JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Asking for help can be hard to do, especially in Black or African American communities. Research shows many Black adults--especially older generations view mental health conditions as a personal weakness.
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Nyasha Poitier a licensed mental health counselor and the owner of The Art of Healing Jacksonville said this stems from history.
“There has been a lot of perseverance and resilience for African-Americans, and so I think for African-Americans ourselves we’ve kind of leaned on that,” Poitier said.
Data shows that the adult Black community is 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems like depression or anxiety.
But only 25% of African Americans seek mental health treatment compared to 40% of white Americans.
“I do a lot of work in the African American community and over the past decade or so, it’s kind of been a reoccurring theme of just of lack of awareness regarding what mental health is, as well as not feeling safe or that they can trust providers with the totality of who they are. We have experienced so much prejudice, racism, system issues,” Poitier said.
There is only a small percentage nationwide of mental health workers who identify as Black.
She also said representation matters for Black people wanting to seek counseling.
Poitier said representation mattered for her as a young student working to pursue her licensure.
She said mentorship from someone who looked like her is what gave her the final push to become a licensed mental health counselor.
Despite her experience, she is encouraging people not to let that deter them from working in this field or seeking help.
Instead, ask questions.
“Have you worked with individuals who looked like me before? What is your cultural competence training? What does that look like?” Poitier said.
All to bridge the gap between mental health and African American communities.
Click here to visit The Art of Healing Jacksonville’s website.