In addition to structural barriers and systemic racism, many Black women struggle to find a therapist who looks like them — or is culturally competent. But some groups are trying to change it.
Denita Parrish worked as a 911 operator for nearly eight years. While she liked helping people, it was tough. Every day she listened to callers recount trauma as she faced racism and microaggressions from co-workers. The job was daunting and overwhelming.
She started seeing a therapist to help. But when her therapist retired, she just stopped going. Finding a new therapist felt like an extra worry.
“All of the real-world things that are going on is affecting me, of course, as a Black woman,” the 38-year-old government employee who lives in Pittsburgh told TODAY. “That’s a lot to deal with.”
When Denita Parrish’s therapist retired, she went without one for a while. She started training to be a mental health advocate for her community and that has helped her tend to her own mental health.
On top of feeling depressed by systemic racism she faces, Parrish’s concerns about her family adds to it. She frets about her sons, who are 10 and 6, because of police brutality, racism and other factors that put them at greater risk. And, her partner is in jail and it doesn’t seem like he will be paroled soon for his DUI conviction, even though he served his sentence, she said.
