How one woman is working to end the stigma around mental health

How one woman is working to end the stigma around mental health

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. So we’re closing out the month by bringing you a story about someone working to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental health in the black community. NBC Connecticut Sydney Boyo sat down with one woman advocating for change in this week’s Connecticut in Color. For Venice, Gardner Moore. Helping people comes natural. I’ve been called to. This work is a part of my purpose. Ten years ago, she started Embrace Your Difference after quitting her corporate job. I took a leap of faith, and I felt like it was something that I needed to do. And I said, as long as I have ten clients, it can happen. And now I have a waiting list. As a licensed clinical social worker, she helps people at her private clinic in North Haven providing therapy, life coaching and even hosting retreats. It’s very fulfilling and it’s really joyful for me. I get to see people come in somewhat resistant, and then after months of really doing the work, I can see them finally start to transform and emerge and honor themselves. Most of her clients are people of color. I grew up in a family where there were a lot of secrets, and we don’t talk about our feelings, and we don’t talk about what we’re going through. And unfortunately, that is the same within our community of minorities. It was a stigma. I am from an Afro-latina family who doesn’t quite believe in mental health, and so this was totally different for me. I didn’t quite know what to expect. I was quite nervous, but she definitely made me feel so comfortable. Her ultimate goal is to show that mental health is not taboo. It’s essential. I actually quite literally cannot imagine my life without therapy. You know, to break that cycle was very tough, very tough. And I found this to be my safe space. This practice has shown me that they accept healing and celebrate growth for black women and men who are often told to, like, be strong and very rarely given the space to be vulnerable and create a lasting legacy for her children to carry on. You get to create what you want your life to be and what you want your life

Venice Garner Moore has been working in the mental health field for 20 years, but 10 years ago, she decided to quit her special education clinical corporate job and open her own practice.