Following on from Newham Talking Therapies’ project geared towards young black men in the borough, therapist Femi Agbebi was interviewed by London Live – a local TV channel covering the capital.
Airing on World Mental Health Day, Femi spoke with reporter Brydie Monaghan about the reason for launching the campaign, its significance and how the local community can seek help.
“There are people who really resonate with me being a black therapist. I can tell how this makes a big difference in terms of the relationships I build with clients.
“However, I don’t see a lot of black males in comparison to other demographics, and there is a disproportionate lack of black men accessing our Talking Therapies service. Government research has shown that black men are more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act, but less likely to be offered therapy as well.
“We felt it was important to engage with the community in Newham about ways they can access mental health services; particularly those who find it difficult to engage with therapy.”
You can watch the broadcast on the ‘News’ section of London Live’s website. It can be found at 25:25 minutes.
If you would like to learn more about services offered by Newham Talking Therapies, you can contact its Operations Manager, Jakir Baksh, at jakir.baksh@nhs.net.