Black Psychologists Exist

Black Psychologists Exist

My name is Fiana Andrews, and I’m a Black psychologist in Ontario. One thing I hear over and over, especially from Black clients, is this: “I didn’t know where to find someone who looks like me.”

In Canada, Black psychologists make up less than 1% of the profession. That’s not just a problem. It’s a barrier to care, especially for clients who have experienced racism, cultural misattunement, or lack of representation in other healthcare systems. And yet, Black psychologists are out here doing incredible work in private practice, schools, hospitals, organizations and academic research. What we’re missing is visibility and connection.

Every year for Black History Month, I post a curated list of Black psychologists in Ontario on my social media platforms (see Instagram and TikTok). It helps, but I’ve realized something more powerful is needed: we need to put faces to names, and we need to bring people together.

That’s why I’m launching Black Psychologists Exist a Black Psychologists Collective event, a first-of-its-kind networking and visibility event for Black psychologists in Ontario. The event will be capped at 40 attendees to keep it intimate and impactful. There will be guided group conversations, professional headshots, mocktails, and opportunities to build referral networks and find community. Many Black psychologists work in professional isolation. This event is designed to change that.

My goal is to use the images and video collected at the event to transform the annual Black psychologist list into a professionally designed digital directory. This resource will make it easier for Black individuals to find culturally aligned care, and it will help increase the visibility of Black professionals across platforms.

This isn’t just an event. It’s about representation, access, and solidarity. We are building the kind of professional visibility our community deserves, and that the next generation of Black psychologists needs to see.