Sisterhood Heals - by Joy Harden Bradford (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Strengthen the relationships that mean the most, heal with your sisters, and transform your life for the better with the licensed clinical psychologist who founded the award-winning podcast Therapy for Black Girls.

Sisterhood is that sacred space where all the masks that are worn for the world fall off. It's the place where you lay down your load, refill your cup, and laugh until your belly aches. Our sister circles literally prolong our lives. However, building and keeping healthy friendships take work. How must these friendships evolve as we age? What practices can we put in place? Can they be the key to unlocking a more fulfilled existence? The answer is yes.

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford has been doing the work to help Black women heal together for more than twenty years. In a sisterhood community with more than half a million members, she's the go-to therapist for Black women looking to prioritize their mental health and become the best possible versions of themselves. Now she's sharing all she's learned using the tenets of psychology and group therapy to help us foster relationships that are not only positive, but transformative.

In Sisterhood Heals you will

• discover the ways in which your present-day relationships with Black women have been influenced by your past
• identify the recurring role you play in your friend group and how it influences your relationships
• learn new strategies to grow and sustain healthy, nurturing friendships as well as how to rebuild after a rupture

Dr. Joy brings the warmth, wisdom, empathy, and levity found in our girlfriends to these pages, and reminds us that during difficult times sisterhood is often a lifeline with the power to help us experience fuller, more satisfying lives.

Review Quotes

"Sisterhood Heals is full of guidance and insights on building and nurturing solid relationships with other women. Dr. Joy Harden Bradford offers a roadmap for personal growth and improved connections with others, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and joyful life. . . . A valuable resource."--Nedra Glover Tawwab, therapist and New York Times bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free

"Sisterhood Heals is a revelatory work about caring for ourselves and for our friends, and how our relationships impact us in more ways than we ever realized. Inspiring, wise, and thoughtful, this book is a gift for anyone looking to deepen their friendships."--Luvvie Ajayi Jones, speaker, entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author of Professional Troublemaker

"Dr. Joy's work joins a long legacy of Black women writing us into new realities of wellness. Sisterhood Heals is an exceptional new text for us to learn from. It's a loving reminder that we are our sister's keeper and she is ours. If you want to feel seen and be lovingly invited to build life-changing relationships, read this book and share it with a friend."--Rachel E. Cargle, author of A Renaissance of Our Own

"For many, there is a collective wound around safety and support in friendship. We long for connection but don't always have the tools to meet that need in a meaningful way. Dr. Joy's work continues to free people everywhere through her depth, expertise, authenticity, and courage to show the way forward."--Devi Brown, founder, Devi Brown Well-Being

"This book feels like an offering for the altars of sisterhood, love, and guidance. And, most important, it's a skilled handbook on knowing how to preserve those connections."--Fran Medina, wellness advocate, producer, and founder of Hey Fran Hey

"[An] impressive debut ... backed with psychological depth, and especially welcome in a culture that sometimes downplays nonromantic bonds. This is food for the soul."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a licensed psychologist and the host of the award-winning mental health podcast Therapy for Black Girls. Her work focuses on making mental health topics and support more relevant and accessible for Black women. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana, a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling from Arkansas State University, and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Georgia. Her work has been featured in Essence, Oprah Daily, The New York Times, HuffPost, Black Enterprise, and Women's Health. Dr. Joy lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two sons.