PsychoHairapy with Dr. Afiya

Don't get your edges snatched. Hair loss has reached alarming rates for Black women, and it can often be preventable or treated through designing an integrative wellness plan. Facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Monte Harris, describes his professional approach to addressing hair loss in Black women through a culturally sensitive journey of self-discovery, from reducing stress through meditation, reconnecting to African ancestry, and the medical procedures of hair restoration and transplantation.

Website: www.harrisface.com

African spirituality is not only what our ancestors practiced for millennia, but includes modern methods for taking care of yourself and your family. In this episode, Dr. Afiya had a conversation with Baba Sekou Olayinka, a Babalawo, which is an initiated priest in the spiritual system of Ifa amongst the Yoruba people of Nigeria. He provides spiritual consultations and readings, as well as educates families on Iwa Pele, the Yoruba concept of good character. The episode emphasizes that the path to good health is having strong spiritual roots and good character.

You know that auntie that always keeps it real, blesses you with gifts and advice, and loves you unconditionally? Well, Arlette Pender is not only a master pioneer of the natural hair industry, but she also volunteers her time and money to be the auntie to hundreds of girls learning to love themselves. In this episode, listen in to this storyteller share the highs and lows of her personal life and how she figured out a way to help communities feel loved through their hair.

Yes, you can wear braids at the Pentagon! Black women in high positions are often faced with a decision about what hair is considered professional. Lonye Ford, a cybersecurity expert, chronicles her impactful career as Black woman in the military and rising through the ranks of cybersecurity. She highlights each achievement with being intentional about her hair each stage of the way for her success.

Black hair is often policed; we've all seen the stories of kids being kicked out of school and people losing their jobs because of the appearance of their hair. The CROWN Act ensures protection against discrimination based on hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles in the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and state Education Codes. Professor Wendy Greene has dedicated her legal career to civil rights, racial and gender equity, and appearance discrimination. In this episode, she breaks down how she advocates for the CROWN Act at the local and national level to #FreeTheHair !

Instagram: @naturallaw77 and @professordwendy

Taking care of your mental health does not need to get ugly. Kyra Pinkney (Beauty Influencer and Mental Health Advocate) shares the intimate details of her journey in managing mental illness and how she transformed doing her hair and makeup in front of thousands online into a mental health ritual to compliment her therapy.

Instagram: @kyraariana_

Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States that impacts millions of people on a daily basis, and yet it is often misunderstood. In this episode, Dr. Afiya sits down with her colleagues/co-authors Dr. Benson G. Cooke and Dr. Nathalie Mizelle-Johnson to discuss their recently released book, "All About Depression." These experts explain the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for depression at the individual and community level, including utilizing the space of hair salons and barbershops to treat depression.

What is the psychology of Black women? Dr. Huberta Jackson-Lowman has dedicated her career to answering this question. She is the immediate past president of the Association of Black Psychologists, an international organization dedicated towards liberation of the African mind, empowerment of African character, and illumination the African spirit. In this episode, Dr. Afiya and Dr. Huberta Jackson-Lowman discuss all things Black women's mental health.

Do you have hair stress? Hair stress is defined as the physical (hormonal, hair and scalp conditions) and psychological (anxiety) effects of persistent and improper hair care and styling practices used to transform hair from its authentic state to achieve and maintain a desired unnatural texture and appearance. In this episode Dr. Afiya and Dr. Evelyn Winfield-Thomas (a psychologist, university administrator, and hair researcher) discuss the complexity of hair stress in the lives of Black women.

What is the process of "becoming Black"? Several theories and measures have emerged in the field of psychology in attempts of answering this very question. In the episode, Dr. Afiya worked up the courage to interview the esteemed Dr. William E. Cross Jr while he was in a busy lobby between sessions at the Black Psychologists conference. Dr. Cross is a theorist and researcher in Black identity development. He is best known for his Nigrescence Model, first detailed in a 1971 publication, and his book, Shades of Black, published in 1991. Cross’ Nigrescence Model expanded upon the work of Black psychologists who came before him, and created an important foundation for racial/ethnic identity psychology. Throughout his career, Cross has been concerned with racial identity theory and the negative effects of Western thought and science on the psychology of Black Americans, specifically the need for “psychological liberation under conditions of oppression.”