Amerikan Therapy

If you love the Amerikan Therapy Podcast send us a text and join us on the couch. Text us at +1 (202) 800-2355 and let us know what topics you want us to cover. Be ready because we might ask you to be a guest on the show.
The Amerikan Therapy team takes a brave new step and announces a major change in the show. While we will ALWAYS bring a uniquely black perspective, because that's just what we are, we have decided to expand our show to include "ALL" people. We are taking this important step because we see that our reach goes well outside of our own community and there is a need for our voices across the entirety of the mental health landscape. Knowing that we are bringing our brand of "Black Girl Magic" to help inspire healing for all peoples means we are going to go even "harder in the paint". That also means we are expanding the scope of our guests and topics. Now that said, America's persistent problem of racism will always be on our menu and at the forefront of our show. IF we can't speak about it and bring it out of the dark, then we certainly can't heal it.
So this week's episode of Amerikan Therapy brought some new "white" voices to our virtual therapist couch. We connected with two woke white women (they hate that term by the way) to discuss being a white ally for social and racial justice. We talk about Karen and them and even get into what white people can do to begin their own healing. This is the first of many cross-community conversations. We know it wasn't perfect, but we think we are all trying to find our way in this work. We recognize that these are very difficult conversations and appreciate you all as listeners and guests for continuing to ride hard for us.
Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft: A student of Anti-Racism and the works of BIPOC, the founder of Raising Imagination, a platform that encourages social change and civic engagement, and the Executive Minister of Justice and Movement Building at Middle Collegiate Church, an inclusive anti-Racist movement of love and justice in NYC. She's written and spoken about activism and raising three white kids on numerous platforms including CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Refinery29, SheKnows Media, Bust, the Revolutionary Love Conference, the Resistance Prays, and on the podcasts Parenting and Politics, Pray with Your Feet, and Existential. She and her husband Graham live in the East Village of Manhattan with their three children Zane (6) Levi (6) and Skyler (4).
http://raisingimagination.com/
Nicole Devereaux: After reading Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me" in 2017, Nicole realized that she had been complicit in white supremacist systems of oppression. Her Christian faith compelled her to begin an active anti-racism journey, where she strives to listen to, amplify, and financially support the wisdom from black, indigenous, and people of color communities while confronting racism in her own life. She is determined to make mistakes and show up anyway.

If you love the Amerikan Therapy Podcast send us a text and join us on the couch. Text us at +1 (202) 800-2355 and let us know what topics you want us to cover. Be ready because we might ask you to be a guest on the show.
The Amerikan Therapy did a special YouTube "LIVE" with the powerbrokers of the black maternal health movement. This show we brought in Stacey Stewart the CEO of March of Dimes (MOD) as our guest co-host. Stacey brought the fire and information along with our guest panelist. Get your pen and pad, and make yourself comfortable on our couch for some Amerikan Therapy.
Stacey Stewart - CEO of March of Dimes:
Stacey D. Stewart, President and CEO, joined March of Dimes as its fifth President on January 1, 2017. In this role, Stewart heads the organization leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies. She is responsible for all aspects of the organization's strategy, vision, and operations. Stewart came to March of Dimes from United Way Worldwide, where she held several positions, most recently serving as U.S. President of United Way, the nation's largest nonprofit organization. There she provided strategic direction for more than 1,000 local United Ways. Stewart was also responsible for United Way's national efforts in education, financial stability, and health as well as guiding efforts to enhance the brand and grow revenue. Stewart spearheaded the transformation of United Way from a pass-through fundraiser to a leading organization for local community impact. Prior to becoming U.S. President, Stewart served as Executive Vice President, Community Impact Leadership and Learning. In this role, Stewart developed global partnerships to advance community impact in more than 40 countries.

A business veteran, Stewart has also held a number of senior roles, including Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President for the Office of Community and Charitable Giving at Fannie Mae, as well as President and Chief Executive Officer for the Fannie Mae Foundation. Additionally, Stewart has an extensive background in finance and investment banking, having served as Vice President for Pryor, McClendon, Counts & Co., and as a senior associate for Merrill Lynch, specializing in financings for state and local governments.

Stewart has a master's of business administration in finance from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of arts in economics from Georgetown University. She also holds honorary degrees from Trinity University, Morgan State University, Texas Southern University, Lincoln University, and Alabama A&M University. She currently serves on several boards nationally and in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Stewart is married to Jarvis C. Stewart, the Chairman and Managing Partner of I + R Media, LLC, a strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C. The Stewarts have two children, Madeleine and Savannah.

Angela Doyinsola Aina - Interim CEO of Black Mamas Matter Alliance:
Angela Doyinsola Aina, MPH is the Interim Director of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, where she works to convene Black Maternal Health professionals and community-based organizations to develop training, programs, quality improvement initiatives, research projects, and black feminist advocacy strategies to advance holistic maternity service provision, policy, and systems change in global public health. She has over 14 years of public health experience, working in different capacities on projects focused on: incorporating health equity strategies into reproductive and maternal health initiatives; strengthening strategic planning and community-based workforce development, and data collection.

If you love the Amerikan Therapy Podcast send us a text and join us on the couch. Text us at +1 (202) 800-2355 and let us know what topics you want us to cover. Be ready because we might ask you to be a guest on the show.
In this episode of Amerikan Therapy, the team sits down with psychologist Dr. Rheeda Walker to discuss her new book "THE UNAPOLOGETIC GUIDE TO BLACK MENTAL HEALTH". This groundbreaking work is an exploration of Black mental health in today’s world, the forces that have undermined mental health progress for African Americans, and what needs to happen for African Americans to heal psychological distress, find community, and undo years of stigma and marginalization in order to access effective mental health care.
This breakthrough book will help you:

• Recognize mental and emotional health problems
• Understand the myriad ways in which these problems impact overall health and quality of life and relationships
• Develop psychological tools to neutralize ongoing stressors and live more fully
• Navigate a mental health care system that is unequal

Pre-Order: https://www.rheedawalkerphd.com/book

If you love the Amerikan Therapy Podcast send us a text and join us on the couch. Text us at +1 (202) 800-2355 and let us know what topics you want us to cover. Be ready because we might ask you to be a guest on the show.
Against doctors’ predictions, Charita Cole Brown has been living in bipolar I recovery for more than twenty-five years. The Amerikan Therapy team has a virtual sit down with Charita to understand how she defied the verdict given to her by doctors over 30 years ago regarding her Bipolar I diagnosis. Her life story and memoir represent an inspirational story of how tribe and self-acceptance have allowed Charita to live a full and impactful life while managing life with a serious mental disorder.

Charita Cole Brown was diagnosed with a severe form of bipolar disorder while finishing her final semester as an English major at Wesleyan University . Doctors predicted she would never lead a “normal” life. Despite that pessimistic prognosis and because she sought treatment, Charita went on to marry, raise a family, earn a master's degree in teaching and enjoy a fulfilling career in education. Her powerful story is chronicled in her award-winning debut book, Defying the Verdict: My Bipolar Life (Curbside Splendor Publishing, 2018).

Bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic depression) is highly treatable. However, of the estimated 5.7 million Americans living with the disorder, over 50% won't seek treatment. The fact that the US suicide rate for people who have bipolar disorder is 12 times higher than that of the general population is even more sobering.

Charita Cole Brown earned a BA in English from Wesleyan University and an MAT in Early Childhood Education from Towson University in Maryland. A retired educator, she is now a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Maryland Board of Directors and is also active in the local affiliate, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore.

Brown’s mission is to help cure mental healthcare stigma by sharing her story. She has given keynote presentations for the Morgan State University Psychology Department and the Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society.

Besides her active involvement in mental health education, she currently manages assisted living style care for her elderly parents and serves on the Baltimore City Women's Commission.

To learn more about Charita Cole Brown and Defying the Verdict: My Bipolar Life, visit www.charitacolebrown.com

Amerikan Therapy sits down with three black male police officers from around the country to understand what their experiences are like in this new social climate. We ask the tough questions regarding seemingly unending cases of unarmed black people being murdered by the police and those acting in a policing capacity. We don't hold back and neither do these black police officers. This episode will have you on the edge of your seat and ready to jump on the Amerikan Therapy virtual couch to weigh in. Get ready to hear both sides of a very tough debate on policing in America.
Keenon M. James serves as Deputy Director for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) where he oversees the organization’s mission to enact and impart fairness in policing and the criminal justice system. Mr. James combines over 15 years of experience and expertise in criminal justice research, public safety policy, and community engagement to address the pressing issues related to community-police relations, civil rights, and the integrity of policing. Prior to joining the leadership team at NOBLE, Mr. James led the team at the US Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Collaborative Reform Initiative which engaged communities and police departments following high profile officer use-of-force incidents including Ferguson, Missouri (Michael Brown), St. Anthony, Minnesota (Philando Castile), North Charleston, South Carolina (Walter Scott), and San Francisco, California (Mario Woods). A graduate of North Carolina Central University, in addition to numerous service awards from local and federal law enforcement agencies, Keenon James has received honors from his alma mater for Excellence in Law Enforcement and the university’s 40 Under 40 alumni award.

Taj Beaufort was born in 1986 in Newark, New Jersey. He completed college with a degree in Public Administration from Virginia State University. Post-college, Taj became a Deputy Sheriff with the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office in the Corrections Division. After serving Loudoun County for three years, Taj transferred to Fairfax County Police Department where he spent seven years doing patrol work and numerous plainclothes assignments. Taj is currently serving as a Detective in the Personnel Division which handles recruiting, background investigations, physical abilities, testing, and more.
Bo Braxton is a husband and a father of two going into his 10th year as a Law Enforcement Officer. Bo has been featured on ABC’s Channel 7 News with Nancy Chen, highlighting Public Safety Personnel who make positive impacts on their community outside of their normal work duties. Bo was recognized for his work as a mentor to at-risk youth in Southeast DC. Most recently, Bo has been working closely with community outreach officers throughout Fairfax county in order to create greater community engagement. Bo's goal is to continue to assist with bridging the gap between police officers and the communities they serve. His passion is motivating young like-minded individuals to consider a career in law enforcement in order to continue to drive positive change.

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