At just a young age, Williams knew she wanted an impactful life filled with enriching and powering others’ lives. She had a passion for working with underserved, underrepresented, underprivileged communities, which led her to social work. Keyonia reflects on past advocacy experiences working in the foster care system. Currently, she is specializing in culturally specific counseling, coaching, consulting for individuals, groups and organizations.What You Will Hear: 1:32 Keyonia’s cultural identity development with black pride 3:15 Growing up in an inner city as a significant catalyst for change 4:17 Inspiration to become a teacher of influence 5:27 Escaping inner cities to be faced with gentrification 6:08 Sacrificing a piece of black cultural to gentrification 7:34 Lack of resources to further strengthen the foster care system 11:37 Separating prejudice and racism from therapy 14:15 The BBS and the system’s  need to take responsibility for licensure 15:13 The interconnectedness of your wellbeing and your profession  16:18 Teaching through an Afrocentric Theory Perspective 17:31 Williams current career path with cultural specific counseling  17:43 Black people receiving therapy with only Black Clinicians 21:04 Having education as access not as a privilege 23:09 Healing Black Souls program and efforts to destigmatizing/decolonizing mental health and PTSD 28:04 Intersectionality of Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health 35:27 Parenting Classes from the Black perspectiveQuotes:“The choices we have to make come with a selling out factor.”“ There is no good that comes from removing children from their home.”“To think that one can practice therapy and separate who you are as an individual, your belief systems and your values is absolutely ridiculous.”“If we are not checking in with our values and our belief systems, and how that’s showing up for us and our professional life, then we’re being problematic.”“I am my community. My community is me.”“As a black person seeking therapy from another black person, there’s only one thing I can do. I can show up and be my full self.”“You cannot be Black in America and not have PTSD.”“There is religion/religiosity, which takes on forms of a cult-like experience. There is spirituality, which can be individual, but also community, and then there’s mental health, which looks many different ways in collective cultures.”“Black people were raised to understand, take care of, and be careful of whiteness.”“Black babies deserve to grow up in homes that love and value them because they are not going to get that in this society.”MentionedInstagram: @healing_black_souls_consultingHealingblacksouls.orgKeyonia@healingblacksouls.orgAfrocentric Theory