Welcoming Genna Ekambi, RP (Qualifying)
Hi!
I’m Lewis. If you’re reading this, you’re joining Perdicou Psychotherapy at a pivotal time since I launched this practice almost 3 years ago in September 2022.
Perdicou Psychotherapy was a labour of necessity at a time when I was exhausted of the violence, and racism that I was experiencing working for other people. Since then it has remained a labour - sometimes of frustration, or exhaustion - and always with an undercurrent of love.
Not everyone is lucky enough to wake up every day and do the thing that they love, or to get to mold their work into the things that they love.
I consider myself amongst the ranks of those of us who do - the lucky ones.
In the past couple of weeks I’ve had the chance to make an exciting announcement as this little practice of one develops into two - a collective - by welcoming Genna Ekambi, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) to the team (you can check out her profile here).
I was always a bit torn on whether or not I would ever welcome an Associate into the fold here at Perdicou Psychotherapy, but when Genna came along there were many special things about her that made me not hesitate to onboard her.
One of those very special things, is that Genna also happens to be my sister! I don’t know many practice owners who can say that they have known their Associate for - literally - their entire life.
Did I ever plan to go into business with a sibling? - Absolutely not.
Genna and I were not those siblings who grew up as best friends. We didn’t even really acknowledge each other in the hallways in high school, and I actually vividly remember thinking:
“..well… we see each other at home, we’re siblings not friends”.
I like to think that as we grew into the adults that we are today we really came into our own.
Am I beyond excited to be going into business with my sister, now? - Absolutely.
Beyond having shared parents and a house growing up, now we share a politic, a vision, excitement, and a passion for mental health. We share a belief in sound, ethical practice, care, personal and professional love, and healing!
Genna also represents, and works with an often underrepresented group in the mental health world - Black folks who are: women, femmes, experiencing pregnancy/postpartum, and parents.
Black folks of all walks of life and who exist at many intersections of identity unfortunately have worse overall rated health and mental health outcomes than some of our counterparts based on things like systemic and individual racism, distrust of a historically ill-equipped, and harmful medical system, and shame and stigma in the community (and no, I’m not going to cite my sources on this one - Google is your friend, you’ll see what I mean).
It is for these reasons, and because of our own lived experiences that as a collective at Perdicou Psychotherapy, we focus a lot of our work on this population.
The Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance cites shocking, but true and important statistics that simply cannot be overlooked about Black Maternal Mental Health:
Almost 40% of Black mothers and birthing people experience maternal mental health.
Black women are twice as likely to experience maternal mental health conditions compared to white women, but half as likely to receive treatment.
Maternal mortality rates of Black women are 3-4 times higher than that of white women.
There is absolutely no good reason for these statistics to read as they do. Genna is passionate about using her own lived reality to supporting these very people who are represented in these statistics through honouring each person’s own unique body, and experience. Through her work Genna hopes to make changes to the realities that our communities see, and walk that in-between space with her clients; the journey out of survival mode toward growth, and toward so much more.
I am so excited to get to support Genna in growing her practice, and to see her continue to flourish in this field!
I have so many big and exciting plans for Perdicou Psychotherapy to come, and I couldn’t ask for a better person join in that vision to make this a collective.
If you or anyone you know is looking to work with someone like Genna, click the “Book Now” button below, or anywhere on the website to book a session with Genna, or your Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation.
