My kids were the ones who made me stop and really look at what was going on with me. I remember my oldest son asking me, “How are you feeling today?” and then telling me I had been feeling down a lot lately and that he never knew what type of mood I was in. That hit me hard as a parent, because I never want my kids feeling like they can’t come to me or that they have to guess which version of me they’re going to get.

I was in my pride for a long time. I kept saying I didn’t need help, that I had it, that I could push through it, even though mental health runs in my family and the people closest to me were trying to help me see it. Growing up in a Black community, we did not talk about therapy like that. A lot of us were taught to carry everything in silence, and that silence follows us into adulthood, into our homes, and into the way our children experience us.

That is why I’m calling for health plans to fully cover therapy and mental health care without the cost barriers that stop people from getting help. Taking your mental health serious is just as important as taking care of your physical health, and it should be treated that way by every insurer and every health system. People should not have to choose between getting support and paying bills, and parents should not have to wait until their children notice they are hurting before care feels possible.

I opened up, I booked the appointment, and I started taking this seriously. But too many people never get to that step because access is still too hard, too expensive, or too stigmatized. If you believe mental and emotional health matter, sign this petition and demand real access to therapy for our communities.