The Washington PostThe Washington Post

Meet the psychologist drawing from the Black church to reshape mental health care

By Rebecca Tan

27 Mar 2022 · 6 min read

BALTIMORE - The day after the American Psychological Association's newest leader pitched her vision for the organization to dozens of her colleagues in D.C., she walked into Maryland's oldest Black church and stepped up to the wooden pulpit where her father and grandfather used to preach.

"Hallelujah," Thema Bryant, 48, said, smiling as her voice boomed through the century-old sanctuary at the Bethel AME Church in West Baltimore. "It's good to be home."

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