PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Black Therapy 101 aims to help break the stigma surrounding mental health issues in the Black community. 

The event on July 11 — presented by Steel Smiling and Artist Talk Mental Health on the South Side — will address mental health issues and offer a variety of resources to Pittsburgh’s Black residents. A panel of five mental health professionals and advocates will lead discussions on the importance of taking steps to improve mental health and wellness. 

A day before on July 10, NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania will be hosting its third annual Black Mental Health Summit — “Our Journey to Community Healing.” — in Wilkinsburg. Both hope to shine a light on ways to address mental health issues in the Black community.

“Black Therapy 101 is important because we are sharing knowledge with the Black community about, what is therapy? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What types of therapy can you get?” says Sydney Davis, founder and CEO of Artist Talk Mental Health. 

Davis started her organization to help artists like herself obtain mental health resources. However, finding Black therapists became a challenge.

“When I was looking for a therapist, it was extremely hard to find a Black woman. That’s what I wanted and I knew that’s who I would relate to,” Davis says. 

Black Therapy 101 began as a way to promote Black therapists and mental health options available for their community. 

“Experiences that the Black community typically wouldn’t experience in other therapeutic ways, other than just traditional therapy, is something that I felt is our niche,” she says. “We really bring to the table what I don’t really see in other mental health spaces, and definitely not specific to the Black community.” 

Steel Smiling, founded by Julius Boatwright (a Pittsburgh Magazine 40 Under 40 honoree in 2017), provides therapy funding and mental health education to the Black community. Their programs helped Davis found her organization. 

“When I was first starting Artists Talk Mental Health, I was looking for a therapist and Steel Smiling had a grant program,” says Davis, “Artists Talk Mental Health came out of me having that experience of therapy and being able to really take care of myself. Then wanting to share that with others.” 

Discussions at Black Therapy 101 will be moderated by Courtney Abegunde, the operations director for Steel Smiling. Panelists include Darla Timbo of Atlas Counseling Services; Treble, a Therapeutic Spaces graduate and artist; Rakeem Collins, a Beams to Bridges graduate; Boatwright and Davis. 

The event will run from 6 to 9 p.m. at Opya Studios, 2402 Sidney St., South Side. For more information and to RSVP to attend the event, contact Davis at artisttalkpgh@gmail.com.

The July 10 Black Mental Health Summit will explore ways that personal, family, and community trauma are affecting Black Americans and the steps to take to heal the pain and find a path to wellness. NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania is a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, adolescents, adults, and families affected by mental illness through recovery-focused support, education, and advocacy. That event will be held at Hosanna House, 807 Wallace Ave., Wilkinsburg. It is  free but registration is preferred. Deadline to register is July 5.

Jilian Musser’s reporting is supported by the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.