Welcome To Shame Proof Parenting
TRAUMA INFORMED PARENTING SUPPORT FOR BLACK FAMILIES RAISING TWEENS
THIS IS THE MOMENT YOU KNEW WAS COMING.
But nothing Has quite prepared you for it.
You’ve got a tween.
One minute they’re curled up next to you watching cartoons.
The next, they’re slamming the door with tears in their eyes and a playlist of emotions you can’t decipher.
Your sweet, curious kid has become a whole emotional galaxy, and some days, you feel like you’re orbiting a planet you’ve never visited. You find yourself wondering:
Is this normal?
Did I do something wrong?
Are they growing up too fast?
Or am I just parenting through my own childhood wounds?
And beneath the noise, there's a deeper prayer whispering:
That your Black tween gets to grow up whole. Joyful. Free and Grounded in their power.
That they know how to feel the hard stuff without drowning in it. That they believe in their brilliance—because you've mirrored it back to them.
But what happens when your nervous system is already on edge?
When parenting brings up more than just pressure— it brings up pain, old patterns, and stories you never got to rewrite?
This isn’t just parenting. It’s reparenting. It’s breaking cycles while still making dinner. It’s teaching emotional fluency you weren’t taught yourself.
It’s sacred. It’s exhausting. It’s everything.
And you’re not alone.
WELCOME TO SHAME PROOF PARENTING
Where Cycle-Breaking Gets Tender, Tactical, and True
Hi, I’m Dr. Mercedes. I’m not a parent…
…and I’m proudly child-free by choice.
But I am someone who has spent decades helping Black families unlearn shame-based parenting scripts and rewrite new ones rooted in truth, tenderness, and cultural clarity.
I created this space for cycle-breakers:
The parents are doing the heart-work of healing while raising kids with tools they never got.
The ones choosing emotional safety over control.
The ones reclaiming joy, even in the midst of generational wounds.
Here’s what I’m here to support you with:
Reparenting yourself, while still in the thick of parenting
Naming how trauma, shame, and cultural messages show up in your family
Building a parenting style rooted in joy, accountability, and liberation
Raising your tween with boundaries that protect, not punish
I may not be your child’s parent, but I am the adult child you’re raising.
I’m the therapist, advocate, and AfroNerd walking beside you every step of the way.
WHY THIS ISN’T JUST ANOTHER PARENTING SPACE.
Shame Proof Parenting is built for real life, not perfection.
Here, you’ll find a framework that is:
Culturally expansive – We honor your child’s identity and yours.
Trauma-informed – We know what it’s like to be parenting with a nervous system that’s already doing the most.
Anti-oppressive – No respectability rules here. We center liberation, not assimilation.
Rooted in healing – Grounded in therapy, mental wellness, and emotional literacy—because parenting is psychological work, too.
Because raising Black tweens isn’t just about behavior, it’s about identity, dignity, and the freedom to feel.
Take a deep breath. You’re not alone anymore.
Start building a shame-proof family, one brave conversation at a time.
Work With Me
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Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive Support for Black families Searching for Generational Healing
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Trauma Informed, Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive Healing for Individuals
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Brainspotting is a powerful, brain-based therapy that helps you process trauma, anxiety, overwhelm, and stuck emotional patterns.
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I design and implement systems that prioritize the psychological safety of cast and crew while supporting authentic, inclusive storytelling.
Shame Proof Parenting
#1 Amazon Bestseller | Award-Winning Guide for Raising Whole, Healthy Kids
Parenting doesn’t need more shame—it needs more connection.
Whether you're navigating tantrums, tween emotions, or teenage rebellion, this book helps you:
Communicate with clarity
Discipline without guilt
Build a parenting style that actually works for you
If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”—this is your answer.
FAQs
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Most sessions are 50 minutes. Intensives or consultations may be longer, and we’ll talk about that if it applies to your care.
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We get to know each other. I’ll ask some questions about your goals, your history, and what brought you in. You can ask me questions too; this is a two-way fit.
But, I also give you a small version of a session so you can truly see what it feels like to get support.
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That depends on your needs. Most clients start weekly, and we reassess from there. Some shift to biweekly or monthly as progress happens. Also, with other offerings there may be different commitments based on what we’re working on.
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My standard session fee is $200. I offer intensives, consultations, and supervision at varying rates. After our initial consultation, we’ll discuss session rates.
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That’s something we talk about. I welcome feedback and we’ll explore what’s not feeling right. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll help you find someone who is. No shame. Just care.
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Yes! My work centers the lived experiences of Black families, including parenting through neurodivergence, trauma, and cultural stigma. We’ll make space for all the identities and truths in your family.
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Absolutely. You don’t have to wait until you're "healed" to be a good parent. In fact, parenting while healing is part of the work we’ll do together—with compassion and without shame.
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Yes. My supervision blends clinical development with personal insight, especially for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ clinicians navigating their own healing while doing the work.
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Yes, I hold space for those doing justice, education, and emotional labor. You deserve rest, clarity, and care, not just productivity.
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Not at all. I meet you where you are. You don’t need the “right” words. Just come as you are. I’ll help you build language, insight, and safety as we go.
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Great questions! It’s a role I created where I design and implement systems that prioritize the psychological safety of cast and crew while supporting authentic, inclusive storytelling. This role exists to ensure creative teams feel supported, empowered, and represented at every stage of production and promotion.