Starting therapy can feel intimidating and difficult to navigate what is best for you. A lot of therapists offer free consultations as a way to get to you know, answer any questions you have, discuss payment, scheduling, and how they can work with you. Your first consultation is a safe, low-pressure way to see if you feel heard and understood. In this first interaction, there is no expectation to know everything, it is perfectly fine to not know what your goals are at this time.

Many Black women turn first to other options before considering therapy. Some of our clients come to us after seemingly trying “everything”. We hear things like religious traditions like prayer, talking to family or friends, exercising to mitigate physical symptoms or personal willpower before considering therapy, often due to stigma within the community, historical mistrust of the mental health system, or a belief that struggling privately is safer than being perceived as weak or "crazy."

Mainstream advice will tell you to just "buy a better planner," but we have to stop treating your burnout as a time-management issue and recognize it as a nervous system overload. Here are a few physical grounding tools and exact scripts you can use to firmly delegate tasks without inheriting the guilt.

One of the biggest things to affect the private pay costs of therapy is the difference between therapist experience level. Rates vary between a Intern Therapist, Pre-Licensed clinician, Newly licensed therapists, and an experienced specialist.

An Intern Therapist is a student in a Masters level program that is completing clinical hours to earn their degree. A lot of private practices supervise these students so they can gain experience as well as offer low cost and sometimes free access to therapy.

I don’t know why but sleeping in your childhood bedroom or being around certain relatives makes you physically feel like an anxious, defensive teenager again. While it may be nostalgic and feel like a trip down memory lane, the familiar environment can shock your body into a trap that can be hard to get out of.

Working with a therapist can help you learn nervous system regulation techniques (like feeling your feet on the floor or a specific breathing exercise) to physically ground yourself when you feel the regression happening.

Mainstream mental health often paints depression as staying in bed all day with the blinds drawn. But for many Black and Brown women, the "Strong Black Woman" schema doesn't take a summer vacation. High-functioning depression in summer rarely looks like doing nothing; in fact, it usually looks like over-functioning.

It is planning all the group trips, hosting the family cookouts, and keeping your itinerary so relentlessly packed that you never have to slow down and actually feel the internal exhaustion. You mask your burnout with productivity. But behind that mask is a never-ending loop of "what-ifs," family expectations, and the constant, draining pressure to prove your worth.

You know the type. The “strong friend”, the one who holds it all together.

The one that is so capable… able… willing.

But did you ever stop to think why they are so capable.

And that they may be over-compensating and exhausted AF.

June is PTSD Awareness Month and I want to acknowledge this not by just raising awareness but by shifting the focus away from stereotypical, cinematic depictions of trauma.

I am talking to the millennial woman who feels exhausted by her own mind.

We often judge some of the attributes that I am talking about as as character flaws or "quirks".

Things like over-explaining, struggling to relax, or refusing help.

These things are actually brilliant, adaptive survival strategies our bodies and our minds developed to keep us safe.

I can’t tell you how many times women have literally exhaled when they realized that I, as their therapist looked like them or had a commonality, like being a mom. This allows them to avoid or bypass the time it takes to explain what you mean when you use a certain tone or phrase and when your joking versus when there is pain behind the humor. We call it the “translation tax” and it can be draining to have to navigate how you says things in addition to what to you. It is so important to be guided by culturally-attuned therapists. For any woman looking for a Black female therapist in Delaware County, now is the time start bypassing the translation tax.

If you’re the person everyone else goes to when things fall apart, you know exactly how to handle a crisis. You know how to pivot, how to show up, and how to hold it all together for your family, your friends, and your workplace. But what happens when the person who holds it all together is the one who needs to be held?

If you’ve spent any time on self-care Instagram or TikTok lately, you’ve likely seen some version of the quote: "No is a complete sentence." It sounds empowering, right? The phrase is simply but lacks context. It’s framed as the ultimate tool for reclaiming your time, your energy, and your peace. On paper, it’s the perfect solution to burnout.

But for many of the women and Black and Brown folks we see here at AWA Counseling Services, that advice often feels… empty. Or worse, it feels dangerous. Especially for the eldest daughter in tight-knit families.

Imagine a relationship where you aren't the only one giving. Think about what it would feel like to be the priority and to be vulnerable.

For so long, you’ve been the pillar, the peacemaker, and the person with all the answers. You’ve mastered the art of anticipating everyone else's needs while quietly tucking your own away in the junk drawer of your mind.

Imagine, just for a moment, a relationship where you aren't the one holding everything together. Picture a space where you don't have to perform, "fix" the mood, or filter your truth to make it more palatable for others. This is what therapy offers: a rare, sacred territory where you are allowed to be unfiltered and unbothered about how you show up.

Think about the profound relief of finally being the priority. Vulnerability is the bridge to the peace you’ve been working so hard to give everyone else.

When people say, “Just relax,” it can feel almost insulting. Like I would if I could. Because you want to rest. Your body is begging for it and needs it. But your mind has been trained to stay alert, productive, prepared, and responsible especially if you’ve spent years being the one others rely on. For Black people and women in particular who are high achieving, the eldest daughter, the “strong one”, this can feel like failure, like something you need to fix. You are not broken, you have been overlooked.

You're still the one everyone calls in a crisis. Being the eldest daughter didn’t end when you moved out, got a job, or started your own family. You’re still the one everyone calls when something goes wrong or when they need the answer; the first responder for your siblings, the emotional translator for your parents. And while you’re proud of being reliable, you’re also tired. This role wasn't chosen; it was assigned. Now it’s bleeding into every corner of your life.

The time of year can bring unique challenges of holidays boundary-setting: guilt, tradition, family pressure, limited time together making every interaction feel high-stakes, and the cultural narrative that family always comes first during holidays.

You've bought the self-care gifts. The weighted blanket. The essential oil diffuser. That beautiful journal you swore would change everything. Maybe someone even gave you emotional support gifts because they could see you struggling—crystals, bath bombs, a mug that says "You've got this."

Ever felt like therapy should be working… but somehow it’s not?
You’re showing up. You’re doing the work. But the progress? It feels stuck.

You’re not alone and you’re not doing it wrong.
In our latest blog, we’re unpacking 5 reasons therapy might not feel effective right now and what you can actually do about it. No shame. Just clarity, support, and next steps.

If the end of summer has you feeling more chaotic than centered, you’re not alone. While social media floods our feeds with "back-to-school energy" and productivity hacks, many women and moms are quietly navigating the emotional whiplash that seasonal transitions can bring. The pressure to bounce back, restart routines, and be “on” again can clash hard with the deeper need to rest, recalibrate, and root into rhythms that actually feel like you.

Impacts of Sleep on Mental Health

The end of pregnancy marks the beginning of motherhood and what should be a time of pure joy and happiness. Unfortunately, for some women, this joyful period is overshadowed by postpartum depression, a mood disorder that affects many new mothers following childbirth. Women experiencing PPD frequently report overwhelming fatigue, intense anxiety, and profound sadness, which can significantly impair their capacity to care for both their newborn and themselves.