Healing through Hip Hop Culture and its connection to knowledge of self with @MarringtonEdu, MS, MFT

Brittani Williams and Michael Arrington

 

Wholehearted West Coast Living Podcast Healing through vulnerability & friendship with Esmeralda Zaragoza-Estrada, ASW

 

@bwilliamslcsw #TikTok shares Part 1, 2 and 3, of her book recommendations that have helped decolonize her therapeutic practice.

 

@bwilliamslcsw #Inverted #decolonizeyourbooklist #therapy #selflove #socialwork #socialworkersoftiktok #sandiegotherapist #healingtiktok #therapytiktok #foryoupage #decolonizetherapy #books #healmatic ♬ original sound - Brittani Williams

@bwilliamslcsw #Inverted #decolonizeyourbooklist #generationalhealing #decolonizetherapy #therapy #socialwork #socialworkersoftiktok #sandiegotherapist #healingtiktok #therapytiktok #healmatic #booklist ♬ original sound - Brittani Williams

@bwilliamslcsw #greenscreen #Inverted part 3 #therapy #generationalhealing #decolonizetherapy #decolonizeyourbooklist #therapy #sandiegotherapist #socialwork #healingtiktok #healmatic #books ♬ original sound - Brittani Williams

Wholehearted West Coast Living Podcast Ep. 2 "My Story" with Host Brittani Williams

 

@BWilliamsLCSW Introduces you to #WholeHeartedWestCoastLiving #Podcast "Not therapy101 as you think you know it, but rather a liberated space geared toward having real conversations addressing the life we are living in today"

Brittani Williams is finally bringing a podcast to life in Wholehearted West Coast Living. This video is an introduction to what viewers and listeners can expect to find when tuning in to WWCL podcast. Born and raised in Southern California, with little to no knowledge or access to mental health resources, Brittani plans to describe how people can and have used Hip-hop, as well as other forms of art and culture to find healing. With a goal to normalize therapy that represents the whole person/client, and affirms not only their mental health and wellness but also has an understanding of cultural/gender/societal identities. 

This podcast is not going to be therapy101 as you think you know it, but rather a liberated space geared toward having real conversations addressing the life we are living in today the best we can. 

For more info make sure to Subscribe 

 Follow her for more on Instagram, TikTok & Twitter @bwilliamslcsw 

Disclaimer: This podcasts represents the opinions of its host and guests and is solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and should not be used as a substitute for therapy or mental health resources.

[full transcript below]

What's up, everyone? My name is Brittani Williams, and I'm here to welcome you to the very first episode of the Wholehearted West Coast Living podcast.

 I’m your host Brittani Williams and I want to welcome you to this podcast. This is going to be a podcast where we're going to have real conversations, about real issues, with real people. Normalizing mental health, wellness, and vulnerability.

 I’ve been talking about doing a podcast for a long time, the problem, is that this is new to me. I’m going to be navigating a lot of uncertainty, but we're just going to see what happens.

I’m really excited for you to tap in, and for me to just share my story, my own personal experiences, while at the same time introducing you to some of the dopest people I know. I’m thankful that you've tapped into the very first episode, feel free to follow me on Instagram and tik tok @BWilliamsLCSW to stay up to date.

Before we get into anything else, I want to introduce you to who I am and why I'm doing this. So, who am I?

I am a fourth generation Mexican American that grew up in the greater Los Angeles area, with roots in San Diego and where I currently call home.

I'm a licensed mental health therapist, a social work entrepreneur, and the founder of Healmatic group practice.

Aside from that, there are other very important roles that really inform how I show up in this work, that is being a wife, a mom of three, a daughter, a sister, a Tia, a home girl and forever a student of hip hop culture as well.

All of these parts are really important for me to acknowledge because, again it’s what informs how I show up in my work, and the community in general.

I'm really at this point in my career, where I am no longer willing to minimize those parts of myself to fit in; to be professional. I've come to this really strong realization, that showing up in my fullness is powerful and more than enough.

Which leads me to why I've decided to launch a podcast.

Growing up, I was raised to have a really strong work ethic to ignore my feelings, and to just put people first, to be of service. But I also ignored the inner struggle that I was experiencing, and I knew my friends were experiencing too; we just didn't talk about it. For many of us, we found our sense of identity, our sense of releasing and grounding through the L.A., underground, hip hop scene. That was our form of therapy and so the content on this podcast will be aimed to destigmatize and normalize those conversation in just a real way.

I also think it's important to note that, when we think about people that have these really fancy degrees. or titles, like; therapists or doctors, we think of them as exempt from pain and suffering. The real truth is, that we're real people. Therapists are real people that have their own trauma and their own story, their own dysfunction and I do not intend to hide that from this podcast.

So, this is going to be a very real platform and we may make mistakes, and I may say things that aren't correct. I'm open to being a learner in this podcast.

My intention for this podcast; again, is to have a dope liberated space, where we could have real conversations and be open and supportive with one another. So that we're not doing life alone, we can do it together in this supportive space.

Keep in mind that the content on this podcast is not a substitute for therapy. If you need mental health resources, please look into that within your area, I'm forever rooting for you.

Until then, I'm looking forward to the next podcast, and I'm looking forward to building with you. In the same way that my mentor Jackie Johnson signs off, that's in peace, love, healing, and solidarity.

SDVoyager Community Highlights: Meet Brittani Williams of HEALmatic Group Practice

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittani Williams.

Hi Brittani, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Growing up in a Mexican American home, I was raised to push through hardships, ignore feelings, and work hard regardless of your circumstances. We were taught not to talk about our family problems or personal struggles, so when it comes to the concept of therapy, we had no idea it even existed. From as far back as I can remember, music has been my outlet. At the age of 15, I found a sense of identity and belonging in the local LA underground Hip Hop scene and began rapping and freestyling. This was my way of releasing, grounding, and also finding community; this was my form of therapy.

Once I identified this as a form of healing, I was committed to further researching the clinical implications of Hip Hop culture and integrating cultural affirming models into the therapeutic process. From there, I started my academic journey and obtained a Bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of Southern California and a Masters in Social Work from University of Hawai’i at Manoa. After graduate school, things got real, and I needed to find a job. I ended up working in community mental health in North County San Diego and spent 6 years there working in schools, foster homes, and group homes. During this time, I felt a sense of frustration and anger, not only with myself but with the greater systemic issues that exist in community mental health. Becoming aware of these challenges reminded me of why I got into this work in the first place and inspired me to provide an alternative to traditional approaches to mental health.

In 2020, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, I decided to take a major risk by leaving a full-time job to pursue my ultimate goal of opening a practice with a primary focus to:

Destigmatize mental health

Build a team of therapists with lived experiences that show up as their full selves.

Provide culturally affirming space for healing

Focus on trauma-informed, identity affirming, and integrative approaches that contribute to the individual and to the collective healing.

Today, my business, HEALmatic Group Practice, is averaging over 180 sessions monthly, partnering with nonprofits, providing training to agencies, and speaking engagements to various associations.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes, there are so many aspects involved in opening and operating a business and this is something that we aren’t prepared for in graduate school. For example, deciding what type of business you want to operate under LLC/Scorp, marketing, accounting, and other legalities while also managing all the life changes that were brought upon us due to the pandemic. Thankfully, I was able to find a lot of support from other therapist entrepreneurs on Instagram and TikTok.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about HEALmatic Group Practice?
The name of my practice (HEALmatic) is inspired by the legendary Hip Hop Album ILLmatic by Nas. Naming my practice after one of the most important albums of all time was my way of honoring how much Hip Hop has brought healing into my own life. My team specializes in somatic work and believes that you can’t separate the brain from the body; both must be addressed to support individual and collective healing. What sets us apart is we are therapists that show up authentically and practice from a people-centered and culturally affirming lens. HEALmatic’s brand is us; we are first-generation college graduates, first-generation recipients of therapy and first-generation therapists who have personal lived experiences with our own mental health. We offer individual, couples, family, and group therapy along with workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My grandma was the first one to show me what it looks like to have a heart for people. Spending time with her in East Los Angeles, she taught me the importance of community, self-worth, and fearlessness. On the business side, my dad and my uncle Pete were the first ones to start businesses in my family, showing me that it was possible to not just start your own business but be in a position to provide opportunities to others in our family and community. It’s important for me to also pay homage to my childhood friends, those who were undocumented, the ones that came from single-parent households and lived in poverty. Their individual stories and experiences are why I do what I do. With the support of my husband, children and family, I was able to create something that I can pass on to the next generation. Through the years, I’ve had so many people who have helped and supported me to get to this place, and I am forever grateful for their advice, investments, business partnerships, and mentorship.

@socialworkrants The Social Work Rants Podcast ft. Brittani Williams, LCSW

Podcast host Bas Moreno, LMSW has been in the Social work field for the past 20 years. This social work podcast provides the listeners a dose of the hosts' world in social work, sharing personal stories, hopefully providing some education, smiles and laughs. The host also interviews other social work and mental health professionals in the field. Thank you for listening and supporting.

Subscribe to the podcast. Leave a comment/rating on podcast episodes.

The podcast can be found via on Twitter @SOCIALWORKRANTS and IG @THESOCIALWORKRANTSPODCASTFormer Fordham University Graduate school of Social Work Professor Dr. Edgar Tyson, Ph. D was the founder and creator of Hip Hop therapy. Brittani discussed using Hip Hop therapy in her sessions with her clients. We also discuss her top hip hop artists dead or alive, the impact of Selena (the singer) and how 2020 has affected your work. This episode is dedicated to Dr. Tyson. May he RIP.

Hip Hop Therapy with Brittani Williams on The Melanated Social Work #Podcast @Mtoliver_lcsw

In this episode, the folks of Melanated Social Work have the honor of connecting with Brittani Williams, LCSW, therapist, emcee, and educator. Listen to hear about her journey into social work, how she's brought hip hop into her therapy practice, and the process of starting her own private practice.

The Melanated Social Work Podcast is hosted by four men of color within the field of social work; Josh McNeil, Marvin Toliver, Michael Grinnell, and Jesse Wiltey. Join us as we discuss social work, mental health, politics, music, liberation and many other topics.

Youtube interview El Banco, Tu Abuelita Ft. Brittani And Citos

For this months episode for El Banco, Tu Abuelita, we have the brother and sister duo, Brittani & Citos. Join them as they speak about their grandma and how they carry her legacy. Brittani is a college educator, therapist and emcee. Citos also teaches at Jurupa Hills High School and coaches the Spartan varsity football team. B-Roll provided by George Morina, Kelly Lacy and Klaus Hausmann from Pexels and Pixabay. Music: "Washed Away" by David James - Artlist "Spread Love" by K-Solis - Artlist "Piccola - Preghiera" by Kaleido - Sea - Artlist "Oceanside" by Kicktracks - Artlist "Far Away" by Kevin - Graham - Artlist "Amor Eterno Piano" Homenaje a Juan Gabriel "Si Una Vez" (Instrumental) instagram@tu_abuelita1 instagram@never_ending_artist

In this episode, we learn about hip-hop therapy from Healmatic.health Brittani Williams a licensed clinical social worker.

Elyce and Leah here, two (kinda) basic women and licensed mental health professionals influencing you on the sh*t that really matters.

This week Brittani Williams joins us to influence you on hip-hop therapy. Brittani Williams (@bwilliamslcsw) is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), educator and emcee contributing to the collective work of hip-hop therapy. In this episode, we learn about hip-hop therapy and gain a better understanding of what hip-hop culture really is. We discuss some of the stigma and misconceptions of hip-hop culture. We also talk about the impact of trauma on our mental health and identity the importance of vulnerability. Brittani opens up about some of her personal experiences, professional journey and also shares one of her own verses (this is the best part).

Support this podcast by subscribing/following on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you liked this episode, please rate and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

You can also call in and leave us a voicemail with any afterthoughts, questions or suggestions for future topics at 323.553.2093!

We would LOVE to hear from you.

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Leah @yourmoderntherapist

Elyce @thatrelatablesocialworker

As always, we appreciate you!

Disclaimer: If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or is in immediate danger, please dial 911 or contact a local crisis line. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement for professional or medical care.