Therapy with Kemi

29/08/2025

There was a recent article in the Standard & Mirror with the headline “Children as young as four being sent home for racist behaviours at school”. This is not a surprising headline. If it’s surprising to you, examine why. Sending children home for racist behaviour is not the answer. Educating the parents & children is. Addressing systemic and individual racism in schools is also key.

The stats highlight that there were 15,191 reported suspensions for racist behaviour last year (around 80 every school day) compared to 11,619 the year before. These are only the reported cases, not every child discloses, not every school records.

Racism in the education sector is rife and should be treated as an urgent safeguarding concern. Is your child’s school actively anti racist? Do you know what is being done in your children’s school to tackle racism when it occurs? We are actively colluding with and perpetuating racism when we do nothing about children’s exposure to racism either via school systems or individuals.

P.S: You may have spotted that there are in fact 11 statements not 10. I was on a roll and could have easily written 10 more statements! What would you add?

26/07/2025

This is a conversation that is very active in my home, and in my close circle. It’s a conversation that shows up regularly in the work I do holding reflective spaces and supervision with organisations and individuals actively committed to anti racism. Just last week I was moved to tears holding a group reflective space where the pain was palpable and I felt helpless. The last couple of weeks has felt particularly heavy for me as a result. I initially put it down to end of school year exhaustion, the emotional rollercoaster of my child finishing primary school and life just life-ing. But the more I reflect on it, the more I feel that the heaviness is charged! The more I am naming my heaviness the more I am seeing that I am not alone, others are feeling this same. So being really honest, I wrote these words for me, I needed this reminder, that I am not alone in what I am feeling. That to feel is to be human. If you needed this reminder too, I hope it helps. Going to exhibition at the was also much needed. It gave me hope at a time when I feel despair.

29/05/2025

Bonus 4th point: When you commit to this work for Black children, you’re committing to it for all children because building an environment that is inclusive and culturally responsive benefits everyone by:

✅ creating relationships rooted in respect and understanding
✅ Widening their awareness and encouraging critical thinking
✅ Building emotional intelligence and a community that fosters belonging meaningfully.

Every child benefits when we raise the standards of care and inclusion.

25/05/2025

Thanks to for bringing to my attention that my last post, jumping on the pro-pa-ganda # is contributing to the drowning of the content by political commentators and activists that have been using the propaganda #, created by people in Gaza trying to keep the world up to date about what’s going on. Slide 2 & 3 are from stories.

These tactics are so insidious! I have left my previous post up for context but removed the #. I clearly fell for it! Grateful for friends who educate so I am able to correct!

23/03/2025

Resilience is generally seen as a positive trait but context matters. For example, for Black individuals resilience is often a trauma response to navigating systemic racism, a survival strategy rather than a choice.

We know that it can feed into being strong, enduring, tolerating and not challenging harm. It leaves no room for being our whole self, little space for emotional expression & vulnerability, softness, or rest.

Working in children’s mental health, with my culturally informed lens, I often see traits associated with resilience given to children who have had to navigate racialised experiences and racial trauma. I don’t want my Black children to believe their worth is tied only to their ability to endure. So, here’s how I’m shifting the narrative.

What traits are you nurturing in your children?

08/03/2025

💜 💛What’s on your wish list for International Women’s Day? Drop it in the comments!

02/03/2025

Have you experienced/observed/thought about how racial trauma shows up in the schools you work in or in the schools your children attend?

24/02/2025

Cultural competence and antiracist training in schools should be non-negotiable.

When racial identity, racial equity, and racial trauma are ignored, safeguarding and mental health suffer—and too many schools are unprepared to respond. Every child deserves to feel seen, safe, and supported to thrive.

I deliver training that helps schools, educators, and mental health professionals embed cultural competence and anti-oppressive practice into their work. Because when culture competence isn’t embedded, belonging, wellbeing, and safeguarding are at risk.

👉🏾 Ready to create real change for you or your organization? Let’s connect!

05/11/2024

Yes, I know Halloween was on October 31st, but with the current state of the world and political climate, it can feel like a never ending horror story. So it feels right to me to keep the spooky, haunted vibes going.

30/10/2024

🎂 It’s my birthday! 🎂

Recently , while driving through the area I used to live in my 20s, I shared stories with my daughter about my favorite spots, the memories, the fun. Then she hit me with this question: “Did you wish for the life you have now?” (A big question!)

My answer took me back to when I first came to England at 10 years old. 10-year old me who was racialised as Black, facing the world with labels I didn’t choose, internalizing stereotypes and racism, trying hard to be ‘the good immigrant.’

I’ve had to unlearn so much of that along the way. I am now working hard to raise two beautiful Black children to stand strong in who they are, to embrace their cultural identity and know that they define their own Black identity.

What would I tell my 10-year-old self to ?

✨You are not the fears and biases projected onto you. You are enough, just as you are.

✨You don’t have to seek validation and acceptance at the expense of your well-being.

✨You are inherently worthy, belonging wherever you feel safe, valued, and connected.

🖤 As a Black psychotherapist and cultural competence Trainer, I’ve seen firsthand how early experiences shape our understanding of self and place in the world—especially for Black and mixed-heritage children navigating their identities in a society that often “others” them.

My work’s purpose, in honor of that 10-year-old girl I once was, and for all marginalized children is to support them in knowing they have the right to exist fully, thrive boldly, and live beyond the limitations society tries to place on them. 💛✨

Here’s to growth, reflection, and living out a life I couldn’t have fully dreamed of back then. 🖤

11/09/2024

What details did you spot in the 2 statements?

A clear statement and stance would let children and their families what their school stands for. It will reassure them and make them feel supported and valued.

I wrote this example of an antiracist stance because it’s what I needed to read as a Black mother sending my children back to their schools. I thought about sharing this with the schools directly but I know how that conversation would go, the expectation of unpaid labour to educate.

That’s a post for another day. 😏

07/08/2024