Apps Help People Of Color Find Therapists From Their Same Cultural Background

The American Psychological Association reported that black people face inadequate access to mental and behavioral health care. The same organization reports that in 2015, 86 percent of psychologists in the U.S. were white, while 5 percent were Asian, another 5 percent were Hispanic, and just 4 percent were black. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, black adults over 18 years of age are 10 percent more likely to report having serious psychological distress than non-Hispanic whites. And black children ages 5 to 12 die by suicide at a rate twice that of their white counterparts, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics. These apps hope to be a solution.

AYANA

Former investment banker and fashion entrepreneur Eric Coly launched an app, called Ayana, that connects people of color with therapists from their same cultural background.

“Take aside the stigmatization and the lack of access to insurance and resources, [minorities] tend to only find people whom they aren’t able to relate to quite well,” Coly told Fast Company. “And they essentially give up. They buy into the notion that there’s no one out there who can help them.”

Ayana allows virtual therapy, connecting people through text messaging, phone calls, or video conferencing. Users can log into the app anonymously, then take a culturally sensitive questionnaire before getting matched with a licensed professional.

"I strongly believe that if finding a reflection of yourself in your counselor is what you demand to find a safe space, you are entitled to it," Coly writes on the company website.

THE SAFE PLACE

Jasmin Pierre is an author and mental health advocate who became an activist after surviving several suicide attempts. Through her own recovery, she focused on spreading mental health awareness within the black community and created an app called The Safe Place.

When she was diagnosed with depression, she thought, “Black people aren't supposed to get depressed. We have to be strong,” she told Good Morning America. “I always grew up hearing that therapy and mental health medication is just for white people.”

Pierre told Good Morning America that the black community faces generational trauma after experiencing tragedies: slavery, lynchings, police brutality, gun violence, racial profiling, and more. She explained that this trauma moves from one generation to another and because these communities are so focused on survival, the trauma is suppressed, and mental health is an afterthought.

The app includes mental health statistics, self-care tips, self-assessment questionnaires, and more.