Thank you, and thank you for this invite.
Diversity in Canada's youth has increased from 13% in 1996 to 27% in 2016, with about 49,476 Black girls and young women aged 15 to 19. Available statistics do not highlight the unique challenges experienced by Black girls and women, but it is reasonable to conclude that this demographic will have a disproportionately larger number experiencing socio-economic and health challenges, especially due to COVID-19. Among Black immigrant and refugee youth, girls and young women experience more health problems than their male counterparts. National figures indicate that females aged 12 to 19 experience a higher level of depression and anxiety than their male counterparts—5% versus 12%.
At Future Black Female, our strategies promote well-being by advocating for protective factors while reducing the risk factors. We mitigate the impact of the pandemic specifically, especially the threat of longer-term mental illnesses related to COVID trauma. Our clients engage with us because we offer prompt, safe, responsive and effective programming and support.
We realize that a feminist approach is needed. Black girls and women are facing disproportionate mental health and well-being impacts as a result of pre-existing barriers and systemic inequities that have been highlighted or exacerbated by the pandemic. Our therapists have identified that these inequities often stem from various forms of discrimination and marginalization. Future Black Female uses an intersectional lens in our program design and evaluation. We consider the multiple layers to their identities—for example, gendered social norms, values and expectations; immigrant and foreign status; and poverty, which unfortunately lingers much longer for Black women than for their counterparts.
As a demographic, the girls and women we serve are less likely to afford mental health care. When hospitalized, due to anti-Black racism in the wider health care system they are often disbelieved, dismissed and sometimes even punished for not fulfilling the stereotypical expectations of providers. An intersectional perspective emphasizes the importance of looking at these forms of discrimination together while acknowledging the cumulative effects on the individuals. That's how we know that for many, there is no safe space to gather one's thoughts, let alone share them.
A culturally relevant and responsive approach is also needed. Our clients have shared that the lack of cultural responsiveness from non-Black therapists, cultural mistrust and potential negative views have impacted their experience of therapeutic care. In a recent survey conducted by the Black Health Alliance, 35.4% of Black Canadians revealed that they experienced significant psychological distress during the pandemic, and yet 34.2% never looked for health services. In 2018, 60% of Black Canadians were more willing to use mental health services if the mental health professional was Black.
Being culturally responsive is a mental health care provider's ability to recognize and understand the role of culture, both the client's and the clinician's, and the ability to adapt the treatment to meet the client's needs within their cultural framework. This is why getting access to mental health services that are culturally relevant is important for Black girls and women.
Increased awareness is needed. We often speak about a lack of awareness, but the lack is not in those who are unaware; it's in a system that applies a one-size-fits-all approach to mental health. Mental health strategies must account for the diversity within our communities and approach mental health in diverse ways so that it makes sense and indeed raises awareness. Investing in cross-cultural design for mental health promotion will contribute to destigmatizing mental health.
Future Black Female is eradicating the stigma of mental health by offering services from diverse Black women who can relate to the client on an instinctive level. Stigma is perpetuated by a lack of inclusiveness. Stigma is maintained by a health care system that does not pay for psychotherapy. Mental health in Canada has become a luxury that is ultimately costing us more than we can afford in human suffering.
Thank you.