Art Therapy & the Black Community

With Black History Month being over, I cannot help but think about how one month isn't enough to celebrate black people and culture. We should be celebrated year-round! As a black art therapist and a consumer of mental health services I believe it's important that black mental health be recognized and celebrated. As there are not many black art therapists or black therapists in general, I found myself trying to find my own black art therapist thinking that someone who is black will understand me and my struggles more than someone of another race and culture. I had to realize that no one will know and understand my struggles like I do so it would be up to me to be open and share with my therapist what I'm going through and help them understand.

I was raised by my grandmother, a southern black woman who taught me that all I need is to pray to get through tough times. She raised me to attend church every Sunday. My grandmother didn’t do much complaining and was viewed by me and my family as the matriarch and always strong. I took on these qualities from my grandmother and was always trying to just push through. 

When I discovered art therapy during my undergraduate college years, it allowed me to pour my emotions onto a canvas and express myself in ways that I had never expressed myself before. It allowed me to use my creative brain while processing my day to day struggles rather than just traditional therapy. It can also be less intimidating to express one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences through symbols and images in art, as opposed to coming right out and saying it out loud, especially early on in one's therapy journey. 

My grandmother was right about prayer helping me get through tough times but there was something about art therapy that has added peace and tranquility to my self-care. I don’t feel pressure to do or say the right things and can nonverbally express what’s going on for me. I also do art all the time outside of therapy and when I'm done making my artwork, I feel refreshed. 

One issue that can be a barrier accessing art therapy is the cost. However, here at EBAT we offer a reduced rate to individuals who receive any sort of government assistance.

EBAT has two black art therapists, myself included. The rest of our diverse team appreciate black people and culture and are culturally competent when working with black clients and other clients of color. We also provide group therapy in communities around the bay area fostering a sense of community healing. Art therapy has changed my perspective of what therapy can look like and being able to provide art therapy to my community here at EBAT has been fun and rewarding. 

Written by EBAT's Registered Art Therapist, Melodee Robinson, MA, ATR, AMFT (she/her)