Dr. Mercedes Samudio, LCSW

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Dr. Mercedes Samudio, LCSW

AfroNerd | Scholar | Founder of & | Host of | Empowering Black families with mental wellness!

Advancing through innovative research and clinical practice

04/21/2026

A Day in the Life of a Director of Mental Wellness & Representation:

Morning session on exploring the role of the therapist in film, tv, and theatre!

04/16/2026

Liberation for Black bodies begins the second we stop seeking validation from non-Black and white bodies.

04/03/2026

A few years ago, I was working with a Black mom whose 11-year-old son loves anime, writes poetry, and cries during Pixar movies. Beautiful kid, right?

But she was worried.

“Is he too soft?” she asked me. “The world isn’t going to be gentle with him.”

And I felt that in my chest.

Because she’s not wrong. The world often isn’t gentle with Black boys. With Black kids in general.

But here’s what I told her (and what I need us all to remember):

Preparing our Black tweens for a hard world doesn’t mean hardening them before they need to be.

It doesn’t mean teaching them to suppress their emotions, hide their quirks, or shrink their softness.

It means giving them a foundation so strong in who they are - in ALL of who they are - that when the world tries to diminish them, they already know their worth.

When we let Black tweens be soft, vulnerable, emotional, proud, quirky, and geeky, we’re not making them weak.

We’re making them whole.

And whole people? They’re the ones who change the world.

So I’m curious - what’s one way you’re creating space for the Black tweens in your life to be fully themselves? What permission are you giving them that maybe you didn’t get?

Drop it in the comments. I want to hear your stories.

04/01/2026

Remember when they believed hard work always pays off? When they thought the rules applied to everyone equally? When they trusted that being “good” meant they’d be safe?

Middle school is where those fairy tales start crumbling.

And we wonder why they’re suddenly “difficult.”

Here’s what’s really happening:

They’re watching their white classmates get second chances they don’t get. They’re seeing how different the world treats them now that they’re not “cute little kids” anymore. They’re realizing that everything we told them about fairness was... incomplete.

That anger you’re seeing? That’s not defiance.

That’s grief.

They’re mourning the world they thought they lived in. And instead of creating space for that mourning, we’re often telling them to “fix their attitude” or “be respectful” or “work twice as hard.”

But what if we gave them something different?

What if we said: “I see you. I know it hurts. And you’re right to be angry about it.”

What if we stopped treating their rage as a behavior problem and started treating it as a developmental milestone — one that requires our guidance, not our discipline?

Because here’s the truth:

Our Black middle schoolers don’t need us to gaslight them about what they’re experiencing. They need us to help them metabolize it without letting it destroy them.

They need us to teach them how to hold their rage and their hope at the same time.

What’s one thing you wish someone had told you when you first started seeing the world clearly?

03/13/2026

Hey y’all!!

Remember the con I went to a few weekends ago…

…well, as a participant I was entered into a contest to win a copy of Anika Noni Rose’s children’s book, Tiana’s Perfect Plan…

…and I won!!

The panel where Princess Tiana herself read an excerpt from the book was so inspiring and affirming. Anika represents so much for this millennial prismatic Black girl, and being able to see her, hear her tell stories of her existence as a Black woman, and be affirmed that she truly knows how much she is loved.

Thank you for your light! ✨ Thank you for such an amazing event! 🥹 Can’t wait for next year!

03/05/2026

It’s all fun and games while buying the books…

…and it’s all fun and cozy when you finally get to read ‘em!

COMMENT: What y’all’s reading?!

03/04/2026

Doing the pre-course for the Digging Roots Developmental Trauma training this weekend…

…and my mind is blown!

for developmental trauma is blowing my mind!!

02/27/2026

this week has been so affirming & confirming.

Seeing folks build capacity for their full selves, even as we’re in a world that doesn’t always honor that for everyone.

02/23/2026

isn’t about talking harder…

…it’s about letting the brain and body process what words can’t always reach, using eye position to access deeper neural pathways connected to trauma and emotional experience.

05/01/2025

As a healing person supporting others healing, I appreciate this month as it highlights how important our mental wellness is and will always be!

I’ve survived trauma and abuse. I live with depression. I experience suicidal ideation and thoughts. Sometimes my emotions overwhelm me and I need to take a break. I live a full life, with folks who care for me. I speak up about mental wellness because it’s a life or death conversation for me, and many others.

11/29/2024

Embracing inclusivity & learning from folks is more important than ever…

…the idea of being Woke is becoming a term that brands folks who are progressive, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and culturally expansive…

…for my part, I’ve been bringing folks over to the WokeSide: where we believe that everyone’s knowledge and experience contributes to the tapestry of humanity, and it’s in those uniques experiences and ancestral knowledge that we find the oaths to heal together…

…in other words WOKE = Welcoming Our Knowledge & Experiences

This acronym reflects a mindset that values cultural expansiveness (a combo of humility, competence, and awareness), community building & connectedness, and a respect for for the historical and ancestral wisdom we all possess...

…in a sense, if you’re tired of being, tired of hearing, tired of seeing the revolution that is being WOKE, then you might want to check in with yourself because you’re part of the problem…

Research shows that cultural expansiveness is a lifelong process of reflection & (un)learning: a practice of mutual respect that bridges cultural gaps, especially in healthcare, to create equity (Foronda et al., 2016)…

… community building & connection also require being WOKE: embracing the attitudes, knowledge & skills to navigate across cultures (Deardorff, 2015; CDC, 2023)…

…TL;dr: Being WOKE is part of the work!™️

Allowing ourselves to evolve into cultural expansiveness aligns with the WOKE mindset…

…it empowers us to build meaningful connections & champion equity by understanding and honoring the diverse narratives that shape our communities…

…in a sense, we do this because it’s how we thrive; when we remain WOKE, we foster a world where every voice matters, every story is valued, and every experience is a chance to grow.

✨ Follow .mercedessamudio for all things Black family, parenting, mental health, Black health equity, and AfroNerd realness! ✨

Address

1510 W Whitter Boulevard , Ste 95
La Habra, CA
90631

Telephone

+17147585988

Website

https://solo.to/dr.mercedessamudio

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