Taraji P. Henson initiates mental health treatment program via telephone for black people
Fear and anxiety are increasingly becoming a health issue in the devastating tenure of the coronavirus pandemic all over the world, with many people getting psychologically affected as the world battles the unseen enemy headlong.
Having experienced depression, Taraji P. Henson has designed an initiative which will help black people in underserved communities get mental health treatment via telephone as they continue to deal with the current pandemic.
The Empire star is launching the initiative through her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation focusing at people who have been impacted by the virus.
Describing the program as “COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Campaign on her Instagram page last week, she uses the medium to solicit for donations to help pay for the service, which will be staffed by culturally competent clinicians.
According to Taraji, “Anxiety and stress grows quickly with daily changes, and if you’re anything like me you need someone to lean on to talk to, to help manage your anxiety. But I also know it’s not easy for anyone to pick up the phone and call a therapist. Because who’s going to pay for it?”
To participate, she said people can register on the foundation’s website starting from April 15th for the therapy.
“It’s our priority to provide care to those in need who do not have access or can not afford culturally competent therapists,” the foundation’s executive director, Tracie Jade Jenkins, told the Hollywood Reporter. “We also need to remove the stigma surrounding mental illness. It’s OK not to be OK.”
Taraji began the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 with the aim of helping Black children have access to mental health assistance during school. The foundation was named after her father, who had PTSD from his military service during the Vietnam War.
