Authenticity and Emotional Expression for Women of Color

Ever wondered how to navigate mental health challenges as a person of color in a world filled with systemic barriers? Join us on Kindred Conversations as we welcome Whitley Grant-Goodman, a passionate mental health professional from the Melanated Space, who shares her deeply personal and professional journey. Influenced by her time at a historically Black college and her meaningful relationships with other women of color, Whitley has made it her mission to dismantle mental health stigmas within communities of color. Learn about the growing number of clients seeking help for workplace racism and sexism, and the critical role of culturally reflective clinicians in providing effective therapy.

We also dive deep into the often-unspoken realities of microaggressions and racism within therapeutic settings. Hear Whitley's advice on validating clients' experiences, educating them on these issues, and developing robust treatment plans that incorporate coping skills and social support. Additionally, we discuss the societal challenges women of color face in expressing emotions like anger and rage and the empowering journey of embracing authenticity. This episode also touches on the potential shift from individual therapy to group work and workshops, and Whitley's aspirations to engage in more speaking engagements to further amplify her impactful work. Tune in for a compelling conversation that shines a light on the importance of mental health care for people of color.

IG: @whitleygrantgoodman
Website: themelanatedspace.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitley-grant-lcmhc-lcas-ccs-i-b3136a63

Be sure to visit BizRadio.US to discover hundreds more engaging conversations, local events and more.

Transcript

Aubrey: 0:06

Welcome to Kindred Conversations, the show where we shine a light on local mental health professionals, who are the unsung heroes of our community. Join us as we delve into their journey, strategies and the art of healing minds. Together, we'll break down stigmas and celebrate resilience. Today, I'm super excited to introduce Whitley Grant. Whitley represents her practice at the Melanated Space. Welcome, whitney, thank you. Thank you, yeah, I'm sorry, there was a slip of the tongue. I'm sure that you get that a lot.

Whitley : 0:38

Yes, I do, I do.

Aubrey: 0:40

Yeah, so going through your website, I was really excited because you're the first guest that we've had on that we could really dive into such an important topic, which is representing people of color in private practice, and so I was curious, like I know that you are a woman of color, I'm wondering, like, what made you really want to focus in on this as an area in your practice?

Whitley : 1:09

Yeah, so when I started my journey initially, I went to a historically Black college and university for graduate school.

Whitley : 1:19

So I would say my entire life I've always wanted to utilize my expertise to assist or help people of color.

Whitley : 1:27

But really what wanted me the reason I really zoned in on that within the last five or six years is because of my own experiences. So whether it be professionally working with women of color or having personal relationships with women of color or being related to women of color, related to women of color, it's just the overall theme of needing clinicians who look like us and can relate on that cultural standpoint and then be able to utilize the skills that I have to make people feel comfortable in seeking therapy. So that's one of the main things like being able to help break that stigma. And I think one of the things that helps to break the stigma around mental health in communities of color is me being a woman of color who is provided a therapeutic services. So over the last five or six years I've just really geared my expertise in that area. So it just felt natural and made sense for my private practice to gear towards that specific population as well.

Aubrey: 2:20

Well, I imagine that it would especially like. Just equitability has really been a hot topic in the media over the last like five years and even more, but but really especially in the last five years, has been extremely controversial. I'm curious like what has been some observations that you've made through that.

Whitley : 2:46

What has been some observations that you've made through that. Yeah, I would say one of the observations that I've had made is the reasons people might seek out therapy. So a lot of times I might have clients who have some workplace issues happening, whether it be some dynamics with racism or sexism, the intersection of both, because they are women of color.

Whitley : 3:05

So that's something that I've seen kind of on the rise in the last five years because I've been a therapist for almost 10 years now. Prior to having my mental health therapy practice, I was primarily working with college students and did some community based counseling, but I didn't see those issues come up as much as until I've seen the last five years issues come up as much as until I've seen the last five years. So I've seen more about people might be seeking therapy to deal with racial trauma or microaggressions, microaggressions or again, just general workplace issues that might be coming up related to both of those topics.

Aubrey: 3:37

And what is your approach in therapy in terms of like? So you have somebody who comes in and they tell you about a situation. Are you helping them identify the microaggression? Are you validating the microaggression Like? What's your approach?

Whitley : 3:54

Yeah, I would say both, and because I think what tends to happen is what I see a lot of times with the clients that I work with. They might be one of few folks in their department, maybe from their specific demographical background, so they really don't have an outlet to describe or to share their experiences they're going through. So that first step would look like validation. It would look like education around microaggressions and then figuring out, from a coping skills standpoint, from a social support standpoint, from other resources in addition to mental health therapy, what do we need to do with their treatment plan?

Whitley : 4:30

So yeah that's what it really looks like.

Aubrey: 4:31

It's not necessarily either, or it's kind of both, and when I have a client who's coming in specifically for that, so, when I mentioned earlier, the controversy, right and I imagine that this is probably something really frustrating for you is that there's still a lot of controversy about whether or not racism even exists, right, how do you address that?

Whitley : 4:55

Yeah. So I would say, personally and professionally, I'm really intentional about how I, who I surround myself with and what types of communities that I'm a part of. So I wouldn't say that I'm even exposed to cultures or conversations where somebody is not validating that racism does exist. So there's not certain news outlets that I don't really engage in. There's certain literature that I choose not to engage in. So I think in my positionality as a mental health, as a Black female mental health therapist, I'm just intentional about curating content and resources and reaching out to those who I know need support around mental health and kind of like putting those folks who probably wouldn't need my services or my expertise. I don't engage in those type of conversations. I'm sure there are some controversial conversations like that happening, but there are not conversations that I'm exposed to on a regular basis.

Aubrey: 5:55

I think maybe I end up in those conversations as a cis white woman. So I'm curious if you could give me advice on how I should handle those and so I'm curious if you could give me advice on how I should handle those.

Whitley : 6:06

Yeah, I think, in your position Allie, in your place of privilege, in those conversations, I would say just, I think allyship is very important. So being able to challenge those narratives when they do arise, I think is good and, like you said, it sounds like you're recognizing that racism does very much exist. So being able to challenge those narratives and I think that's the main thing, and if you do have a person of color, whether they might be a client of yours or even, like today, us having this conversation, I feel like is definitely, I would say, would align with allyship. Allyship like exposure to this type of conversation. So I think that's the main thing from an ally standpoint, like continuing to stick up for, advocate for those more marginalized groups and challenges those narratives when you do hear them.

Aubrey: 6:54

Mm, hmm, yeah, the biggest thing that I like to highlight about, because a lot of times people are talking about how, like, racism is no longer affecting people of color, and I point out how, you know, just if you look at a lay person, like for myself, as example, right like my parents, even though they grew up in a way that was not necessarily, like, highly privileged, they still had the privilege of their whiteness and they still had the privilege of the ability to, like live where they wanted to, in a certain way, to you know, they had some of the support of their family members, and so, like situations where generational wealth can accumulate has happened within my family, whereas, like in oftentimes in families of color, like there has not been an opportunity for wealth to accumulate, and that's just one area that you can examine.

Whitley : 7:55

Absolutely, absolutely. And then there's continued barriers put up, like, I think even in the last few years we've seen like major banking corporations who have denied, like home loans to certain communities of colors, right? So how can you, even if people say in the United States that generational wealth is built by owning property and being able to pass that down, if a person can't even get a loan from the bank because of the color of their skin, how could they even have an opportunity to build generational wealth? So, yeah, thank you for sharing that example and that makes me just think about so I do think now that you're saying about being exposed to conversation, racism. There are moments like that where I'll see articles about how different companies or systems are actively discriminated against people of color.

Aubrey: 8:42

Yeah, yeah, and those are some more overt pieces. But then you were talking about microaggressions, which are a little bit more covert and oftentimes like imagine what you're running into is a lot of gaslighting, right, Like people coming out and saying like I think I'm being discriminated against, but I'm not really sure, and if they try to address it with anybody around them, they're just going to downplay it.

Whitley : 9:10

Absolutely, absolutely. Yes, I definitely see that come up. I definitely see that come up a lot.

Aubrey: 9:16

Yeah, so and then. So your role becomes that much more important in that case to be able to validate and provide a safe place for them to express how they feel.

Whitley : 9:27

Exactly. Exactly, because, like I've just seen from multiple, I know in the past in my own workspaces I have been intentional about creating space. Before I did full-time private practice I've been intentional about creating space Before I did full-time private practice. I've been intentional about creating spaces for people of color, but that was something that I thought of as an employee me and a colleague thought of as an employee but a lot of companies don't have those specialized places for people to utilize where they might get that additional support about what it's like work being a person of color and working in different work environments. I do know some companies have like EKGs or ERGs, like employee resource groups, but not every company has that, and social support is so very important, whether it be outside or within the workplace community, and those can just be difficult if this is not something that your organization supports forming.

Aubrey: 10:26

Yeah, when we're talking about the intersectionality for women. I was thinking about this yesterday as a female. I was thinking about how it's funny because I went to the gym and I was super attracted to heavy metal and I'm not usually into heavy metal, but I was feeling a lot of internal rage for no reason, just like it was built up through the day. And I remember having this thought yesterday around how like if anybody knew that I was listening to metal and that I was like feeling rage, how like I would probably not fit in with like a lot of other women, but how like that's just not like something that is like an acceptable thing for women in general, but especially women of color.

Whitley : 11:13

And so I'm curious if that's a piece that comes up, and I imagine more than just that, but that's a that's, um, a pretty common one that people point out so you mean like, maybe having, maybe having interest in something that's not typically aligned with how society views as like a woman should conduct herself, or what she should be interested in well, I'm talking specifically about like women, and especially women of color, not being accepted for experiencing, like strong feelings of anger and rage and expressing those in a way, you know, because people are like oh, she's just an angry Black woman.

Whitley : 11:55

Absolutely, absolutely. I definitely see that come up a lot. And also is this like ongoing narrative of someone being an angry black woman. But then it's like, because you internalize those things, you might even mask your own feelings so you're not even able to truly express yourself because you're afraid to come off with this stereotype that someone might already assume about you or align with you just because you're a Black woman. So, yeah, I see that come up a lot, like people trying to feel like they have to actively fight against these stereotypes that's out there about them and the additional pressure and anxiety that can add on to you. Right, not only are you navigating microaggressions, the intersection of racism and sexism, but also now trying to fight against these ongoing narratives or stereotypes that are just out there in society and how much additional added pressure you can put on yourself by trying to do that.

Aubrey: 12:52

So I guess the big question that's coming to mind for me is around some of the transformations that you have witnessed within your work, like if you could give an example or two or just share, like what you have noticed in terms of the impact of your work with your clients.

Whitley : 13:12

Yeah, so one of the things that I've seen from a transformational standpoint is, first, folks having more education around what microaggressions are. Secondly, being able to really create their own definition of what authenticity looks like, right, so, if that means being in the workplace and maybe you are angry, but naturally so, because of something that's happened or taking place like being okay with who you are from an authentic perspective and not allowing not allowing yourself to internalize those stereotypes that come up because people are going to make assumptions about you just because of the color of your skin and way you present yourself. Um, also, it might look like leaving the workplace. I hate to say that, but a lot of times I've seen folks through our conversations. They are able to realize that because some people have this mentality that they just have a lot of anxiety about leaving a certain workplace because they might feel like, oh well, this is a devil, I know so, I'm familiar with this place and if I go somewhere else, I'm just assuming it will be better, but sometimes it is.

Whitley : 14:22

It might look like stepping into a different type of environment. It might look like creating your own thing, which is kind of what I did when I decided to go into my practice full time. That also came out of my professional and my own lived experiences. It could look like increasing coping skills, whether that be through journaling, whether that could be having that social support, whether you're forming it at work, like I mentioned, or having engaging in support social support system outside of your workplace, so being able to find those other groups of communities of people who are going through similar things that you are going through and not really isolating yourself. So that's really what I've seen from a transformational standpoint is just increasing coping skills, increasing self-esteem, more awareness around microaggressions and racism, and then sometimes it might leave looking leaving a toxic work environment and finding one that more aligns with makes you feel better about your workplace one that more aligns with makes you feel better about your workplace.

Aubrey: 15:24

Have you seen people have like a change in the their demeanor, like going from a place of being like uh, maybe quiet and withdrawn, to like more outspoken?

Whitley : 15:36

yeah, I've definitely. I definitely have seen that I have seen people who might have been more quiet or withdrawn from like a protection standpoint, like they kind of just want to keep your head down and do your job, to if certain issues arise and you have the energy to do so, to call those things out. So, yeah, I've definitely seen clients who have maybe changed their mindset around what they want to speak up about.

Aubrey: 16:02

This is so great. I mean, it's such a beautiful transformation to get to see. And I guess what I'm wondering about is do you only do individual work or do you also do group work?

Whitley : 16:14

Yeah, so right now I primarily do individual work, but I'm definitely interested in expanding and doing more groups and workshops within my own business and increasing like speaking engagements as well. So before I went into full time private practice my previous role I did primarily do trainings and presentations and group work and not as much individual and presentations and group work and not as much individual. So just even thinking about my total accumulation of all of the work experiences I've had, I've primarily been in spaces where I've done more workshop, group style versus individual therapy. So that's definitely something that I want to add to my business so that I can, you know, have a wider reach and when folks leave those group spaces they can maybe this is a again additional opportunity to build their own social support outside of that group dynamics.

Aubrey: 17:09

Yeah, so you said that you want to be able to do more speaking engagements. What type of like? If you could have your stage stage like, what would you want to be able to say?

Whitley : 17:20

yeah, I think if I could have my stage, I would want to talk about, um, I would really want to focus on women of color, like rebuilding their self-esteem, because I feel that when we think about microaggressions and racial trauma and things of that nature, that one of the things that's really impacted is your self-esteem and how you feel about yourself. So I would really focus on being folks finding their own intrinsic motivation to be able to rebuild themselves after they've been hurt from a workplace dynamic. So that's what I would definitely want If I had my own stage, I would definitely focus on that. But I feel like I'm mired of different topics because even racial trauma is so broad, even microaggressions is so broad. So probably just something within that realm, just being able to talk to people, different types of audiences, about what those things mean. But from specifically for women of color, I think I focus on, like self-esteem, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, because I feel like all of these things align and can be impacted by racial trauma, microaggressions.

Aubrey: 18:30

What do you feel like in your own journey of learning to love yourself like what has been really important for your transformation as a person?

Whitley : 18:42

What's been really important for me is to intentionally align myself professionally with folks who share my type of work. So I've been really intentional, even in this last year, of reaching out to other therapists and doing some community development. But that's something I've always done. I really find that social support is so important and that we can really heal in isolation that sometimes that's a community approach. So I really just align myself with that, just being intentional about curating community and relationship building, and that's really helped me from a transformational standpoint.

Aubrey: 19:22

So is that a recommendation that you give to your clients as well?

Whitley : 19:26

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. I definitely do, because sometimes that's even the first sign of depression or anxiety, like a person who is isolating themselves because they feel like they don't want to share what their experiences and what they're going through with other people. They don't want to burden other people with what they're experiencing. So I always encourage some form of community to my clients.

Aubrey: 19:51

And what do you recommend in terms of how to create that community?

Whitley : 19:56

Yeah, yeah. So in terms of being able to create community, I would encourage folks to look. So a lot of the clients that I work with might have like a religious background. So it might look like in your church dynamic, how can you be more involved, not just on a Sunday worship service type of thing. What are some other things that you can do within your church to build community with others? It might look like engaging in community service dynamics, like being able to reach out and find community service activities online that you can join. There are book clubs.

Whitley : 20:31

I know one of the things that I like to do I mean you might do this as well is there's so many Facebook groups dedicated to therapists. Like I know I'm in at least five or six, so anytime I'm working with a client I share them like this is what's going on in my profession, but maybe you're a nurse, maybe you're a teacher, like there are different groups out there in order for you to connect with other folks, to be able to build community in that way. I also have encouraged folks to maybe re-engage in certain relationship dynamics that they might have had. So maybe there's a friend who you haven't been in contact for a while, for whatever reason but challenging yourself to re-establishing certain connections in the name of building community.

Aubrey: 21:13

Those are all really great tips and I imagine that there's um some non-judgmental work that you're doing with the clients to help them to um move into a place of being more open to those relationships, absolutely, absolutely yeah, um well, whitley, thank you so much for coming today. How can people find out more about you?

Whitley : 21:36

Yeah, so you can go on. My website is wwwthemelanatedspacecom. Or, if you have Instagram, you can follow me on Instagram at Whitley Grant Goodman, and that's the main way that you can get in contact. I'm also on LinkedIn as well, so several different ways to get in contact with me.

Aubrey: 21:56

I'm also on LinkedIn as well, so several different ways to get in contact with me. Well, you're definitely an asset for people specifically in the therapy spaces women of color and you know all things therapy. So thanks again for coming. For those of you who are listening in, this is bizradious and I'm Aubrey Baptista. You can find out more about me on my website, wwwarttherapynccom.