About Us
The Alberta Black Therapists Network (ABTN) is made up by a group of Black licensed and regulated professionals from various interdisciplinary backgrounds working in the field of mental health and addictions. The network was formed out of need- in response to the health inequalities,in particular in mental health experienced by black Canadians, the ABTN understands that it will take anti black racism,anti- oppressive and systematic changes to improve the mental wellbeing for Black Canadians. We believe in the psychological well being of our community, and the society as a whole. Through networking, continued training, and use of evidence-based approaches, and understanding racialized trauma, anti- racist and culturally empowered lens, we strive to ensure the highest quality of therapeutic services are provided to our communities. We aim to increase emotional wellness and the application of self care skills such as self-awareness, self-confidence, positive thinking, goal setting, responsible decision making, and healthy relationships. At the core, we normalize lived experiences,engage in psycho-education to reduce barriers to psychological health and decrease stigma against seeking additional support when needed.
Grounded in the communities in which we work, we walk along with our clients in their journey's.
Our Mission
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To have a healing centered approach for counselling services for the black community with an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and decolonizing lens that focuses on resilience and considers individual wellness needs within the context of their religious and cultural beliefs.
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Build sustainable partnerships with various internal and external stakeholders as a way of providing equitable, holistic mental health and addictions services for the black community
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To develop and implement a framework to facilitate the participation of the black community and reduce inequalities and inequalities of access to mental health and addictions services
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To offer education and awareness regarding various health concerns such as mental health and addictions that the black community experiences
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To increase access to the mental health and addictions services in Alberta. This will be achieved through recommending client-centered and research informed approaches that will enhance the experience of the black communities
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Our Objectives
No copyright infringement is intended. Image from "She has gotta to have it" Retrieved from Netflix
Promoting a none discriminatory and equitable wellness supports that are available to all
Our Commitment
To reduce inequalities of access and barriers to mental health and addictions services and create a framework for black communities to be empowered to engage in available services for the continuous improvement and betterment of their health, wellbeing and overall experience.
Dignity
We strive to treat everyone with dignity while valuing their lived experiences
RESPECT
We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels both respected and empowered as they navigate the mental health supports
Safety
We define safety as physical and psychological and we aim to ensure everyone seeking supports feels supported and safe to seek supports
Accountability
We are accountable to our various regulatory bodies and to the the public that we serve
OUR VALUES
Everyone regards to be treated with dignity and respect.Every person requires equal opportunities to accessing health.
Excellence
We strive to treat everyone with dignity while valuing their lived experiences
Inclusivity
We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels both respected and empowered as they navigate the mental health supports
Ubuntu
We believe it takes a village to build equitable communities, hence we foster partnerships/ collaboration across organizations and sectors to help fulfill our mission