I’m a big fan of the word authentic. I’m a bigger fan of authenticity in action. Recently, I had the opportunity to share this fanaticism when I connected with the Canadian Psychological Association. My assignment was to share some basics on personal and business branding. On the other hand, my goal was to encourage this critical group in the health and wellness space to increase their visibility.
It's no secret that there’s a shortage of Mental Health practitioners in Canada. Worse still, there’s a significant shortage in the Black community. I’ve come to learn that there are only 0.008% black psychologists in Canada out of 7000 members of the Canadian Psychological Association. Of those, there aren’t many who are visible. This is where branding meets psychology. What happens if people needing help can’t find the people with the expertise? Worse still, if the people who need the help are only comfortable with connecting with those who look like them, “like me biased,” what happens then? I’ll say this: I prefer a black therapist because I believe there are some things that a black therapist understands about my lived experience, as I’m sure someone from another ethnic group would need someone like them to feel comfortable.
When it’s all said and done, some people out there need your help. You are a mental health specialist, and you need to make yourself visible.
Here are some tips that may be helpful to start. If you need help, let me know. I’m here to help you get there.
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