When a female colleague mentioned she was raising her therapy rates because a white male counterpart—with less experience—had higher rates, I was astonished. She shared the figure, and it was jaw-dropping. At the time, my rate was half of what she was planning to charge.

The colleague tried to persuade me to increase my rates, too, arguing that I deserved higher compensation for my expertise and experience. I considered her arguments and realized she was right—yet something still held me back. Was it imposter syndrome? Was it a lack of self-worth and self-confidence? We had similar educational backgrounds, work experience, and similar career paths. The only difference is that she is white and I’m Black.

In 2014, I started private practice full-time to work with clients who share my intersectional identities, but the journey has been fraught with obstacles in a profession that often marginalizes people like me. My identity as a Black woman shapes my experiences as a therapist and helps me create safe spaces for Black clients facing systemic barriers and cultural stigma, though I struggle to balance affordable care with fair compensation.

This tension underscores the need for intersectionality, as the interconnected wage gap for Black women therapists and financial disparities for Black clients significantly impact mental health care accessibility and quality in the Black community.

The wage gap between Black women therapists and their white counterparts starkly reflects broader systemic inequities within the mental health profession. Even with equivalent education, training, and experience, Black women therapists typically earn significantly less than their white peers.

Research consistently shows that Black women in the mental health profession, like many other fields, earn significantly less than their white peers. Data from the American Psychological Association (APA) shows the median salaries were higher for male psychologists ($91,000) compared to female psychologists ($80,000), and for White psychologists ($88,000) compared to racial/ethnic minority psychologists ($71,000) (APA, 2015). Comparatively, white male therapists earn the highest salaries, while women and racial/ethnic minority counterparts earn less.

Black clients seeking therapy often face significant financial and psychological barriers, making high out-of-pocket rates difficult to afford. Even........

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