Meeting Us Where We Are: The Black Women Holding Space For Healing, One Session At A Time
This World Mental Health Day, we’re paying homage to the Black women who are carving out the safe spaces that we need the most - the safe space that is therapy.
In recent years, we’ve seen an upswing in not only the conversation and normalization of therapy, but we now have Black women openly sharing online the importance of discussing our mental health and allowing for therapy to be a tool that is just as important to our wellness routines as drinking water and getting daily exercise.
Black women are acknowledging that healing is our priority and we’re taking self-care a step further with not just moments of solitude in bubble baths, but creating sustainable wellness routines that center therapy to improve the quality of our lives and to heal from the trauma that many of us have carried with us our entire lives.
With therapists and online communities for Black women like The Loveland Foundation, Therapy For Black Girls, Transparent Black Girl, Heal Sis, Black Girls Smile, Sad Girls Club, A Safe Space Mentor, and more, alongside millions of Black women worldwide, we’re healing and growing together.
As Black women and the Black community as a whole prioritize therapy, the conversation of not just therapy but the type of therapy that we need specifically for us has become more important.
In honor of World Mental Health Day, xoNecole is discussing cultural competence and how the following mental health professionals center the unique needs of Black women within their work across the country.
Amari Denise - Chicago, IL and Houston, TX
"Mental wellness is uniting and reuniting Black families. Black women’s willingness to be the curse breakers has ignited a shift in how Black people view mental health. There is no education that can replace sitting across from someone who sees you and understands you culturally. Being a Black therapist means tailoring our services to meet the needs of the culture to help heal the masses."
Price Point: "Our average per-cost session is $150. We do provide slicing scales also based on income!"
Ryanne Smith - Vancouver, WA
"As a Black woman and therapist, my biggest motivator in serving the perinatal mental health community is recognition of our inherited trauma as Black birthing people and implications of societal expectations of navigating difficult seasons without wavering, meaning I speak to my patients with the understanding that it’s actually not okay to be okay and we are allowed to be unwell, and it doesn’t make us less."
Price Point: "Because I started a nonprofit to sponsor patient care, my providers are offering below-market prices to cover administrative expenses. While private pay therapy clients often pay $110-$150 depending on the provider, most of our providers are doing pro bono, or our organization pays based on a sponsorship program."
"Black women are consistently underdiagnosed, unheard, and unseen in medical spaces. Being a Black therapist also allows me to support my clients beyond their presenting concerns but in the context of their life, including workplace, dating, and family experiences that are unique to the Black experience."
Dr. Shaakira Haywood-Stewart - New York, New York
"My identity as a Black woman shapes the way that I perceive and provide support to my clients. Specifically, it allows me to understand what they are struggling with and enables me to assess for things such as depression, anxiety, and other diagnoses that present themselves differently in Black women. Black women are consistently underdiagnosed, unheard, and unseen in medical spaces. Being a Black therapist also allows me to support my clients beyond their presenting concerns but in the context of their life, including workplace, dating, and family experiences that are unique to the Black experience."
Price Point: "My session fee is $250 per session. I do work with folks who are unable to pay the full fee. For example, I refer them to The Loveland Foundation for therapy vouchers and let folks use those in full to cover the entire session cost. Additionally, if existing clients hit extenuating circumstances, I have them tell me a fee that they are able to pay and we go from there until their circumstances change."
Ashley Dominique - Fredericksburg, VA
"I prioritize cultural competence, asking questions instead of making assumptions, and creating spaces where the individuals I work with feel safe to be their full selves."
Price Point: "Intake Assessment: $150 and Individual Psychotherapy: $125. I use Open Path Collective to offer a sliding scale option."
Janelle Thompson - Jersey City, NJ
"As a Black woman therapist and founder of a group practice, I deeply understand the complexities of identity, lived experience, and intersectionality that Black women face when seeking mental health support. Building a culturally safe practice has always been a priority for me. Our approach is rooted in recognizing the unique challenges Black women navigate—whether it's societal pressures, confronting microaggressions, or simply finding spaces where they can fully unwind and heal.
"At Simply Redefining Wellness & Counseling, I’ve cultivated a team that is not only intentional about bringing their whole selves into their work but also deeply attuned to the needs and boundaries of our clients. We offer more than just professional expertise; we bring personal insight, [and] empathy, and create a space where our clients feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood. Our services are designed to empower Black women in their journey toward healing and strength through individual therapy, couples counseling, family therapy, and support groups."
Price Point: "Our session rates range from $120 to $200 without insurance, with reduced rates of $35 to $100 available through our graduate student interns and provisionally licensed clinicians. To ensure therapy is accessible, each fully licensed clinician takes on at least two pro bono clients annually. For clients with insurance, copays vary from $0 to $75, depending on the plan.
"We are dedicated to making mental health support both accessible and transformative, helping Black women move toward a place of healing, resilience, and empowerment. By creating safe spaces where Black women can unpack, release, and heal, we foster a community that encourages and celebrates their emotional wellness."
Justine Ashlee - Montclair, NJ
"Being a Black woman has made me more intentional about the therapeutic approaches I use. I tried to study the origins a little bit more and make sure that I'm not using a method of therapy or an approach that has an undertone of oppression because research will show you that not every form of therapy is healthy for Black women. I also make sure that the room in itself feels relaxing, like we play music [and] I have snacks.
"Normally therapists are taught to be a bit of a blank slate and keep everything neutral, but I do kind of play with that a little bit because I want the environment to have more of a communal feel, especially as a Black woman who understands that especially when it comes to therapy, you need to be handled with a special kind of care."
Price Point: "My current rate per session is $150."
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Dubbed one of the "21 Black Women Wellness Influencers You Should Follow" by Black + Well, Yasmine Jameelah continues to leave her digital footprint across platforms ranging from Forever 21 Plus, Vaseline, and R29 Unbothered discussing all things healing and body positivity. As a journalist, her writing can be found on sites such as Blavity, Blacklove.com, and xoNecole. Jameelah is also known for her work shattering unconventional stigmas surrounding wellness through her various mediums, including her company Transparent Black Girl. Find Yasmine @YasmineJameelah across all platforms.
Exclusive: Melanie Fiona On Making High-Vibrational Music & Saying Yes To Partnership
Melanie Fiona is back! After taking a little more than a decade-long hiatus, she has officially made her return to music and blessed us with two singles, “Say Yes” and “I Choose You.” While both singles are very different from each other, they both reflect who she is today and the type of music she wants to make. In our conversation, the mom of two expressed what she learned during her time away.
“It's interesting, even when I said it is like coming back, I don't ever feel like I really left because I was always still performing. I've still been public. It's not like I went into being this recluse person or version of myself, but the thing that I really learned in this process is that I think things take time,” Melanie says in a xoNecole exclusive.
“I think often we're so caught up in it, being on the timing of demand or popularity, or, like, striking while the iron is hot and the thing that I've learned is that everything is on God's time. That's it. Every time I thought I would have been ready, or, like, things were taking too long, I had to reship some things, personally, professionally, in my life. I also gave myself permission to make a living, not just make a living, but make a life for myself.”
Making a life for herself included getting married to Grammy-nominated songwriter Jared Cotter, starting a family, and embracing new landscapes, such as podcasting as a co-host of The Mama’s Den podcast. She also began doing more spiritual work and self-care practices like meditation, sound healing, Reiki, acupuncture, and boundary setting, which allowed her to get in touch with her inner voice.
“I wasn't putting out music, and I wasn't experiencing a number one record, but I was being a number one mom,” she says.
“I was experiencing things that were allowing me to heal and get in touch with myself so that I could make new music from a space of joy and freedom, and excitement again because I definitely feel like I did lose some excitement because of just politics and industry and what it can do to your mental health and even your physical health. So giving myself the space to really just say, ‘Hey, it's okay. Everything's right on time.’”
The joy and excitement are felt in one of two new singles, “I Choose You,” which is more of a lovers rock vibe, a tribute to Melanie’s Caribbean roots. While the Grammy award-winner is known for ballads like “It Kills Me” and “Fool For You,” she is becoming more intentional about the music she makes, calling it high-vibrational music. She says her music is a “reflection of my life,” as it captures every facet, from hanging out with friends to riding around in her car.
“Say Yes” has the classic R&B vibe Melanie is known for. However, both songs are inspired by her relationship. Melanie and Jared got married in December 2020, and the Toronto-bred artist dished on their relationship. Fun fact: he is featured in the “Say Yes” music video.
“When we first started dating, I had come into that relationship post a lot of self-work. I had gotten out of a long-term relationship, I had a year and a half to date and be by myself and do a lot of work on myself alone. And when we met, I remember feeling like this has to be my person because I feel it,” she says.
“And so when we went into that relationship, and we started dating, I was very clear. I was like, I know what I want. I'm very clear on what I need, and I'm not going to withhold my truth about myself in this process because of pride or fear of rejection. I know you love me, but I'm coming with my heart in my hand to let you know that if we're gonna get there, we have to put fear aside and say yes. So that was kind of like my open letter to him, which is why the video is us having a conversation.”
Melanie also shares that saying yes to her partner has empowered her in many ways, including motherhood and showing up for herself. Her new EP, also titled Say Yes, will be available at the top of 2025.
Check out the full interview below.
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Feature image by Franco Zulueta
Serena Williams Hits Back At Skin-Bleaching Accusations: 'I’m A Dark, Black Woman, And I Love Who I Am'
Serena Williams is clapping back at skin-bleaching accusations. During a makeup tutorial for her beauty brand, Wyn Beauty, the tennis legend took the opportunity to address the "haters."
“And then I put just that neutral color, that is actually my skin color, and no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin,” she said. “There is a thing called sunlight, and in that sunlight, you get different colors.”
The rumors started after the mom of two posted a video of herself and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, at their daughter's school play. In the video, she appeared to look a few shades lighter. During her response, she revealed that she was volunteering at the play and wore stage makeup.
“Yes, I’m calling you out on this because it is ridiculous that everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she bleached her skin,’" she said. "I’m a dark, Black woman, and I love who I am, and I love how I look and that's just not my thing.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion also said that she doesn't judge anyone who bleaches their skin as she "stays in my lane."
Serena has always had style on and off the court, and even collaborated with Nike with her own collection Serena Williams Design Crew. However, the tennis champ has now pivoted into beauty.
Wyn Beauty was launched in April 2024 with at 10-piece collection of lip, eye, and complexion products. The brand was inspired by Serena's time on the court and the packaging is reminiscent of a tennis ball due to its chartreuse color.
“Throughout my career, I was always searching for makeup that looked good after hours on the court, mixing products myself and creating my own formulas while traveling the world,” she said in a statement. As she continues to make a name for herself in the beauty industry, I'm sure we will see a lot more looks from the tennis star.
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Feature image by Marc Piasecki/WireImage