Author: Tatiana Smith

This week’s episode I speak with my guest Anita Washington. With the Holidays in full swing we talk about how to minimize your family mess to maximize your happiness. We also discuses emotional baggage, family shaming, and how to know when you need to detach from your family. Anita gives tips on how to handle a stressful family during the holidays.

Anita Washington, M.Ed. & M.B.A., is the host of the TV show That Anita Live and The Emotional Happiness Podcast which provides a platform for women to learn, laugh and more importantly heal emotionally by learning from the challenges and successes of others.

A former school and community agency counselor and creator of the 7-Step Method, Anita has helped guide people from the ages of eleven to fifty through their own life issues, personal transformations and professional endeavors. .

Takeaways from this episode:

1) YOU ARE WORTHY.

2) Selfcare is paramount.

3) Be more compassionate to your fellow man.

Where you can find Anita:

Web: www.thatanitalive.com

Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter: @thatanitalive

Resources Mentioned:

Book- Family Is Not Everything

Podcast hashtag #talkingoffthecouch and #TOTCpodcast

Email: info@talkingoffthecouch.com

Facebook-Talking off the Couch Podcast

Facebook Group-Talking Off The Couch Village

Instagram-talkingoffthecouch

Twitter- podcasttotc

If you are interested in working with Tatiana as a therapist you
can find out more about her services at www.tsmithcounseling.com

If you have questions or would like to discuss sponsorship
opportunities, email us at: talkingoffthecouch@gmail.com

This week’s episode I speak my guest Jasmin Pierre. We talk about her diagnosis of major depressive, suicide attempts, and her thoughts about church and toxic families. So are you worth fighting for?

Jasmin Pierre is a Certified Peer Support Specialist, Certified Mental Health First Aid Responder, Mental Health Advocate, Motivational Speaker, Author of the self help book “A Fight Worth Finishing”, and creator of the minority mental health app “The Safe Place”, Jasmin is constantly fighting for the rights of those who battle Mental Health Challenges.

Takeaways from this episode:

1. It’s Ok if you Have a Mental Illness.
2. It’s Ok to have Jesus and a Therapist.
3. Stigma needs to be broken and we need to talk, accept, and grow when it comes to Mental Health.

Where you can find Jasmin:

Web: http://afightworthfinishing.strikingly.com/

Facebook: @afightworthfinishing
Instagram: @afightworthfinishing

Resources and Books Mentioned:

App-The Safe Place
Book-A Fight Worth Finishing

Podcast hashtag #talkingoffthecouch and #TOTCpodcast
Email: info@talkingoffthecouch.com
Facebook-Talking off the Couch Podcast
Facebook Group-Talking Off The Couch Village

Instagram-talkingoffthecouch
Twitter- podcasttotc

If you are interested in working with Tatiana as a therapist you can find out more about her services at www.tsmithcounseling.com

If you have questions or would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities, email us at: talkingoffthecouch@gmail.com

This week’s episode I speak my guest Pastor Keith Battle. We talk about why there is a disconnect between the church and mental health, the importance of therapy, where mental health is talked about in the Bible, emotions and lack there of in man, and seven ways to handle a bad day.

Keith Battle is the pastor of Zion Church located in Landover, MD. Keith Battle first began preaching in the late 1980s, those who knew him would often hear him say he would never want to be a Pastor. What an awesome responsibility! This mindset came from a combination of him loving what he did as an Itinerant Preacher and from the difficulty that many Pastors seemed to go through and experience in starting and maintaining a church. Yet, apparently the saying is true, “never say never”.

In the late 1990s, Keith was greatly motivated and influenced by a couple of books that he read that were written by successful church planters — Rediscovering Church by Bill and Lynne Hybels, and The Purpose-Driven Church by Rick Warren. This is when the first seed for the “sensitive-seeker” model of doing church was planted. With the blessing of both his wife and his former Pastor, Reverend Jonathan Weaver (Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church) this is where the call to plant Zion Church became clear to Keith. As he spent days and days in prayer searching his heart, he knew that in his heart was one true passion and that was to start a new and different kind of church – not “church as usual”.

In October 1999, the first meeting regarding this dream was held over a spaghetti dinner. After many meetings and months of preparation, thought and guidance from God, the first public Bible Study was held for Zion Church on Thursday, February 17, 2000. About 25 people attended this gathering. Under Pastor Battle’s leadership, Zion Church has grown to over 5,000 regular attendees.

Takeaways from this episode: There is a Conclusion to your Confusion.

1) Go to Therapy.
2) Find a Therapist for your soul.
3) Be ok with being Whole! Be woke in your soul.

Where you can find Keith:

Web: http://zionlandover.com/

Facebook: @keithbattle
Instagram: @keithbattle

Resources and Books Mentioned:

The Bible

Podcast hashtag #talkingoffthecouch and #TOTCpodcast

Email: info@talkingoffthecouch.com

Facebook-Talking off the Couch Podcast

Facebook Group-Talking Off The Couch Village

Instagram-talkingoffthecouch

Twitter- podcasttotc

If you are interested in working with Tatiana as a therapist you can find out more about her services at www.tsmithcounseling.com

If you have questions or would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities, email us at: talkingoffthecouch@gmail.com

​

This week’s episode I speak my guest Jessica Chinyelu. We talk about being a woman of purpose, mental wellness and keeping it simple, being Nigerian-American and what going to see a therapist looks like within the culture.

Jessica Chinyelu is a Nigerian-American, empowerment speaker, TV Host, entrepreneur, and Founder of Woman of Purpose. Through her non-profit organization, Woman of Purpose, Jessica provides online and in-person coaching, mentorship placement, annual conferences and community for women looking to pursue and achieve their God given passions and dreams. From a struggling drug addict who was sexually molested at a young age living a fast-paced promiscuous lifestyle to a successful entrepreneur, Jessica’s courage, faith and determination has inspired followers worldwide and helped countless audiences become awakened to their dreams and walking in freedom.

As Founder and CEO of Woman of Purpose, Jessica developed the annual Woman of Purpose Conference and programs that have transformed the lives of women and altered the path of mind renewal. Her programs started in her home with just 8 women and since inception the Woman of Purpose ministry has more than multiplied. Known for her sincere and relatable spirit, Jessica has reached more than 100,000 women through social media platforms and the highly anticipated annual conference.

Takeaways from this episode:

1. Purpose is short term and Destiny is long term.

2. Take care of yourself. Help yourself by taking care of yourself. I. E. Find 3 simple things that bring you happiness and joy.

3. Go back and understand what God says about you. Who are you? What is your destiny and your purpose?

4. Find a counselor!

Where you can find Jessica:

Web: www.womanofpurposeconference.com

Instagram: @womanofpurposenetwork or @jessicachinyelu

Resources Mentioned:

www.therapyforblackgirls.com

Podcast hashtag #talkingoffthecouch and #TOTCpodcast

Email: info@talkingoffthecouch.com

This week’s episode I speak with my guest Jaynay C. Johnson about all things teens and the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. Did you know that your teen is suppose to be 13 in order to have social media?

Jaynay C. Johnson, MFT is an award-winning teen therapist, entrepreneur, author, and speaker. She owns Teen Talk, a premier therapy and educational company and the co-founder of The Black Brain Campaign. She was named in Huffington Post as one of the 10 black female therapists to know. She is a sought-after speaker on teen emotional issues. Featured as a media personality that has written or been featured by Black Enterprise, Thriveworks, Essence, Philadelphia Tribune, and more. She holds a BS degree from Delaware State University and a MA degree from LaSalle University. In 2017, Johnson was awarded the inaugural Phenomenal Women Award for her dedicated work with teenagers. Johnson served as the second woman to give a keynote speech at a high school since opening in 2009. Johnson is the author of Dear Teen Self: Tips to help teenage girls navigate adolescence and My Dear Teen Self: Guided Journal to help teens explore feelings/social scenarios.

Takeaways from this episode:

1) Teenagers aren’t terrible and they are seeking conversation.
2) It’s ok to engage with your teen and it’s important.

Where you can find Janay:

Web: www.teentherapytalk.com

Facebook: @teentalktherapy
Instagram: @teentalktherapy
Twitter: @teentalktherapy

Resources and Books Mentioned:

Dear Teen Self: Tips to help teenage girls navigate adolescence

My Dear Teen Self: Guided Journal to help teens explore feelings/social scenarios.

This is a Bonus episode!! After watching Insecure last night I had to come talk to you all!! I think this was one of the realest episodes for me and I wanted to share my thoughts.

This week’s episode is a follow up to episode 23 where I spoke about my personal struggles with my father having a medical illness called Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and how it has been affecting me mentally. I also take about grieving the loss of the living. I gave 3 tips to help process the grief.

Takeaways from this episode:
1. Feel the grief.
2. Cherish the memories.
3. Accept that the past is the past.

Resources Mentioned:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/grieving-the-living-when-your-lost-loved-on-is-still_us_5a206399e4b05072e8b56722

This week’s episode I speak my guest Charles Catchings. Charles and I talk about men and mental health, how important self-care is to men, cultural and social identity, we talk about vulnerability, and how a bunch of guys with problems is helping a bunch of guys with problems.

The Barber Shop Group is an umbrella organization that advocates for all men’s wellness while creating space for targeted groups to have serious discussions without fear of reprisal and shame. In today’s climate, many people shake their sticks at such an approach but my professional and personal experience has shown me the most effective way for our organization to advocate for men’s mental health. Currently, we have three media ventures: our podcast, a live weekly radio show allowing listeners to interact with a trained therapist, and an upcoming webtv talkshow. We host men’s retreats around the country allowing men to engage in group discussions of wellbeing and gain access to one-on-one counseling and mentoring, all while doing “guy” stuff.

Charles Catchings has been involved in mental health-care in a variety of capacities since 2003. I first started working in a boys’ group-home setting providing direct care and mentoring. I quickly found myself swept up into a world where men were sorely needed but absent. This was even truer of African-American men as many of the residents were either African-American or came from inner-cities nearby. Early in that experience, I learned a bit about my ability to connect and relate to the clients, in part due to my own background and my desire to be an open vessel for people in need. Though I maintained several jobs during that time, I realized I was to work in the capacity of mental health and healing. Later, I transitioned to working with juvenile sex offenders. This was one of the more challenging positions, requiring me to work through some of my own sexual trauma while trying to understand and guide young men who were often the victims of sexual violence or sexual avoidance unbeknownst to the public.

I was commended for my work with this group and was asked to join a team of clinicians working with deaf and hard-of-hearing clients with co-occurring disorders. I was challenged to provide the same level of care while learning an entirely new language -American Sign Language- to convey messages of healing and hope. Lastly, I was given the opportunity to work with male and female AOD clients and this is my current focus.

Takeaways from this episode:

It’s ok to be vulnerable.
It’s ok to focus on mental health.
Self caress just as important for men.

Where you can find The Barber Shop Group:

Email: charles.catchings@thebarbershopgroup.com

Web: www.thebarbershopgroup.com

Facebook: @thebarbershopgrp
Instagram: @thebarbershopgrp
Twitter: @thebarbershopgrp

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This week’s episode I speak my guest Dr. JaNaè Taylor. JaNaè and I talk about all things entrepreneurial from being an entrepreneur of color, mental health, how to set boundaries and promote self-care, we talk about being the BOSS, comparison, and the importance of social media.

Minding My BLACK Business is a movement and podcast dedicated to the mental health of Black Entrepreneurs, led by Dr. JaNaè Taylor. The goal is to engage, inform, and support other Black Entrepreneurs as they manage the business of work!

JaNaè is an Alabama native and a macaroni and cheese and brunch expert. She is also fluent in sarcasm, lover of neo-soul and big laughs with good people. Most importantly, JaNaè is a daughter, big sister, best friend, godmother, HBCU grad, and trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents.

JaNaè is a licensed psychotherapist in Virginia Beach, VA, where she owns and operates, Taylor Counseling and Consulting Services. JaNaè works with Black men and women who are struggling with harmful self-evaluations. Therapy with JaNaè helps them create a more empowered and focused sense of self that is more aligned with their beliefs and values. JaNaè also provides consultations to Black Entrepreneurs, in every stage of the game, who are working to balance their mental health, Black identity, and successful businesses.

Consultations with JaNaè result in clearer expectations and greater understanding of how to manage self while executing their business identity.

Takeaways from this episode:

We work better together.
Search out black businesses on your community and support them.
Check-In on your Mental Health and do preventive care.

Where you can find Dr. JaNaè Taylor:

Web: www.mindingmyblackbusiness.com

Facebook: @mindingmyblackbusiness
Instagram: @mindingmyblackbusiness
Twitter: @mindingmyblackbiz

Podcast hashtag #talkingoffthecouch and #TOTCpodcast