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The 1 % : Black Male Mental Health Care Providers . Dr. William July, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Houston - Austin. The Numbers. Section 1. Have you ever done a simple Google search for Black Male Therapists? (excluding psychologists, psychiatrists, or specialists).
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The 1% : Black Male Mental Health Care Providers Dr. William July, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Houston - Austin
The Numbers Section 1
Have you ever done a simple Google search for Black Male Therapists? • (excluding psychologists, psychiatrists, or specialists) You won’t believe this…
On the popular Psychology Today Therapist Directory I found 17 therapists under the heading “African-American” • 3 were Black • 2 were males • Population of Austin: 820,611 2 Black Men…Really ?
The same search in Houston yielded 19 listings • 12 were Black • 3 were male • Population of Houston: 2,145,146 3 Black Men… Seriously?
In 2011 the APA reported 518 Black Male members with a Doctorate • Total members with Doctorate was 83,599 • i.e. less than 1% of the members of the APA with a Doctorate are Black males. The National Level
Race/ethnicity by Gender of APA Members with the Doctorate, 2011 American Psychological Association, 2011
Why does it matter? Section 2
Would Black men (and women) have better diagnosis and treatment outcomes with Black male clinicians (as opposed to other ethnicities)? • What is the value to our society having more Black male mental health clinicians? • What is the role of ethnicity in the perception of the mental health in the Black community? Impact
I get a lot of calls from people specifically seeking a Black male psychologist • Not all of them are Black • I have more White & Hispanic clients than Black (which raises larger questions about Blacks and mental health care) • Psychodynamics of provider choice • More progressive social attitudes My experience (anecdotal)
The Future Section 3
In 2007 only 340 Black males earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology at Historically Black Colleges and Universities • 1,618 Black females earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2007 Quality Education for Minorities Network Report, 2010 Psychology Degrees
There is a lack of mental health care providers overall • There are not enough male mental health care providers • There is a scarcity of Black mental health care providers • There is a severe scarcity of Black male mental health caregivers It isn’t just a Black thing!
Mentoring • Career Day • Take your child to work • Be visible in your community • “Each one teach one” • Demand will grow and create more interest Recruiting the next generation
Questions & Comments What do YOU have to say about this?