Building Healthy Relationships: The Deeper Conversation: Erika Young-Thompson, LCMHC, LCAS, NCC

In this special Mental Health Awareness Month episode of Queens Behind the Scenes, host Charise Beckett sits down with her very best friend and expert therapist, Erika Young-Thompson, for a powerful follow-up to February’s solo conversation on healthy relationships.

Together, they explore how our emotional wellness—past and present—shapes the relationships we form, stay in, or struggle to heal. Erika brings over a decade of clinical expertise and personal insight to help us unpack how to break unhealthy patterns, communicate with clarity, set boundaries with confidence, and build relationships rooted in safety and trust.

Whether you’re navigating romance, friendships, or family dynamics—this is the deeper conversation your heart has been waiting for.

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💡 In This Episode, We Explore:

• What a healthy relationship actually looks like

• The role of childhood experiences in adult relationship patterns

• Red flags vs. green flags in love and connection

• The biggest communication mistakes and how to fix them

• How mental health impacts our ability to connect

• When to seek therapy—individually or as a couple

• Daily practices that strengthen trust, intimacy, and emotional safety

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💬 About Our Guest:

Erika Young-Thompson, LCMHC, LCAS, NCC
Erika is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, addictions specialist, and nationally certified counselor currently practicing at University Psychological Associates in Charlotte, NC.

She provides therapeutic services for individuals and couples and specializes in helping people navigate life transitions, trauma, and relationship challenges.

🔗 Connect with Erika:
🌐 www.upatherapists.com

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🧠 Mental Health Resources:

• NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

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📚 Recommended Books from Erika:

• How To Do The Work – Dr. Nicole LePera

• Set Boundaries, Find Peace – Nedra Glover Tawwab

• Attached – Dr. Amir Levine & Rachel Heller, M.A.

• Find Your People – Jennie Allen

• The Let Them Theory– Mel Robbins

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