I'm so excited to be back releasing episodes of Safe Space with Shay after my summer hiatus and this episode was so refreshing and personally moving for me. In this episode I discuss with Natalie Casey, a Licensed Professional Counselor & Certified Brainspotting Practitioner what beliefs her diverse client based hold and how their beliefs and child upbringing impact their emotional wellbeing. Natalie also gave a brief yet clear explanation of Brainspotting and how affective it is in processing trauma and emotions physically. I hope you are enlightened and encourage to give brainspotting a try or recommend to someone who you believe may benefit from this form of therapy. To learn more about Natalie and her practice, Casey Wellness Center, you can schedule an appointment with her on her website, About | CaseyWellnessCenter.

To learn more about Brainspotting as Natalie mentioned that was discovered by Dr. David Grand, Ph.D you can read more information here, Brainspotting – Where you look affects how you feel



Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

This episode was nothing short of amazing and so insightful! It's been a goal of mine to partner with other Minority & Marginalized Communities to create allyship with reducing the stigma of Mental Health because as Dr. Lo mentioned in this episode the impact of trauma is the same with our communities and we can all benefit through connecting and sharing to build greater relationships and communities. Dr. Lo is a fully Licensed Psychologist in the state of Michigan with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field her "strengths as working with individuals who typically hesitate to seek out therapy (for example, racial minorities, men, or people who do not trust therapy or have had unsuccessful therapy experiences.)" Demonstrates her ability, experience and expertise as an impactful mental health professional. Although Dr. Lo has a current waitlist for accepting new clients you can learn more about her on her website here,  About Dr. Lo | Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (drloinannarbor.com)

To learn more about the disparities in marginalized communities see the American Psychiatric Association link here, Psychiatry.org - Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations

I hope you find this episode insightful as I did!

*Please pardon the background noise


Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

Narcissism and Narcissist are "buzz" words that are frequently being used in our society today and I wanted to take a deep dive to understand, what is Narcissism? And how can people impacted by a person who has Narcissist traits get the support they need to recover or better managed their interaction and communication with those who exhibit the Narcissist traits and behavior. Michelle A. May, MA, LPC, who has 36 years of experience working in the mental health field did a great job explaining Narcissism and emphasizing the importance of empathy while also obtaining the mental health support to those recovering from a relationship with a person who had Narcissist traits/behavior. I believe our Emotional Wellness is the cornerstone for our overall Health & Wellbeing and should be attended to regularly since Communities of Color have severely been underserved in the Mental Health space. As always, I hope you find this episode enlightening and impactful.

To learn more about Michelle A. May, check out her website Michelle May

Looking for resources, check out my resource page here Resources – Safe Space With Shay

Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

This episode is near and dear to my heart personally as I know the importance of not only talking about ADHD but how imperative it is to understand it to ensure you find the right approach and strategies to manage ADHD to ensure a productive, progressive and satisfying life!  Dr. Erikka Taylor Board Certified Psychiatrist exceeded my expectations throughout our conversation with her in-depth knowledge and expertise as an ADHD Psychiatrist who supports Children, Adolescent & Adults, this is an episode you won't want to miss!

You can find Dr. Erikka Taylor Private Practice link below, tap/click,
Catalyst NC | Our Team of Medical and Therapy Providers

Here you'll find the CHADD-Children & Adults with ADHD, link below, tap/click,
CHADD - Improving the lives of people affected by ADHD

You can find your Local CHADD Chapter here for additional resources and support groups, link below, tap/click,
CHADD Affiliate Locator - Find a local ADHD support group in your area

To purchase Dr. Ericka Goodwin, Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist books that Dr. Erikka mentioned during our conversation can be found here, in the link below, tap/click,
Books – Global Health Psychiatry (ghpsychiatry.org)


Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

Happy 2024! I'm so glad to be back recording and releasing my podcast episodes that are always insightful and this episode was nothing short of that! I had the pleasure of having Mr. Ben Tate who is a Rehabilitation Counselor who support those who are overcoming Substance & Alcohol Abuse and Anxiety. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, "Black Americans have similar rates of substance use disorder (17%) as non-Hispanic Whites, but higher rates of illicit drug use (24.3 vs 22.5 respectively) and unmet treatment needs (16.4% vs 15.7%, respectively)" Ben and I talked about the triggers of Substance & Alcohol Abuse which was surprising to me all related to one's emotional wellbeing or lack thereof. This conversation was necessary and I'm hopeful it's an ice breaker and light to those who need to hear this conversation!

Need to contact Mr. Ben Tate, here's his website,  Working it out - Counseling (clientsecure.me) or you can email him at, [email protected]   

Al-Anon Family Groups resource below, Help & Hope for Families and Friends of Alcoholics,
Find an Al-Anon or Alateen Face-to-Face, Phone, or Online Meeting

Need additional Support, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has resources found here on this link, Find Support | SAMHSA

Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

We all need a "Friend-Check In" and on this episode I had my good friends Krista & Khalid back on and if you all don't remember Krista & Khalid joined me back on my "You Single or Naw?" episode and it was sooo good and popular amongst my listeners I had to have them back on! This episode was a free-flowing conversation with a focus on self-love and relationships, I hope you find this episode engaging!





Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

On this episode I had the pleasure of having, Chautè Thompson, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, Qualified Parenting Coordinator & Founder and Owner of Inspiring Hope Counseling Home - Inspiring Hope Counseling (inspirehopehealthhealing.com) & Brand New Me, LLC Relationship & Parenting Consultant | Chautè Henry Thompson (chautethompson.com)  Chautè experience as a Family Mediator was very evident during our conversation with her speaking on how emotional wellness from both parents can impact and result in a successfully coparenting relationship and blended family setting. I love the optimism that permeated this conversation that healthy blended families and coparenting relationships are possible if we are intentional and true to ourselves when navigating through the challenges in the space of coparenting relationships. As always, I hope you find this episode enlightening and encouraging!

You can find Chautè bestsellers books here on the following links  Brand New Me: The Pursuit of Wholeness: Journey from Pain to Greatness: Thompson, Chaute: 9780578440071: Amazon.com: Books and Brand New Me: Complemented, Completed and Whole: A Guide for Singles and Couples to Grow from Within: Thompson, Chaute: 9780578534787: Amazon.com: Books

Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

I was so excited to have Dr. Dalton-Trusty on as she's a Director of Clinical Training and Co-Director of the Mental Health and Wellness Clinic at my alma mater Wayne State University! On this episode we talked about the stigmas that impact the Black Community mental health and wellness such as socio-economic and environmental factors, Dr. Dalton-Trusty shed light and provided some very pertinent points that I believe you'll find insightful. Her academic achievements and success are commendable and lends itself so well in our conversation. I hope you find this episode enlightening!

Want to learn more about becoming a client through Wayne State University Mental Health & Wellness Clinic? Here's the link Mental Health and Wellness Clinic Client Form - Wayne State University

Learn more about Dr. Dalton-Trusty tap here Dr. Lucetry Dalton, Psy.D., LP - College of Education - Wayne State University

Find a NAMI Support Group if you’re supporting a loved one with a mental illness https://www.nami.org/Find-Your-Local-NAMI/Affiliate/Programs?classkey=a1x36000003TN9LAAW

To learn more about the disparities and discrimination in mental health see links below,
Fact Sheet: Health Disparities and Stress (apa.org)

Racism, racial discrimination, and mental health, with Riana Elyse Anderson, PhD (apa.org)

Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.

On this episode I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Jason Phillips a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who provides evidence-based treatment for his clients through his private practice. Jason is approachable, relatable and knowledgeable in his field, he has an extensive background working with different populations in the mental health field that lend him the adaptability to support individuals especially black men on various levels when it comes managing daily stress, support healing with deep-seated trauma, building confidence and navigating relationship challenges. I love having conversations centered on black men mental and emotional wellness because they have been dehumanized for too long and I'm happy to create a space and have a conversation on not only how their community can support them but how they can and deserved to support and care for themselves! I hope you find this episode helpful and encouraging!

To contact Jason, check out his website, Jason Phillips, LCSW | Peace & Prosperity Coaching – Licensed Therapist | Life Coach (jasonlphillips.com)

Jason is also a podcaster too! Check out his podcast, The Peace & Prosperity Podcast here, Podcast – Jason Phillips, LCSW | Peace & Prosperity Coaching (jasonlphillips.com)


Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.  

I'm always excited and appreciative to have experienced mental health professionals on my podcast to share and educate myself and my audience on their level of expertise in the mental health field. Dr. Gilmore has over 15 years of experience in emotional wellness, prioritizing self-care, healing trauma, and relationship preservation.  When we think of mental health we often think about mental illness or trauma however emotional wellness (and unwellness) is a major component of mental health. Dr. Gilmore shared what emotional wellness and unwellness look like and ways to navigate through our normal human emotional bouts, and more importantly how emotional wellness (or unwellness) can impact us in the workplace! If we are not emotional well our work performance suffer,  we can lose motivation and confidence. Dr. Gilmore provided some practical and relatable scenarios on what we can do to better impact these areas in our lives! I hope this episode is insightful to you!   

To learn more about Dr. Gilmore, you can reach out to her through her website, About - LSGilmore (lovesupportguidance.com)

To read more about the current state of workplace burnout, the American Psychological Association published the insightful article below, 

“Employers need to focus on workplace burnout: Here's why….Concrete ways to address the problem with psychological science”

https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-workplaces/workplace-burnout?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=apa-workplace&utm_content=workplace-burnout


Disclaimer: Safe Space with Shay is not intended to be a therapy replacement or substitute, if you are experiencing a mental health crisis please reach out to your physician or your mental health provider.