AUSTIN, Texas — With a surge in patients seeking help virtually, some people of color are discovering more diverse options online.

Patients seeking therapy are finding options that better match their needs now that COVID-19 has pushed most therapy online.

It's a silver lining Tina Alexander needed during this moment in history as she recently found her therapist online. Alexander is a Black woman who recently graduated from her master’s program at the University of Texas to become a counselor herself. She knows how important therapy can be. But when she gave it a try with a white counselor, it didn't work out.

"I would try to explain something to them and they were not as skilled at understanding what I meant by it," Alexander explained. "It was kind of a harmful and abrasive situation for me so I had left therapy for a while.” 

According to the American Psychological Association, 86 percent of psychologists are white. It made it tough for folks like Alexander when she first looked for therapy. Before, she limited herself to therapists in Austin, using websites like Psychology Today to sort through available therapists. She says she's normally presented with a sea of white faces with very few Black options, even when searching for therapists specializing in Black issues. She picked the therapist she thought best fit her needs that was also the most accessible for her, and that therapist just happened to be white.

Back then, Alexander assumed she'd have to pick someone she could easily meet face-to-face. As she worked at the University of Texas counseling center, her supervisor noted the convenience of being able to refer patients to therapists outside of Austin that meet their needs.

"It was more accessible to certain specialty areas because they could look at all of Texas and not just Austin," Alexander said. "I was like, ‘Oh, I could do the same thing!' So that was when very next weekend I was like, 'Okay, let's look outside of Austin.'"

Being forced to broaden her horizons allowed her to consider Black therapists that meet her needs, although they don't live anywhere near her. Her search lead to her new counselor, Ruby Bouie Johnson out of Plano, a female Black therapist who's seen her waiting list surge with patients from all over Texas.

"The pandemic is pushing us to a new norm," Johnson said. "As a professional, I did some online. It was [probably] like 80 percent/20 percent, 20 percent online. Now it’s like 100 percent."

Since the two connected as client and counselor, Alexander said she's getting way more out of counseling. Johnson said being able to relate on a deeper level with clients is key to the therapy process.

“Walking around in black skin is a political statement," Johnson said. "So having a therapist who is social justice informed who understands what that looks like, I understand wholeheartedly why your needs weren’t being met.” 

Johnson says she's received dozens of calls for her information to be added to websites of black therapists online to help other women like Alexander looking for that specialized help. TherapyForBlackGirls.com and nqttcn.com are two sites with searches specific to underrepresented groups. ​

You can learn more about Alexander and her journey to become a counselor at http://www.gofundme.com/tinasocialworker​ where she's asking for help to pay for that degree. Learn more about Johnson and her practice at her website.