May is Mental Health Awareness Month
To celebrate, we are kicking off our inaugural Better Together campaign. What is Better Together, exactly? I’m so glad you asked. What will not be news to most of you is that the world is plagued with injustice and our very own mental health industry is no exception. Just a few examples: People of color experience the highest rates of trauma and are discriminated … Continue reading "May is Mental Health Awareness Month"
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To celebrate, we are kicking off our inaugural Better Together campaign.
What is Better Together, exactly? I’m so glad you asked.
What will not be news to most of you is that the world is plagued with injustice and our very own mental health industry is no exception.
Just a few examples:
- People of color experience the highest rates of trauma and are discriminated against in nearly every interaction they have, including when they are looking for a mental health provider
- Racial and ethnic minorities have less access to mental health services
- People of color are more likely to experience financial barriers to care
- Depression and anxiety cases among Black Americans have risen since the death of George Floyd and the events occurring in its aftermath
- Despite the need, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it
- Many seekers of color do not pursue care out of worry that their therapist may not be able to understand and help them if they don’t share a cultural background
- The number of Black therapists is extremely small: about 1.8 percent of licensed psychologists, 2.3 percent of all psychiatrists, and 7 percent of licensed social workers
- As need for culturally competent care increases and supply of culturally competent providers is strained, providers of color are under the most pressure to reduce their rates to support seekers of color, resulting in a race-based pay gap in the mental health industry (I don’t think I need to provide a citation for this one — many of you are living and experiencing this right now)
I’ll stop there for now, but you can imagine, the list goes on.
At MyWellbeing, one of our core values is that Everyone Deserves a Seat on the Couch. One of the ways that we are living that value is by launching this very campaign.
Through Better Together, we are partnering with leading brands to compensate providers full fee group rates while providing free group support for seekers of color who cannot otherwise afford care.
My Wellbeing CEO and Founder Alyssa Petersel, who was recently featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, and an award-winning Author, is available for an interview to discuss this in greater detail
