Tag Archives: Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox

What’s Your Word: the 2022 Edition

1 comment Mental Health, Self-Care , , , , , , ,

In the aftermath of years 2020 and 2021, I am, admittedly, a bit hesitant to proclaim my word for 2022. Despite my apprehension, I choose to push forward for I have always loved what a new year symbolizes – the audacity to hope, the pursuit of more, and the promise of a fresh start. My word for 2022 is S-T-R-E-T-C-H Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines stretch, the verb, in these ways: To extend or expand To reach out To amplify or enlarge beyond natural or proper limits Stretch, in noun form, is defined as “an exercise of something (such as the understanding […]

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Enduring Grief: The Price We Pay for Love

1 comment Grief, Mental Health , , , , , ,

Grief: A Human Experience To grieve is to endure pain and loss. To grieve is to suffer. To grieve is to have loved. Ultimately, to grieve is to be human. Helen Keller once said, “We bereaved are not alone. We belong to the largest company in all the world – the company of those who have known suffering.” We will all experience grief – the children we never birthed, the death of a dream, the life that never materialized, the relationship that ended, the job we lost, or a trauma endured.  Grief is much more than the death of a […]

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Accessing Mental Health Services: The College Edition

0 comments Mental Health, Parenting, Schools , , , , , , , ,

Mental Illness Statistics What we already know according to the National Institute of Mental Health: 1 in 5 adults in the United States live with a mental disorder and those mental disorders range in severity from mild to moderate to severe Young adults ages 18 – 25 years have the highest prevalence of any mental illness at 29.4% Only 38.9% of adults 18 – 25 years with any mental disorder received mental health services compared to 45.4% of adults ages 26 – 49 with any mental disorder Young adults ages 18 – 25 years have the highest prevalence of serious […]

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A Soundtrack for Social Justice

0 comments Racism, Social Justice , , , , , ,

A tenuous verdict On April 20, 2021 twelve jurors declared Derek Chauvin Guilty on three charges – 2nd degree murder, 3rd degree murder, and manslaughter. Such a verdict is unheard of, evidence of true justice in the very public death and modern-day lynching of George Floyd and unequivocal accountability for law enforcement. But only this time. The collective sigh that black people around the country painfully exhaled was quickly met with renewed heartache at the shooting death of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by a Columbus, Ohio police. During the three-week murder trial, “at least 64 people have died at the hands […]

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It’s Happening Again

0 comments Mental Health, Motherhood, Racism, Social Justice , , ,

At first, I didn’t even recognize it because I have tried so hard to push past the pain, to revel in spring’s sunshine instead of the doldrums of the day. I’ve turned off the TV, refused to watch the videos, tried to ignore the social media commentary, yet it still caught up with me. It’s happening again. George Floyd’s murder trial, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo Anguish as the dread in the pit of my stomach resurfaces Unfathomable fear as I watch my black son, my literal heart outside my chest, navigate a world that views him, his innocence, his existence, […]

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No Seat At the Table?

0 comments Self-Care, Social Justice, Uncategorized , , , , ,

At whose table shall I sit? Is there a space for me? Well, how many tables are there? And who sits at those tables? Is that even where I belong? Maybe someone saved me a chair … Perhaps space was divinely created for me … Or does my spot remain cast aside, ignored, and unwanted? Should I force my way in and pull up my own chair? You know, shift folks so I get into position Or I could ask permission, politely with a smile Spout pleasantries, curtsey, and grin Then might they let me in? Nah, I’m not forcing […]

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