Psychotherapy and Members of the Black Community

Members of the Black community share the same mental health challenges as the rest of the population, with arguably even greater stressors due to economic disparities, racism, and Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS). To this day, the Black community continue to be distrustful of Caucasians whom fill the majority of roles as mental health professionals (Nickerson, Helms & Terrell, 1994). Due to persistent stigmas that make open discussion about mental illness and seeking therapy a taboo topic, some Black communities shy away from seeking supports or have little knowledge of mental health problems and their treatments

Psychotherapy is the treatment of emotional and personal issues without medical intervention. This means that during a session a Psychotherapist will not be assessing you for the purpose of labelling you with a diagnosis of a disorder. At Ignite Counselling Services, you will be connected with a Practitioner that will collaboratively explore challenges you are currently facing, make connections that can achieve wellness and personal growth. In certain cases, a client may benefit from exploring a possible medical diagnosis as a way towards a more robust understanding of themselves. In these cases, you will always have the support of staff at Ignite Counseling Services. This will allow a greater understanding and empathy for our client's experience, improved treatment outcomes, and giving a voice to members of the Black community who want take a chance with their mental health and achieving wellness.