Panoramic Counseling Blog

Memoirs of Mental Health: Columbus Short

Given this series, it's clear that memoirs are my favorite book genre. With that being said, Short Stories: The Autobiography of Columbus Short is one of the most dynamic memoirs that I've ever read. I know of Columbus Short from his role in ABC's Scandal; however, his career has spanned choreography, music, and film production. From reading his memoir, I...[ read more ]

The Face I Made… A Book Review

It has been a while since I’ve reviewed a book on this blog but this book was so moving that I couldn’t help but share.  The Face I Made When the Doctor Said I had Cancer... Again!!! is a memoir that was started by Jonathan "J.O." Newby and was later finished by his wife, Regina Newby after he passed away...[ read more ]

Let’s Talk About Colorism

Given the events of the past year, we should all know what racism is and that it is, unfortunately, alive and well. Today, I’m going to talk about a form of racism that happens to folx of color, often by folx of color.  It's called colorism.  Colorism is prejudice towards darker skin; more specifically, it’s the idea that lighter skin...[ read more ]

Driving While Black

In 2018, I was nearing the end of my 2-year counseling residency and saving up to start what would eventually become my private practice for psychotherapy. I worked full time at a counseling agency at the time; however, I supplemented my income by driving for Lyft and Uber. I had been driving for those companies since I moved to Richmond,...[ read more ]

Cicely Tyson: Honoring the Life and Legacy of an Icon

I preordered Cicely Tyson’s memoir back in December, already knowing that her story would be one of the most profound I’ve ever heard. I was beaming Tuesday morning when Audible notified me that my preorder was available. All my other books went to the back burner and I began binge listening, taking breaks of course to do mundane things like...[ read more ]

Mindful…ish

I have a confession to make. Though I've written and spoken extensively about mindfulness, meditation is not my cup of tea... But here's my actual cup of tea! Though I occasionally use meditation apps in sessions with my therapy clients, it isn't my preferred method to check in with myself. So I've coined a new term, mindful...ish. Below are some of...[ read more ]

Loc’d: A Journey of Becoming

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has gained more significance for me throughout my mid-twenties. I say this because I didn't begin embracing my Blackness until about 3 years ago (but more about that in a bit.) So in the spirit of MLK Day, I'm sharing about what Black hair has taught me about my own mental health; more specifically, my...[ read more ]

What are Boundaries?

Boundaries are definitely the most common challenge that I see in my therapy sessions with clients, doesn't matter if they're facing anxiety, life transitions, addiction, etc. But what are boundaries? Boundaries are expectations that we set in interpersonal relationships to optimize our quality of life. What are the types of boundaries? Harper (2020) describes boundaries in seven categories: Physical boundaries- These...[ read more ]

Memoirs of Mental Health: Mariah Carey

I have never been more excited to press "publish" on a blog post than I have been today. Mariah Carey is on my short list of musicians that have changed my life (right next to THE Ms. Lauryn Hill) so obviously, I pre-ordered The Meaning of Mariah Carey when it was first announced. Today, I'm excited to share some mental health...[ read more ]

Memoirs of Mental Health: Trevor Noah

I finished Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah for the first time a few months ago; however, publishing my review felt ill-timed given that George Floyd had just been murdered that week. Having finished the book for the second time today, I've come to understand that Noah's story is very relevant to the times we are living in. So let's...[ read more ]