Health and Wellness: Female African American Licensed Mental Health Professional Authors Book “Copeology.”
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- March 7, 2022
Dr. Joanne Frederick has been in the field of Counseling for over 25 years as a University Professor and a Counselor in Private Practice. Dr. Frederick specializes in treating people with Anxiety, Depression, Relationship issues, Terminal illnesses, and learning disabilities. She works with individuals, couples, groups, adults and children.
Dr. Joanne Frederick is a licensed mental health counselor in the District of Columbia. A Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Maryland, and a National Certified Counselor.
Dr. Frederick is the author of the book Copeology. Is it an anthology available on Amazon that covers how to deal with grief and loss, being a black man in the world today, disabilities, surviving Covid-19, infidelity, anxiety and fears, trauma, and single parenting.
Dr. Frederick is currently the Executive Director of a Nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization named Holistic Opportunities Propelling Everyone. This organization provides counseling, mentorship, and educational workshops within underserved communities.
She has many written and presentation publications concerning mentorship, supervision, and counseling, to name a few. Her most recent work consists of coining the term “Bibliopsychoeducation “. This term refers to the infusion of Biblical works and scriptures with psychology as a means of enhancing coping skills. She is a mother of 3 and a Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. In addition, she takes pride in her Caribbean-American Heritage.
She holds a Doctorate Degree in counseling from the George Washington University in Rehabilitation Counseling, a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Baltimore and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Morgan State University. In the wake of the Covid 19 Pandemic, she decided to pen an anthology that covers how to deal with grief and loss, being a black man in the world today, disabilities, surviving Covid-19, infidelity, anxiety and fears, trauma, and single parenting as Dr. Fredrick is also a single mom of three. The book is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Copeology-Dr-Joanne-Frederick/dp/B09NS4SSBP
Following are some of the critical mental health topics and tips Dr. Frederick covers in the book:
Managing survivor’s guilt
1. Acknowledge that you have endured a traumatic event. There is no right or wrong
way to feel.
2. Allow yourself time to mourn.
After any sort of trauma, we often can’t do the same things we once did. Give yourself time
to mourn, heal and find a way back to a new normal.
3. Find a group of other survivors.
Tackling self-reflection
1. Be honest with yourself.
Consider why you are making the choice you are making.
2. Write to yourself.
Journaling or writing letters to yourself is a great way to see your thoughts and feelings
about choices you make.
Overcoming negative self-talk
1. Perfection!
No one is perfect. Allow yourself to do your best instead of comparing yourself to others.
2. Create a list of positives.
Make a list of positive words. When you find a moment that you begin to be hard on
yourself, pull out your list and speak those positive words aloud.
3. Practice works.
Facing loss and grief
1. Lessons given.
Even during loss and grief we must find the bright side of things. Consider what positive
lessons the person you lost taught you.
2. Memorialize.
Sometimes we must commemorate and preserve the memory of a loved one. We can do so by
planting a tree or keeping something that reminds us of them.
3. Take a trip!
Men need self-care too
1. Take 15 minutes of quiet time.
Carve out fifteen minutes a day just for you.
Whether it’s a moment alone with your thoughts in the bathroom, or in the parking lot before you pull away from work.
2. Journaling.
Sometimes writing it down is all you need to do to help you get out of your own way.
3. Get physical.
Start working out, get a massage or even try a new hobby. The goal is to do one thing that is an action just for you.
Overcoming sexual trauma
1. It’s not your fault.
No matter what you think, what you feel or if you could have spoken up for yourself,
it – was – not – your – fault!
2. Tell someone.
Everyone has secrets. When you release the secret, the healing begins. Select a person that you trust and ask them to just listen and not solve a problem.
3. Seek help.
Seeking out a professional mental health provider may seem like a big task, but let’s be honest you need someone outside of your circle to help you sort through your feelings and thoughts.
Managing Depression
1. Identify sadness.
Recognize that your short-term or long-term sadness could be a sign of depression.
2. Realize.
Understand that you are not alone. Depression is one of the most common mental health concerns.
3. Seek help.
Depression is treatable through medication, talk therapy, or a combination of both.
Dr. Joanne Frederick
Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Washington, D.C
