The 1% : Black Male
Mental Health Care
Providers
Dr. William July, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Houston - Austin
The Numbers
Section 1

Have you ever done a simple Google
search for Black Male Therapists?

(excluding psychologists, psychiatrists, or
specialists)
You won’t believe this…
On the popular Psychology Today
Therapist Directory I found 17 therapists
under the heading “African-American”
 3 were Black
 2 were males


Population of Austin: 820,611
2 Black Men…Really ?
The same search in Houston yielded 19
listings
 12 were Black
 3 were male


Population of Houston: 2,145,146
3 Black Men… Seriously?

In 2011 the APA reported 518 Black Male
members with a Doctorate

Total members with Doctorate was 83,599

i.e. less than 1% of the members of the
APA with a Doctorate are Black males.
The National Level
Race/ethnicity by Gender of APA Members with the Doctorate, 2011
Sex
Men
American Indian
Transgender
Not specified
81
70
0
0
151
Asian
720
1240
0
67
2027
Hispanic
767
1135
0
3
1905
Black
518
997
0
9
1524
White
27198
27949
1
48
55196
Other
9
7
0
1
17
Pacific Islander
0
3
0
0
3
172
372
0
4
548
7036
15127
6
59
22228
36501
46900
7
191
83599
Multiracial/multiethnic
Not specified
Total
Women
Total
American Psychological Association, 2011
Why does it matter?
Section 2

Would Black men (and women) have better
diagnosis and treatment outcomes with Black
male clinicians (as opposed to other
ethnicities)?

What is the value to our society having more
Black male mental health clinicians?

What is the role of ethnicity in the perception
of the mental health in the Black community?
Impact





I get a lot of calls from people specifically
seeking a Black male psychologist
Not all of them are Black
I have more White & Hispanic clients than
Black (which raises larger questions about
Blacks and mental health care)
Psychodynamics of provider choice
More progressive social attitudes
My experience (anecdotal)
The Future
Section 3
In 2007 only 340 Black males earned an
undergraduate degree in Psychology at
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
 1,618 Black females earned a Bachelor’s
in Psychology in 2007

Quality Education for Minorities Network
Report, 2010
Psychology Degrees
There is a lack of mental health care
providers overall
 There are not enough male mental health
care providers
 There is a scarcity of Black mental health
care providers
 There is a severe scarcity of Black male
mental health caregivers

It isn’t just a Black thing!






Mentoring
Career Day
Take your child to work
Be visible in your community
“Each one teach one”
Demand will grow and create more
interest
Recruiting the next generation
Questions & Comments
What do YOU have to say about this?