The Creative Therapist

10/20/2025

These books and authors come up in sessions all the time, so let’s talk about ’em. I believe all reading has value, but some miss the mark on what people are really seeking or need to navigate their healing journey. They can feel incomplete, overly clinical, or disconnected from lived experience and culture.

1️⃣ The Body Keeps the Score by Jon Kabat-Zinn
😒 Graphic and overly detailed. It explains the mind-body link but can re-traumatize or overwhelm.
🙌🏾 Try: My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem centered on embodied trauma through a cultural and racial lens.

2️⃣ The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
😒 Sounds freeing but often promotes avoidance over growth. Healing takes discernment and accountability.
🙌🏾 Try: All About Love by bell hooks explores truth, accountability, and community care as real peace.

3️⃣ Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
😒 Vulnerability is powerful, but it’s also a privilege. Not everyone can be open without risk.
🙌🏾 Try: Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey reframes vulnerability as reclaiming rest, softness, and humanity.

4️⃣ Peace from Broken Pieces by Iyanla Vanzant
😒 Inspiring but deeply personal and spiritually driven may lack trauma-informed structure for everyday healing.
🙌🏾 Try: The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris blends story and science to explain trauma’s impact with accessibility.

Honorable Mentions:
😒 Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown insightful but can oversimplify complex emotions and miss cultural context.

🙌🏾 Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy Degruy: reframes trauma through the lived experience of Black people, showing how systemic oppression, slavery, and racism have created intergenerational patterns of pain and resilience.

This is not a dismissal or a ploy to discourage reading; it
is simply an invitation to read critically. Healing is not
one-size-fits-all. Take what serves you, question
what does not, and remember that insight
without safety, rest, and cultural grounding rarely
leads to wholeness.

10/05/2025

While she hasn’t publicly claimed an ADHD diagnosis, SZA has described her process as scattered and procrastination-heavy, with bursts of creativity. These are often tied to ADHD, but in her artistry, they become her superpower, fueling risk-taking and imaginative sound.

Save this as a reminder: you’re not broken and your creativity is brilliance. 🌱🎨

⚠️ These posts are NOT meant to diagnose or dismiss the need for professional care, but to honor the real each diagnosis while showing how creativity can be a powerful (and often overlooked) form of healing.

✨ This post is part of a series reframing mental health “symptoms” as creative gifts.

10/01/2025

Therapists know these moments all too well. Anxiety loves to play the “what if” game, even when the facts are clear.

For clients: I know this doesn’t mean you’re being difficult. It means your brain is stuck in the anxiety loop, looking for certainty it can never actually get. Part of therapy is learning to notice the “but what if…” spiral and gently shift into tools that ground you instead of chasing endless reassurance.

Here are 3 solid tips for managing the “what if…” loops:

1. Name it 👉🏾 Notice when you’re in a “what if” loop and call it out.

2. Ground yourself 👉🏾 Use your senses or deep breaths to anchor in the present.

3. Flip it 👉🏾 Try asking “what if it works out?” instead of only worst-case.

09/30/2025

09/29/2025

Starting therapy is like taking your first bite of a new meal, you don’t have to finish the whole plate at once. 🍴

Begin with just one piece:
✨ A goal you have (peace, confidence, healing)
✨ A picture of what you want life to feel like

From there, your therapist helps you chew through the layers (fears, old trauma, family pressures) one bite at a time.

You don’t need the perfect words. Just a small starting point. The rest unfolds as you go. 🌱

Also therapy works best in small bites. Start with what feels manageable, and let the process feed your growth.

09/28/2025

Sometimes the work chooses you. ✨ No matter how many detours you take, when you’re called to do something important, something that’s rooted in your purpose, you can’t walk away from it. That tug on your spirit won’t let you stay silent or play small. Rest when you need to but leaning into your calling, even when it feels heavy, because purpose has a way of finding you over and over until you answer. If you’ve ever felt pulled back to your gifts, your people, or your mission, this one’s for you. 💫

09/27/2025

Sometimes, I just let them get it out first 😅. Perfection is not a requirement round here. You don’t have to show up polished or with all the right words. I’ll sit with you through the mess, the pauses, the crashouts. Because healing ain’t about being perfect. "We talk bout practice" 😉. One day, with time and space, I know you’ll find your way. Until then, I got you. 💛

This is what therapy with me can look like. No judgment, no pressure, just support while you work through it at your own pace.

09/26/2025

Your imagination and your intelligence can fuel your anxiety, but they can also free you from it. As a licensed therapist and creative wellness coach, I help women of color turn their creativity into a tool for healing. Your mind’s natural gifts (imagination + intelligence) are both the cause and the treatment for stress and anxious thoughts. Instead of letting your brain run wild with worry, learn how to redirect that same creative energy into calm, clarity, and resilience. 🧠🎨

This isn’t about silencing your thoughts, it’s about learning to use them. If you’ve ever felt like your “smart brain” or “vivid imagination” makes you spiral, I hope this will help you see it differently.

09/25/2025

Don't be fooled because we were never meant to do life in isolation. Our ancestors survived through collective care—family, chosen family, and cultural hubs like churches, salons, barbershops, and art collectives. Community has always been the way we thrive.

But somewhere along the way, especially in the 1800s and 1900s, we got sold this idea of “individualism.” It became the so-called American Dream, and it pulled us away from the traditions that kept us strong. By the 60s and 80s, the message was everywhere: do it alone or get left behind.

Now we’re in a loneliness epidemic. And it’s not just uncomfortable, it’s hurting people’s mental, emotional, and physical health.

The good news? Connection is still possible. Sometimes it’s family, sometimes it’s chosen family, sometimes it’s those cultural spaces that feel like home. Wherever you find it, that’s community.

Give yourself patience while you find your people. Like crochet, each stitch takes time but the blanket only comes together when all the pieces connect. 🧶

09/23/2025

Resting first is often the real productivity hack because it helps you finish in less time, with less stress, and with energy left over for yourself.

We’ve been taught that powering through exhaustion is the way to prove we’re strong, capable, and productive. But here’s the thing: sometimes it’s not motivation or willpower you’re lacking, it’s rest.

Anxiety and trauma often convince you that pausing is unsafe, that you’ll “fall behind” if you stop. But most situations aren’t true emergencies, they just feel urgent because your nervous system is on high alert.

💬 What’s one task that always takes longer when you’re tired?

09/22/2025

Here’s a little-known truth: improving an old skill or learning a new skill is one of the most underrated tools for managing anxiety.

Why? Because anxiety thrives on unused intelligence and restless energy. Your brain is wired to do something and if you don’t give it direction, it’ll find something (overthinking, replaying conversations, spiraling into “what ifs”).

But when you improve an old skill or pick up a new skill whether it’s crafting, playing an instrument, or creative writing you give your brain a job that’s both grounding and rewarding. Instead of running endless worry loops, your mind gets to problem-solve, explore, and create.

Here are some craft-based ideas 💡

1. Crocheting / Knitting
Rhythm and repetition calm the nervous system and improve focus. (My personal favorite 😍)

2. Diamond Painting / Beading
Small, precise movements ground attention and ease racing thoughts.

3. Origami / Paper Folding
Builds patience and focus aka meditation with your hands.

4. Collage / Mixed Media Art
Expresses emotions visually and boosts creative problem-solving.

5. Creative Writing / Journaling
Gives thoughts a place to land and helps process emotions.

6. Pottery / Clay Work
Grounding through touch and soothing through repetitive shaping.

7. Cooking (uses all 5 senses)
Colors, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds. A mindful way to create nourishment.

8. Embroidery / Hand Sewing
Slows your pace, promotes mindfulness, and creates beauty with precision.

9. Painting / Watercolors
Emotional release through color and movement; lowers stress.

10. DIY Candle or Soap Making
Creative, sensory, and leaves you with relaxing final products.

09/21/2025

Tired of doom scrolling or scrolling yourself wide awake at night? Let me help you actually rest. I’m Nelicia, a black licensed therapist, and I create meditations made for us, by us.

These ain’t your basic “clear your mind” scripts. I’m talking about real tools for people of color carrying stress, burnout, racing thoughts, and that never-ending to-do list. My meditations are short, powerful, and culturally affirming because you deserve more than cookie-cutter self-care.

🌙 Use them to fall asleep, reset your nervous system, or even play them while you’re crafting to keep your hands busy and your spirit grounded.

Subscribe to my channel for guided sleep meditations, nervous system resets, and affirmations that remind you: rest is not optional, it’s sacred.

If you check out the channel, please subscribe, and like so more people can find them. Also, leave a comment letting me know what you think so I can improve the videos over time. ❤️