Helping Black Girls Confront Mental Health
As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford knew all too well the scale of the mental health crisis, as well as the stigma and lack of resources preventing Black females from seeking mental healthcare. She shared why these factors led her to start the platform Therapy for Black Girls, and the need for better mental health resources in underserved communities.
I created Therapy for Black Girls (TBG) after watching the Black Girls Rock Awards show on BET in 2014. I was so inspired by the energy in the room, even from my living room. I thought it would be cool if I could capture some of that same energy for Black women as it relates to mental health. Looking back, I can see that my experience as a psychologist working in college counseling centers also heavily informed my decision to start TBG. In working on various campuses, it was clear that Black women were not using the services at the same rates as their peers due to the stigma that we know exists toward mental health treatment. Out of that revelation, I began to run groups on these campuses for Black women to come together to share their concerns and get support. I see TBG as an extension of the work that started then.
How can we make sure Black women are getting the support and resources they need?
Continuing to talk about how our mental health is impacted by various factors and what tending to our mental health looks like can go a long way toward helping Black women get the support they need. Every time one Black woman shares her story, it opens the possibility that someone else might feel seen and know they are not alone. Mental health approaches for Black women and girls must be grounded in the various ways that we as Black women have been socialized. Things like the “strong Black woman” trope and the idea that “Black don’t crack” influence how likely we might be to participate in treatment, and how effective interventions might be.