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When Attitude Is Actually Anxiety in Black Children: A Fellow Parent's Honest Truth
Anxiety in Black children often hides as attitude — the eye roll, the shut-down, the "I don't care." A licensed therapist and mother on what's really happening underneath and what to do instead.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
3 days ago5 min read
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She's Not a Therapist: Licensed Therapist vs Life Coach — What Every Black Woman Deserves to Know Before Trusting Someone With Her Mind
As Mental Health Awareness Month closes, a Black LCPC's honest word on the difference between a licensed therapist vs life coach — and why every Black woman deserves to know who's holding her mind.

Lauren M. Jackson
6 days ago7 min read
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Why Healing Is the Next Step in Becoming
You can change your job, your relationship, your city — and still find yourself in the same patterns. A CYE therapist explains why healing isn't the end of the journey. It's where becoming HER actually begins.

Ericka Keith
May 63 min read
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Choosing Yourself Daily: The Real Work of Becoming
The day you decide to change your life doesn't change your life. It's what you do the next day that does. A CYE therapist breaks down what daily consistency really looks like for Black women on the journey of becoming HER.

Ericka Keith
Apr 293 min read
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What It Actually Takes to Become HER
Desire alone won't carry you into your next chapter. A CYE therapist breaks down what real transformation actually requires — beyond motivation, vision boards, and insight — and why accountability changes everything.

Tasha Jackson, MS. QMHP
Apr 223 min read
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You Have to Let Her Go: The Identity Shift No One Talks About
Growth comes with a grief no one prepares you for. A CYE therapist explores the emotional complexity of releasing your old identity — and why letting her go is the most courageous part of becoming HER.

Lillar Burton, LPC, NCC
Apr 153 min read
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What It Really Feels Like to Be in a Season of Becoming
If something is shifting but you can't quite name it, you might be in a season of becoming. A CYE therapist breaks down 5 signs you're in identity transition and how therapy for Black women supports healing, self-discovery, and restoration.
Lynese McIntosh, LPC, NCC
Apr 83 min read
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Becoming HER: The Psychology Behind the Woman You're Growing Into
There's a discomfort that comes when you're growing and can't quite name it. You're showing up, achieving, performing — but something inside is restless. That discomfort isn't a problem. It's an invitation. It's the beginning of Becoming H.E.R. — Healed, Evolved, and Restored. Learn what identity transformation really means for Black women and why you're already becoming her.

Lauren M. Jackson
Apr 23 min read
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Navigating Grief and Loss With Your Child: Holding Space While Healing Together
Helping a child cope with grief while managing your own emotions can feel overwhelming. This blog explores how to create safe emotional space, maintain stability, and support your child through loss while honoring your own healing journey.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Mar 264 min read
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Healing a Broken Heart: The Pathway to Evolving and Restoration
Healing a broken heart is more than moving on—it’s moving through pain, reflection, and growth. This blog explores how heartbreak can become a powerful pathway to self-discovery, emotional healing, and restoration, helping you rebuild your identity and reconnect with your authentic self.

Tasha Jackson, MS. QMHP
Mar 123 min read
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Emotional Safety in Black Relationships: Why It Matters and How to Rebuild It
Emotional safety is essential for healthy relationships. Learn how trauma-informed couples therapy in Illinois can help partners rebuild trust and connection.
Lynese McIntosh, LPC, NCC
Feb 283 min read
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Advocating for Your Child in School: Protecting Their Peace While Honoring Your Own
Advocating for your child in school is one of the most powerful expressions of love. It’s the quiet courage it takes to send the follow-up email. The deep breath before a meeting. The instinct that tells you something isn’t sitting right—and the decision to listen to it. For many Black women, school advocacy carries extra weight. We are often navigating not only academic concerns, but also racial bias, behavioral mislabeling, and the unspoken expectation to remain agreeable.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Feb 283 min read
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When the World Feels Unsafe: How to Care for Yourself in the Middle of Collective Trauma
There are moments when the news doesn’t just inform us—it settles into our bodies. Immigration raids, global violence, bombings, travel bans, political unrest. Even when these events aren’t happening directly to us, they find their way into our nervous systems. Especially for Black women, whose bodies already carry generations of vigilance, responsibility, and resilience. This is what we call collective trauma : the emotional and psychological impact experienced by a group o

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Feb 284 min read
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Body Image and the Holidays: Setting Boundaries and Protecting Your Peace
The holidays have a way of putting everything on display. You walk into a room and feel it before anyone says a word. The glance that lingers a little too long. The quiet scan. Your body becomes part of the moment before you’ve even had time to settle in. Then the comments come. Sometimes subtle. Sometimes dressed up as concern. Sometimes framed as a compliment that doesn’t quite feel like one. And even if you smile and move on, something inside tightens. You start paying att

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Feb 284 min read
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Why Black Teen Girls Are Often Seen as “Older” Than They Are — and How It Impacts Their Mental Health
Black teen girls are often expected to be “older” than they are—emotionally, socially, and academically. Learn how this impacts mental health and how teen therapy in Chicago can provide support.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Feb 254 min read
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Why Neurodivergence in Black Women and Girls Is So Often Missed
Neurodivergence in Black women and girls is often overlooked, masked, or misdiagnosed. Learn how ADHD, autism, and executive functioning challenges can hide behind strength—and how culturally responsive therapy in Illinois can help.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Feb 244 min read
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Intentions Over Expectations: A Grounded Way to Enter the New Year
The New Year doesn’t have to begin with pressure or unrealistic expectations. This piece explores how choosing intentions over expectations helps Black women enter the year with honesty, boundaries, and peace—without abandoning themselves in the process.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Jan 64 min read
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When Grief Shows Up During the Holidays: Making Space for What Hurts
December has a way of bringing both light and loss to the surface. For many Black women, the season can reignite old wounds — from family estrangement and burnout to unspoken grief and emotional fatigue. This gentle guide offers ways to honor your emotions, protect your peace, and find grounding through rituals that remind you: you’re not going backward — you’re moving through with grace.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Dec 12, 20254 min read
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When Love Isn’t the Problem but Exhaustion Is: Understanding Parent Burnout
You love your children—but lately, love feels heavy. When exhaustion replaces joy and survival becomes your daily rhythm, that’s not failure; it’s parent burnout. For Black women carrying generational strength and modern pressure, this blog offers gentle ways to reclaim rest, restore balance, and reconnect with who you are beyond caregiving.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Dec 9, 20254 min read
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Letting Go of “I Got It”: Healing the Generational Fear of Vulnerability
For generations, Black women have been taught to stay strong, even when it hurts. This piece explores how hyperindependence forms, why vulnerability feels unsafe, and how healing begins the moment we allow ourselves to be seen.

Haile Pollard-Durodola
Dec 3, 20254 min read
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