The Importance of BIPOC Providers
Ever been to a psychotherapist and you leave feeling worse than when you started the appointment? This is something Black, Indigenous, and other individuals of color experience frequently in the mental health field. As of 2019, about 88% of mental health clinicians were white.
How Does This Impact BIPOC Communities?
BIPOC folks encounter systemic issues such as racism, intergenerational trauma, financial and economic barriers, historical trauma, discrimination, prejudice, and constant ongoing systemic barriers in a world not created for them. Topics such as culture, ethnicity, and race are significant factors in people’s lived experiences. Unfortunately, these topics can be unaddressed or minimized by white providers. This can lead to increased feelings of loneliness, isolation, being misunderstood, difficulty trusting oneself, and increased feelings of being on guard.
For BIPOC individuals seeking mental health support, finding a culturally competent therapist, one who genuinely understands your lived experience, can make the difference between healing and harm.
A History of Harm in the Mental Health Field
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) exacerbated biases and pathologization of BIPOC communities. For example, Drapetomania was a diagnosis created by Samuel A. Cartwright in 1851 to pathologize slaves attempting to flee from their masters for their freedom. He declared these individuals were "psychologically ill". Additionally, Granville Stanley Hall, the first individual to earn a doctorate in Psychology and the American Psychological Association's (APA) first president, was a strong eugenicist. He described Indigenous populations as "childlike" and called for "civilizing programs" for BIPOC communities. He believed Africans, Indians, and Chinese populations were "adolescent races", and it was Western Psychology's role to "save these individuals" and help them "adapt" to the more "superior race" (white folks).
While the APA did issue a formal apology in March of 2022 for past harms of historical racism, racism, and harmful eugenic beliefs still run rampant in the field to this day.
Why Representation Matters in Therapy
It is important for people to have a provider who understands the subtle nuances and microaggressions they experience on a daily basis without experiencing pity and white saviorism.
Microaggressions in therapy are more common than many people realize and they can cause real harm. When your therapist doesn't understand the cultural context behind your experiences, you end up doing the emotional labor of educating them instead of healing.
Can Cultural Stigma Explain Low Mental Health Service Use in BIPOC Communities?
Possibly, but that isn't the full picture. Personally, I have found it difficult to want to return to counseling services if I know I will have to explain and educate the psychotherapist about my identity. Not to mention the lack of access to providers who look like me, may not accept insurance, or are waitlisting clients.
BIPOC individuals may be more open to starting the psychotherapy process if there are options to choose from a provider who has a similar lived experience and can meet their needs.
At Balance and Boundaries, we offer virtual therapy in Colorado and Oregon for BIPOC communities, a space where your identity is understood, not explained.
I am grateful to offer my services not only to BIPOC populations but also to the queer community!
Did this resonate? Schedule a consultation call if you are ready to take the first step. I'm so glad you're here.
Thanks for reading!
Sources:
DeAngelis, T., & Andoh , E. (2022, March 1). Monitor on psychology March 2022.
American Psychological Association . https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/03
Waller , B., Hinojosa, C., & Dawson , D. B. (2023, November 1). BIPOC/minority mental health needs more diverse care professionals - how ADAA is helping to create equality. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Kim , R. (2022, March 7). Addressing the lack of diversity in the Mental Health Field | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. National Alliance on Mental Illness .
Budwig, N., Han, H., Fernandes, R. J., Lee, J., Wang, S., & Wolff, B. (2023). Eugenics, prejudice, and Human Development Revisited: The role of Structural Racism | Human Development | Karger Publishers. Human Development .6.24.26
https://karger.com/hde/article/67/3/170/853726/Eugenics-Prejudice-and-Human-Development-Revisited
