Mental Health Archives - Jocelyn Jackson Williams

Got Therapy?

When I was in grad school, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. came to speak on campus. I wrote about in a previous post. He said something I’ll never forget which is, “If I could pay for every African-American to get therapy, I would because we all need it.” I agree. I love my family. I love…

You Might Be Depressed If…

It was January when I decided I needed to leave Los Angeles and move back to the Bay Area to be closer to my dad. That March, my boyfriend, who also lived in Northern California, proposed to me. I moved in May. My entire life changed in a matter of months but I felt ready…

Hello Infertility, I’m Depressed

My dream for a child of my own started when I was 11 years old. I wasn’t even aware at the time that it was a dream. I thought I was just helping my mother see a dream of hers fulfilled. My mom told me that she and my dad couldn’t have any other kids.…

Depression Series, Part 2: Hello Black History Month – Let’s Talk About Depression

My grandfather was my favorite person on the face of the earth. I was such a big fan of his. When I was a child, I absolutely adored him. Just to name a few reasons: he was kind, he hummed songs to himself, and he drove a pristine, always-looked-&-smelled-like-it-just-came-straight-off-the-lot Cadillac, with white leather interior. As…

Depression Series, Part 1: What If You Told The Truth About How You Really Feel?

Note about this series: Society does not give us space to talk about how we really feel. And even when that space becomes available, the last thing that’s talked about is depression. And even when we talk about depression, we don’t talk about who it affects beyond the person who walks around with an ever-present…