WASHINGTON — Even as the pandemic has brought a greater emphasis on mental health, local therapists say there's still a deficit of resources for the Black community.
Dr. Kia James, a licensed professional counselor in Maryland, said anxiety is at a peak now and requests have gone up dramatically just since December.
She attributes that increase at least in part to the spread of the omicron variant.
But therapists said the issues that patients are reporting go beyond the extra stressors of the pandemic -- in many cases, they stem from generations of trauma.
“At this point, I believe about two-fifths of black people meet criteria for anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic," Fordham doctoral candidate and spokesperson for the Association of Black Psychologists, Evan Auguste said. "That was found in the Association of Black Psychologists needs assessment that was completed during the pandemic.”
He and Dr. James agree that finding the right therapist at the right time is crucial.
“It's much easier for many people to speak with someone who they feel like might have a similar lived experience," Dr. James said. "And they don't have to explain or justify that this is real, or this is truly happening.”
So she said many have been looking for Black therapists to help them address racial trauma, but census bureau data shows that only about 4% of therapists are Black or African American.
“This is reflective of larger societal breaking," Auguste said. "So in attending to the mental health of Black communities, we also need to put up a mirror to the society that we're working in. This is the society that's distressing so many people.”
Auguste said we also have to change the systems that make it tough for people who are Black to get higher education and get licensed because they're crucial to addressing generations of trauma.
Dr. James said you should also be mindful of how much stress can impact physiological health and make sure you're taking care of your mind and body.
Starting this month, the Association of Black Psychologists, headquartered in Fort Washington, will be holding free sawubona healing circles to address racial stress and trauma.
You can find more information on their website.