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Our Story

Every person has a story, and ours is deeply rooted in a passion for community, mental health, and self-care.

At the heart of our journey is a commitment to fostering connection, healing, and well-being for all BIPOC communities.

About Us

At Pigment Therapy, we believe that healing begins with being seen, heard, and understood. Our journey started with a simple truth: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have long faced barriers to finding mental health care that truly reflects their identities, cultures, and lived experiences. Too often, stories of struggle and resilience in BIPOC communities are overlooked or misunderstood, and access to culturally sensitive care remains out of reach for many.

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Our founder’s vision was shaped by personal experiences of not being able to find a culturally competent therapist while in a mental health crisis, along with the voices and stories of friends, family, and community members who shared a common challenge — finding a Black therapist, finding a culturally competent therapist, finding a mental health provider of color, finding a therapist who “get it.”

 

Inspired by the power of storytelling to uplift marginalized voices and destigmatize mental health, we set out to create a space where BIPOC individuals could connect with providers who respectfully honor their backgrounds and journeys.

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We know that mental health journeys are not a one-size-fit-all model. Stigma, discrimination, and systemic barriers can make it even harder for BIPOC individuals to seek support or feel safe sharing their stories. That’s why our directory is more than just a list of names—it’s a community resource built on connection, trust, representation, and empowerment.

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The Pigment Therapy platform is dedicated to:

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  • Culturally Rooted Support: Every provider in our directory is committed to culturally responsive care, ensuring clients feel seen and valued.

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  • Amplifying BIPOC Voices: We center the narratives and needs of BIPOC communities, challenging stigma and fostering open, affirming conversations about mental health.

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  • Accessible, Empowering Care: We make it easier to find therapists who share your lived experiences or understand your unique perspective, so you can focus on healing and growth.

 

We invite you to explore, connect, and share your story. Together, we are rewriting the narrative of mental health in BIPOC communities—one connection at a time.

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At Pigment Therapy, you are not alone. Your story matters here.​

Why We Care

We care because mental health care is a basic human right, yet BIPOC communities continue to face significant barriers—like stigma, lack of representation, financial obstacles, and culturally insensitive and inappropriate care—that make it difficult to access the support they deserve. 

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We’ve seen how these challenges can lead to further traumatization, tragedy, isolation, and inequity in BIPOC communities. We know that healing is most powerful when it honors and respects each person’s identity and lived experience. 

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Pigment Therapy is designed to be the place where every journey is honored, and every voice is heard. Culturally rooted mental health care.​​

Why 'Pigment'

The word "pigment" relates to being a person of color or a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) person primarily through its connection to skin color, which has historically been used to classify and define racial groups. Skin pigment, especially melanin, determines skin tone, and this visible trait has often been the basis for racial categorization and discrimination. 

 

The concept of "pigmentocracy" reflects how societies, especially in the Americas, have created social and hierarchical systems valuing lighter skin tones over darker ones among people of African descent, influencing social, economic, and political experiences - creating lasting and intergenerational effects, which remain evident in the underrepresentation of darker-skinned individuals in media, business, politics, and in ongoing disparities in educational and health outcomes.

 

In short, "pigment" underpins the biological aspect of skin color that has been socially constructed into racial identities, but the identities of people of color or BIPOC encompass much more than just skin tone—they involve culture, history, and lived experience. The use of the word ‘pigment’ in racial terms highlights the historical and ongoing impact of skin color in shaping racial identity and inequality, while emphasizing that race itself is a social construct rather than a purely biological fact.

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