Interview of Tysheira Maddox by Sabriya Dobbins, Project Passport Founder

“I like to tell people that they have a purpose. They have been created for a reason. Every day they wake up, there is something for them to do and complete in life.”

The world has gotten dark for so many people and MSW, Tysheira Maddox knows this all too well. Originally thinking she wanted to work in business, Tysheira realized that her love for understanding people and how they function was even greater. Diving into her MSW, which she will be completing soon, was the best decision she could have ever made.

Currently, she works in the mobile crisis world for children ages 5-17 through a program known as PATH Inc located in Philadelphia, PA. Before her present position, she worked with disabled and elderly populations for several years. One thing is for certain, all that she has done has put her life into perspective. She has seen human suffering up close and she is determined to make a change.

“A lot of people suffer and want to commit suicide. I try to shape the world as you are a big piece of this puzzle and you have what the world needs,” she says.

Violence has ravaged her community and it’s hard to ignore the alarming rate of children dying by the gun in the last few months alone. On top of this, the drug issues have been skyrocketing with heroin becoming the drug of choice. Seeing the need in her community, she has decided to work in the forensics division of social work. Particularly, she will serve families in crisis due to criminal situations such as homicide and sexual abuse.

When asked about what the mental health community is missing, she explained that we are far from affordability and accessibility.  Tysheira feels that many communities do not have the funds to receive the treatment they need. In addition, they are often not educated about their mental health, hence it only gets worse.

She urges us to start in the schools with children and helping them cope with trauma. Tysheira believes that children are often trying to tell us what is wrong but we have to be there to listen.

She states, “When people go to therapy, we always trace their issues back to their childhood. As a parent taking care of a kid, you can really mess their life up. You have to look at what they see and what they experience. People grow up with trauma. People grow up in foster care. Your background and the communities you grew up in all shape how you think, make decisions, and handle emotions.”

Tysheira is the author to the blog Leave Inspired which is focused on her experience with mental health, relationships, friendships, self-love, and cycles of life. She will be tweaking a few things as she sees that she enjoys mental health and wellness as a whole. Read her blog here.

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Project Passport is a proactive mental wellness company that aims to bring mental wellness retreats, workshops and other services to company teams. We also help women create joy in their lives every step of the way. To learn more about our company retreats and services, click here. To learn more about our tribe community for women, click here. Our travel retreats will resume in the future as the world reopens.