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The Chocolate Therapist Mental Health | Therapy | Psychology
🍫Licensed Clinical Social Worker
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I'm a therapist. I'm playing a scary game about having a stalker
09/13/2026

I'm a therapist. I'm playing a scary game about having a stalker

05/01/2026

Why White People Choose Black Therapists (Part 9)

Part 9 of this ongoing series highlights another powerful response from a white woman explaining why she feels safer around Black men, and how that perception influences her therapist preference.

She describes instinctively turning toward Black men in moments of fear or vulnerability, associating them with protection, awareness, and support. Her experience contrasts with past negative encounters involving white men.

This episode explores:
• Perceived safety and racial dynamics
• Trust formation in therapy
• How lived experience shapes therapist selection
• Positive counter-narratives about Black men
• Trauma history and protective instincts
• Representation and emotional security in mental health

For many clients, choosing a therapist isn’t purely clinical, it’s relational and deeply emotional. Perception, past experiences, and cultural narratives all shape who feels safe enough to open up to.

This series continues examining why some white clients actively seek out Black therapists, and what that says about race, safety, healing, and trust in America.

04/29/2026

Why White People Choose Black Therapists (Part 8)

Part 8 of this ongoing series explores how generational identity and perceived safety influence therapist selection.

In this episode, a commenter shares that she would feel more comfortable with a Black male therapist than a white male therapist, describing a stronger sense of safety. That statement opens a broader conversation about how age, race, stereotypes, and lived experience intersect in mental health decisions.

This video unpacks themes such as:
• Generational differences in racial attitudes
• Perceived safety in therapy
• Breaking stereotypes across age groups
• Race and trust in mental health care
• Therapist-client fit
• Implicit bias and assumption
• Why some clients intentionally choose Black therapists

Therapy is relational. Clients often make decisions based on personal history, cultural narratives, trauma exposure, and unconscious associations. Sometimes those assumptions get challenged - and sometimes they get reinforced.

This series continues examining the complex reasons some white clients seek out Black therapists and what that reveals about race, generational dynamics, and emotional safety in counseling.

04/28/2026

Why White People Choose Black Therapists (Part 7)

Part 7 of this ongoing series highlights another recurring theme from white clients who intentionally chose Black therapists: trust in lived experience and earned competence.

Several responses point to awareness of systemic racism in professional spaces. Some believe that BIPOC providers often have to meet higher standards, overcome greater barriers, and demonstrate stronger credentials to reach the same positions as their white peers. That perception shapes who they feel confident placing their mental health in the hands of.

This episode explores:
• Systemic racism in professional advancement
• Perceived meritocracy vs. privilege
• Trust in healthcare and mental health providers
• Why some clients avoid white male therapists
• Representation and cultural competence in therapy
• Lived experience vs. theoretical knowledge
• Therapist-client trust dynamics

For some clients, choosing a therapist isn’t only about race - it’s about who they believe has navigated adversity, understands structural barriers, and will take their concerns seriously.

This series continues examining the intersection of race, trauma, identity, and therapist selection, through real client perspectives.

04/26/2026

Why White People Choose Black Therapists (Part 6)

Part 6 of this ongoing series explores another real client response about why some white clients intentionally choose Black therapists over white therapists.

One commenter describes a positive experience with a Black male therapist who felt attentive, validating, and effective in helping her process difficult emotions. In contrast, she shares a frustrating couples therapy experience with a white female therapist who responded to her overwhelm with a comment that felt dismissive rather than supportive.

This episode unpacks key themes including:
• Emotional validation in therapy
• Therapist attunement and responsiveness
• Couples counseling dynamics
• Why some clients feel unheard in therapy
• Cultural competence and perception
• The role of micro-invalidations in therapeutic rupture
• Why therapist-client “fit” matters more than credentials alone

When clients say they chose a Black therapist, many point to feeling listened to, taken seriously, and supported - especially when discussing gender expectations, emotional labor, and relational stress.

This series continues examining how race, gender, trauma history, and lived experience shape therapist selection and the therapeutic alliance.

04/26/2026

Why White People Choose Black Therapists (Part 5)

Part 5 of this viral series explores another pattern in the responses from white clients who intentionally chose Black therapists. The themes this time? Trust. Generational trauma. Perceived qualifications. Representation.
Several women shared that they feel a stronger sense of trust with Black male therapists.

Others argued that marginalized professionals often have to work harder to earn the same credentials, leading them to believe they’re getting a higher level of competence and resilience.

This episode dives into complex questions around:
• Trust in therapy
• Generational trauma and cultural understanding
• Representation in mental health
• Perceived therapist qualifications
• Bias in professional advancement
• Race and gender dynamics in counseling
• Why some clients avoid white male therapists

Whether you agree or disagree, these are real perceptions shaping how people choose their therapists. Therapy isn’t just about degrees - it’s about lived experience, safety, and who a client believes can truly understand them.

This ongoing series examines why some white clients actively seek out Black therapists and what that reveals about race, trauma, and mental health culture in America.

04/24/2026

Why White People Chose Black Therapists (Part 4)

In Part 4 of this ongoing series, we continue unpacking real responses from white women explaining why they chose Black therapists over white male therapists.

A recurring theme? Trust and perception.
Some women describe carrying complicated feelings toward white men due to personal experiences, cultural patterns, or trauma narratives. Even when a white male therapist is clinically competent, they report struggling to fully relax or lower their guard. Others emphasize that therapist-client “fit” isn’t just about credentials, it’s about emotional safety, comfort, and unconscious bias.

This episode explores:
• Why some clients avoid certain therapist demographics
• Trauma history and therapeutic alliance
• The psychology of trust in therapy
• Implicit bias in counseling relationships
• Emotional safety vs. clinical competence
• How race and gender influence therapist selection

The reality? A therapist can be skilled and ethical, and still not feel like the right fit for a particular client. Therapy is deeply relational.
Perception, lived experience, and personal history all shape who we feel safe opening up to.

This series examines the intersection of race, gender, trauma, and mental health - through real client responses.


04/23/2026

Why White People Chose Black Therapists (Part 3)

In Part 3 of this series, we dive into a powerful response about professional boundaries, consent, and the complex racial dynamics that can impact therapy.

One commenter shares a negative experience with a white male provider who physically touched her leg during a session to calm anxiety. Raising serious questions about ethics, consent, and therapeutic boundaries.

From there, this video explores a deeper issue: how race, gender, power, and perception intersect in mental health settings. As a Black male therapist, the stakes around physical contact, even with good intentions, can be dramatically different. In today’s climate, misinterpretation can cost a clinician their license, reputation, and career.

This conversation covers:
• Therapist boundaries and physical contact
• Ethics in counseling and psychotherapy
• Informed consent in mental health
• Racial dynamics in therapy
• Power, perception, and professional risk
• Why some therapists adopt strict no-touch policies
• Trauma triggers and gender considerations in session

Therapy is about safety - emotionally and physically. For clinicians, that means understanding how identity, history, and social context shape every interaction.

Part 3 of an ongoing series highlighting real responses from white clients about why they chose Black therapists.

04/21/2026

Why White People Chose Black Therapists (Part 2)

In Part 2 of this series, I continue sharing real responses from white women explaining why they chose a Black therapist. The theme that comes up repeatedly? Safety. Trauma. Trust.
Several women describe personal trauma involving white men and how those experiences shaped their comfort level in therapy. Some shared that they feel emotionally safer with Black male therapists due to past harm connected to white men.

Others discuss how trauma history directly impacts therapist selection, especially when it comes to gender and race.

Importantly, this video also ends with nuance: one woman shares that despite her painful history, she found a white male therapist she deeply connects with - showing that therapist-client fit is complex and highly individual.

This conversation touches on:
• Trauma-informed therapy
• Therapist-client racial dynamics
• Trust and perceived safety in counseling
• Gender and race in mental health
• Cultural competence and therapeutic alliance
• How lived experiences influence therapist selection

Whether you’re a therapist, psychology student, or someone navigating your own healing journey, this discussion explores how identity, trauma history, and safety shape the therapeutic relationship.

Part of an ongoing series featuring real client perspectives on why they chose Black therapists.

04/19/2026

Why White people chose Black Therapists (Part 1)

Why are some white clients intentionally choosing Black therapists? In this series, I asked white people directly: Why did you choose a Black therapist instead of a white one?

In Part 1, several white women share candid responses about empathy, cultural understanding, lived experience, and feeling truly heard in therapy. Some say they believe Black therapists provide deeper emotional attunement. Others describe feeling that white therapists may lack understanding of rejection, marginalization, and systemic bias.

This video explores themes of racial dynamics in therapy, cultural competence, therapist-client matching, empathy in mental health care, and why representation matters in counseling.
Whether you’re a therapist, psychology student, or someone searching for the right therapist, this conversation raises important questions about race, trust, and emotional safety in therapy.

This is Part 1 of a series breaking down real responses from white clients about why they chose Black therapists.

If you care about mental health, cultural competence, empathy, race and therapy, or finding the right therapist, this discussion is for you.

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