She was 7 when her inner self started to let itself be heard. When your mom is the church choir director, chances are pretty good that you will understand music, and any expression of art, as the voice of the soul. And when your soul deeply feels the pangs of past experience and an inner voice tries to convince you that you are smaller than others, music takes on a life of its own. A life destined for healing.

Having released her first song, “Phoenix Rising,” songwriter and singer, Katarra Parson, has “stepped into her power” and spread her wings as a black female artist who often feels invisible in a male-dominated industry. In this week’s “Mental Health Matters,” Katarra and Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW discuss how having anxiety and being an introvert (which is NOT a sign of weakness as is often assumed) give her a rich perspective on the human condition and how soul-searching clears the way for that voice to the soul to be heard and to heal.