Your journey to healing and wholeness after domestic violence begins here. Domestic violence is about power and control. As a Black woman and a survivor of domestic violence, you have had your power taken away from you against your will. You are not alone, and there are tools you can use to feel whole and in control of your life again. Written by two psychologists and experts in BIPOC mental health, this book will show you how to start healing—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this compassionate book addresses the unique struggles faced by Black women who have experienced domestic violence. You’ll find practical and empowering skills to help you understand and heal from trauma, leave harmful situations, and regain a sense of safety and freedom. You’ll also learn how to build a safety net, trust yourself—and others—again, and let go of the shame and guilt resulting from your experience. Finally, you’ll discover ways to reclaim your self-worth, set boundaries in your relationships, and make room for self-care in your day-to-day life. If you’re ready to leave—or have already left—an abusive situation, this book can help you heal from the trauma of domestic violence and discover personal freedom in mind, body, and spirit.

Do you or someone you love suffer from "bad nerves"? •Denise is constantly on edge. She's convinced something bad is going to happen. •Ruth will drive an hour out of her way to avoid driving over a bridge. When she has to do it, her chest thumps, her heart starts racing, and she breaks out in a sweat. She's beginning to think she shouldn't leave her house. •Bernice hasn't slept in two months for fear that the witch is going to ride her again. What do these women have in common? They are struggling with crippling anxiety disorders. Thousands of Black women suffer from anxiety. What's worse is that many of us have been raised to believe we are Strong Black Women and that seeking help shows weakness. So we often turn to dangerous quick fixes that only exacerbate the problem -- like overeating and drug and alcohol abuse -- or we deny that we have problems at all. In Soothe Your Nerves, Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett explains which factors can contribute to anxiety, panic, and fear in Black women and offers a range of healing methods that will help you or a loved one reclaim your life. Here finally is a blueprint for understanding and overcoming anxiety from a psychological, spiritual, and Black perspective.

Do you feel like you’re doing it all for everyone—all the time? This book offers mindful self-awareness practices to help you prioritize self-care, soothe stress, and create a life of joy, fulfillment, and well-being. As a Black woman, do you often feel an intense pressure to do it all? To be a kind of “superwoman” who never lets others down? Do you feel compelled to hide your own emotions for fear of being vulnerable or appearing weak? If so, you are not alone. Our culture tells us in many ways that Black women must be strong and unwavering for their community, family, friends, and partners. But at what cost? If you’re feeling the effects of stress and burnout, this book can help you find balance. In The Black Woman’s Guide to Coping with Stress, Black psychologist and registered nurse Cheryl Woods Giscombe introduces the innovative, research-based superwoman schema (SWS) framework—five core beliefs that drive Black women’s stress—and provides self-care practices grounded in mindfulness and self-compassion to help you live a life of joy and greater well-being. In this empowering guide, you’ll identify the core beliefs that may be contributing to your experience of stress—that you must always be strong, hide your emotions, resist vulnerability, succeed even in the face of inadequate resources, and always help others while neglecting self-care. You’ll learn how these beliefs can lead to burnout and a feeling of imbalance in your life. And finally, you’ll discover how to harness the strengths within these beliefs, so they no longer cause you harm. There’s nothing wrong with being strong—but sometimes it’s essential to “take off your superwoman cape,” recharge, and prioritize self-care. You are worth it. This book will help you gain the self-awareness you need to stay balanced and live your very best life.

The relationship between class and intimate violence against women is much misunderstood. While many studies of intimate violence focus on poor and working-class women, few examine the issue comparatively in terms of class privilege and class disadvantage. James Ptacek draws on in-depth interviews with sixty women from wealthy, professional, working-class, and poor communities to investigate how social class shapes both women's experiences of violence and the responses of their communities to this violence. Ptacek's framing of women's victimization as "social entrapment" links private violence to public responses and connects social inequalities to the dilemmas that women face.

An all-in-one guide to taking charge of your mental health, with research-proven strategies to alleviate daily struggles such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, ADHD, and insomnia “This helpful book is filled with research and practical approaches for coping with a wide variety of mental health conditions. . . . A great resource for families.”—Ken Duckworth, MD, chief medical officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and author of You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health Months-long therapy wait-lists. Out-of-pocket costs. Online misinformation. There are more barriers than ever to accessing reliable mental health care—and when your mental health is suffering, you need help now. This book, written by three practicing therapists, is your comprehensive mental health tool kit. Drawing on the techniques they use with their clients, they offer a holistic understanding of more than twenty all-too-common life challenges, plus compassionate, evidence-based strategies for when you’re struggling. Even better, these are techniques that anyone can do at home. In each chapter, you’ll find: what the research says about the issue coping mechanisms that are used in actual therapy rooms step-by-step guidance on using these strategies in real life and overcoming common obstacles tips for communicating about the issue with your loved ones You’ll also find practical advice on accessing professional help, deciding if a therapist is the right fit for you (and breaking up with them if they’re not), and paying for therapy. You Will Get Through This illuminates the road to wellness so you can take charge of your own healing.

An empowering guide to help you navigate racism in the workplace, find solutions that work for you, and stay focused on your professional goals and well-being. Have you ever been in a meeting or had a conversation where a coworker or manager said something racist, and wondered how to respond? People often understand racism in terms of blatant, overtly hostile behaviors and attitudes—such as verbal abuse or physical intimidation. At work, however, racism is typically more subtle, and often takes the form of microaggressions, being ignored, being invalidated or talked over, being overly criticized, or having assumptions made about your abilities. The perpetrator might think nothing of their actions, but the impact is real, and over time it may deteriorate your mental health, well-being, and job satisfaction. You should not have to experience racism—and it is not your fault—but the unfortunate reality is that many Black people do, especially in their workplace. Experiences of racism can leave you feeling disempowered, hurt, and unsure of what to do next. Having the confidence to stand up to racism can be incredibly difficult. And once you muster the courage to say something, what do you say, and when do you say it? Based on the author’s innovative SNAPS (Strategically Navigating Anti-Black Racism in Professional Spaces) decision-making model, this empowering workbook provides practical skills for navigating and responding to anti-Black racism in the workplace. With this much-needed guide, you’ll find solutions that work for you and your unique situation, as well as tips for addressing interpersonal issues, setting boundaries, and attending to your emotional and mental health while ensuring that you achieve your professional goals and aspirations. Whether overt or covert, if you’ve experienced racism in the workplace, you may feel trapped in a dilemma. How should you respond to an incident of racism? Should you ignore it, potentially allowing it to fester beneath the surface like an unseen infection? Or should you speak up, and risk the very real consequences: being disbelieved, criticized, or worse, fired? This workbook offers essential tools to help you make informed choices about how to respond to racism in the workplace, assert yourself with confidence, and prioritize your own well-being.

Learn to pull yourself out of the fire of pain and live a life of meaning and purpose. As Black people, we are more likely to face a traumatic experience or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But being Black is about more than the violence that has been perpetrated against us. It also means living a life of dignity and self-worth. We can pull ourselves out of the fire of painful experiences and gain the psychological flexibility needed to thrive, not just survive. This book will help guide you. In Out of the Fire, Black clinician and professor, Jennifer Shepard Payne presents culturally tailored acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) skills to help you heal from trauma, so you can live a meaningful life that is in tune with your own values. The ACT approach in this guide is empowering, strength-based, and non-pathologizing. As you read, you will come to understand that your suffering is not a sign of dysfunction, but rather a product of circumstances and your experience. Once you face the pain of trauma head on, you will discover the tools needed to feel whole. Recovering from trauma in all its forms is something that we desperately need as Black people. Whether you are experiencing mental pain as a result of race-based trauma, or have lived through a personal traumatic experience, this book can help you take the first steps needed to heal and live the life you deserve.