Our Mission
Let's face it. There is a serious lack of black representation in mental healthcare.
Founded in 2020 by Bethlehem Mulat, the Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation (VBT&AF) was birthed in response to the challenges surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020. During this pivotal moment, systemic racism and its impact on the Black community was brought to the forefront, however, the racial trauma from dealing with the death of George Floyd negatively affected the mental health of many Black people. Seeing how there was already an incessant issue with Black people being able to access adequate mental health, Mulat had a goal of building safety networks for Black people within her community. Already having been active in the Vancouver mental health field as a frontline worker.
Bethlehem followed her calling to serve and transform the lives of her immediate community. She first started with creating a GoFundMe fundraiser with her initial goal being to obtain enough funds to provide 10 therapy sessions for 10 Black individuals - prioritizing refugees, low-income, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ folks. Within a short amount of time, the fundraiser gained traction and the collective response continued to propel this vision forward. Within hours, the initial goal of $20,000 was reached and within a month, the fundraiser amassed over $200,000: over 10 times the amount she had set in mind. By July 2020, Mulat took her dream a step further through incorporating the initiative into a non-profit organization, thus establishing the Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation.
Since then, the foundation has held a central role in opening doors to high quality mental health care for Black folks within the greater Vancouver and lower mainland areas. The VBT&AF was established with the vision to increase access to culturally competent mental health services for Black folks within the community. As research on this topic has shown, Black people are often unable to receive the quality of care they need due to barriers including financial hindrances, a lack of access to professionals who have a deep understanding of the Black experience, and the common paradigms related to mental health within the community. Through instituting new avenues for helping the Vancouver Black population receive mental, emotional, and spiritual health resources, the VBT&AF has become a beacon of change for the community by breaking down barriers to mental health accessibility that once stood in the way of the lives of many in the community.
The VBT&AF has expanded over the years to provide several paths to healing for the community we serve. Our advocacy services, therapy programs and educational initiatives are activated by a team of compassionate individuals who believe in the power of collective healing and liberation for Black communities. Our all-Black team of counsellors and community leaders approach their work with a deep understanding of the nuances of the Black experience in Canada and beyond. The foundation aims to not only alleviate the difficulties that are intertwined with the Black experience, but to also empower our community in order to sustain a shift in Black mental health that will be felt for generations to come.
A letter from our founder
Founded in 2020 by Bethlehem Mulat, the Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation (VBT&AF) was birthed in response to the challenges surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020. During this pivotal moment, systemic racism and its impact on the Black community was brought to the forefront, however, the racial trauma from dealing with the death of George Floyd negatively affected the mental health of many Black people. Seeing how there was already an incessant issue with Black people being able to access adequate mental health, Mulat had a goal of building safety networks for Black people within her community. Already having been active in the Vancouver mental health field as a frontline worker.
Bethlehem followed her calling to serve and transform the lives of her immediate community. She first started with creating a GoFundMe fundraiser with her initial goal being to obtain enough funds to provide 10 therapy sessions for 10 Black individuals - prioritizing refugees, low-income, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ folks. Within a short amount of time, the fundraiser gained traction and the collective response continued to propel this vision forward. Within hours, the initial goal of $20,000 was reached and within a month, the fundraiser amassed over $200,000: over 10 times the amount she had set in mind. By July 2020, Mulat took her dream a step further through incorporating the initiative into a non-profit organization, thus establishing the Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation.
Since then, the foundation has held a central role in opening doors to high quality mental health care for Black folks within the greater Vancouver and lower mainland areas. The VBT&AF was established with the vision to increase access to culturally competent mental health services for Black folks within the community. As research on this topic has shown, Black people are often unable to receive the quality of care they need due to barriers including financial hindrances, a lack of access to professionals who have a deep understanding of the Black experience, and the common paradigms related to mental health within the community. Through instituting new avenues for helping the Vancouver Black population receive mental, emotional, and spiritual health resources, the VBT&AF has become a beacon of change for the community by breaking down barriers to mental health accessibility that once stood in the way of the lives of many in the community.
The VBT&AF has expanded over the years to provide several paths to healing for the community we serve. Our advocacy services, therapy programs and educational initiatives are activated by a team of compassionate individuals who believe in the power of collective healing and liberation for Black communities. Our all-Black team of counsellors and community leaders approach their work with a deep understanding of the nuances of the Black experience in Canada and beyond. The foundation aims to not only alleviate the difficulties that are intertwined with the Black experience, but to also empower our community in order to sustain a shift in Black mental health that will be felt for generations to come.