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The pandemic, racial reckoning of 2020, a shifting political climate, and the rising cost of living have tested our collective mental health limitations. Then there’s the adage in the Black American community that when white America catches a cold, Black America has pneumonia.
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) need mental health support and interventions, and suffer disproportionate negative consequences from not getting treatment. We have more obstacles to obtaining therapy than our white counterparts.
The American Psychiatric Association has said that some barriers to BIPOC accessing care include lack of insurance, mental illness stigma, distrust of the healthcare system, and lack of diversity among mental health care providers.
However, attitudes are changing, and many options exist for those seeking compatible, culturally competent BIPOC therapists.
More BIPOC are open to receiving mental health support and treatment, decreasing the stigma and distrust of mental health care providers. Many exceptional and engaging BIPOC therapists on social media are popularizing the benefits and availability of culturally informed therapy and discussing various mental health topics. We are becoming more aware of our complex inner lives thanks to Black mental health podcasts discussing breaking generational trauma, overcoming troubled childhoods, recognizing deregulation, and intentional parenting.
In my own life, I’ve observed my friends and family members becoming more open about seeking professional help. The standard approach to mental and emotional challenges was “just pray.” We now know that accepting professional mental health support is okay. It’s not either/or, but both/and. BIPOC are more informed about how improving our mental health improves our physical health and quality of life.
Most therapists see clients virtually, eliminating transportation challenges and making seeing a BIPOC therapist more accessible. It’s a matter of knowing what conversations to have and where to look.
According to Psychology Today, “The advantages of seeing a Black therapist are that it may help Black patients feel more confident [about] beginning therapy, feel more easily understood, and feel a stronger connection to the therapist.” A culturally competent mental health care provider is more effective because there is less to explain, and this added ease lets people feel safe enough to allow vulnerability.
There are compassionate, masterful Black therapists of every specialty, gender, sexual orientation, spiritual background, insurance status, and approach ready to serve the community. We have to start asking for BIPOC therapists. The benefits of finding one are well-known and documented. Therefore, it is time to normalize having this conversation.
Ask your primary care practitioner and insurance provider for a referral to a BIPOC therapist. Many companies have Employee Assistant Programs (EAPs) that offer counseling services. Ask for a BIPOC counselor. The more we ask, the more we will see.
Our racial and cultural experience intersects with all other areas of our lives, including our
mental health. As we become knowledgeable about the benefits of tending to our mental
health, we must find the appropriate solutions.
National and NYC-based referral resources
Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)—virtual black therapist
referral service: https://beam.community/
Black Mental Health Alliance—culturally relevant mental health referral service:
MPG Consulting; Mary Pender Greene, LCSW-R, CGP, president & CEO—
NYC-based company with a vast network of BIPOC therapists in an
extensive array of specialties; each referral vetted based on specific needs:
NYC Affirmative Psychotherapy—NYC-based Queer and Trans People of
Color (QTPOC) practice with many mental health professionals:
https://www.nycaffirmativepsychotherapy.com/
Therapy for Black Girls—has an extensive directory of BIPOC therapists and a
podcast that explores Black women’s mental health issues:
Therapy for Black Men—organization with an extensive national directory of therapists
for Black men: https://therapyforblackmen.org/therapists/
Psychology Today—national media organization with Find a Black and
African-American Therapist referral service:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/african-american
Claire Julian is the learning & branding coordinator for MPG Consulting, a company committed to eliminating bias and structural racism in the workplace that supports leaders and organizations serving diverse populations by ensuring they are prepared to provide transformative, culturally and racially attuned programmatic, clinical, and administrative services.
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