After a Traumatizing 12 months, Black Folks Flip to Remedy

Dr. Lewis said that due to news media coverage of the George Floyd case and other high profile police shootings, some blacks experienced some form of “shared trauma” that sometimes led to heightened anxiety or nervousness.

“We are repeatedly inundated with these things,” he said, “and what I think exacerbates and exacerbates these problems is that black Americans in the United States are already having difficulties associated with the race already in their daily lives, too seem to be. “

Racism, economics, and parenting are sometimes topics of discussion for Str8 Mental, a virtual group that provides space for black men across the country to discuss issues that affect their lives, said Brad Edwards, the community organizer for Dear Fathers, a platform the stories about black tells fatherhood. Str8 Mental meets monthly and sessions with a minimum of 30 participants are led by two black male therapists.

“Often times, as blacks, because we haven’t been taught to open up and discuss what we’re up to, we often think that we are only concerned with these things,” said Mr. Edwards, who is Black. “These people really bond. They are purely strangers who come together, are an open, vulnerable and safe space and flow into one another. “

Mr Edwards said Str8 Mental started almost a year ago and emerged from the impact the pandemic had on the black community. “We created this to give the guys a chance to come in and start unpacking,” he said. “I think the conversations about therapy and therapists in the black community have become more and more frequent in recent years.” At least 700 men took part, he said.

A number of large pharmacy chains have recently entered the mental health market. Since January, CVS has added licensed clinical social workers trained in cognitive behavioral therapy in more than a dozen locations, and Walmart and Rite Aid are working to offer similar services.

Additionally, there is a growing chorus of celebrity voices advocating for mental health treatment, including actress Taraji P. Henson, who set up a foundation to help eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health issues in the black community.

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