Study Finds Black Men Are Highly Motivated to Enter Mental Health Careers, but Systemic Barriers Continue to Block Entry into a Critical Workforce Pipeline
Chicago, IL — June 15, 2026 — America’s mental health workforce shortage may be deeper than previously understood. New research suggests that the United States’ mental health workforce shortage is not only a capacity issue, but a structural access issue that may be limiting who is able to enter the profession in the first place.
The research reveals that Black men, one of the most underrepresented groups in mental health professions, are highly motivated to become counselors, psychologists, and social workers. However, systemic barriers continue to restrict entry into educational and licensure pathways, even as demand for culturally responsive care continues to grow nationwide.
In fact, despite ongoing workforce shortages in behavioral health, Black men remain significantly underrepresented across the field, comprising just 3 percent of psychologists, 8 percent of Black social workers, 1.6 percent of psychology doctoral students, and 5.1 percent of counselor education program enrollees.
Researchers argue that this disparity has direct implications for access to care in communities disproportionately impacted by trauma, violence, and unmet mental health needs. The study, Breaking Barriers: Understanding the Motivations and Challenges of Black Men in Mental Health Careers, found that interest in mental health careers is strong among Black men, particularly those with lived experience in underserved communities. Many participants described a desire to give back, reduce stigma, and improve access to culturally responsive care.
However, participants of the study consistently identified a set of persistent barriers, including student debt, limited mentorship, lack of early career exposure, cultural stigma, and structural challenges within graduate education and licensure systems.
At a time when schools, healthcare systems, and community organizations continue to report critical shortages of mental health professionals, the findings suggest that workforce expansion strategies may be incomplete if they do not also address who has access to entering the field.
“This is not just a pipeline issue, it is an access issue”
“The conversation around mental health equity often focuses on helping people access care,” said Aaron Mallory, CEO of GRO Community and lead author of the study. “This research raises a parallel question: who has access to becoming a mental health professional. Our findings show that Black men want to serve in these roles, but too often the pathway is structured in ways that limit entry and persistence.”
Mallory added that addressing workforce shortages will require both recruitment and structural reform. “If we are serious about closing gaps in mental health access, we also have to be serious about removing barriers that keep qualified and motivated individuals out of the field.”
Key Findings
The study, based on in-depth interviews with 34 Black men working or training in counseling, psychology, social work, and related fields, identified several consistent themes:
- Strong motivation to enter mental health professions driven by community service and desire to expand access to care
- Lived experiences with trauma, grief, and unmet mental health needs influencing career interest
- Financial barriers, including student debt and limited funding support, limiting entry and completion of advanced degrees
- Cultural stigma around mental health and masculinity shaping perceptions of helping professions
- Mentorship and professional representation serve as critical factors in persistence and success
- Structural barriers within educational and licensure systems creating prolonged and costly pathways into the field
Implications for the Mental Health Workforce
The study suggests that addressing workforce shortages will require more than expanding recruitment efforts. Researchers recommend a broader strategy that includes expanding scholarships and financial support, increasing mentorship and early exposure programs, developing paid training and residency pathways, and addressing structural barriers within licensure and graduate education systems.
As demand for mental health services continues to rise, particularly in communities impacted by violence and chronic trauma, the study highlights the need to expand both access to care and access to the profession itself.
“As communities continue to seek more culturally responsive mental health services, we must be equally intentional about building a workforce that reflects those communities,” Mallory said. “Improving mental health outcomes requires expanding both access to care and access to the profession.”
The study “Breaking Barriers: Understanding the Motivations and Challenges of Black Men in Mental Health Careers” is published in the Journal of Black Psychology. More information about GRO Community and its programs is available at www.grocommunity.org.
About the Study
Breaking Barriers: Understanding the Motivations and Challenges of Black Men in Mental Health Careers was published in the Journal of Black Psychology. The qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 34 Black men working or training in mental health professions and examined how identity, mentorship, education, systemic barriers, and lived experiences influence career pathways.
About GRO Community
GRO Community is a Black-owned mental health and social services organization headquartered in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood, with services extending across Illinois and Ohio. GRO was founded to confront the deep and lasting effects of chronic trauma and exposure to violence among Black and Brown boys and men ages 5 and up—particularly those living in under-resourced, high-crime communities.
Believing that mental health is whole health, GRO’s service delivery model is grounded in an understanding of the neurological, biological, and psychological effects of trauma. GRO’s Black and Brown clinicians provide behavioral and clinical support by helping clients identify harmful thinking patterns, develop emotional regulation, and build the social-emotional skills needed to navigate life’s setbacks.
Through individual and group counseling, family services, psychiatric services, school-based SEL, gun violence prevention and workforce development, GRO offers an integrated approach to healing. GRO Community is more than mental health – it is a complete ecosystem for healing and empowerment. Together we heal. Together we thrive.
www.grocommunity.org
Media Contact:
JoAnna Fernandez
Director of Strategic Communications
773-253-8385
jfernandez@grocommunity.org
www.grocommunity.org