Philly therapists offer reduced-cost sessions to Black Lives Matter activists

Philadelphia therapist Damon Constantinides has clients who are activists, but he said counseling services aren’t accessible to everyone. That’s something he wanted to help address.

“I was trying to think about how, as a white person, I could best support the Black Lives Matter movement with the skills and resources that I have,” Constantinides said.  

So Constantinides put out a call for therapists in the region willing to provide sessions for free or at a reduced rate to Black Lives Matter activists.

Ebony Eubanks is one of the practitioners who signed up.

“These activists are fighting social injustice in the community and also in our country. But, individually, they may also have struggles inside,” she said. Eubanks is offering reduced-rate therapy sessions. She said access and affordability are already important tenets of her private practice.  

Diversity is another issue, said therapist Malyka Cardwell. She said some people may prefer to speak with a woman therapist, for example, or an African-American counselor, about their experience. 

“We’re just giving people the option to choose and letting them know that we all can identify, but we recognize that you may not be comfortable with certain people, or you may be more comfortable with certain people,” Cardwell said. She’s offering free sessions.

More than a dozen service providers have signed up. Constantinides has also broadened the appeal, asking for other service providers such as acupuncturists.

You can find more information at healingforactivists.com.