A panel of Black clinical experts is holding a workshop in Northeast Ohio Feb. 2 to help other Black men cope with mental health challenges.
The goal is to let them know that they are not alone in their struggles, to build a community of care and support and provide the tools they need to address those challenges.
The "Just Heal Bro" panel is part of a national tour that's been ongoing for three years across 25 cities. It's based on the personal experiences of Dr. Jay Barnett, as detailed in his book by the same name. This is the first time the tour has come to the Cleveland area.
"The book itself is a testament of my journey through therapy," Barnett said. "As I've shared around the country, my story of surviving two suicide attempts and part of my clinical work has been understanding how to navigate through the terrains of just trauma."
The problem is that Black men many times do not understand what they are going through and therefore cannot get the help they need, Barnett said.
"After having gone to therapy and having experienced the work that I've done through the healing aspects of my own journey, I saw that many men had never had the opportunity to understand what they were feeling, let alone have the language to express it," Barnett explained.
He said the panel is meant to provide men like him with a space where they can express themselves and receive resources to help with their healing.
"That's what we've done with the tour — created a space tailored for men, for Black men in particular, but for men to have an opportunity to just be able to allow their guard to come down," Barnett said.
This begins with letting the men know others are facing the same challenges, he said.
"What is critical is that these men have to understand that they're not alone," Barnett said. "Most men suffer in silence because they feel that they're the only one."
Studies have found that Black men are less likely to seek treatment for mental illness than other groups, in part because they're more likely to be misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed due to systemic racism or bias in medical treatment.
Hope Allen, who produces the panel events, said these tours came from an awareness of a worsening mental health problem among Black men over many years.
"We noticed that there was a very strong uptick of depression and suicide happening with our Black men, specifically ages 15 to 24, but even four times more for Black male adults than Black women," she said, citing a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We saw the urgency and thought that we should get out there and reach our men."
This speaks to the intent of these events, Allen said.
"The real goal is to help them to find strength and vulnerability, to educate them, give them tools just to help to navigate their healing journeys," she said.
The sessions include clinicians and other experts speaking on a number of topics, Barnett said. Speakers include Dr. Oshan Gadsden, psychology chair at Hampton University, who discusses masculinity, Dr. Joel Tudman discussing fatherhood, Lamman Rucker, who talks about his experiences in the arts, and Lawrence Adjah, who discusses community and how men need to care for and counsel each other.
The Feb. 2 "Just Heal Bro" panel takes place at Cuyahoga Community College's Eastern Campus at 7:30 p.m.
