Description

Black women experience a unique type of anxiety. Navigating a racist-patriarchal world is a difficult task that can come with negative effects on both physical and mental health. (Jerald, 2017) This card deck is meant to help both Black women and counselors of Black women to help process and cope with anxiety. There are three categories of cards; Exploring Anxiety, In the Moment of Panic, and Nurturing Yourself. 

Exploring Anxiety is a category of questions to delve deeper into the roots of anxiety. The questions chosen are aimed at the unique stressors that Black Women experience such as the stereotypes they have had put onto them, like the Strong Black Women or the Angry Black Woman, responsibilities for holding community grief and taking care of family, and concerns about children/loved ones experience with racial discrimination. (Coleman, 2021) These questions are set up so that an individual can work through them on her own, but can also be a guideline for counselors. 

In the Moment of Panic is a list of coping mechanisms for re-centering after a panic attack. This list brings in somatic practices which can often be ignored in traditional western therapy spaces. A counselor can help guide their client through some of these practices in session, so the client can apply them when they are needed. 

The final category is Nurturing Yourself. This is full of self-care ideas that are meant to be accessible and applicable to individual circumstances and needs. They are culturally relevant ideas that range in the amount of time and effort needed. A key card is Sister Circles which are an intervention developed to create a space by Black Women for Black Women to navigate anxiety. This is especially important for counselors to take note of and find local Sister Circles for their client. 

References

Jerald, M. C., Cole, E. R., Ward, L. M., & Avery, L. R. (2017). Controlling images: How awareness of group stereotypes affects Black women’s well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(5), 487–499. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1037/cou0000233

Neal-Barnett, A., Stadulis, R., Murray, M., Payne, M. R., Thomas, A., & Salley, B. B. (2011). Sister circles as a culturally relevant intervention for anxious Black women. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 18(3), 266–273. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2011.01258.x

Adames, H. Y., Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y., Lewis, J. A., Neville, H. A., French, B. H., Chen, G. A., & Mosley, D. V. (2023). Radical healing in psychotherapy: Addressing the wounds of racism-related stress and trauma. Psychotherapy, 60(1), 39–50. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1037/pst0000435

Coleman, M. N. (2021, April 29). Black Girls and Magic, Not Invincible: Healing Racial Trauma in Black Women. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62V1U6v3ehk