Dr. Joy Bradford on the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health in the Black Community

The Lemons team recently sat down with Dr. Joy Bradford, licensed psychologist and founder of Therapy for Black Girls. We discussed the stigma surrounding mental health in the black community, helpful resources we can utilize, her new book Sisterhood Heals, and so much more!

Dr. Joy has been named by Glamour as a Game Changer for her work, as well as being featured in Essence, Oprah Daily, The New York Times, HuffPost, Black Enterprise, and Women’s Health. We hope you enjoy our conversation and the insight Dr. Joy was able to share with us!

Do you feel there is more of a stigma around mental health in the black community? If so, how can we work to break that stigma?

“I do think that there is more of a stigma in the black community. I think historically, the black community has not had the privilege of being able to participate in mental health services, at least not in the interest of our wellness and welfare being punitive. We are just now coming around to the idea that it is okay to reach out for help, so I think the stigma is decreasing steadily.

People sharing their own stories is very important. Every time somebody talks about their session, their experience finding a therapist, or how glad they are that they made the call, it makes it a little easier for the next person to say “Hey, maybe I’ll consider it as well”.

What are some good resources for people of color?

“There are lots of resources at Therapy for Black Girls. We have a therapist directory with over 6,000 therapists across the US and Canada who are doing great clinical work with black women and girls, as well as people of all color. Therapy for Black Girls also has a guide to getting started with therapy which breaks down the first steps, helps people keep track of their sessions, and helps them make decisions about therapists.

Another great resource is the Open Path Collective which is a resource that is designed to help people with sliding scales. Therapists who participate in the Open Path Collective set aside therapy sessions for those who may not be able to afford the therapy that they need. The Loveland Foundation is also a wonderful resource that allows people access to therapy who otherwise could not afford it.”

If someone feels lonely or doesn’t have a core group of friends, what are some ways they can make new connections with people?

“I typically tell people to look around in their life and see if there’s somebody in the foreground that could become a friend with a little bit of effort! There may be another mom you see in the morning dropoff line, someone who sits close to you in yoga class, or someone you’ve exchanged small pleasantries with, but haven’t taken the next step to say “Hey, do you want to grab a smoothie after class?” or “Do you want to go grab breakfast after school drop off?”.

I also encourage people to do the things they love and they’ll end up meeting people who are also interested in those same things. A lot of times we hold off on doing the things that we really would love to do because we don’t have anybody to go with us. But if you can step outside of your comfort zone just a little bit and allow yourself to go do those things, there might be other people who are in a similar situation as you.”

There is so much happening in the world right now, what are some ways we can make sure that we’re caring for ourselves?

“One thing that I really encourage people to do is to be mindful of their media consumption because we know that the news is on a 24-hour cycle. We’re constantly seeing triggering images and stories of things that are really unconscionable, so I think it’s really important to be careful with how much you are consuming. I also encourage people to read the news as opposed to watching videos on social media or having the news playing in the background because images and videos tend to stay with us longer.

The other thing that I like to tell people is to borrow from Mr. Rogers because he famously told people to look for “the helpers”. It's this idea that even with the chaos and the awful things happening all around us, there are always people who are doing good, positive things. Look around for the helpers in your neighborhood or community and if you can’t find one, see if you can become a helper and somebody that people can look up to.”

Tell us about your new book, Sisterhood Heals!

“Sisterhood Heals is a celebration of black women’s relationships with one another and a guide to how we can do even better at supporting one another. There’s something intangible about the way black women relate to one another, so I wanted to create a language about how we go about those things and form a grounding place to support one another. I talk about all the ways that we support each other, how they are life-saving in many ways, and how we can lean even more into that.

One of the areas that I have found I am excited to talk about is the difficulty we have with awkward conversations in relationships with other women. We often avoid these conversations because we fear that they may end or damage a friendship. For example, jealousy is often a topic we avoid. So I talk about how we can navigate those conversations in a way that doesn't mean the friendship will end, but we will actually grow closer to one another because now you realize we can talk about this really high-stress thing and come out on the other side. The book is really a celebration of sisterhood but also has a lot of great strategies and tips.”

We want to thank Dr. Joy for sharing her wisdom and insight on these topics! Be sure to check out Dr. Joy on Instagram, as well as her new book Sisterhood Heals and her company Therapy for Black Girls.