Reducing the stigma of asking for mental health help in Black communities

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A new program aims to reduce the stigma of asking for mental health help within Canada’s Black and African communities. 

GreenShield, Canada’s only national non-profit health and benefits company, teamed up with Black Mental Health Canada to launch QUEENS (Quest to Unite, Empower, & Encourage Nubian Sisters) as part of GreenShield’s Women’s Mental Health program.

“It’s made by them, for them, through them,” said Alice Wiafe, a leader at BMHC, which is a national non-profit that promotes mental health services for those with Black and African heritage. 

“The goal is really to just draw and attract Black women to a number of different groups that we offer, and even the groups themselves are geared towards issues we would say are more pervasive within the Black community,” Wiafe said. 

As a non-profit, GreenShield can prioritize mental health services for underserved communities. GreenShield collaborates with organizations like BMHC to create programs like QUEENS that will benefit equity-deserving communities. 

“There is a large gap in mental health services available to underserved communities and Black women in particular. We wanted to be able to create programs that meaningfully cater to women who need culturally appropriate care,” said Sabrina Ladha, Vice President of GreenShield Cares.

Black and African women face disproportionate levels of mental health issues 

Black and African women experience some of the highest levels of depression, yet they are also among the most hesitant to seek help. 

“Our community is really struggling. I would say all communities are, but one thing I’ll often say is we suffer for different reasons, so the reasons we’re suffering need to be addressed,” said Wiafe. 

According to a study by Mental Health Research Canada and GreenShield, women are far more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study also found that racialized women experienced higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than women in general. 

Anti-Black discrimination and intergenerational trauma are social determinants of health that create systemic barriers in housing, education and employment, resulting in higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression among Black and African communities, according to data from Statistics Canada. 

These issues are exacerbated for women. 

In a University of Ottawa study, the first to examine the mental health of Black Canadians, 65 per cent of individuals said they experienced symptoms of depression. Higher rates of symptoms were found among women and nearly all of them experienced high levels of racial discrimination.

 “Rates of depressive symptoms among Black individuals are nearly six times the 12-month prevalence reported for the general population in Canada,” the study noted. 

In addition to anti-Black discrimination and systemic barriers, stigma is also a significant challenge when trying to address mental health in many Black and African communities. 

According to Black Mental Health Canada, women are often more hesitant to seek therapy because of stigma, lack of representation in practitioners and access to therapy. 

Interestingly enough, Black History Month can also exacerbate those symptoms, as businesses, schools and groups reach out to the Black community for resources.

It’s become such a physical and mental health lift that one advocate in Ontario has been promoting the idea of carving out deliberate time for rest during Black History Month.

“I’m so often finding myself overworked,” Kween, owner of The Kween Company in Guelph, Ont., a support and advocacy hub for local Black-owned businesses, said in a 2024 interview.

The responsibility to educate non-Black audiences about anti-Black racism and intergenerational trauma is emotionally draining, and that fact needs acknowledgement, she added.

Dahabo Ahmed-Omer, leader of BlackNorth Initiative, said people don’t realize how much work it takes to attend events and speaking engagements.

“It’s a lot of labour, and it’s heavy. It’s becoming more and more heavy, and anyone that you talk to this time of the month, towards the end, will tell you how heavy it’s been,” she said.

“I don’t know how other Black folks feel. I know some people that I work with feel very empty by the end of the month.”

Encouraging awareness and dismantling stigma 

Wiafe said the core of her organization’s mission is to amplify messaging around mental health in Black and African communities, which are culturally diverse.

“I think a lot of us are immigrants, and I think we come from places where it’s shunned upon to talk to someone formally about what you’re going through, typically these conversations were held within a family unit or with an elder within the family,” she explained.  

“So when you come to places like Canada or the U.S. where the family dynamic is not the same and you don’t have the elder or somebody there that you go to and you don’t know of an option or alternative, then you’re kind of stuck just having to go through it without support,” she said. 

Women often do not know about the services available to them or may be reluctant to seek out help from practitioners who are not Black or African. 

According to a 2018 survey by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, 60 per cent of Black respondents said they are more likely to seek mental health support from a Black professional. 

Black and African women want to feel understood, and culturally competent Black mental health professionals are crucial because they have similar lived experiences and can create a safe and comfortable environment. 

The stigma around seeking out mental health treatment in many African and Black communities is also a challenge, Wiafe said. 

“It’s not very accepted. You will hear, ‘Well that’s a white thing.” 

According to a 2020 survey by Ottawa Public Health, 66 per cent of Black, African and Caribbean respondents agreed that most people think less of a person who has a mental illness. 

The same survey found 40 per cent of respondents agreed that receiving treatment for a mental health issue is a sign of personal failure.

Wiafe said her organization wants to dismantle the negative messages around mental health services in Black and African communities, and QUEENS group counselling is one way they’re trying to do this. 

“So the specific (QUEENS) groups are hand-picked and even the practitioners themselves often have lived experience. So when they come into these groups, the goal is really to help them, to help the attendees feel connected to the facilitator,” she said. 

“If you need help, if you need support, it’s OK not to be OK. The call is to go against some of those messages that say if you’re strong, you’ve got to be strong.”

How it works

“GreenShield prioritizes culturally appropriate care and works with Black Mental Health Canada, Black Women’s Institute, Black Health Alliance, and Dream Legacy Foundation to deliver care to Black women and women-identifying individuals”, said Ladha.

QUEENS is part of GreenShield’s Women’s Mental Health program, which provides women with free access to culturally appropriate, trauma-informed therapy. The program is offered as a 10-week or 12-week session, where women attend virtually once a week. The group counselling sessions address a variety of topics, including depression, anxiety, growth mindset, pre and post-maternal care, medication, self-care, parenting and other areas of need within Black and African communities. 

Wiafe said BMHC received many referrals after the first QUEENS session and hopes word of mouth will also help spread awareness about this unique new service. 

“It’s on the rise and more and more people are hearing about our services,” said Wiafe.  

Two QUEENS sessions were offered last year, and this year there will be four sessions. 

Although virtual sessions make the program accessible to everyone, Wiafe said they are also looking into in-person counselling this year for those who may feel more comfortable meeting in person. 

Wiafe said accountability is important and participants are expected to show up if they signed up to attend so as not to take a space away from someone else who might need it.

She hopes QUEENS group counselling will help break down barriers, offering Black and African women a safe, familiar space to talk about their mental health. 

“Mental health issues are becoming a crisis, so hopefully people feel encouraged to go ahead and attend these sessions.”

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