On June 2, 2008, Congress formally recognized July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face in regard to mental illness in the US. Bebe Moore Campbell is remembered as a truth-teller, an advocate, a mother, an author, a daughter, a teacher, a friend, and a Pioneer for Mental Health Equity. An important part of erasing the stigma surrounding mental health support is acknowledging that we all deserve shame-free access to care.
After deciding I needed therapy, it took me over three years to actually find a provider and go. As a Black woman, I grappled with the challenge of finding a therapist who I didn’t have to explain or apologize for who I am and how I show up in a world not designed to support the fullness of my humanity. Basically, I was looking for a therapist who looked like me so that I could trust that they had the capacity to actually SEE me. Don’t get me wrong—during those three years, I most definitely needed the tools and support that therapy provides. Now, I’m considering if there was a missed opportunity.
At the time, I was navigating life-altering events like losing a parent, experiencing a miscarriage, and becoming a mom to a rainbow baby. Without a doubt, I needed a safe space. I needed therapeutic support from someone who acknowledged the complexities of my cultural identity as a Black woman in this country and honored those complexities as integral to my mental health journey. I felt that only someone Black would be able to understand the tangible risk of taking a jog to decompress; going to Bible study or the supermarket; calling for help; exercising my right to protest; playing video games with my family; eating ice cream on my couch; sleeping in my home; going for a drive; grabbing a snack from a local convenience store; sending my child to school; being a kid on the playground; being different; and being Black on a daily basis. It felt like too much of a risk to entrust my vulnerability to a therapist who didn’t share my lived experience. Without having lived as a Black woman in these times, could a white therapist or a male therapist ever really understand my level of grief, overwhelm, and anxiety? If I’m being fully transparent, having a male therapist never entered the chat, but that’s a blog post for another day.
I’m not naive. I am well aware that many people attempting to access mental health support find themselves facing barriers and challenges. Navigating through directories, seeking personal recommendations, encountering waitlists, and decoding insurance benefits and reimbursements is tragically commonplace. For me, this felt amplified as I narrowed my search further for BIPOC therapists who could help me—Black therapists who inherently understand that our community still wrestles with the taboo of ‘telling all your business to a stranger.’
The decision to seek therapy is deeply personal, a courageous step towards healing and self-discovery. For many of us, and specifically Black women like me, finding a therapist who truly understands our cultural background and lived experiences can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. It’s about more than just finding someone who listens—it’s finding someone who sees us for who we are. If I were to go back to the beginning of my three-year journey to find a therapist, I would ask myself to consider loosening my grip on the gender and cultural identity of the professional I was seeking. Never to dismiss it entirely, but to at least consider if a therapist who didn’t look like me could still provide me a safe place that allowed me an opportunity to begin to heal.
Understanding Cultural Affinity in Therapy
Instead of unpacking questions like “Should I have a Black therapist?” or “Does the race of my therapist matter?” I went without therapy. I tried to convince myself that mental health support was for other people. That somehow, during the uncharted waters of a global pandemic, redefining self-care involved DIY Mommy and Me mani-pedis. My desire for a Black therapist was valid and rooted in the overwhelming desire to feel understood and supported in the therapeutic relationship. Encountering many barriers to care and allowing them to delay my therapy only heightened my isolation and neglect of my own mental health. Perhaps, when faced with these barriers, I could have asked myself if I needed a Black therapist or a therapist equipped to meet the moment and to provide an understanding of cultural affinity in therapy. Like you, my experiences, beliefs, and values are deeply intertwined with my cultural background and lived experiences. They shape how I perceive the world, how I respond to challenges, and how I seek support. When I couldn’t readily find a therapist who shared my cultural perspective, it felt like a barrier to genuine connection and understanding. Remaining isolated without any professional support did too.
The Importance of Cultural Responsiveness
Commitment to Cultural Understanding
Bridging the Gap Between Seeking Therapy and Finding Understanding
If you’re navigating the daunting task of finding a therapist in DC, Maryland, or Virginia who truly sees you, I want you to know that your search is valid. Your cultural identity matters, and your journey towards healing deserves to be honored in a space where you feel understood. If you identify as a member of the BIPOC community and your search for a therapist who looks like you has taken far too long, I’m asking you to consider that other therapists may have the skills, experience, and competence to understand cultural affinity in the therapeutic relationship, prioritize the importance of cultural responsiveness, hold a firm commitment to cultural understanding, and bridge the gap between seeking therapy and finding understanding.
Together, let’s bridge the gap between seeking therapy and beginning our path towards healing. Consider finding a therapist who not only respects your cultural identity but also empowers you to embrace your authentic self. Because in that understanding lies the transformative power of therapy—the power to heal, to grow, to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and strength, and to embrace the fullness of who we are.
Whether you’re exploring therapy for the first time or seeking a new perspective, consider the available providers at Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy. Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy is committed to providing compassionate care and a supportive environment where who you are is valued and understood. Based on the values of compassion, inclusion, sincerity, enthusiasm, and empowerment, they hold true that your path to healing is unique, and they are here to support you every step of the way.
About The Author
Carolyn Fiffick is the Practice Coordinator of Mid-Atlantic Psychotherapy, a web-based psychotherapy practice aimed at supporting overwhelmed individuals to prioritize their mental health. She is a connector, a passionate communicator, an advocate, a wife, a mama, a lover of community, and fearfully and wonderfully made.
Words to live by:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou