RESUMO
Black Americans face substantial barriers to mental health services that are due, in part, to historical and contemporary issues of anti-Black racism. Identifying novel models of care that increase access and engagement in mental health services is important. One such model was developed by a predominantly Black church in Harlem, New York City, which built a free mental health clinic to serve the surrounding community. However, treatment barriers and facilitators of this care model have not been reported. Therefore, the authors conducted a qualitative study to identify Black Americans' (N=15) perspectives of their experiences seeking and receiving care from this church-affiliated mental health clinic and the role of the church in promoting mental health service utilization. Treatment facilitators included health care that was free of charge, services affiliated with a trusted institution, and access to culturally competent care that integrated their faith perspectives. Participants perceived the churches as having the potential to provide psychoeducation, destigmatization, and connection to mental health services. The perspectives shared suggest that this novel model of care may address several barriers to mental health care faced by some Black American populations.
