Jennifer Sheard looks longingly at her three-year-old daughter, Poppy, and imagines a world where she will have access to holistic mental health treatment, without stigma or barriers. The adorable, full-of-life toddler is the inspiration and force behind Poppy’s Therapeutic Corner, a private therapeutic practice with offices in Cincinnati and Dayton. The Poppy’s team of 15 provides holistic care to the African American community through therapy, mindfulness support and accessible intervention for community members in need. Since its inception as a small corner space in a general practice office four years ago, the group has grown to support nearly 1,500 patients in two offices.
According to The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness, hopelessness and feeling like everything is an effort. Yet only one in three Black adults seeks help. Sheard wakes up every day on a mission to change the storyline.
“I envision a small corner of the world where people can come and be themselves,” Sheard says. “With just a couch and a chair, we provide a safe space to talk about anything without judgement or worries. We want our clients to be able to take care of themselves, their families and, ultimately, build generational wealth and success.
“We’re a family, and we treat our clients like family. Thanks to the pandemic, our family community needs support now more than ever.”
Poppy’s Therapeutic Corner supports clients with an office in Roselawn and another in Kettering. To learn more, visit poppystherapeuticcorner.com.