As A Therapist

“If there ever comes a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known.”

As a therapist, I was struck by the deep pain girls and women carry from the mistreatment they have suffered at the hands and words of others, and the lack of support they offer each other or were being offered by their communities. Consistently, I was shocked at the lack of support, resources, and awareness on girls’ issues of girl bullying, self-inflicted pain like eating disorders, cutting, promiscuity, and abuse issues. Not only were girls and women often misunderstood and not properly assisted, but issues would be exasperated due to the lack of resources and poor help.

I cringed as I observed society and media cheering on girls and women of all ages to turn on each other as the “mean girl” character who is then celebrated and rewarded with fame and wealth. To see girls hurting and being rejected by peers was disturbing, but then to see them bullied, humiliated, and harassed by other females, peers, and society was absolutely distressing. I wanted to yell, “ENOUGH!” to the barrage of messages our girls and women were getting that was exasperating critical issues, and attacking their fragile self-esteems. I found myself telling women “YOU ARE ENOUGH!” but my voice seemed small in the sea of voices yelling loudly, “YOU’RE NOT ENOUGH!”

Here are the issues that women of our world are confronted with daily:

-Over 10 million girls suffer from an Eating Disorder in the U.S. (Did you know that this is thenumber one mental illness with the highest mortality rate?)

-Cutting and other self-inflicted pain is a growing trend for adolescent girls, and often mistreated and misunderstood by professionals and society

-Girl bullying is a national and global issue at EVERY age

-Media continues to offer unrealistic images of women that damage the spirit and self-esteem of our young girls who grow up to be mothers of young girls

-Women and children are our largest poverty group and most victimized people group

-The sexual exploitation of females grows at an alarming rate around our world

-Fair work wages for women continue to be marginalized as they make less than men

-Poor or no legal ramifications or legal advocacy is provided to women of domestic violence in many places in our world

To add to my frustration, I often found myself advocating for girls and women in our society with limited resources, support, awareness or collaboration in my community. I began to collaborate with teams of professionals who were able to collaborate and treat the unique needs of women with care, compassion, and skill. But the need expands beyond what I or other quality professionals could offer. I knew we needed more.

In contrast, we at NuShu Sisters have noted the healing power that prevails when women were encouraged to talk, and bind together to empower each other.

NuShu Sisters is a non-profit movement designed to:

-      I N S P I R E women of all ages to create a new culture where women are collaborative and celebrating of each other versus being competitive and critical,

-       E M P O W E R girls and women to develop their authentic selves and educate society on the unique needs of women, and

-       P A R T N E R with other like-minded agencies and organizations to create one forum and counteract the fragmented care we are experiencing in our communities.

I am blessed and excited to be working with other fabulous and inspirational women who are walking beside me to create a nation of women who: speak a collaborative language, walk in their strength and beauty, and are cultivating an empowered culture for women. Join us! We’d love to have you be apart of this powerful movement.

“When sleeping women wake, mountains move.”

 

Founder and Visionary,

Jennifer Dean-Hill