The Okra Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Black transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive communities, has partnered with BetterHelp to offer up to three months of free or low-cost therapy nationwide.
This initiative aims to break down barriers to mental health care by connecting participants with licensed, affirming therapists through phone, video, or messaging. The program addresses long-standing obstacles such as cost, discrimination, and lack of access to culturally competent care.
Founded in 2018, The Okra Project originally focused on helping Black trans individuals with food insecurity and has since expanded its mission to include various forms of mutual aid, including rental assistance, wellness stipends, and culinary training.
The new partnership with BetterHelp represents an evolution toward holistic well-being, emphasizing that access to mental health care is essential, not a luxury, especially for those facing multiple layers of trauma and societal erasure.
Gabrielle Inès Souza, Executive Director of The Okra Project and a Black trans woman, highlights the importance of this effort as a shift from survival to liberation.
The initiative not only provides immediate mental health resources but also fosters conditions for Black trans people to thrive with safety, agency, and the ability to live unapologetically. Souza points to additional barriers beyond cost and access, including stigma and unsafe or non-affirming therapy environments, underscoring the need for care that builds up rather than undermines.
Eligible Black transgender individuals can apply for this mental health support via The Okra Project’s website. This program is part of a broader strategy to meet people “at the intersection of survival and liberation,” ensuring that the community’s basic needs and mental health are addressed to enable healing and empowerment.
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