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Do you think there is a specific need for therapists of color to help African-American women and other women of color who are PMADS (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) sufferers? You may not think race, ethnicity and culture are factors to be considered in this treatment, but it can be--mostly due to stigmas, access, and the dynamics around seeking out services as a woman of color. Join us for today\u2019s conversation around this important topic.\nShivonne Odom, LCPC, is the founder of Akoma Counseling Concepts, LLC, which is the only minority-owned private practice in Washington, DC that focuses on minority maternal mental health. Shivonne provides continuing educational training on cultural competence and minority maternal mental health. She loves to promote awareness on these important issues via community panel discussions, podcasts, and local media outlets. She is passionate and excited about all things mental health and advocacy for women\u2019s health initiatives. In today\u2019s episode, she talks about things on her mind and things everyone needs to hear about more culturally competent services, the need for more therapists of color to be trained in maternal mental health, and the stigma around postpartum depression for black moms. She even touches on how some organizations could do much more to support perinatal mental health.\xa0\n\xa0\nShow Highlights:\n\nHow Shivonne started her practice just a year ago in response to the realization that there were no local counseling spaces for moms of color for perinatal mental health\n\nHow she worked at a community healthcare clinic in DC and saw the need, noticing that 90% of their clients were African-American\n\nWhy she wanted to make as many mental health services as possible open to as many people as possible\n\nWhat Shivonne saw at the clinic: services focused on diabetes, hypertension, and reproductive services---but not on maternal mental health\n\nWhat it means to provide culturally competent care\n\nWhat Shivonne has seen in pushback regarding mental health from reproductive justice organizations\n\nThe story of Erica Garner, who died a few months after giving birth and losing her father to police brutality----how she could have been helped with more comprehensive services\n\nHow mental health and stress affect one\u2019s physical condition\n\nThoughts on the changes that meed to be made and securing more therapists of color being trained to help with culturally competent care during the perinatal period\n\nThe dominance in healthcare of hetero-normative care and the need for diversity in patient-centered training\n\nThe trainings Shivonne offers: Perinatal Mood Disorders in Minority Mental Health (See the link below for more info on her upcoming webinar on Sept. 28)\n\nAt her trainings, Shivonne helps therapists discuss and identify cultural and spiritual issues to be able to assess PMADS and to explain how perinatal health impacts mental health in the African-American community\n\nThe class teaches what a therapeutic dialogue should sound like with a client of color and what help-seeking behaviors might look like for a mom of color with PMADS\n\nThe feedback she has received about the \u201cpowerful experience\u201d of the webinar, and how people felt connected and established professional relationships with each other\n\nHow Shivonne\u2019s work has been the most rewarding therapy ever\n\nThe far-reaching impact of this work to help families\n\nThe myth that moms believe: that it\u2019s selfish to consider their own mental health\n\n\xa0\nResources:\nShivonne\u2019s website: www.akomacounselingconcepts.com\xa0Use promo code \u201cmomandmind\u201d to receive 10% off Shivonne\u2019s webinar on September 28!\n\xa0\nFind Shivonne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/akomacounseling\n\xa0\xa0Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akoma_counseling\n\xa0\xa0Facebook: Akoma Counseling Concepts