A View From Above on Things That Make The World Go 'Round
James Donaldson on Mental Health – Black men face a mental health crisis. She’s working to help
Posted on by
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
Tasnim Sulaiman, the founding executive director of Black Men Heal.
Black men across the country face significant challenges when compared with other demographic groups, including economic, health care, and educational disparities as well as systemic racism and social injustice.
In recent years, suicide rates among Black men have climbed, according to the American Psychological Association. In 2013, the total midlife mortality rate from “deaths of despair” — deaths from suicide, alcohol use and drug overdoses — was nearly two times greater among white people than Black people, according to a 2024 research letter published in JAMA Psychiatry. By 2022, the death rate nearly tripled among Black people, rising to 103.81 per 100,000 compared with 102.63 per 100,000 among white people.
Tackling suicide among Black youth The disproportionate exposure to childhood adversity and the effects of racial discrimination also take a toll on Black men’s mental health, according to a 2024 report from the American Psychological Association.
Now, ongoing efforts by Black mental health therapists and clinicians, including Tasnim Sulaiman of Black Men Heal, are aiming to change and address these challenges.
Sulaiman founded Black Men Heal, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, in 2018 as a solution to a “broken (and) inequitable” mental health care system that does not center the needs of Black and Brown communities, according to the organization’s website. Today, the organization offers eight free therapy sessions through individual telehealth appointments to residents in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, among other states. The organization also offers virtual weekly meetup groups for men through Zoom, among other offerings. Over 4,700 men have received mental health services from the organization since 2018, according to Sulaiman.
NJ Spotlight News spoke with Sulaiman about her motivation behind creating the organization in 2018, addressing barriers to mental health care among Black men and what more needs to be done to address the mental health care needs of Black men in New Jersey and across the country. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
NJ Spotlight News: How did you start Black Men Heal and what was your motivation behind creating the organization?
Tasnim Sulaiman: My first direct connection to it is, having been a therapist for almost 20 years (and) working in private practice, (I) grew an affinity to working with men and recognizing that men needed a more tailored, unique approach into the way in which I was conducting sessions with them. And (I) was also really inspired by watching men’s outcomes and transformations in therapy. I felt like that (therapy) was where they had a safe space and were able to really open up and be vulnerable.
I had that going on in addition to just being really frustrated, I guess to put it lightly, with what was happening — this is pre-George Floyd — already with police brutality. It just felt like there was a war against Black men in this country, whether or not it was through mass incarceration, or police brutality or the systemic racism (and) disparities that were occurring for Black men. All of those things were really weighing on me. Sometimes men would call, they would find me online in private practice, to come to therapy and they couldn’t afford to come. But they would say, ‘I’m specifically looking for a Black therapist.’ So, I knew that that was important for them, but I often had to turn people away because I didn’t take their insurance. And therapy is expensive — it’s over $100 a session to have good, quality care. I really started to feel very complicit in what I feel is a broken healthcare system where it feels like quality healthcare is really for the privileged and people who can afford it. It just didn’t feel equitable. It didn’t feel right for me.
In 2018, the idea came to me about Black Men Heal and originally I was going to just do it individually — to offer free therapy sessions in my own schedule. And I knew that that would help maybe one or two men, but I decided to see if there were other therapists out there who would also be interested in joining that cause.
In the beginning, for the first two years, it was an all-volunteer mission. I asked them to donate an hour a week for eight free sessions and that’s how we got it started.
NJ Spotlight News: Could you explain those eight free therapy sessions that you offer at your organization? After those eight sessions, what happens next and what is the success rate of men staying in therapy?
How much progress has NJ’s Black community made? Tasnim Sulaiman: That’s our flagship program — the eight free sessions. But we also recruit clinicians of color to be able to see the men and our whole premise is to eliminate the three major barriers that prevent access to quality, culturally competent care. One is cost. Men didn’t feel like this was a system that was built for them, but because it’s free they’re more likely to come in because it eliminates that barrier.
We pair them up with clinicians of color. We have a unique proprietary system that matches the men, not just based off of similarities in race or ethnicity, but also with personality factors. It’s highly likely with our system (to have) a strong therapeutic match. We highly emphasize the relationship between clinician and client.
And then the last thing is, we remove the stigma and we ask the men who come to the sessions to be willing to talk about their experiences in therapy with other men, which helps to normalize that process and gets rid of the secrecy, and that’s what helps remove the stigma.
So, 60 to 70% of the men that come to us have health insurance and we try to match them up with the provider who takes their insurance, even though we don’t bill insurance. For example, if we see that they have Aetna insurance, it’s not a coincidence that they’ll be paired with a clinician who might take Aetna also in their private practice. We factor in trying to eliminate the barriers that will prevent them from being able to continue.
Many of the men are willing to pay for it after their buy-in of the eight free sessions. But if they can’t afford it, our clinicians will give them a lower rate to continue the work. About 70% of them chose to continue on with the therapy after the eight free sessions.
NJ Spotlight News: What more needs to be done to address the mental health needs of Black men?
Tasnim Sulaiman: One of the things I always say, as far as what men need, are safe spaces. I love Kings Corner — Black Men Heal’s virtual weekly meetup group for men over Zoom — for that reason. Fifty to 60 men in a space together for an hour and a half every week, all over the country. They’re getting to hear other people share things that they can relate to.
I think more safe spaces where men are allowed to share with other men and be vulnerable with other men is something that’s needed. Also, more access to treatment and more access to care. I love what we’re doing … but it’s also a struggle. Funding is a struggle.
Just yesterday, we lost a $50,000 a year corporate sponsor because they’re afraid of getting sued by the Trump administration because we’re Black Men Heal. My philosophy right now is ‘For Us, By Us.’ Nobody is coming to save us. People are worried. I don’t know in six months or in a year if we’ll be able to sustain. That’s scary because I know we built something really powerful and really special, and we’ve helped thousands of men. We hope to continue to, but we can’t do that without funding and support.
Please follow and like us:
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at [email protected] and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
Related
READ LATER - DOWNLOAD THIS POST AS PDF >> CLICK HERE <<
