Breaking the ‘Strong Black Woman’ Narrative: A Journey to Mental Health Healing in the Church

Mar 18

A Black Christian woman breaks free from the ‘strong Black woman’ stereotype, finding mental health healing through her church’s support and faith-based counseling. Explore how community and scripture guide this transformative journey.

Written By Jennifer Eldridge // EEW Magazine Online

For decades, Tasha Williams (not her real name) embodied the “strong Black woman” archetype in her Atlanta-based church. At 42, the mother of three and outreach leader was the one others turned to—a pillar who led prayer meetings, organized church gatherings, and never missed a Sunday service.

But behind her steadfast presence, Tasha battled a silent storm of anxiety and depression, a burden she hid for years, fearing judgment in a community where faith was often expected to overcome all struggles. Her story, one of struggle and eventual healing, reflects a growing movement among Black Christian women to challenge the cultural expectation of unwavering strength and embrace mental health support through the lens of faith.

The “strong Black woman” narrative, as T.K. Floyd Foutz writes, has deep roots in the historical survival of Black women through slavery, segregation, and systemic oppression. It’s a cultural expectation that honors perseverance but often exacts a heavy toll. For Tasha, this meant concealing her pain, even as panic attacks gripped her during late-night prayer sessions and depressive episodes left her unable to rise from bed.

“I thought I had to be the rock for everyone,” she recalls. “If I admitted I was breaking, what would they think of me? What would God think?”

Her experience mirrors the challenges faced by Dianna Hobbs, founder of EEW Magazine Online, who revealed in a February 2025 blog post her battle with bipolar disorder symptoms following a 2019 brain injury. Hobbs described the pressure of maintaining a public image of fortitude while privately grappling with mood swings, a struggle she kept hidden for years due to stigma in the Black Christian community.

This cultural expectation is often intensified by spiritual and societal pressures. A 2023 study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) found that Black women are half as likely as White women to seek mental health care, often due to stigma and limited access to culturally competent providers. Within many Black churches, mental health struggles are sometimes dismissed as a lack of faith, a barrier Hobbs confronted when she shared her son’s mental health challenges in a June 2024 article.

“I wanted to break the stigma,” Hobbs wrote, detailing how her son’s journey with bipolar disorder and OCD spurred her to advocate for open conversations in faith communities, emphasizing that seeking help does not reflect spiritual weakness.

Tasha’s breakthrough came in late 2024, during a women’s ministry meeting. Overwhelmed by a recent panic attack, she broke down in tears mid-prayer, her voice trembling as she admitted, “I can’t do this anymore.” The room fell silent, but instead of judgment, she was met with embraces. Her pastor, Rev. Karen Mitchell, who had recently completed training on mental health awareness through a local faith-based initiative, recognized the signs of distress.

“We’re called to bear one another’s burdens,” Rev. Mitchell says, referencing Galatians 6:2. “That includes mental health. Tasha’s vulnerability opened the door for healing—not just for her, but for our whole congregation.”

Rev. Mitchell connected Tasha with a licensed Christian counselor who specialized in working with Black women, a step that proved life-changing. Through weekly sessions, Tasha began to unpack the weight of the “strong Black woman” label, learning to see her struggles not as a failure of faith but as a human reality that God could hold. She also joined a small group at her church called “Sisters in Rest,” a space where Black women gathered to share their mental health journeys, pray together, and study scriptures like Matthew 11:28—“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

The group’s approach aligns with broader calls for mental health advocacy, such as those from actress Taraji P. Henson, who believes the battle begins young. The Academy Award nominated actress shared advice for children’s mental health through her new book in a June 2024 interview, urging communities to “create safe spaces” for vulnerability—a principle Tasha’s church adopted.

Systemic barriers remain a significant challenge. Black women face higher rates of anxiety and depression, often worsened by racism, economic stress, and care-giving roles, yet they are less likely to receive adequate care. Even as more Black churches have begun training clergy to address mental health, progress is gradual.

Foutz argues that churches must offer both therapeutic and theological support to meet Black women where they are, a view Rev. Mitchell shares: “We can’t just pray and leave it there. We have to act in love.”

This perspective aligns with Hobbs’ advocacy, as she has called for Black churches to lead the charge in breaking mental health stigma, a mission she continues through her platform at EmpoweringEverydayWomen.org, where faith-based initiatives continue to uplift.

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