Author: Afiya Mbilishaka

Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka is a licensed clinical psychologist, hairstylist, professor, and the founder of PsychoHairapy, an innovative approach that uses hair care as an entry point into mental health. As an Ivy League and HBCU-educated scholar, she served as a subject matter expert for the CROWN Act, and is actively working to regulate toxic ingredients in beauty products marketed to Black consumers. Dr. Mbilishaka has trained stylists around the world to be mental health advocates. Her work boldly bridges beauty, science, and soul.

Why Black Psychology Belongs in Every Women’s College

Six women pose confidently in front of a colorful floral mural, wearing stylish white and neutral-toned outfits and heels. - PsychDiscouse

Women’s colleges often position themselves as spaces for empowerment and critical inquiry. That mission requires going beyond the limits of traditional Western frameworks.

Beauty Shops, Barbershops, and Suicide Prevention: A Call to Partner with Black Healing Spaces

Close-up of hands braiding textured hair, with a metal tool parting the hair into neat sections. Some braids are already completed. - PsychDiscouse

When we talk about suicide prevention in Black communities, we often focus on schools, clinics, hospitals, and crisis hotlines. These are all critical, but there’s another space where Black people go every week to feel safe, seen, and restored: the beauty salon and the barbershop. For generations, salons and barbershops have served as cultural cornerstones […]