Black History Month: Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Foundation
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During Black History Month QMUNITY is highlighting and donating to organizations that serve the Black 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Featured organization: Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Foundation
Who They Are
Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Foundation is a Black-led and Black-serving organization that connects Black individuals and families facing barriers to mental healthcare to free counselling services, low-cost counselling services, patient navigation services and advocacy.
The Mission
Founded in 2020 by Bethlehem Mulat, the Vancouver Black Therapy and Advocacy Foundation (VBT&AF) was birthed in response to the racial trauma intensified during the global reckoning following the murder of George Floyd. At a time when systemic racism was publicly acknowledged but culturally competent mental health support remained inaccessible, Mulat recognized the urgent need to build sustainable safety networks for Black communities in Vancouver. Already having been active in the Vancouver mental health field as a frontline worker.
Black communities in Vancouver continue to face structural barriers to mental healthcare. These barriers are financial, cultural, and systemic. Many Black individuals are unable to access practitioners who understand the lived realities of anti-Black racism, migration, displacement, and intergenerational trauma. At the same time, dominant mental health frameworks often fail to account for the social and political conditions affecting Black life. VBTAF exists so that Black communities in Vancouver are not left to navigate mental healthcare systems that were never designed with them in mind. VBTAF was established to respond directly to these gaps. Over the past five years, the foundation has worked to increase access to culturally grounded, community-centered care across Greater Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Through free and low-cost counselling, patient navigation, advocacy, and educational initiatives, VBTAF builds pathways to healing that are rooted in dignity, safety, and collective care.
Their team of all-Black team of counsellors and community leaders approach their work with a deep understanding of the nuances of the Black experience in Canada and beyond. VBTAF is committed not only to addressing immediate mental health needs, but to building long-term infrastructure for collective care, empowerment, and sustained change in Black mental health outcomes for generations to come.
The Impact
Since their founding in 2020, the Vancouver Black Therapy & Advocacy Foundation has provided over 2000 free counselling sessions and 100 low cost counselling sessions, opening the doors for 150 individuals and 15 families.
The VBT&AF has expanded over the years to provide several paths to healing for the community they serve. Their advocacy services, therapy programs and educational initiatives are activated by a team of compassionate individuals who believe in the power of collective healing and liberation for Black communities. Their all-Black team of counsellors and community leaders approach their work with a deep understanding of the nuances of the Black experience in Canada and beyond. The foundation aims to not only alleviate the difficulties that are intertwined with the Black experience, but to also empower the community in order to sustain a shift in Black mental health that will be felt for generations to come.
How to Support
VBT&AF is over 50% community-funded and almost entirely volunteer-run. A donation using the button below would help them provide free mental health support to Black Folks in 2026 and beyond.
On Feb 28th VBTAF’s Black Futures Flea Market is on! This ticketed event is Western Canada’s biggest Black-owned winter flea with Afro-Caribbean food, flash tats, Black vendors, music & community. 100% of proceeds fund free therapy for 25 Black folks in 2026. It is held at an all ages and accessible venue. Visit their instagram to learn more and get tickets.
To get involved, see future events, volunteer, or find more out information visit their website.
