Wellness That Matters: Black Health News & Community Care
- Co-response work involves on-site crisis responses, from gas station interventions to family emergencies, using practical de-escalation techniques.
- Safety protocols guide field teams to protect clinicians and community members during volatile encounters.
- Careful communication bridges differing professional languages between mental health clinicians and law enforcement partners.
- The collaborative model diverts 98% of encounters from incarceration to treatment, emphasizing community-based solutions.
- The Therapy for Black Girls podcast with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford shares resources, listener voice notes, council opportunities, and a therapist directory.
This week’s guest is Renée Bryan, a Licensed Professional Counselor and educator with a Master’s in Education from Mercer University and a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Richmont Graduate University. What makes Renée’s work particularly compelling is her role as a mental health co-responder with law enforcement. This growing field many mental health professionals may not even know exists. In today’s conversation, we explore what it’s like to ride alongside police officers daily, responding to mental health crises in real-time.
Renée takes us inside the day-to-day realities of co-response work, from gas station interventions to family crises, sharing the de-escalation strategies that work in the field and the safety protocols that protect both clinicians and community members. We discuss the challenges of navigating different professional languages between mental health and law enforcement, the current state of community mental health resources, and how this collaborative model is achieving a 98% diversion rate from incarceration to treatment.
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
Resources & Announcements
We’re building our TBGU Advisory Council and are looking for some amazing young women to join us! The Advisory Council will be made up of traditionally college-aged young Black women (18-23) who are passionate about shaping conversations around mental health and the experiences of this community. This group will be instrumental in helping to develop content for the TBGU podcast and social media channels. Please go here if you’re interested in learning more or applying.
Did you know you can leave us a voice note with your questions for the podcast? If you have a question you’d like some feedback on, topics you’d like to hear covered, or want to suggest movies or books for us to review, drop us a message at memo.fm/therapyforblackgirls and let us know what’s on your mind. We just might share it on the podcast.
Grab your copy of Sisterhood Heals.
Where to Find Our Guest
Stay Connected
Join us in over on Patreon where we’re building community through our chats, connecting at Sunday Night Check-Ins, and soaking in the wisdom from exclusive series like Ask Dr. Joy and So, My Therapist Said.
Is there a topic you’d like covered on the podcast? Submit it at therapyforblackgirls.com/mailbox.
If you’re looking for a therapist in your area, check out the directory at https://www.therapyforblackgirls.com/directory.
Grab your copy of our guided affirmation and other TBG Merch at therapyforblackgirls.com/shop.
The hashtag for the podcast is #TBGinSession.
Make sure to follow us on social media:
Twitter: @therapy4bgirls
Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls
Facebook: @therapyforblackgirls
Our Production Team
Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard
Director of Podcast & Digital Content: Ellice Ellis
Producers: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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