Date of Conferral

1-1-2021

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Frederica Hendricks-Noble

Abstract

Black individuals and communities have held distrust toward mental health services and experience barriers in seeking services. Although the church is a significant support system in the Black community, it can also pose a barrier to congregation members seeking mental health services, as the Black church community has often stigmatized those seeking mental health services as weak. Ways to reach the Black community with trauma-informed, culturally competent, and spiritually sensitive mental health services through establishing connections with Black churches and church leaders were explored in this study. Previous research indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic increased depression and anxiety in the Black community because of disproportionate illnesses and deaths. This study explored ways Black churches can provide access to trustworthy, culturally competent, and spiritually sensitive mental health services. The Baldrige Framework of Excellence was the conceptual framework. Data were collected through six semistructured interviews with the senior leaders of the behavioral health organization who agreed to participate in the study. Secondary data were also collected and included meeting minutes, strategic plans, the organizational website, and information from the organization’s library of resources. Findings showed that Black women were able to seek counseling comfortably because of increases in teletherapy and preparedness to handle increased demand during the coronavirus pandemic. This study’s findings contribute to positive social change by providing behavioral health leaders with insights on how to establish trust and normalization of mental health services through effective outreach to local Black churches.

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