The local charity aims to break the stigma around mental health in the black community.

Philadelphia – Mental health experts say more people are seeking treatment now than ever before. There’s just one issue: There aren’t enough therapists. A local family therapist is using her expertise to help people with free mental health classes through a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health.

Farida Boyer, executive director and co-founder of the Black Brain Campaign, is a family therapist who has made it her life’s mission to highlight the importance of mental health, especially in the black community. She named October 10 as World Mental Health Day.

“We just had our gala, and about 300 people showed up, which was amazing. So, now we can get the word out about mental health and the importance of mental health so that people in our community have resources and access. It’s something they need,” Boyer said.

Boyer says the epidemic and increased violence in the city has led to an increase in depression and anxiety, especially among people living in areas with poor mental health and high crime rates. Although Boyer says progress has been made, there is still a big issue preventing people from getting the help they need and deserve.

“We don’t have enough,” she said.

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The Black Brain campaign is working to train clinicians to get their licenses and work for major insurance companies, which will ultimately lead to more people getting medical care.

“We train master’s-level clinicians to get their licenses because they can’t be on a panel if they’re not licensed by something like Independence Blue Cross or Aetna. So we want to make sure licensed clinicians are getting supervised culturally competent licensed therapists,” Boyer said.

The Black Brain Campaign offers 12 free mental health sessions to get people started on their mental health journey. For more information on how to contact a licensed therapist through the Black Brain Campaign, go here TheBlackBrainCampaign.org Or visit theirs Instagram.