Taraji P. Henson - Opens Up About The Importance of Mental Health and Normalizing Therapy

2020 has been an overwhelming year on all fronts. Now more than ever, it’s important to check on your loved ones. Taraji P. Henson does just that with her new Facebook Watch show: “Peace of Mind with Taraji”.

Taraji P. Henson - Opens Up About The Importance of Mental Health and Normalizing Therapy.

The Golden Globe-winning actress and Oscar nominee is a longtime mental health advocate and is pushing the importance of normalizing the conversation around mental health issues, particularly among African Americans who are less likely to seek treatment, and more likely to encounter racial disparities when they do.

“It was personal for me because I have a son. When I realized that I was suffering from anxiety and depression before COVID, it was time to seek help,” Henson explained in a recent Time 100 interview. “When it came time to look for help, that was when I kept hitting a wall. It’s not that I couldn’t find a therapist, but I couldn’t find one culturally competent. One that looked like me and one that understood my struggle and my son’s struggle.”

The starlet has been vocal on the importance of normalizing therapy and welcoming the conversation. This was one of the main driving forces for the launch of her free virtual therapy organization, The Boris Henson Foundation. Undoubtedly people of color have less resources when it comes to this topic.

“When people suffer, we suffer. If I have peace, I don’t want to be the only one in my peace,” Henson stated. “Therapy is being ok without being ok! Being in a place where you feel ok to share. Therapy is you taking care of yourself. We want to make that look normal.” 

Henson co-hosts “Peace of Mind with Taraji” alongside her longtime best friend Tracie Jade, who serves as executive director of the foundation. “Peace of Mind” airs Mondays and Wednesdays at noon on Facebook Watch.