• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / Mental Health / 3 Benefits of Seeing a Black Therapist

3 Benefits of Seeing a Black Therapist

black therapist

There is new evidence that Black Americans are 20% more likely to deal with serious mental health disorders than White Americans. Meanwhile, people of color are far less likely to seek help for mental health issues than white people. So, what accounts for this discrepancy?

Possible explanation: just four percent of the mental health workforce is comprised of people of color. However, this is not to say that counselors may only effectively collaborate with those with a similar cultural background. Not even close. Yet, it is clear that an individual seeking service must be heard and understood. You want someone to “get you” if you are willing to bare your soul to them.

Why POC Struggle To Connect & Open Up To Non-POC Therapists

To claim that a therapist who shares your cultural background can better empathize with and comprehend your experience as a person of color is, I think, beyond dispute.

Seeing a therapist who is not a person of color might make you feel alienated or misunderstood for many reasons.

You May Also Like
7 Proven Ways to Cure an Upset Stomach
  • However competent they may be, they will never be able to fully understand the unique challenges you have faced due to things like microaggressions and prejudice.
  • You may feel pressured to integrate even in therapy if you’ve spent a lifetime bouncing between several races and dialects.
  • You may have lost faith in institutional support, including medical care, and are struggling to find methods to restore it.
  • It’s important to be forceful in treatment, yet people of color are sometimes pressured or pushed to remain passive.
  • You have to educate your therapist to get better care.
  • Suppose your therapist is unwilling or unable to assist you in honestly evaluating your life. In that case, you will never be able to recover completely.
  • There are moments when you simply want to talk to someone who shares your appearance.

RELATED: How To Choose The Right Therapist

Adding To The Stress & Distress

Finding a therapist of color may seem difficult since so few of them exist. One of the prerequisites is that you identify as Black. Finding what you need during this quest might seem like looking for a needle in a haystack, which can drain your energy and discourage you.

Consulting friends and family members for recommendations or suggestions may also be out of the question. Within the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community, seeking professional help is sometimes met with a great deal of resistance.

This may seem like a lot of bad news, but it’s vital to keep things in perspective. Why? It is still definitely worth the trouble.

Your happiness in life is heavily dependent on your mental health. That’s right; there are stumbling blocks embedded in the system. This is something you already know. However, the results have the potential to drastically improve one’s quality of life.

You May Also Like
How One Woman Eliminated 50 Fibroids without Surgery!

The Benefits Of Seeing A Black Therapist

To summarize this part, we may say, “It’s the polar opposite of what was just discussed.” However, there is a lot of

Continue Reading

The Latest In Mental Health

morning ritual

Small Changes, Big Wins: Morning Rituals that Lead to Success

“You have the same 24 hours a day as Beyoncé.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this quote run across my social media timelines, but I know it strikes a nerve for me. It’s true, we all read more about Small Changes, Big Wins: Morning Rituals that Lead to Success

15 Muhammad Ali Quotes To Inspire Your Greatness

Before you can become greatness, you must believe you are greatness itself. No man personified knew this more than boxing legend, Muhammad Ali. As part of his legacy, he leaves us with his words to inspire every last one of read more about 15 Muhammad Ali Quotes To Inspire Your Greatness

10 Things All Happy People Do

Our daily responsibilities and worries weigh us down, making us tune out the spontaneous events that could bring us deeper joy and greater health. A substantial body of related research indicates that happy people with a sunnier outlook recover more read more about 10 Things All Happy People Do
Jobs With The Highest Suicide Rates

10 Jobs With The Highest Suicide Rates

There is going to be something you don't like with pretty much every job, but with these jobs, it's worse. In 2020, suicide was among the top 9 leading causes of death for people ages 10-64. While suicide was the second read more about 10 Jobs With The Highest Suicide Rates
how to love yourself

5 Ways to Love Yourself All Year Long: Body, Mind, and Soul

When you get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of life and taking care of others, it can be easy to forget about loving the most important person in your life -YOU! Now that we are at the beginning of read more about 5 Ways to Love Yourself All Year Long: Body, Mind, and Soul
Conquer The cold

4 Tips For Conquering The Cold

The Winter season has finally made her way into our lives. Holidays are rolling in and so is that eerie feeling most get around this time. Though it may seem easy to give in to the familiar blanket of S.A.D., read more about 4 Tips For Conquering The Cold

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Mo’Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: “I Love Us For Real”Mo'Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: "I Love Us For Real"
  • Monica Calhoun at 51: “Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside”Monica Calhoun at 51: "Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside"
  • 10 Signs You’re Living With Clogged Arteries 10 Signs You’re Living With Clogged Arteries
  • Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!
  • John David Washington: “They Tried To Use My Name Against Me”John David Washington: "They Tried To Use My Name Against Me"

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.