Dr. LaRay Imani Price Health and Wellness Licensed Psychologist Owner of Women s InnerFitness & Wellness Center Founder of Pink Pearls of Hope Breast Cancer Organization Crofton, MD 8 Women of Distinction
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. Mother Teresa Dr. LaRay Imani Price became fascinated with psychology during her junior year of high school. Her enthusiasm was obvious to her psychology teacher, as he advised her parents that based on her passion for learning how people can be healed, the best thing they could do for their daughter was buy her a psychology dictionary and prepare to call her Doctor one day. With that framework in mind, Dr. Price set her course towards becoming a psychologist. Her faith caused her to believe she could live a happy life despite breast cancer. Through her faith and eventual medical care, she lived a high-quality life for 4 ½ additional years after her initial diagnosis 14 years earlier. As Dr. Price engaged in her doctoral research, she discovered that two of her mother s aunts had also lost their battle against breast cancer. This ultimately led to Dr. Price becoming an advocate for breast cancer awareness and prevention. In January 2010, she founded Pink Pearls of Hope Breast Cancer Organization, a nonprofit committed to inspiring women of color to take control of their health through informative, interactive, and entertaining multidimensional wellness experiences. Dr. Price s concentration on women s psychological health began when her paternal grandmother, Mary L. Price-Lee, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. She had actually been diagnosed 14 years earlier, but decided not to receive treatment because of her commitment to the welfare of others (husband, children, grandchildren, church members, co-workers, etc.) before herself. However, once her grandmother s condition was discovered, Dr. Price s family rallied together to help Mary get the care she needed. I was in the second year of my Master s program at Clark Atlanta University and wondered how many other women made their health a secondary priority to the needs of their families. As I discovered, many women with physical and mental health concerns delay treatment for fear it will disrupt the routines of their homes and families. Dr. Price s grandmother said she coped with her breast cancer diagnosis with faith and constant prayer. This insight started Dr. Price on a journey to discover more about what psychosocial facts women use to cope with breast cancer; especially the role of spirituality in their treatment and recovery. It became the focus of her research at Purdue University for her doctoral dissertation, Spirituality and Psychological Well-Being in Women with Breast Cancer. She earned her doctorate in 2006 and recently used that dissertation as the basis for a poster presentation at the 2015 World Congress of Psych-Oncology in Washington, D.C. Her next project is to submit an abstract for a chapter to be part of the American Psychological Association s Division 35-1 (Society for the Psychology of Women) upcoming book, Black Women s Mental Health: Expanding the Discussion. Mary s fears were comforted by her prayers, which gave her the mental strength to continue pursuing most of her weekly activities (i.e. church choir). She believed her journey with breast cancer was improved because of her faith in God. Faith provided her with the courage to live life to its fullest, hoping her life would make a difference in the lives of others. My passion for breast cancer awareness and prevention has resulted in speaking engagements and participation at several breast cancer awareness events around the United States. I have also facilitated forums, programs, and projects geared towards the promotion of breast cancer prevention and awareness. I am ultimately interested in the psychological wellness of women with breast cancer and helping them to increase their quality of life by assisting them in creating and sustaining good mental health. While working on her Ph.D., Dr. Price was commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Army s Clinical Psychology Internship program. She completed her internship at the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center (Fort Gordon, GA) in 2005; and was an active duty Army Clinical Psychologist for six years with assignments at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Winn Army Community Hospital (Fort Stewart, GA); and the United States Military Academy, West Point (West Point, NY). She completed her Army commission while assigned to West Point in 2010, but spent an additional three and a half years working as an Army Reserves Psychologist. Following her military service, Dr. Price worked at the United States Coast Guard Academy (New London, CT), Christian Counseling Center of Annapolis (Annapolis, MD), and Joint Base Andrews Mental Health Clinic (Andrews, MD). 9 Women of Distinction
Dr. Price s advice to anyone exploring a career as a psychologist is to locate a variety of practicum experiences in order to learn about mental illnesses and gain experience with different patient populations. Dr. Price currently lives in Maryland with her 9-year-old son and loves spending time with him traveling and exploring the various museums and historical sites in the Washington D.C. area. About Women s InnerFitness & Wellness Center Most schools train us as generalists, but psychologists often develop areas of interest or patient populations that they prefer working with. And that s exactly what Dr. Price did when she opened the Women s InnerFitness & Wellness Center this past April; where she works as an interactive and collaborative psychologist who combines spirituality with cognitive behavioral therapy. Her therapeutic approach is to provide support and practical feedback to help clients effectively address personal life challenges. She integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each client. With compassion and understanding, I work with each individual to help them build on their strengths and reach the personal growth they are seeking. Her Christian faith gives her the inspiration to help others, while her mother encourages her to listen to others without judgment or condemnation. Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Deepak Chopra also taught her that people are resilient and can heal from difficult conditions when they believe they can do so. She feels that being a psychologist isn t a career that one chooses. Women s InnerFitness & Wellness Center is a practice where women are free to explore emotions and feelings in a supportive and positive environment that offers hope: We believe the psychology of women differs greatly from that of men, because of the many unique experiences and concerns we face as women. We believe there are more things that we have in common as women than things that make us different. Women s InnerFitness and Wellness Center seeks to build a collaborative professional relationship with each client. We help guide women through issues, such as self-esteem, self-development, family, work concerns, physical and sexual trauma; in addition to coping with the emotional stress associated with medical, hormonal, and reproductive difficulties. Our expertise is in caring for a wide range of emotional and behavioral concerns of women. Our services are provided in a comfortable and supportive atmosphere that encourages healing. We offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each of our client s individual needs towards personal growth. Our philosophy for psychological health is that the strength to overcome obstacles is inside you, but it is our job to help you discover and maintain it. We want you to rewrite the stories from your past that prevent you from living the life you desire. Collaboration between a client and therapist is the essential link in our approach to therapy. That means we will work together to find resolutions to your problems. We are committed to providing a positive experience while you start or continue your journey to a healthier and happier you. As a client, you ll receive comprehensive, expert, and highly individualized care in a compassionate, intelligent, and active environment. We value the complete health of women. To support your journey, we offer a free consultation service. It chooses you, and when you stop to answer your calling, you re blessed with a sense of joy that can only come from the help and hope you provide to others. The more I give to others, the more I give to myself. I believe it is the relationship between me and my patients that help encourages them to face some of the most difficult challenges one could imagine, that the human spirit is strong, and that people can find the strength to heal after difficult circumstances. This is why society should give the same awareness and platforms to women s mental health that are given to physical health. 10
Q&A Q: Why did you want a practice focused on women? A: Women are often the emotional and physical caregivers for nuclear and extended families. Additionally, women often take on the concerns of their friends, neighbors, and communities. Therefore, it stands to reason that anyone spending much of their time taking care of others would have difficulty finding time to care for themselves. My clients often wonder how this Superwoman phenomenon happened to them; but let s face it, many women define their self-worth by the number of activities and social obligations they can manage at once. For many women, putting their needs first makes them feel guilty, because self-care can feel selfish. However, self-care is necessary, because taking care of yourself allows you to be physically and mentally healthier; thus, better capable of helping others. Q: Why do you believe that a greater focus on women s mental health is important? A: Women are disproportionately diagnosed with anxiety and depression than men. Despite the high rates of diagnosed psychological conditions in women, they still may not seek counseling to help manage these conditions. There are a variety of factors that may act as barriers to help-seeking behaviors, including gender, culture, stigma, severity of symptoms, religion, and social implications. Untreated mental health problems can have a significant impact on the health and development of the client, as well as the client s family members. Q: What are some of the concerns for women diagnosed with cancer and how can you help them? A: Women diagnosed with cancer experience a variety of stressors, such as depression, anxiety, body image and femininity concerns, medication side effects (i.e. nausea, vomiting, healthy cell compromise, etc.), declines in cognitive and physical functioning, difficulties in sexual functioning, financial concerns, and chronic pain. I help women diagnosed with cancer navigate their emotional and physical cancer experience by offering assistance with various stress reduction techniques; encouraging them to ask questions of their doctors and stay actively engaged in their treatments. Stress reduction techniques and mindfulness interventions increase treatment compliance and reduce side effects from the various treatments. Additionally, these interventions increase their quality of life with higher self-esteem, better interpersonal relationships, greater satisfaction with their body image, and more pleasure with intimacy. Q: What do you say about the stigma associated with mental health? A: According to the CDC, stigma is defined as the prejudice, avoidance, rejection, and discrimination directed at people believed to have an illness, disorder, or other trait perceived to be undesirable. The stigma of mental health is primarily the result of societal misinformation. Some people are uncomfortable being around individuals with a mental health disorder, because of the belief that the person has a serious mental illness (such as schizophrenia) that significantly interferes with how they function, limits major life activities, or cause them to behave violently towards others. Many of these misconceptions about people with a mental health diagnosis being violent have increased over the past few years with the increase in mass shootings and the shooter often being identified as having a mental health disorder. Additionally, many people with mental health problems hide their diagnosis or are in denial of having any problems because of the societal shame and misconceptions about mental illnesses. The truth is that most people with a mental health disorder can be effectively treated and their symptoms managed so that they live a normal life. Q: How does women s mental health differ from men? A: Women are disproportionately diagnosed with both depression and anxiety than men over their lifetime. Q: What is the prevalence of mental health disorders in the United States? A: Depression and anxiety are among the most common diagnosed mental health disorders. According to Mental Health America (MHA), anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in America, with more than 40 million Americans affected by these debilitating illnesses each year. Clinical depression affects more than 19 million Americans each year. Q: Should people with mental health problems use medications or psychotherapy? A: Medication and psychotherapy combined are very effective for treating mental disorders. Medication can often provide individuals with stability and help them feel well enough to work through their problems through psychotherapy. Instead of just treating the symptom, therapy addresses the cause of our distress and the behavior patterns that curb our progress. You can best achieve sustainable growth and a greater sense of well-being with an integrative approach to wellness. Working with your medical doctor you can determine what s best for you, and in some cases a combination of medication and therapy is the right course of action. Q: If I see a psychologist, can I expect my information to remain private? A: The ethics of a psychologist is that all information shared during the counseling session is confidential, except for the following situations: (1) If you are a danger to yourself or threaten to harm a specific person. (2) Suspected past or present abuse or neglect of children, adults, and elders to the authorities, including Child Protection and law enforcement, based on information provided by the client or collateral sources. Q: What are the differences between Psychologist, Psychiatrists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPC)? A: The term Psychologist is a protected name and can only be used once an individual has completed a doctoral degree in an area of psychology and passed a national and state examination. Psychologists perform counseling; however, they are trained in psychological, intellectual, personality, and cognitive testing as well. Psychiatrists are medical doctors with specialized training in psychiatric medicine and prescribe medications. LCSW and LCPCs have completed a minimum of a master degree, are licensed by a state board, and perform counseling. LCSWs are involved in direct therapy with patients in private practice or conduct research at universities. Many LCSWs have a Ph.D. and work as college professors. LCPCs in Maryland see clients; and if they have appropriate training and experience, they can also do testing and appraisal activities. Contact: Dr. LaRay Imani Price 443-569-8882 http://www.womeninnerfitness.com http://www.hopeagainstbc.org 11 DrPrice@womeninnerfitness.com Women of Distinction
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