Black Therapy Today is a narrative magazine dedicated to elevating the voices of individuals and communities around health, mental health wellness, and social justice issue from a Black perspective. Our overall goal is to decrease stigma and raise public awareness for general and specific health & mental health issues and ways of achieving optimal health and a greater sense of mental wellness. Black Therapy Today is taking experiences and narratives for us, by us and putting them at the center of the conversation to increase dialogue and action.
Who Is This Magazine For?
This magazine is for EVERYONE! Whether directly or indirectly, mental health, health, and social justice issues impact everyone in the Black community. Regardless of gender, age, social upbringing, financial means, or education, mental health does not discriminate. In addition to the individual impacts, many of these issues have impacts that extend to our families, friends, colleagues, and larger communities.
We know that Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness, hopelessness, and feeling like everything is an effort. In addition, Black adults living below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress as those living above it.
Consequently, we also know that only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Facts for African Americans guide, African Americans are:
- Less likely to receive guideline-consistent care
- Less frequently included in research
- More likely to use emergency rooms or primary care (rather than mental health specialists)
We understand that people face challenges and situations every day such as a difficult work environment, relationship breakdowns, loss of a loved one, financial stress, or exposure to traumatic experiences. These all have the potential to affect your mental health wellness and ability to cope. Our goal is to support those with lived experiences with mental illness as well as individuals and communities that want to improve their overall health and mental health wellness. Preparing your mind, in the same way, that exercise prepares our body, improves our ability to cope and improve overall wellness.
Why We Do This
Black Americans and communities continue to be impacted by health and mental health disparities. Mental health within the Black community is an increasingly significant reality which oftentimes goes unaddressed due to stigma, misinformation, lack of awareness, etc. Addressing the overall health and mental health wellness of the Black community is far too important to remain a silent concern.
As a lifestyle improvement magazine and a reliable source for relevant mental health topics that address health, family, finances, society, and work, Black Therapy Today remains informative and approachable while also presenting serious and often difficult topics with a balance of respect and optimism.
Black Therapy Today Magazine provides multiple perspectives from a variety of contributors. In addition to elevating the narratives of people with lived experiences, Black Therapy Today provides tips and practical tools for everyday life.
Black Therapy Today is informative, encouraging, and supportive of people who want to improve their overall health and mental health wellness.
How Can You Join In?
If you are concerned or passionate about improving mental health, if you want to know more, or if you want to share your own experiences or knowledge of mental health, mindfulness, and wellbeing, there are a number of ways you can contribute to Black Therapy Today Magazine.
If you have something to contribute, such as an article, your own story or artistic representation, or some other contribution, we’d love to hear from you. If so, please visit our contributor page.
Alternatively, you may want to submit a story, artwork, photograph, or some other form of contribution to the website or magazine. If so, please contact us with your submission or ideas.
Join us in our efforts to enlighten our communities with empowering narratives!
- Make a commitment to find or write at least one empowering (local, national, or international) narrative about mental health wellness from a Black perspective per week, and email it to us.
- Make a commitment to share at least one empowering narrative from Blacktherapytoday.com on your social network of choice each day and ask others to do the same.
About the Website
The purpose of this website is to promote Black Therapy Today. Like the magazine, the website is informational, based on professional expertise and personal experiences. Through both the website and the magazine, we provide a multifaceted approach to mental health and wellbeing through a variety of narrative and contributions.
Black Therapy Today is an independent magazine published by Talented Tenth Media. We do not provide mental health services or any individual medical, health, or any other assessment or advice. Our aim is to make health & mental health a topic for ongoing discussion and action in the Black community. Where possible, any posts on the site will include links to relevant sites or services that provide more detailed information on a particular topic.
If you are concerned about your mental health or that of someone you care about, please see your doctor or go to the nearest hospital. There is nothing wrong with asking for or seeking help when needed.
For more information, please send us a message.