Additional information
by Tonya D. Armstrong (Author)
Black Christian women are sisters: We are connected through our identity in Christ and a common history forged by the African Diaspora. These cultural and spiritual legacies not only strengthen us, but also present us with unique challenges to our health and wholeness. As daughters of the Diaspora, we encounter negative stereotypes and denigrating images imposed upon us by others. As Christians, we can be tempted to overspiritualize our lives to the detriment of our wholeness. These realities can leave us merely surviving our fragmented lives, when in reality, we want to blossom! Well, Blossoming Hope: The Black Christian Woman's Guide to Mental Health and Wellness was written to help do just that. As a licensed psychologist, minister, and seminary administrator, Dr. Tonya Armstrong attends in Blossoming Hope to the need to transcend everyday stressors, difficulties of the past, and even mental health challenges to reach the highest purpose for which God created us. By taking seriously the cultural and spiritual identities of Black Christian women, Dr. Armstrong addresses the unique challenges of Black women and provides practical resources that promote wholeness. Using the transformative tools of psychoeducation, vignettes of Black Christian women living with mental illness, inspirational music, spoken word exercises, and a wealth of spiritual, mental health, and wellness resources, Dr. Armstrong guides us toward optimal functioning in mind, spirit, body, and soul. In short, Blossoming Hope equips you for full blossoming, firmly planted in the God of our hope.
Author Biography
Tonya D. Armstrong, Ph.D., M.T.S., is a licensed psychologist and founder of The Armstrong Center for Hope, an interdisciplinary group practice in Durham, N.C., providing psychological and spiritual wellness for all ages (www.armstrongcfh.com). Additionally, Dr. Armstrong is the Minister of Congregational Care and Counseling at Union Baptist Church and the Dean of the Counseling Studies Department at Apex School of Theology. She holds a double-major in psychology and music from Yale University, a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Arts in Theological Studies (magna cum laude) from Duke University Divinity School. Dr. Armstrong is the President-Elect of the North Carolina Psychological Association. In her leisure time, she enjoys laughing, harmonizing, and traveling with her husband of 25 years and their two children.
