Jacksonville mental health counselor addresses overcoming stigmas around Black mental health

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Asking for help can be hard to do, especially in Black or African American communities. Research shows many Black adults–especially older generations view mental health conditions as a personal weakness. RELATED: Push for more accessible mental health resources heightens in Black community Recommended Videos Nyasha Poitier a licensed mental health counselor and the owner of The Art of Healing Jacksonville said this stems from history. “There has been a lot of perseverance and resilience for African-Americans, and so I think for African-Americans ourselves we’ve kind of leaned on that,” Poitier said. Data shows that the adult Black community is 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems like depression or anxiety. But only 25% of African Americans seek mental health treatment compared to 40% of white Americans. “I do a lot of work in the African American community and over the past decade or so, it’s kind of been a reoccurring theme of just of lack of awareness regarding what mental health is, as well as not feeling safe or that they can trust providers with the totality of who they are. We have experienced so much prejudice, racism, system issues,” Poitier said. There is only...