In The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, psychologist and African American mental health expert Rheeda Walker offers important information on the mental health crisis in the Black community, how to combat stigma, spot potential mental illness, how to practice emotional wellness, and how to get the best care possible in system steeped in racial bias.
Written by September 3, 2024

My Thoughts On The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Rheeda Walker

Explore & Grow . Transformative Reads Article

I’ve been reading The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health these past couple of months and I need every Black Person in my network to please, please, pretty please, add this book to your reading list or go get it now.

 

It will change your life, if you let it.  I’m literally telling everyone about it.

Maybe I should be an ambassador or something.

It covers so many important realities of the challenges we face in the US of A as people of African descent.

For example,

  • The importance of identification with our culture and history.
  • Being realistic about the realities of racism and assimilation
  • Suicide and how to know you or someone you love are at risk
  • Giving yourself space to take a break from the “rat race” of life
  • Assessing your resilience and fortitude

 There’s practical guidance for knowing when you need a therapist, how to go about vetting one and even tips for if you don’t think you’re ready for therapy, how you can begin to impact, what Dr Walker calls, you Psychological Fortitude (PF)

 

I discovered  Dr Walker in her series of sessions for Black people on the Calm app. They were so enlightening for me and helpful that I had to check out the book.  If you have the Calm app, I highly suggest you search for her sessions there and listen to them.

When I borrowed this book from the library, I wasn’t sure how I would like it. I was hopeful, of course after the session in the Calm app.  After reading it in full, I plan to purchase it as I can see the need to read it again to refresh my memory and remind me of some of the tools she provided.  Those tools, as she writes, are habits we need to learn and practice over time.  As they say, old habits die hard and our minds like comfort.

This book is so real, down to earth and practical and does so much to validate the experiences we face as people of the African diaspora.

On my Blooming Book Rating System, this book would be a:

Full Bloom 🌺 – Absolutely transformative, a life-changing must-read!

 

In The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, psychologist and African American mental health expert Rheeda Walker offers important information on the mental health crisis in the Black community, how to combat stigma, spot potential mental illness, how to practice emotional wellness, and how to get the best care possible in system steeped in racial bias.