CHARLOTTE — As we celebrate Black History Month, Channel 9 is focused on representation in the healthcare field, especially behavioral health professionals.
According to therapists, patients are more likely to open up to someone who looks like them.
Channel 9′s Erica Bryant spoke with two women who hope to inspire more people to become mental health professionals.
In a north Charlotte studio, Staisha Hamilton teaches modern ballet. But she said there was more occurring than meets the eye.
Growing up, Hamilton took ballet but didn’t see many ballerinas who looked like her.
“The unfortunate part of that is that I was the only Black girl in that dance studio for a very long time,” Hamilton explained.
This is why she said she teaches the class. It’s also why she’s a mental health professional.
“I think being a change agent and a change agent of color is more important now than ever,” said Hamilton.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, only 2% of psychiatrists in the United States are Black, and only 4% of psychologists are Black.
Hamilton said in counseling, patients are typically more willing to open up to a therapist they can relate to.
“I think anyone trained adequately can be the right fit; however, there’s something different when I walk into a room and my therapist looks like me,” Hamilton elaborated.
Monica Wood is new to the behavioral health profession after deciding to enter later in life. She said she was bullied as a child, had a hard time finding support, and wanted to end her own life.
“I didn’t consider it; I attempted it. I wasn’t successful, and I’m grateful because I believe in my story; my calling is to help someone else who looks like me,” said Wood.
The National Institute for Healthcare and Management said Black Americans are less likely to receive routine mental health care and are nearly twice as likely as white Americans to go to the hospital emergency departments for it.
According to the organization, part of the solution is to get more people of color into the mental health field. Which Wood thinks is happening, albeit slowly.
“I do believe a lot of Black and Brown people are entering into the field. I’m new to the field, and the reason why I entered is that I wanted to provide something I didn’t get when I was a child, someone who looked like me, to understand,” Wood explained.
There is a concerted push to get more therapists of color in the Carolinas.
Mental Health America of Central Carolina has a special section online that focuses on resources for communities of color.
You can find those resources here.
VIDEO: Black History Month: Nurses share hopes to increase representation in the field
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