be perfect” — have shaped your sense of worth.
Healing here isn’t about performance; it’s about presence. This work will help you experience the three C’s that support deep healing:
- Connection to yourself and others without fear of losing who you are.
- Creativity that reminds you healing doesn’t have to feel heavy—it can feel alive.
- Community, even if it starts with us, that expands into the spaces where you live, love, and breathe.
It’s Time To Take A Load Off
Sis, I know the bag is heavy and that you’re tired of carrying it all. You’re exhausted by the drive that in order to feel worthy, you have to do it all. But I am here to assure you with the right support, freedom is possible.
Imagine waking up feeling rested, setting boundaries without fear, and taking a break without guilt. Together, we’ll replace old beliefs with the truth that you are enough, teaching you how to manage emotions and protect your peace.
Common Concerns About Therapy…
I have a full schedule and don’t know how I’ll make time for sessions.
I understand that as a Black woman who is likely juggling a big to-do list at all times, weekly therapy can be difficult to prioritize. But I want you to consider that putting off your healing right now is just going to continue making you feel overwhelmed and stuck.
Therapy actually makes space in your life. As you unpack your experiences and emotions, you can figure out what’s needed to help you reclaim your peace. Furthermore, we can adjust session frequency or format in a way that fits your life. You deserve time for healing, and therapy can help expedite that process.
Other people will judge me for seeking therapy.
As a Black woman myself, I understand that certain cultural norms place a heavy emphasis on strength and self-reliance and that seeking the help of a therapist can feel like you’re not strong enough. I want to help you challenge this message.
Prioritizing your mental health is a powerful act of self-care, and therapy is about healing—not weakness. It takes real strength to seek support and to break the barriers that are keeping you from a healthier, more balanced life. You deserve to take care of yourself without guilt or shame.
Talking about my struggles will just make me feel worse.
It can be overwhelming to explore and reopen old wounds, especially when you’ve spent so much of your life shutting down your emotions in an effort to survive.
A therapist is trained to take the counseling process at your own pace. While the process can be uncomfortable at times, part of our work together is enhancing your coping toolkit so that you can stay calm and grounded even when things get intense. Over time, you will feel more prepared to understand and navigate your emotions without feeling lost.
You Don’t Have To Stay In Survival Mode—You Deserve To Thrive
Healing is a journey that is not always linear, but it’s a journey you don’t have to face alone. As a therapist, I am passionate about helping Black women let go of feelings of shame, guilt, and unworthiness on the path to healing. Reach out or get started by filling out a contact form.
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When Survival Mode Silences Your Softness
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Always On, Always Tired: How Survival Mode Became Cultural for Women of Color
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Strong in Public, Silent in Private: The Hidden Cost for Black Women
The cost of being strong for Black women? Hidden pain, overlooked struggles, and peace of mind that’s too often lost in a world that won’t see it.
Healing for Black Women, Whole and Seen
In therapy, mental health is often treated as if it exists in a vacuum. But for Black women and women of color, our struggles can’t be separated from the systems that continue to shape us.