Joy Harden Bradford facts for kids

Joy Harden Bradford, born in 1979, is an American psychologist. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is famous for creating Therapy for Black Girls. This is a platform that helps Black women with their mental health. It includes a popular podcast. By 2019, her podcast episodes were downloaded over two million times!

Early Life and School

Joy grew up in Paincourtville, Louisiana. She went to Xavier University of Louisiana for her first degree. Then, she studied at Arkansas State University for her master's degree. She earned her PhD in psychology from the University of Georgia. Joy is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Her Career

Joy Harden Bradford is a licensed psychologist. She helps African American women with their mental health. She has been a mental health expert since 2011. Before that, she worked as a college counselor.

Starting Therapy for Black Girls

In 2014, Joy created Therapy for Black Girls. She got the idea for the name after watching a show called Black Girls Rock! on BET. She wanted to create a space where people could talk about mental wellness.

Joy explained that she wanted to discuss how things like not getting enough sleep can affect your mind. She also wanted to talk about how too much time on social media can make you feel bad. She believes it is important to focus on mental wellness. This means taking care of your mind, just like you take care of your body.

What the Platform Offers

The Therapy for Black Girls platform has many parts. It includes a Facebook group called the Thrive Tribe. There is also a list of mental health therapists. The platform offers a blog and a podcast. The podcast is also called Therapy for Black Girls.

Joy's work helps to reduce the stigma around mental health. Stigma means feeling ashamed or embarrassed about something. She wants to make it normal for Black communities to talk about therapy. In 2019, she made an online directory of Black women therapists. This was because many people asked for recommendations.

Other Work

In December 2018, Joy was asked to co-host a reunion show. It was for MTV's Teen Mom: Young + Pregnant.

In 2023, Joy published her first book. It is called Sisterhood Heals. The book teaches readers how to find and keep good friendships.

Personal Life

Joy Harden Bradford is married.

Awards and Recognition

Joy Harden Bradford has won several awards for her work:

• 2021 – Winner, Webby Awards, Health & Wellness Podcast (for Therapy for Black Girls)
• 2021 – Winner, Ambies Awards, Best Wellness or Relationships Podcast (for Therapy for Black Girls)
• 2023 – Winner, NAACP Image Awards, Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast (for Therapy for Black Girls)

Her Works

Podcast

• Therapy for Black Girls

Book

• 2023. Sisterhood Heals: The Transformative Power of Healing in Community.

See Also

• Race and health in the United States
• Mental distress