SHREVEPORT – What is mental illness?
For licensed professional counselor and LSUS psychology instructor Kesha Simmons, what is not mental illness is just as important of a question.
In the wake of the Cedar Grove tragedy in which eight children were killed, Simmons seeks to clearly separate what is abuse via patterns of dominance and what is mental illness.
Simmons organized the conference “Choice vs. Condition: Why Abuse is not a Mental Illness,” which takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the LSUS Ballroom in the University Center.
This free event features Simmons and other mental health professionals and community organizations with the intent of sparking discussions into the rise of domestic violence incidents in Shreveport.
Persons needing general continuing education credits can receive 0.4 units by attending.
“The timing of this workshop is a direct, urgent response to the raw trauma Shreveport is processing following the Cedar Grove tragedy,” said Simmons, who has more than a decade of experience working with adults and families in crisis. “We’re intentionally closing out Mental Health Awareness Month (in May) by highlighting what mental illness is not.
“It steps directly into the intersection of public awareness and an urgent local need, drawing a hard line where empathy ends and accountability begins.”
Simmons challenged the assumption that people and communities default to the “mental health excuse” for perpetrators who just “snap.”
“That narrative rationalizes abuse,” said Simmons, who specializes specifically in family conflict, anxiety and depression. “Furthermore, it deeply stigmatizes a non-violent population living with actual diagnoses – who are statistically far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.
“Abuse is not a sudden mental break – it is a predictable, calculated escalation of control and dominance. Abuse is not a mental illness because it is a deliberate choice driven by an internal belief system of entitlement, power, and control rather than a psychological condition that impairs reality or emotional regulation.”
The Shreveport Police Department said officers responded to 10 percent more domestic violence incidents in 2025 than the previous year in a Dec. 22 news release.
That number continued to escalate through the first four months of 2026 as city police have responded to more calls this year than the same period in 2025.
“Shreveport doesn’t need passive awareness or comforting excuses – our neighbors need the clinical truth and tactical tools to identify life-threatening patterns before another tragedy occurs,” Simmons said. “There is a dangerous trend of confusing mental illness with a person’s choice to use power and control.
“It is vital that our students and local professionals know the difference.”
Simmons will be joined by Dr. Jennifer Russell, a clinical and forensic psychologist who’s co-authored a book chapter on predatory and affective violence among other academic and professional publications.
Russell offers insight into clinical boundaries between psychopathology and behavioral control.
The speakers will be accompanied by roundtables and forums from leaders in organizations like Project Celebration, Inc., the Caddo Parish Sherriff Office, MOMS on a Mission, Families Helping Families, Clinical Forensic Psychology Shreveport and The Family Connection Center, LLC.
The intended audience for the workshop isnot only fellow mental health professionals but also law enforcement, first responders, nonprofit staff, caregivers, and local community leaders.
