This Black History Month, to amplify Black voices and foster meaningful conversations around Black mental health, Grant Halliburton Foundation is highlighting staff and board members who are driving positive change at the Foundation and throughout North Texas.

Today, we're spotlighting Patrick LeBlanc, Foundation board member, to explore his experiences, insights, and contributions in creating a more inclusive, equitable, and mentally healthy world for the Black community.

How are you involved and impacting the Black mental health community in North Texas?

I have been an advocate for mental health for more than 20 years. An emphasis on advocating more for Black mental health was heightened due to COVID-19, which ripped the cover off the disparities associated with access to quality mental health treatment options in communities of color. I felt the need to do something to reduce the stigmas around mental health in communities of color and eliminate the financial barrier to access to care. 

When Black History Month is mentioned, what thoughts and sentiments come to mind for you personally, particularly about mental health?

In my opinion, the focus on mental health should not be confined or emphasized more in one month than in other months. It should be a year-round focus. Years of discrimination, persecution, and trauma have created an abundance of health and mental health issues that require more than a month of emphasis to reverse.

What specific mental health issues do you find most prevalent or pressing within the Black community, and how do you address them in your work?

In my opinion, there are two prevalent issues within the Black community, specifically regarding mental health cost and stigma. Many people, even with insurance, cannot afford the cost of quality mental health treatment, which is compounded by the lack of culturally competent mental health professionals.

The issue that has the BIPOC community shackled to suffering in silence is cultural and societal stigmas. Stigma, resulting from misinformation, non-education, and historical events, has created reluctance or hesitation in help-seeking behaviors, producing too much reliance on resiliency and unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with mental health challenges.

As a professional in the mental health field, how do you work to dismantle stigmas surrounding mental health in the Black community?

Education is the key! Help-seeking behaviors will not change without first changing the way the community thinks about mental health.

How can mental health professionals better cater their services to be more inclusive and culturally competent for the Black community?

“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care,” Theodore Roosevelt.

It begins with relationships. Many professionals think their credentials are enough, and individuals will gravitate to the services solely based on the alphabet following their names. Trust is established through connections and relationships. Show empathy for the community, not merely a transactional relationship.