Things were different when I was growing up in the black community; you weren’t encouraged to talk about or seek mental health services. Oftentimes, we were told to take our problems to God and he will “make a way,” or hey, I know some of you remember the moment, when you told your parents you felt depressed and they said “Depressed? Go depress those dishes.”

As I got older and sought out counseling, I separated the two. Counseling and on the left, and God on the right; maybe it was guilt, or shame, or the stigma, or all three – I do not know. However, the closer I got to Christ, the more I realized I did not have to.

I did not have to choose between them, because both will play a vital role in my mental wellness and my journey towards healing. I could embrace both without shame, guilt, or stigma. -Brooklyn