Black History Month Speaker to Discuss Self-Love

Mylira Green, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, will deliver a simple message in her Feb. 25 virtual presentation for Thomas Nelson as part of Black History Month.

"In order for you to be successful in any environment, you must first love yourself," she said.

Her presentation, scheduled to start at 1 p.m., is titled "Self-love for Mental Health." Her goal is for those participating to "walk away loving themselves. It literally starts with you." She wants people to learn what self-love looks like and how they can achieve it.

Green, who lives in Suffolk, earned a bachelor's degree in social work from Norfolk State University, a master's in social work from the University of Southern California, and is working on her Ph.D. in organizational leadership at Regent University.

At first, she wanted to be a teacher like her mother, but was reminded how it doesn't pay much.

"And then I picked another profession that is the same thing," she said.

It didn't take her long to realize she is a social worker at heart. She enjoys showing people there often are factors in their environment that affect their behavior.

"If we can shift then they can change their life span," she said.

Sometimes that's just humanizing the human experience, denouncing the need for perfection, or shifting people's mindset.

"Sometimes it's not that people are bad or they made bad decisions, but they may not have had access to the adequate resources," she said.

Lack of access to resources is the most frustrating part of being a social worker, she said. As much as she wants to help people, there are limitations.

"We live in a society where we want people to be happy, but yet all the things we live by sometimes impact that happiness," she said. "I can't change wages. I can't change the need for daycare. I can't change some of those aspects of people's lives."

The most rewarding part of her job is when she's able to make a difference in someone's life, "when people look at me and say, 'Thank you Mylira. I didn't think I was going to get to this point.'"

She knows life doesn't always go as planned, and people can feel as if there is a dark cloud following them around. She likes to think of herself as the one who can offer a glimpse of sunshine.

Ten years from now, Green would like to be the owner of a wellness center or in higher education, where she can teach social work or how to incorporate mental health into the business world.

But for now, she's concentrating on helping others. She hopes her doctoral work "can really shift the organization of social work and mental health as a whole." She's passionate about helping people realize life is worth living.

"There are so many people committing suicide today because life is becoming overwhelming," she said. "If I can be the person to share a piece of my heart, to share a piece of my knowledge to keep you alive for one more day on Earth, then that is why I'm a social worker."

It all starts with showing people how to love themself.

In addition to Green's presentation, there are two others in the next two weeks:

Feb. 16 at 3 p.m.: "From King to Today." Stories of those who have contributed to Black history and carried the torch passed from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In-person at the Gators Café on Hampton campus. Virtual viewing available.

Feb. 21 at noon: Dental Health Discussion. Virtual speaker Dr. Harold Marioneaux, director of Dental Hygiene and Pre-dental Hygiene at Thomas Nelson.