Mindful Insights Mhc

07/24/2025

Healing from racial trauma is not about getting over it. It’s about moving through it slowly, softly, in your own time.

Each of these practices is a reminder that you deserve to be whole.

These may look small, but they can be radical acts of resistance:

- Reconnecting with your body after years of disassociation
- Letting yourself *feel* joy without guilt
- Creating routines that restore your nervous system
- Refusing to isolate yourself when you’ve been taught to “tough it out”
- Replacing survival mode with intentional care

Racial trauma can live in the body, impact mental health, and fracture our sense of self. But with care community and cultural care repair is possible.

What’s one gentle practice that’s been helping you feel more like yourself lately?

07/22/2025

Racial trauma doesn’t always “look” like trauma.

It might show up as:

– Exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix
– Feeling emotionally numb or checked out
– Constant scanning of your environment
– Bursts of rage that feel like they come from nowhere
– Guilt after setting a boundary
– Dissociation in conversations about race
– Feeling like you're “too sensitive” or “too much”

These are not character flaws.

They are trauma responses and they make sense.

According to Race-Based Traumatic Stress theory racism can produce PTSD-like symptoms even if the experience doesn’t meet DSM criteria. That doesn’t make it less valid.

Your grief, anger, and exhaustion are real.

Your nervous system is responding to harm often ongoing, subtle, and systemic.Healing starts with validation.

If you’re struggling, you're not alone. There are ways to move through it — therapy, community, rest, creativity, spiritual practices. But before any of that: it helps to name what’s happening.

What has your body or mind been trying to tell you lately?

07/18/2025

Therapy for Black youth shouldn’t just be about surviving it should also be about belonging,

When racial socialization is woven into trauma care, it teaches more than coping. It passes down pride, legacy, and the emotional tools to feel whole in your Blackness.

Here are 6 ways culturally rooted therapy can do that:

1. Ancestral storytelling – Processing trauma through the stories of family survival and strength

2. Legacy letters – Writing to their younger self or future child about what it means to be Black and loved

3. Emotion naming with a racial lens – Helping youth recognize emotions shaped by racial experiences

4. Cultural mirror work – Journaling or art that reflects identity and pride

5. “Who’s in your corner?” maps – Naming people, ancestors, or creators who offer cultural care

6. Media reflections – Using Black books, art, or music as a bridge to healing conversations

This is how we shift therapy from pathologizing to empowering. From treating symptoms to teaching self-love.

Based on Anderson & Stevenson (2018) and Metzger et al. (2020)

07/17/2025

Traditional trauma therapy can help Black youth survive and racial socialization helps them belong.

It’s not just about managing symptoms or preparing for harm.

It’s about passing down legacy.

It’s about feeling powerful in your skin.

It’s about saying:

🖤 “You come from brilliance.”

🖤 “Your story is sacred.”

🖤 “You are not alone.”

When trauma therapy includes cultural pride, ancestral wisdom, and honest conversations about race, it becomes a space where healing is culturally rooted.

In the next post, I’ll break down 6 ways therapy can actually teach pride

Based on EMBRace (Anderson & Stevenson, 2018) and Metzger et al. (2020)

07/17/2025

In a world where AI is advancing rapidly, how can we use it to enhance our therapy sessions? Explore the dos and don'ts of integrating AI like ChatGPT into your therapeutic journey.

Read more here: https://wix.to/G14reYR

Not a single day has gone by in recent months without hearing about some new way to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our daily lives, or some new advancement in how we can use AI.

07/12/2025

We're looking to hire another Administrative Intern! Reach out to us if you're intersted.

07/03/2025

In the realm of mental wellness, positive regard plays a crucial role. It's about treating ourselves without judgment. Dive into the benefits of this approach and how it can impact your life. Read more: https://wix.to/0ckaYzi

Positive regard is a way of treating someone without judgement or conditions, one of the core principles in Motivational Interviewing, CBT, DBT, and other person-centered interventions. The moment we interact with the person, we fully accept the person as who they are in the moment without bias. We....

06/27/2025

Pride Month can be joyful, but it can also bring up deep discomfort especially when it comes to body image, dysphoria, and just being seen in public.

If you’re feeling that weight, here are 3 DBT-informed ways to support yourself:

Self-Soothe (5 Senses)
Pack a grounding kit: something to touch, smell, hear, or hold. A smooth stone, scent roller, tiny playlist, or fidget toy can help when things feel too loud.

PLEASE Skills
Taking care of your body is emotional regulation, too.
Get rest, eat something nourishing, and stay hydrated before you go out. These basics can shift how you feel in the moment.

Opposite Action
Feel like canceling plans, hiding, or shrinking? First, check in: is it shame, safety, or energy?

If it’s shame try doing the opposite in small ways. That might look like:

- Wearing an outfit that feels powerful for you
- Dancing in your room
- Going to a museum, a cafe, or a quiet celebration with a friend
- Taking yourself out for a Pride moment

It’s okay if you’re feeling disconnected. You can gently reconnect by noticing something your body did for you today even something small, like holding you up. You might also name one thing you feel proud of in yourself, body or not. Let it be tender

You are allowed to take up space.
You don’t have to feel 100% confident to belong.
You deserve to feel safe in your body, even when it’s hard.

06/26/2025

We're happy to introduce Yaakov Wahl who is pursuing a Masters degree at Yeshiva University in mental health counseling. Yaakov focuses on the importance of connections, significance and community and thinks of therapy as a dynamic process and as an opportunity to self reflect, grow and explore life more deeply. Yaakov reflects on philosophical questions about the meanings of life and seeking happiness in life which is what drew him to therapy. Yaakov believes collaboration is what truly empowers people, we are greater and more powerful as one whole than we are as individuals. Learn more about Yaakov and schedule a consultation with him at

https://www.mindfulinsightsmhc.com/meet-the-team

06/25/2025

We’re excited to welcome Destinee (she/her), a Clinical Resident at Mindful Insights and a Clinical Mental Health Counseling student at St. John’s University.

A native New Yorker with a background as a paralegal, Destinee brings a deep understanding of advocacy, systems, and identity to her work. Her counseling style is person-centered and rooted in the belief that every client has the inner capacity for healing and growth.

She works with adolescents, emerging adults, and adults navigating ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders, identity exploration, and more. She integrates CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and trauma-informed approaches all while centering authenticity, curiosity, and empowerment.

As a multiracial clinician, she’s passionate about creating affirming spaces for LGBTQIA+ clients and others from marginalized communities.

✨ She’s now accepting new clients and we’re so happy to have her on the team! https://www.mindfulinsightsmhc.com/meet-the-team

06/24/2025

DBT Teen Group Starting July 17, 2025

Looking for emotional tools that actually work? This 6-month virtual group teaches real-life DBT skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, and more.

Open to teens
Thursdays | 3:30–5 PM ET
100% virtual
$50/session

Click the link in the register!
https://www.mindfulinsightsmhc.com/mws-available-groups/virtual-adolescent-dbt-group

06/20/2025

🔔 New blog post alert: Healing Is Nonlinear: What It Really Means to Spiral Forward

Healing is often imagined as a straight path forward, step-by-step, progress neatly measured, pain left behind. But in truth, healing rarely unfolds in a straight line. It moves in spirals, cycles, and layers. Sometimes it feels like climbing, sometimes like circling, and often like standing still.